Today, some disturbing news came to light in the media. A woman who is prominent in organizing Idle No More events received a death threat over the weekend--an explicitly racist one.
She was told she had better not go back to "the SOO", or Sault Ste. Marie, where she is from, because the only good Indian is a dead Indian. This, just days after a supposedly "respectable" Canadian senator, and Indian-in-Name-Only, Patrick Brazeau made disparaging comments about Chief Theresa Spencer's weight and her hunger strike:
"“I look at Miss Spence, when she started her hunger strike, and now?”
Brazeau added as a voice in the hall called out, “She’s fatter,” which
drew laughter from much of the audience."*
The "honourable" Senator Brazeau mocks her because he wants to belittle her, to dismiss her, to try to take away from her position, her beliefs, and even her humanity. Brazeau thought he was just going to score some cheap political
points--but his comments feed that mentality of Indian women being
objects of scorn and ridicule, and thus deserving of less respect and
humanity. As soon as that happens, they can fall prey to abuse, violence, and murder.
These incidents carry undertones of violence, though one is far more manifest, while the other is more latent. There are sick, depraved, evil people in this world who see the "uppity" Indian women standing up for themselves with this Idle No More movement, and they want to hurt those women. "Put them in their place." And if they won't shut up, well, those women deserve what they get.
It's frightening to think about. And I'm so bitterly angry that I even have to think about it. The reality is it doesn't take a direct threat to put Aboriginal women in harm's way. Sometimes, all it takes is a stupid, careless statement meant to belittle and scorn.
Respect...
...Wish you were here.
* Source: http://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/canada-politics/senator-patrick-brazeau-mocks-chief-theresa-spence-tory-133116456.html
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