Overwhelmed

We are in the throes of a pernicious pandemic, one that facilitates our collective doom, and I do not refer here to the AIDS virus or H5N1 influenza strain: I talk of ignorance, and I am worried if harbouring hope for its detumescence is futile. Should I just call it a day, switch on my television set and not give a fuck anymore?

Three stories that crossed my foveal vision serve as impetus for my writing this piece, particularly readers' responses to them. First was the Alberta Human Rights Commission's decision to dismiss a complain against Ezra Levant, publisher of the out-of-print Western Standard, who published the now infamous "Muhammad cartoon" in which the Muslim prophet sports a bomb for a turban. I have already remarked on the red herring Mr. Levant and his ilk threw our way in the guise of "freedom of speech", hoping our gorging on this delicious morsel distracts us from their fear of Muslims, thus another long-winded diatribe decrying such an act is superfluous. What perturbed me were some of the remarks left by readers. I can understand those who were raised in Islam and have since renounced their oppressive religious practices - I, myself, was not raised a Muslim, so I can only take their word for it as to how uncomfortable their experiences were - but to stand aside these purveyors of fear and loathing and cast stones eastward is worrisome, to say the least. Misogyny is not exclusive to Islam, nor even Christianity or Judaism: chauvinism exists under all racial, ethnic and religious umbrellas, as there are misogynistic Atheists, Agnostics, Africans, Chinese, you name it.

Next was the story of pro-Tibet protesters being removed from Tiananmen Square in Beijing, one of whom a Canadian. Again, I found myself obfuscated after reading some of the readers' remarks: they included such phrases as "this man has brought shame to Canada" and "the Olympic games are about enjoying the festivities and savouring the good will, not a platform for flapping your leftist clap-trap". Once upon a time, the Olympic Games served as an alternative to bloody warfare; soldiers dropped their weapons and competed in sporting events, whereas today, it is a showcase of who has the most money, while we, the people, exercise our patriotic duty to turn on, tune in and cop out.

Third, this morning, I learned of the riot erupting in a predominantly Hatian neighbourhood in Montreal early this morning in the wake of death of an eighteen-year-old boy by police bullets. Granted, there are some who make the effort to grasp the gravity of the situation and the tension within the community, but by and large, comments have either denounced the rioters as "thugs who should be treated as such" or cries of "fuck the police". This is how wars start and never end, when we cut lines through ourselves and choose one side over the other, rather than comprehend the totality of the situation and work our way towards a panacea. There is a reason why it is called a "happy medium": when all parties are willing to make sacrifices to ensure collective amelioration, everyone wins.

Finally, I cannot complete the discussion without relating these three stories, as they do not exist in isolation. I've heard, ad nauseam, the phrase "These have nothing to do with one another", and it's time we put a stop to it - on second thought, I am not here to tell you what you can or cannot say; my hope is that you are aware of what it is you are saying when you say it. The time has come to surrender the notion that people and events are mutually exclusive particles floating in space, and realize they are all connected to one another. These three stories not only highlight how powerful weapons fear and loathing are, but also the ignorance enthralling us.

How much longer can we remain oblivious to what is happening? Do you recall the cartoon parody of the closet door bursting open after the child stuffs his mess inside, hoping to expedite his cleaning duty? This is exactly what happens when we are quick to denounce one another as "others" because it is a convenient means by which to enervate our own cognitive dissonance.

Frankly, I don't know why I continue fighting. I know I vowed to let love conquer ignorance and fear, but I wonder if this disease is terminal, or if Mother Nature has no choice but to purge the virus from her system.