There is a movement afoot to together a Canadian website “I am not afraid”in response to the terrorists attempt to blow up… well, no-one is saying what, but three tons of ammonium-nitrate is a lot fertilizer.
The logic is that if we are afraid, then the terrorists win.
So I asked myself – am I afraid?
No, I am not.
But one of my friends is.
My friend is a lot like me. He’s married, he has children, he works in downtown Ottawa.
We are both first generation Canadians whose parents came here for a better life.
But I’m white. He’s not.
So if you ask me if I am afraid, I am not. I am not afraid of the terrorists.
But if you ask my friend, he may be just a little bit afraid.
Perhaps not of the terrorists, and he would never admit being afraid for himself, but he is afraid for his family, and friends, and of what would come after the terrorists.
Most Canadians shouldn’t feel afraid. Clearly, our security people are doing their job and doing it well.
Last Sunday night, we all saw the footage of vandalized mosques in Toronto. This morning, another man was threatened with a knife in Quebec City. When an attack succeeds, it is not unreasonable to think that the response will be more than broken windows.
And that makes some of us afraid.
And if Canadians - like my friend - must not only fear terrorism, but also our reaction to terrorism, well… they really do win, don’t they?
I will not be afraid, I wish I could say the same for others.
Just reading the papers....
About Me
- A Canadian Publius
- Publius is an ever-so-clever political junky who might be a Liberal, who might have spent - at various times - almost 8 years as a staffer, who might have worked for some very honourable hounourables, but who might also be thankful he got away from it all with his pride, integrity and moral compass intact.
1 comment:
That's what is really bothering me, the backlash against people who "look like" they are anything but white. That's part of the reason I find the "I am not afraid" campaign misguided and dangerous. The people who started it may have meant well, but there are some who might easily misinterpret it and worse, act beyond reason. There's also the question of a fair trial for the suspects.
I'm not justifying the actions of those arrested. I just think we have an opportunity to respond to this better than others have in the past. The lesson was laid out in front of us across the world. There is no reason to panic in Canada. Well, as you said, not for white people.
Post a Comment