Friday, December 21, 2007
Back pon spot...
Naw, jdid, me nebba fire de blog. See me ya! Large as life and twice as ugly, as we say in Jamdown. I was away, visiting my granddaughter, who is growing like a weed. Good of you and Fragano to hang in here with me. A lot of things to write about... The conference in Bali. Did it accomplish anything? Or are jdid and fsjl correct in thinking these people nebba gwine face what clock a strike? There's the issue of schools for black students in Toronto that focus on black culture, history, literature, languages, etc., etc. Is it a good idea? Is it segregation? There's the issue my doctor raised today, that I bit my lip and steered clear of... Is health care something for which private citizens should pay or is it the government's responsibility? There's the recent (2000) stats for Toronto that reveal that there are more of the very rich, while the middle class has diminished and the poor and very poor have seen big increases in their ranks. Environment first, because it must be. I have to hope the Bali conference achieved something, though I don't know how getting together in 2009 to talk about a new treaty answers the clear mandate of "Act NOW, or it will be too late!" As an aside, I was utterly ashamed of the performance of the Canadian Government. Me shame, me shame, me shame, me shame, me shame. And the Prime Minister has young children. Does he not want them to grow up into healthy adults? As for the schools for black kids: we do need them, and now. Flip through school books and see who are represented there. Examine the existing curricula and see to what extent it addresses the contributions of black people to the disciplines. There's an imbalance that needs redressing. Now. Matter closed. I'm not sure how come we keep talking about health care as some kind of vexed question. Governments must pay for health care and education in civilized societies, before they pay for roads and buses, otherwise there's no one to use teh transport infrastructure. That's why we pay taxes. What they could also do is be proactive where the cost of drugs and the cost of administration are concerned. As for poor Toronto... I need to think hard about that one, given that the incumbent Conservative Government is not a fan of this conurbation. A great city – maybe because it IS full of poor people? Have a great Christmas, or enjoy whatever holidays you celebrate. Hopefully, I won't stay away so long next time.
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I worry that the outcome of the Bali conference will be more wise head-shaking and 'something must be done (sometime in the future, but not by us, oh, no, never)' rather than action this day.
I am never happy with the idea that good health care should depend on how much wealth you have.
I think that all children need to be taught real history, which involves explaining that every human community is the result of a multiplicity of influences and origins. The idea that there is a specific black history that black children (but not white, Asian, Latino, Amerind, or any other category children need not), is one I find worrying. It ends up producing an academic segregation, and belief in things that aren't so (look up 'Willie Lynch' for example). My history is the history of all the influences that have produced me (and that's African, European, indigenous American, Middle Eastern, and Asian). I would object to anyone denying me any part of that history, or telling me that only some parts of it are relevant to me.
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