Canada, get off your high horse
In the wake of the rising right, it’s time for us to get to work
There’s no question about it: Michelle Obama was a gem among the dung pile that was this U.S. election. Her speeches were filled with words to live by, especially her speech at the Democratic Convention when she said:
When they go low, we go high.
Unfortunately, half of the U.S. went very low this week and voted for a man who has glorified sexual assault, abused whole groups of people, and — well, you know the rest. You’d be hard-pressed to find a Canadian who can’t provide a lengthy list of all of Donald Trump’s transgressions.
But there is a twisted silver lining to Trump’s win:
The deep-seated, bigoted underbelly of our society — which for so long functioned covertly — has finally reared its head for all to see. Though the unapologetic racism and misogyny of this election has left many of us sick to our stomachs, the visibility of this bigotry allows us to assemble and face it head on.
And yes, I do mean us. Such prejudices and attitudes are not just a problem for our southern friends. It’s on Canadian soil as well, though perhaps in more insidious forms.
Islamophobia and other prejudices have been on the rise in Canada as well. Last year, 41 per cent of Canadians — who responded to the EKOS poll — said that there were too many visible minorities in Canada, and 46 per cent said there are too many immigrants.
Canadian Conservative leadership candidate Kellie Leitch said to her supporters that Trump’s win is an “exciting message that needs to be delivered in Canada as well.” Her campaign has proposed further screening for immigrants and refugees.
Too many visible minorities. Too many immigrants.
Where have we heard this before?
Despite these parallels, we Canadians — who watched this election as faithfully as though it were our own; who on election day felt as though we too had lost something when Trump won — chose to regard our southern friends with an age-old smugness, a holier-than-thou attitude, rather than with much-needed empathy.
It may seem implausible that Canada would ever elect someone like Trump — especially in light of the recent election of feminist Prime Minister Justin Trudeau —but it’s foolish to think we’re immune to the threat on human rights and equality that’s taken centre stage in the U.S.
After Barack Obama was elected, there was a time when it seemed inconceivable that a demagogic, racist populist would ever hold office.
Yet eight years after Obama’s election (and God, I’m going to miss him) the rise of far-right populism is a very real threat, and not just in the United States: We’ve seen it across Europe in countries such as Austria, Germany and Sweden; we saw it in Brexit, and now we see it in the aftermath of Trump’s victory: We see it in the attacks on Muslim American women; we see it in the swastikas spray painted in American cities; we see it in schools where children of colour are being taunted by their peers; we see it in the Ku Klux Klan’s upcoming victory march to celebrate Tump’s win — the list goes on.
Now is not the time to rest on our laurels and to feel good about ourselves simply because Trump isn’t our president.
Canadians, it’s time to get off our high horse and get to work.
I love this country and couldn’t imagine living anywhere else, but there is a darkness in our history and present:
About 1,200 aboriginal women have been murdered or gone missing since 1952. There are whole communities in Canada that haven’t had clean drinking water in decades. And we’ve yet to elect a prime minister who isn’t a white man (no, Kim Campbell’s four-month turn as prime minister 23 years ago does not count).
When Michelle Obama said, “When they go low, we go high,” she didn’t say:
When they go low, we look down on them.
When they go low, we stand around and feel good about ourselves.
She said: when they go low, we take the high road and better ourselves.
There’s nothing wrong with taking pride in being Canadian. But out of love for our country we must remain vigilant. It isn’t enough to wait for progress to unfold naturally and hope it will outrace the destructive forces that are disassembling the world around us. We must educate ourselves, be active in the construction of a better society and, above all else, exercise empathy.
Instead of tweeting about how Canada is so much better than the U.S., take every chance you have to better yourself and society. In your day-to-day life, don’t let discriminatory comments slide. Be an advocate for others, especially when they’re less privileged than you. Volunteer to help youth and families in need. And through it all, maintain a humble posture of learning and a heart of empathy.
The U.S. election was a wakeup call for the world.
Don’t let it be for nothing.
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