13 minute read
Trump 1946-2020
“Trump 1946-2020” still sounds pretty good “Wish him a speedy recovery?” No
Round, round Hitler’s grave, Round and round we go, Gonna lay that poor boy down; He won’t get up no more.
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A few days ago I woke up to a video on my twitter timeline of a bunch of crabs dancing joyfully to the news that Trump had COVID-19, along with tweets from my friends expressing that they had been waiting – In fact, praying – to see this exact video all year. As many of us know, this news practically lit twitter on fire, and “poetic justice” was among the most common phrases I read. There are no doubt still memes being created as I write this, ones that not only make light of Trump’s condition but gleefully anticipate his death.
Of course, this was going to prompt a reaction to the reaction, especially on a website like Twitter where everything is up for commentary. Many people, including prominent political figures, responded to the news by wishing Trump and his family a speedy recovery, adding that “they wouldn’t wish COVID-10 on anyone.” Others directly shamed any celebration of a person’s potential death. At the end of the day, a dominant conversation became: what’s the moral status of wanting a person to die?
Well, as it pertains to Trump, at the moment the point of such a conversation is basically moot, since earlier today it was announced that he had left his multi-room decorated suite in a military hospital to return to the White House. He is – many would say unfortunately – back to work. But no one can forget how excited so many people were while they wondered if we’d ever see him again. Was this an indictment of the cruelty of others on the internet, vitriol powered by twitter’s anonymity and a mob mentality that caused us all to forget about the sanctity of human life? ...No!
I danced to the Trump has COVID crab rave! Of course I did! To say that someone should be ashamed for wanting his life to be in danger strikes me as hugely disingenuous for two main reasons: one, there’s nothing new about this kind of death wish, and two, caring about preserving human life is a big reason a lot of people want this bastard gone in the first place.
How is there anything unique about rejoicing over the mortality of a political enemy? The lyrics I began this article with, human beings. written in the 1940s by folk singers Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger, reflected a similar sentiment directed at not just the German chancellor but his entire army and generals during WWII. Images of Hitler being boiled alive, shot, and hanged, among others, were gleefully sung by not just the writers but hundreds of people who passed the song on. At this time in history, fascism in Germany was not the vague idea taught to us in North American schools today; such fascists really lived, and the genocide they perpetrated was ongoing. I have no doubt that there were people in that time, hearing this song which is now such a staple of the period, who condemned it as needlessly violent.
“But that’s obviously different,” you may say. We aren’t in the midst of a world war (although the United States and Canada are both involved in several armed conflicts and military endeavors), Trump isn’t literally Hitler (although nobody is “literally Hitler” except Hitler, so if that’s our bar for who’s actually a fascist we’ll logically never encounter another one), and the atrocities involved are not the same.
Of course they aren’t. No two serial violators of human rights are the same.
“...when a person in power can so easily create systems that breed death...one could inversely argue that cheering for the Trump administration encourages the deaths of
– Marty Grande-Sherbert
No monster grows the same head twice. But people have been saying for years that the patterns of Trump’s campaign reek of fascism, and genocidal practices are in fact being investigated under his administration at this very moment.
The aim of this article is not to equate two fascists, although I insist upon calling a spade a spade. What I aim to do is point out that wishing death upon a political figure has in the past, and still does, represent an outcry against the many, many deaths brought about by their policies. More recently (as in, more recently than the 1940s), in the week that Margaret Thatcher died in the UK, “Ding Dong, the Witch is Dead” rose to number 10 in the nation’s charts. It is not the death, necessarily, that is the source of joy; rather, it is the survival of the people who suffered because of the politicians actions, who may very well have died because of the choices they made.
In fact, when a person in power can so easily create systems that breed death – more so than ever during COVID-19, where essential workers, incarcerated people, and migrants in detention contracted the illness – one could inversely argue that cheering for the Trump administration takes lightly the deaths of human beings. When you argue, for example, as Trump has, that the Black Lives Matter movement should be met with military force, is that not an immoral celebration of death? When you deny people the right to move freely across borders as they flee violence and disease, is that not an immoral celebration of death? When you defend increasing funding to police and prisons as institutions – as many are doing here in Regina, each time the budget is renewed – despite the repeated instances of police harming the people, is that not an immoral celebration of death?
Even though Trump’s stay in the hospital was yet another reminder of how much more safety and care those like him are afforded, I’m glad a lot of people online, people who have been bearing unbelievable mourning and grief because of his policies, got to know he suffered. If you want to shame someone’s moral principles, there are plenty of better places you can start. Otherwise, it’s clear that to you, only some deaths, possible or otherwise, are worth any measure of respect.
marty grande-sherbert
op-ed editor
Will our government stand up to white supremacists?
An anti-racism event that took place in Red Deer, Alberta, on September 20 last month was violently crashed by what protestors described as white supremacists. Watching the infiltration of a peaceful, anti-racist protest be radicalized by counter-protestors shows how far we need to go to combat racism in Canada.
The peace walk was organized by the Black and Indigenous Alliance Alberta and Red Deer Against Racism, who planned to represent discriminated groups in Alberta and protest racist attitudes in the province. It ended, however, with the police separating these parties from counter-protestors, in a head-to-head yelling match where some protestors were attacked. The event, which was intended to promote the importance of equality among all people, resulted in disaster and violent ignorance.
Watching people react so violently to an event meant to eliminate racism is sickening. Why is it that people are scared or angry at the thought of anti-racist events? I find it difficult to believe that racist individuals do not believe systematic racism exists. In fact, I think their violence is a way of disguising their fear that they will become a part of a minority group themselves. But then, if that is what they’re afraid of, why not advocate against discrimination? “All Lives Matter,” a stance repeated by those like these counter-protestors, is a hypocritical statement all on its own which ignores racism and intergenerational trauma. If all lives did in fact matter, those who believed such a thing would be concerned for the endangered lives of Black and Indigenous people.
The thing I am most scared of in this world is a group of ignorant people like this, people who cannot accept issues of systematic racism, but accept and enforce white supremacy. They anger me to no end.
That being said, we all have a part to play. I cannot ever understand the effects of systematic racism on the level of a Black or Indigenous person because of my whiteness. For the same reason, I was uneducated about racism when I first began my post-secondary education. Although I did not go out of my way to enforce racist beliefs at the time, I did not go out of my way to prevent them, either. I realize now that it was foolish of me to remain motionless while watching discrimination and violence, like the kind in Red Deer, unfold in front of me. Even though I do not understand everything about systematic racism and racial injustices, I am still willing to learn and speak against it. I have some catching up to do.
“Education trumps ignorance,” said my coworker Reese Estwick on the matter. In other words, not only do you have to be willing to learn what your faults are, you need to be able to unlearn them and re-educate yourself, so you don’t do harm again. In terms of further education on systematic racism, in light of racist attitudes in Canada, I would like to see the government act on funding more education on how to combat racist beliefs. I watched Prime Minister Trudeau walk in a Black Lives Matter peace walk, but how has he made real efforts to change previous policies that are harmful to Black and Indigenous communities? Jagmeet Singh was thrown out of the House of Commons for calling a
– Gillian Massie
Bloc MP racist, because that MP would not acknowledge the existing systemic racism in the RCMP. Singh was penalized because he called it out, so what does this say about our government?
I would like to see immediate action on the government’s part to eliminate systematic racism. Rome was not built in a day, and it will take time to impliment these policies. However, I also know the government has immediately reacted in other situations which do not involve racism, and I do not understand why equal rights and laws against discrimination and violence like the kind in Red Deer would not be at the top of their list. The way the peace walk in Alberta was covered in the mainstream media also disappoints me. Although it is important to outline the details of what occurred during the interference of the event and the violence that occurred, focusing on the counter-protestors instead of the protesters themselves takes the publicity away from the original value of the peace walk. Furthermore, this fuels white supremacists’ egos, as they want to frighten people into parting with their anti-racist beliefs in fear of being harmed. I would like to see a heavier focus on the beliefs and goals of the peace walk demonstrators, for the benefit of Black and Indigenous communities they represent.
People explaining how their racist actions are justifiable infuriates me. Counter-protesters may claim they were offering an “alternate” or “opposite” perspective, but when it comes to white supremacist violence, “That’s not just demonstrating an alternate perspective, that’s just being racist,” Reese Estwick also said.
On Sunday October 4, the Black and Indigenous Alliance Alberta and Red Deer Against Racism in Alberta had a second go at their peace walk; it was deemed successful, and demonstrators could walk the streets without harm. However, a counter-protest still occurred, separated by RCMP.
gillian massie web writer
oct 7 - oct 14, 2020 op-ed carillonregina.com | the carillon | 17 Keep your eyes on Uighurs in Xinjiang Human rights concerns continue
Each time genocide occurs, whether it be in Armenia, Rwanda, Germany or anywhere else, we hear similar declarations about how humanity must prevent such events from occurring in the future. Still, humanity finds itself in the midst of genocide again; this time, it is found in the persecution of Uighur Muslims in China.
In a time where people are constantly worried about a global pandemic, it is easy to overlook the other atrocities taking over our world. However, the persecution of Uighurs in Xinjiang, China, requires immediate attention by all global governments and particularly human rights groups. Uighurs are a predominantly Muslim Turkic ethnicity, and a significant percentage of them live in Xinjiang. There are about 11 million Uighurs in this region of China. While the “re-education” camps in the area that Uighurs attend have only recently been covered by news sources, persecution of Uighurs and attempts to destroy their belief systems have been occurring for several years. These mass persecutions began as early as 2014, with the second wave carried out by the Chinese government in 2017. This persecution is not a new phenomenon, and is ongoing in Xinjiang. So, how has the Chinese government been able to
forcibly detain an estimated one million people?
The answer is simple: the government have reused age old-tactics of antagonism and fear-mongering. Under the guise of “curbing religious extremism”, the Chinese government has been successful in the surveillance and arrest of Turkic and Uighur peoples under suspicion of “extremism,” where this suspicion is solely based on their ethnicity or religious activity. The camps are characterized as being “anti-terrorist” and “de-radicalization measures” to ensure the safety of Chinese people. With this characterization, the government is antagonizing Turkic peoples and justifying their persecution. Nonetheless, the government claim these camps are simply to educate individuals on Chinese language and culture. Because of the lack of direct media coverage, exact numbers of detainees are difficult to determine. However, estimates range from one to over two million people being detained. Uighur individuals are being detained for arbitrary reasons such as installing WhatsApp on their phone, and are left without any legal avenues to challenge their detainment. People have been held for numerous reasons revolving around any connection to Islam, including “reciting and texting Quranic verses, and attending mosque services.” In reality, these people are not radical, but have been characterized as such for simply practicing their religion. Of the camps that exist, “30 have been confirmed,” but estimates have ranged in higher numbers.
As previously stated, it is difficult to determine the exact situation taking place in the camps in Xinjiang. Nonetheless, testimony by some who have fled the camps and granted asylum, like Sayragul Sauytbay, reveals that a common occurrence is forcing detainees to pledge alliagence to the CCP and renounce Islam. There is said to be forcing of the consumption of pork and alcohol, unhygienic conditions, and constant surveillance and punishment. Sauytbay, a Kazakh woman who worked as a teacher in the camps, reported to Haaretz that she witnessed sexual assault from guards. She also recounts the abuses she witnessed as punishments, including “beatings and food deprivation”. Recently, in September 2020, a group called The China Tribunal claimed that “human organs were being harvested in the camps,” and urged the United Nations to investigate.
Upon initial discovery, Chinese officials denied the existence of the camps.
Wikimedia Commons Xinjiang from above. However, when documents were released that proved people were being held against their will, they admitted to their existence but claimed such camps were voluntary and exist simply to prevent extremism. Global organizations, including the United Nations and the European Union have condemned this mass human rights infringement. They are pressuring China to respect religious freedom and answer for their actions. Still, the genocidal actions continue, and decisions to combat this mass imprisonment have not been made on an institutional level. The world has a moral obligation to confront such accusations of organ harvesting, sexual abuse,
forced detainment, and genocide in Xinjiang. Global governments are hesitant to confront China because of their economic ties to the country. However, human rights should always take priority over economic concerns. Failure to determine legitimate solutions in situations like these has resulted in the deaths of thousands of people and will continue to result in deaths, unless decisive action is taken on a global scale.
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18 editors: sarah carrier, mercedes redman, kate thiessen graphics@carillonregina.com the carillon | october 8 - october 14, 2020
