Thursday, July 2, 2020

Confessions of a Recovering Moron

I can no longer be deaf to the cries of those who suffer simply because of the colour of their skin

By Derek Schreiber, Representative

It’s very disconcerting to realize that there is a possibility that I have been acting like a moron.

Now that I have your attention, let me apply some context.

I write this on the last day of June 2020. This is important for two reasons. First, the past six weeks have seen anger over the ugly reality that is racism boil over across most of the Western world. Second, at the end of the week I will be a 54-year-old white male. So, now to the question of being a moron.

I recently watched a documentary about the controversy around the USA Gymnastics association’s apparent cover-up of sexual assault accusations against the physician for the women’s team. As the documentary continued, my anger rose. How could anyone put gold medals and money over the safety of children?

Fury reached its peak when they showed a number of social media posts against the girls, basically suggesting that they were willing participants. At that moment I thought, what kind of moron do you have to be to believe that a teenage girl receiving medical treatment would ever ask to be physically violated?

And then, out of nowhere, I slammed into a mental brick wall. If I think these people are morons, am I not doing similar things when it comes to racism?

Am I a moron for thinking that racism is an American issue, not a Canadian one? Am I a moron for thinking that it doesn’t impact me? Am I a moron for seeing only the violence rather than making an effort to understand where the anger comes from?

The fundamental principle in the type of labour relations I try to practice every day involves trying to see the why behind a position rather than the position itself. This is a principle that needs to be applied to the issue of racism. In my 54 years I have seen racism, though I have never personally experienced it. But I have never made a real effort to understand the impact that this ugly reality has.

I am the father of a daughter, and although I have not faced the same issues that the parents of the US gymnasts faced, I can share their pain and their anger. Although it will take a significant amount of mental reframing, I must make a similar effort to understand the impact that racism has.

I must recognize that racism happens in my country. For me, this doesn’t mean that I will join marches or protests. It does mean that I must open my ears—and open my mind—when people are crying in pain for injustices suffered simply because of the colour of their skin. If I don’t, I am no different than morons tweeting rubbish about young female athletes.

Confessions of a Recovering Moron

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