CW: Racism, Homophobia

THREAD. I see a few Canadians lately claiming how “relieved” they are to be Canadian because everyone is just so gosh darn nice and accepting of everyone! It’s especially like this with some Newfoundlanders, aka “the nicest people in the world.” 1/11

As a white woman in tech/design, I’ve witnessed casual and outright racism/homophobia MANY TIMES in my hometown in Canada. In places and spaces I thought were fairly progressive and liberal. But boy was I wrong. 2/11

Like the time a coworker drew a television in the arms of Mo Farah on the front of our office newspaper.

Or the time a staff member said he wanted to “hate fuck” Oprah for the influence she supposedly had on getting Obama elected. 3/11

Or the time someone overheard a senior figure in his office on the phone, referring to one of our colleagues by using a homophobic slur.

Or the time someone said that lesbians shouldn’t have kids, straight to my colleague’s face, with her girlfriend standing next to her. 4/11

In each of those instances a few of our colleagues did speak up, but often such resistance would be met with “Oh, it’s just a joke b’y.”

Is it? Was it a joke when said straight to the lesbian couple’s faces? 5/11

These incidents have stuck with me for YEARS and I think of them often—I simply cannot imagine how minoritized people must feel to be directly on the receiving end of such behaviour. How did my coworker feel to be called that slur in her own workplace? 6/11

I’d like to think that some of those responsible have learned since then, but I’m going to guess that they’re probably just learned to keep their mouths shut instead. You don’t say that kind of stuff without meaning it. 7/11

So the next time you pat yourself on the back for being Canadian, maybe consider that you don’t experience what minoritized people experience daily. I too am trying to do a better job, and it’s hard, but it’s not even a fraction of how hard it is to be a minoritized person. 8/11

If you’re a business owner, make an effort to hire people different from you. I get that in some areas, especially Newfoundland, the population isn’t as diverse as some places, but it’s not impossible. If you have the means, you can seek talent outside the province too. 9/11

Think about these things the next time you listen to that “Come From Away” soundtrack. Self-congratulation doesn’t get us anywhere. Talk to your friends and family members and help them understand that even casual “jokes” aren’t acceptable in ANY circumstance. 10/11

And if you haven’t yet, please consider donating to a bail fund or other organisations that need your help right now: https://twitter.com/kamaraxtaurus/status/1266328844056825857?s=21

Black Lives Matter.