Canada Day

image from @bearclanpatrolcalgary via @colonialismskateboards

text from a recent conversation with a friend re: Canada Day (edited for clarity)

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How do we celebrate our fortune and luck of being in this country but recognize the obvious history of harm?

𝙄 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙘𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙗𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙗𝙚 𝙨𝙤𝙡𝙚𝙢𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙖𝙣𝙩, 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨𝙣’𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙗𝙤𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙨. 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙚𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙪𝙣𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙧𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙗𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙙, 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙣𝙤 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙚, 𝙣𝙤 𝙖𝙘𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙗𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮.

𝘾𝙖𝙣𝙖𝙙𝙖 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙮 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙮 𝙩𝙤 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙡𝙮 𝙝𝙤𝙣𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙩 𝙢𝙚𝙖𝙣𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙤𝙣𝙤𝙧 𝙞𝙩𝙨 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙩𝙝 𝙛𝙪𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙬𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙖𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙬𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙣.

So maybe a boisterous celebration would be fine if there is more justice or responsibility going forward?

𝙄𝙩’𝙨 𝙖 𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙧𝙤𝙖𝙙. 𝙊𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝘾𝙖𝙣𝙖𝙙𝙞𝙖𝙣 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙨 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙧𝙪𝙩𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙞𝙯𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙚𝙜𝙖𝙘𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨, 𝘼𝙉𝘿 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙖𝙩𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙞𝙣 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙥𝙖𝙘𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙚𝙭𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝙥𝙤𝙥𝙪𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨, 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙄 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙪𝙩𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙝 𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙡𝙧𝙮 𝙬𝙚 𝙨𝙚𝙚 𝙢𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙗𝙚 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚.

I was pretty much on board for the cancel [re: Canada Day] until I heard some immigrant friends express their experience of so much positive opportunity despite the legacy. It can also just be fun for kids and families.

𝙁𝙤𝙧 𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙚. 𝙇𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙄 𝙨𝙖𝙞𝙙, 𝙨𝙤𝙡𝙚𝙢𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚. 𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙚𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙥𝙪𝙗𝙡𝙞𝙘 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬𝙡𝙚𝙙𝙜𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙙 (𝙢𝙪𝙧𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙙) 𝘾𝙃𝙄𝙇𝘿𝙍𝙀𝙉, 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙨 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙥𝙞𝙘𝙠 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙩𝙪𝙙𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙡𝙚𝙜𝙚 𝙖𝙛𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙪𝙨.

𝙉𝙤𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙢𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙤𝙡𝙠𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣, 𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝘾𝙖𝙣𝙖𝙙𝙞𝙖𝙣, 𝙬𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙢𝙖𝙮𝙗𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙪𝙥𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙩 𝙫𝙤𝙞𝙘𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙨𝙞𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨. 𝙊𝙧 𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙙𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢 𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙮 𝙝𝙖𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙣𝙤𝙞𝙨𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙧𝙨.

I wonder if it’s okay to do both: recognize how wonderful Canada is for many, while meaningfully acknowledging the past and current issues.

𝙄 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩’𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙤𝙖𝙡. 𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙖 𝙛𝙚𝙬 𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙥𝙨 𝙛𝙪𝙧𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬𝙡𝙚𝙙𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙜. 𝙄 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙖𝙗𝙨𝙤𝙡𝙪𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙣𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙖 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙩𝙝𝙮, 𝙫𝙞𝙗𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙩, 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝙨𝙤𝙘𝙞𝙚𝙩𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚.

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