So, as we have all heard, the Coronavirus is currently all the talk! Turn on the news, and there it is! Not that we should discredit the toll that this virus is taking, nor the people that it is effecting, however there seems to be a large, maybe even a larger storm brewing. What is that, you may ask? Racism and Xenophobia. 

Remember we defined these terms as the following: 

1. Racism: Is a form of prejudice, discrimination, or hatred against someone of a different ethnicity / cultural group. Racism is also related to the belief that ‘their’ group is superior to all others. 

• Racism can be shown in jokes, phrases or ‘hate crimes.’ For example, simply beating someone up because of their ethnicity. (Yes, this has happened in the lower mainland before). It is apparent in attitudes, values and stereotypical beliefs (yes, you will be surprised, some people believe stereotypes to be true.)

2. Racial Discrimination: The acting out of racism.

• Racial discrimination:  Includes any action(s) that singles someone out based on their ethnicity. Racial harassment is a form of discrimination which can include: comments, jokes, name-calling, insulting pictures, or put downs based on ethnicity. 

3. Stereotypes: A generalised, over-simplified idea/thought about a group of people or thing. 

4. Xenophobia: A dislike/hatred against people from other countries. (People who are thought to ‘foreign’).  In this case, it would be a fear against East-Asians. 

As we have been discussing in Social Studies, racism was very apparent in our Canadian history but also very relevant in our society today. With the outbreak of the Coronavirus, many East-Asians are feeling that they are being treated differently…in a negative way. 

This article tells the story of Amy Go’s friend who witnessed a racist comment being made on the bus. A woman said to two East- Asian men wearing face masks: “Do you have the Chinese disease?” Please read the article below and watch the video clips. 

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/racism-coronavirus-canada-1.5449023

 

This link has a short video that explains what the virus actually is and how it began:

https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019

This article below tells the tale of a ten year old student in Ontario who is half Pakistani and half Chinese is bullied because of his Chinese background:

https://time.com/5775716/xenophobia-racism-stereotypes-coronavirus/

or this article about Australian-Asians:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/feb/04/australian-doctors-warn-of-rise-in-racist-abuse-over-coronavirus

and globally :

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/30/world/asia/coronavirus-chinese-racism.html

Of reading these articles and exploring these terms, what are your thoughts about what is occurring? Have you noticed people being treated differently because of their cultural background or have you been treated differently? Why do you think that some people of East-Asian backgrounds are being targeted by racial discrimination or xenophobia? What are your thoughts on Justin Trudeau’s words in the clip you watched? Hashtags are very important phrases that help people connect. We saw of some in the last article listed in this post, like #IamNotaVirus. If you were starting a movement, what hashtag would you create? Grade 5’s 20 sentences, grade 6’s 25 sentences. Please try to use the words that were listed above in your response (racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, xenophobic, and stereotypes). 

Some funny ones, and some lovely art from our lovely ladies! Way to go! You guys were professionals 🙂 

Earlier this month, a B.C. man in Anmore got in trouble for helping an injured/sick bear. Why? Because by helping the bear he violated the Wildlife Act. So what happened exactly? A nice neighbour, Mike Robson, took an emaciated bear to a local wildlife centre. The bear had been outside on their neighbour’s porch for 16 hours. Frustrated by seeing that this injured bear cub received no care, or that the Mother bear did not come, Mrs. Robson called the BC Conservation Officer Services who refused to help the bear cub. The officer said to call back in another day. Additionally, the cub was the size of a dog who did not have anything to eat and endured -2 conditions. Due to his actions, Robson is now being investigated and may face serious consequences for violating the Wildlife Act. 

There are reasons why humans should not interfere with wildlife, which are detrimental to the well-being of animals. Sounds bizarre, but true! 

Please read the full article here: https://bc.ctvnews.ca/b-c-man-under-investigation-for-taking-emaciated-bear-cub-to-wildlife-centre-1.4761227

Please read the articles below for some reasons why humans should not intervene with nature. 

http://www.wildlifelandtrust.org/wildlife/living-with-wildlife/four-reasons-not-to-feed.html

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2016/05/160523-when-to-rescue-wild-animals/ (grade 6, harder reading)

Now is your turn to weigh in on this. What do you think about this whole ordeal? Would you have done the same thing that Mr. Robson did or would you have gone another route- if you did, what would it be? Knowing that you would be violating the Act, would this stop you from helping the bear cub? What are some reasons why you should not help / feed wildlife? Grade 5’s 20 sentences, Grade 6’s 25 sentences! Do not forget your details!!

No, I am not becoming a hair dresser, in case you were wondering! But, I mean, I guess I could always learn a new skill. Anyone want to volunteer for me? 

As I look around the classroom, yes, creepy isn’t it? But as I look around, I see that most of the girls in our classroom have long hair. I see that all of the boys have short hair. But what happens if a girl wanted to get a short haircut? Well, she can… but be prepared to pay more for the exact same haircut as a guy would get! Whatttttt! 

 

According to a BBC article, a few reasons are given. Salon owner and hairdresser, Susannah Jones says: “Historically, in our industry there has been a gap between the price charged for men and women. This was based on the belief that men have short hair, which is quick and simple to style, and women have long hair, which takes more time and skill. This is simply not the case. Short haircuts can actually be more technical and often take longer, so time wasn’t even a factor when we used to charge less for men – it was purely because they were male…”

To make matters worse, many men’s barber shops will not allow women to come in. Why? Well, research consultant, Devon Magliozzi states: “I called the barber-shop. I asked if they could just do a clipper cut on the back and sides but they reiterated that they couldn’t do a woman’s haircut. I understand that barbers might not have training to cut long hair, or might charge extra for cuts that take extra time, but gender is an arbitrary way to define services and set prices.”

Please read the full article here: 

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-50691249

You can look at this opinion piece for some price differences: 

https://metro.co.uk/2017/06/27/why-do-women-have-to-pay-so-much-more-than-men-for-their-haircuts-6737965/

So now is your time to weigh in on this. What are your thoughts about what you have read about? Did you ever notice this when you went to a barber/hairdresser? Do you think that all hair salons should be unisex (for all people) ? Or, do you think that they should be kept separate? Maybe women’s hair requires more skill, like layering and hair dye in different layers. How would you react if you noticed that a haircut you wanted was much cheaper for the other sex? What would you say to the salon? Grade 5’s: 15 sentences, Grade 6’s, 20 sentences.  

Okay, so I know Teran plays lacrosse and soccer, Marco plays water polo at SFU, Ella plays tennis, Landon plays soccer and Marina plays volleyball… is anyone on a hockey team? I ask about hockey because a hockey related incident happened recently which needs a discussion!

On November 12th, the infamous and outspoken commentator, Don Cherry made some remarks that got him axed, well, fired! (Please don’t think of Vincent and his protactor-otine)! 

For those of us who don’t know who Don Cherry is, I’ll quickly fill you in.  Cherry  was born in Kingston, Ontario. He is currently 85 years old. He is a sports commentator/writer and a retired professional hockey, he even played for the Canucks at one point in his career. Since 1986, he has been the host of Coach’s Corner. He’s generally known for his overly-enthusiastic rants and his colourful attire (shirts, suits and ties). 

This is not the first time that Cherry has made some harsh remarks and come under fire numerous times. Unfortunately for him, this time, his remarks cost him his job. He was given the opportunity to apologise but refused to. Had he apologised, he most likely would have kept his job as the host on Coach’s Corner. This time he spoke about veterans and how ‘immigrants’ come to Canada because they like the way of life here but do not contribute to the soldiers who gave their life to make Canada the country it is today. He said: “You people that come here … whatever it is, you love our way of life, you love our milk and honey, at least you could pay a couple of bucks for a poppy.” 

Some people are upset about his use of ‘you people.’ They have questioned his use of these words as not just a reference to the immigrant population…which would be all of us except our First People…but to people of colour. Interestingly, as was discussed in class, many soldiers who fought for Canada were ‘coloured’ immigrants like, Indigenous, Indian, Chinese, Japanese and Black soldiers.   

Read the articles and watch the videos below: 

https://globalnews.ca/news/6157812/don-cherry-you-people-rant-impact/ 

https://www.ctvnews.ca/sports/don-cherry-s-history-of-controversial-comments-1.4680505

https://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl/ron-maclean-coachs-corner-sportnet-nov-16-1.5362580

So now it is your turn to weigh in! What do you think of what Don Cherry said – did he have a point to his rant, should all Canadians wear poppies for our soldiers ? Is his rant racist and he meant what he said as he has made many controversial remarks before or was he being truthful by saying that he should have changed ‘you people’ to ‘everyone.’ Do you think firing him was the correct call to action or should something deeper have happened? What would you suggest for him to do to rectify his words? I would also like for you to do some independent research. Please check in with your parent/s/guardian/s and ask if you had any family members who fought/were a part of a war.  Grade 6’s 25 sentences, Grade 5 20 sentences, please! 

Hi, feel free to post your random posts. Make sure they are not spam or offensive… 

Have fun 🙂 

P.S. Do not ever forget that exercise routine that Mr. Wall taught you today lol 🙂 

(I can’t write anything else because Salina is currently on my shoulder. Ella and Tiana are staring and talking about politics. Now, I have Bernice on the other shoulder, doing what she does best. Marina is distracting by drawing on the board. Maya and Sally are playing the most annoying noise ever…)

This post is more easy breezy and dedicated to  Vincent The Giggles Toews, who wanted one for the election! 

What are you thoughts on the election, the election results, etc.  If you were to vote for a candidate in your riding (area), who would you have voted for and why? 

 

Here are some links for more info: 

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/federal-election-results-2019-cbc-leaders-1.5329485

https://globalnews.ca/news/6038572/watch-live-2019-canada-election/

https://nationalpost.com/news/politics/election-2019/canadian-federal-election-live-riding-map-results

And the student vote results:

https://www.cheknews.ca/student-vote-canada-2019-elects-liberal-minority-in-parallel-election-614895/

Any thoughts, comments or questions are welcome!!  Have fun 🙂 

On Friday afternoon, Division 5 took to the ballot box! They had fun while also learning about how to vote and the overall process. In some pictures, maybe a little tooooooo much fun! 

P.S. I was coerced into the selfie, totally against my free will. I blame Ella, Tiana, Sally, Althea and Noah 🙂

!

Sally won lunch with Mr. Wall! I was pretty jealous that I didn’t get an invite… gosh!!

From afar though, it looked super fun and smelt delicious!! These lucky ladies were certainly wined and dined by the fantastic waiter, Mr. Heard!! 

P.S. Ms. Dunnett, George and Tanner slightly photobombed a couple of pictures!

Somehow, just somehow, I am imagining someone in our class saying aloud: What? We are getting a new 21 dollar bill? No, we are not getting a new 21 dollar bill. So what is Bill 21 then? 

Well, in June this year, Quebec Premier, Francois Legault, and his Coalition Avenir Quebec government passed the heavily criticised and controversial, Bill 21. At roughly 10:30 P.M. this bill was passed with 73 in favour and only 35 against. This bill bans public servants who are in positions of authority from wearing any religious ‘symbols.’ So if you are a judge, police officer, government lawyer, school teacher or principal you are not allowed to wear religious ‘symbols’ like a hijab, crucifix, turban or kippah.

 

Why did they do this? Well, the party says that they would like Quebec to remain truly secular. This means that there is no interference of religion in the public space. If you were wondering what happens to the the people who have these jobs and wear symbols, well the answer is this: employees can keep them as long as they do not change the school they are working at or take a promotion.  

Some people argue that this is racist and that in Canada we have the freedom to dress however we would like to. We also have religious freedom and are allowed to peacefully practice any religion we choose to. This law would jeopardise people’s relationship with their religion as well as their job if they were a public servant. 

The below link is Legault’s reasoning behind the bill: 

https://www.iheartradio.ca/cjad/news/premier-francois-legault-defends-secularism-bill-as-moderate-1.9044425

This article speaks about the impact that Bill 21 is having on Muslim women as well as a young lady named Amrit Kaur. She just graduated from university and wants to become a teacher… but she has a turban. 

https://www.macleans.ca/opinion/quebecs-unthinkable-bill-21/

This article shows the protest rallies that are occurring in Montreal because of Bill 21.

https://globalnews.ca/news/5997737/protest-bill-21/ 

So now it is your turn to weigh in on this Bill. What are your thoughts on Bill 21? Do you think that it is a racist bill which goes against our rights as Canadians? Or, does it help Canadians keep religion out of the public sector. After all, Canada is made up of many religions so what happens if someone wishes to do something in the name of their religion but it goes against Canadian laws? Remember to treat this issue with the respect and compassion that it deserves. Grade 5 a response of 20 sentences and Grade 6 a submission of 25 sentences, please. Try to go as deep with your critical thinking as you can!