Reply #95: Ah, Residential Schools...

[UnseenUndergrad]

If ever there was a less-well-thought-out assimilation scheme devised by Victorian Man, I've yet to hear about it: isolated from the society they were supposed to emulate, estranged from the culture of their ancestors, used as free labour at facilities that were notoriously under-equipped and generally smegged six ways from thursday while being espected to conform like good little robots.

From what I've been exposed to at my Uni (and doing research for a project in a freakin telecourse), I think there would have been AT LEAST two or three better ways to integrate (if not assimilate) First Nations peoples into Pre-WW1 Canadian society.

1. Bringing them into the cities as a form of "Immigrant" labour (to be used by the Capitalists as strikebreakers and scabs if NOTHING else) while leaving them alone to find new avenues of spirituality in a slum-ish environment.

2. Actually allowing the Reserve agriculture schemes on the praries to get off the goround by providing proper equipment, finds for investment and not hemming Aborioinal Farmers with an idiot "peasant Farming" policy.

3. Generally not treating First Nations people like autistic toddlers.


Addendum: My Professor at U Winnipeg in this regard (Ross McCormack) seems to have a thing about pissing off his students to encourage discussion. I think he's generally on the more conservative side of the spectrum (though I don't want to sound like some Dr. Zhivago stereotype who judges all people politically). This may have affected my views somewhat... in a "Mr. Burns seething over his generation's stupidity leading to the disasters of today" kind of way.

And the Racism thing is definately what I hear alot from my parents and their circle of aqauintences (ie. over 50 or low income). It can drive a soul mad sometimes.

-Cynical in Winnipeg