We’ve come along way, baby!

Guys - I’m angry again.

Some of you might remember my we need a break letter to Canada a few years ago. Some of you might have even agreed with how I was feeling, and some of you definitely did not. And since then, many (MANY!) things have changed. Some good, some not.

Let’s start with the good...

I had a joyous reunion with my brother the weekend before last. We seem to have an unspoken deal that we can only see each other on nights that involve the risk of flash flooding. The last time we had one of these catchups, it involved what was quite possibly the worst movie I’ve ever been subjected to since Titanic. That was months ago, and I still haven’t figured out what happened.

This time, however, we went to see Bohemian Rhapsody.

Being lifelong Queen fans because of The Mujjie, it felt like a natural time to share some space and avoid talking about heavy topics, such as how much The Mujjie would have loved it or how much she loved them, or the fact that it’s been five and a half years, but it seems like everyone has since forgotten her. Instead, I sobbed like a baby the entire drive home, like the mature adult that I am.

If you have never heard of this band or been blessed to hear the vocal chords of a one Freddie Mercury a) where have you been, b) I’m sorry you’re life has had no meaning up to this point and c) you’re in for a treat that will only leave you feeling sad because you will never get another the first time I heard his voice moment again. There are so many examples of his breathtaking talent, that I can’t choose just one song to share... but I’m going to anyway.

Too Much Love Will Kill You (1992; from the Album released in 1995)

A lesser known tune, but one that is embedded in my brain as part of the soundtrack of my childhood. 

I have lived memories of driving across the MacKay Bridge towards Dartmouth and singing this with 
The Mujjie. This album never seemed to have the popularity it deserved. A sad, but beautiful collection
 of one of the greatest singer of all time's final thoughts. 

But, this post isn’t meant to be a review of the film - I do actually have a point...

Aside from the numerous inaccuracies and wonky timeline, something really amazing happened. Something that shouldn’t have surprised me, but did - no one in the theatre gave a shit that the story was about a gay man. There were several demographics in that nearly-filled theatre, and yet everyone seemed to leave with tears of joy and sadness, filled with nostalgia and longing to hear more of that one-of-a-kind creativity that is Freddie Mercury’s Queen. No homophobic remarks. No wigging out when the characters kissed. Nothing. Just total engagement with the film. I was so excited to think, in 2018, we were focused on the music and not the sexual preference of a band’s lead singer.

And then I read a book on systemic racism in Canada.

Earlier in the year, I read a book, written by first-time writer, Angie Thomas - The Hate U Give. It’s a young adult book, but it touches on the police violence against African Americans, that we assume doesn’t happen in Canada. A month ago, they released it as a film, and this past weekend, I faced one of my biggest fears and went to see it by myself. Don’t ask me how I can travel the world and move to a completely different continent on my own without batting an eye, but entering a movie theatre solo sent me into panic mode for the 24 hours leading up to showtime!

Seeing this film, matched with finishing a book by Canadian writer Robyn Maynard, entitled Policing Black Lives left me feeling enraged, sad, and hopeless.

This well-written book talks about racism in Canada from slavery to present day. It outlines police brutality against Black people and other minorities (IN CANADA!), the lagging education system, and many other injustices that - somehow - are still present today. For me, this hit home in terms of our immigration system, as it talks quite frankly about how it is still set up to exclude certain parts of the world (namely, the Black ones!) from entering, even though my own experience tells me we, as a country, are losing out on some gifted, hardworking, amazing people who could do incredible things here.

While The Hate U Give might be a bit juvenile for some, it does touch on a growing, but not new problem. It’s a great read, and an important one for younger folks in particular to engage with. The film also does a fairly good job of representing the book, although for time sake, it diverges from the full story. But, it does so in a way that works, and so I walked away from the theatre feeling good overall, and hopefully that it could spark a conversation. Unfortunately, I had hoped it would have created more of an impact, built a bit of controversy, and got media and others talking. I have yet to hear anything, and this makes me sad. And angry.

But, if you want a more adult, it’s time to check your privilege and face reality for a good number of people in THIS country kind of read, then I strongly suggest picking up a copy of Robyn Maynard’s book. I like to think I’m pretty educated and aware of the racial and social injustices within this country, but even I felt like I had much to learn as I turned page after page. This is exactly why it is so important for others to read.

The bottomline for me, though, is that things need to change. I can’t for the life of me understand how we got here and how we continue to remain here. How are we still placing value on skin pigmentation and a person’s place of origin? Whether it’s from a place within Canada or abroad it is mind boggling that we still can’t accept people for things that actually matter - kindness, work ethic, or contribution to community, to name a few. It is amazing that we specifically cater to certain countries instead of others because this country isn’t quite white enough “yet".

There’s a famous saying from the late 1960s, You’ve come along way, baby, that was used to sell cigarettes. It was insinuating that the feminist movement had great made strides - and it had, but there was still a long way to go. To say, in present day, that we’ve made major advances in the racial acceptance category is about as ironic and offensive as that original advertisement is. To suggest that we’ve made a significant difference in the way we treat others that don’t meet the Justin Trudeau-esque quintessential, white Canadian image, not even from a racial perspective - think gender, sexual orientation, religion, level of education or occupation, etc. - is laughable, at best. And it seems, for every step we take forward, we get sucked back a generation or two (Trump-era, anyone?!).

When will we see a day where people are just people? Where our value is evenly assessed? Or where we don’t have to be afraid to “divert” from “the norm”?

End rant. Again.

-the Orange Canadian