Re: Re: was; Three Questions. now; argument

[Guest guest]

Raven;Good for you! Even if 'polite man' did not learn more about Aboriginal issues, you will never know if someone else there listened quietly and will learn more! (or if an Aboriginal was present who did not speak out, but was given hope and pride)renaissanzelady " ...<snip> ... My husband was trying not to laugh at this debate, and said he did not know if he should have told 'mr outspoken' "You are not going to get a French Canadian to shut up by trying to threaten or embarass her, she is having fun." ... <snip> ... "

That's hilarious! can certainly understand where your husband was coming from, renaissanzelady. He's been in that same position himself more than once with me, knowing that an Aboriginal will not let go of an opportunity to educate someone on the facts of a situation where ignorance abounds.

Last June, there was a nationwide protest by Aboriginals to draw attention to the fact that our treaties have not been adhered to or respected by non-Aboriginals and the government of Canada. There was more than a little opposition by non-Aboriginals who didn't have a clue what the issues were facing Aboriginals in Canada but who felt that Aboriginals were completely in the wrong and total jerks for causing so much trouble -- or wanting to cause so much trouble -- to 'law abiding real Canadians' (as if Aboriginals don't belong in our own country).

and I were at the local Burger King when two white males decided to sit right behind us. One of the two spent the entire time bad mouthing Aboriginals, calling Aboriginals troublemakers, saying that all Aboriginals who try to talk about treaties out to be put in jail and loudly advocating that all Aboriginals who don't like what's going on in Canada should go back to where they came from (uh, we came from here before the white man came from here so we are where we came from) and stating far, far, far worse so that the entire restaurant could hear him.

kept reaching across the table to hold my hand, reassuring me that he was just being ignorant and to please stay out of it.

Stay out of it ... as if I could!

And so as we prepared to leave the restaurant, knew without asking that I was going to educate this ignorant white man and give him some pertinent historical data that was clearly overlooked when he was in elementary school.

stood behind me about 10 or so paces while I politely but curtly provided both of these males with correct and factual information. The outspoken male got very rude with me and told me to [impossible sexual act here] and that I had better watch my back if that's what I thought.

tried to get me to back away from the discussion and finally said, "I'll wait for you at the car" hoping that this would spur me to follow thereby preventing a debacle wherein he would be forced to defend me when the other one threw the first punch.

"Fine," I said, not really caring if anyone was beside me or behind me. I knew the facts and I knew this guy needed an education.

The other guy's lunch partner was cringing, probably afraid that HE was going to have to defend to the police why his lunch partner threw a punch at a woman in the first place.

As things turned out, the mouthy one stormed away, blustering as he went, as he realized he wasn't going to intimidate me with his loud, brutish ways and his size. I then turned to the quiet one and in a very polite tone, I suggested a couple of places where he could further educate himself on the facts concerning Aboriginal affairs in Canada and what the signed treaties that have not been honoured stated.

This one smiled and apologized for his lunch partner's very bad behaviour and said he would go to the library and read up on treaties.

I then left.

Did this quiet one ever do that? I have no way of knowing. Maybe he did and maybe he didn't.

Did the ignorant one ever decide to educate himself on the facts? I have no way of knowing but I venture to guess the answer to that is a resounding no.

Did at any point think I was going to back down from this opportunity to properly educate someone who had no idea what he was talking about but who was spreading hate material via his uneducated opinion? No, he didn't. He was just hoping he wasn't going to have to break up a fist fight and take the other guy in to Emergency. :-)

And yes, knew before this particular situation and since then that you can't stop me when I'm in possession of the facts and I've run into some arrogant idiot who is running his mouth with misinformation, disinformation and lies that will, in the short and long run, be the cause of abuse towards someone else.

Yes, RL, I think that your husband and could probably pass the hours discussing the many 'situations' you and I have gotten them into respectively. LOL!

Raven

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[Guest guest]

;You certainly have a good point about not wanting to be thrown out of the country, if things had escalated. We never know what witnesses will say if an incident leads to the police being called: will they lie to protect their buddies, will they even be aware who threw the first punch etc or will they all vanish so they aren't called on as witnesses. OR worse yet is the responding police officer a buddy or relative of one of the local people involved?(if you were banned from Canada, you will not be able to help Raven with her son's medical appointments etc, so I can see "where you were coming from")renaissanzelady

" tried to get me to back away from the discussion and finally said, "I'll wait for you at the car" hoping that this would spur me to follow thereby preventing a debacle wherein he would be forced to defend me when the other one threw the first punch."

Partly that and partly that and partly that I didn't want to get thrown out of the country and told never to return, Canada not being my birth country.

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[Guest guest]

Hi :

You wrote, excerpted

I know personally I prefer knowing, if someone tells me something, I will listen and take it on board; I will not always follow their advice; but that is another thing, you cannot generally force another to follow your advice. I do listen though and I do hear. There are plenty out there that would rather not know, that prefer to live in their own little world and ironically that is what is often said of autistics.Sometimes things sadden me a lot, but I would rather feel than have my heart cold and unfeeling. I do not see only doom and gloom either, although there have been times in my life when I have, or it has felt that way.

My reply:

I will also listen and consider other's input,

and will say 'you did warn me' when I chose not to follow their advice and something went wrong.

Possibly we all live in our own reality, some more so than others.

..

In her senior years, my mom was medically diagnosed as paranoid scizophrenic. Before her diagnosis, I had learned to accept that she lived in her own reality, and she could not accept or see any other reality. Unfortunately, her reality was filled with stress and gloom. My dad had a nasty temper and was rarely willing to listen to another person's point of view, so in a way he also lived in his own reality (that of being "always right" in his own mind.)

Because of my upbringing and my own personality, I struggle to not see life as gloom and doom, rather I try to be realistic and see a balance.

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