Quote:
Originally Posted by redforever
I will agree with the first text that I high lighted. I am a boomer and many of my generation did the same things as your generation did...until we realized it was racist...and then we were horrified with our actions and changed our ways.
I don't agree with the second text that I high lighted. Every generation has had racists...but every generation has also been capable of changing their actions as well. Unfortunately, news always reports the extremes and those are the visions that linger.
However, one thing that is different with me is I grew up right next to a reservation. My Dad's farm backed onto the Piapot Reservation just north of Regina. We always had relations with the First Nations people from that reservations and I have nothing but fond memories of them...and it is also one of the reasons I don't hold back when I hear nasty remarks or insinuations about our First Nations people.
As a young child, my Dad and his family always went to all the social activities on the reserve... my Dad participated in their sports days and the like. We were invited to the weddings, anniversaries etc of those we were closest to and we reciprocated as well. In fact, my parents were the only "white people" at a Diamond Jubilee of their closest Native friends and were seated at the head table. The reservation sent representatives to my parents' funerals as well.
We employed First Nations people but were always fair. The Qu'Appelle Valley is really only suited for ranching and grazing. It has excellent grass for haying but most of the Natives never had machinery. My father provided the machinery, they provided the labor (for stacking bales and the like as there was not equipment that did that early on), and the bales were split 50/50.
I am from a family of 4 girls so in spring and fall, my Dad always required extra help. Sometimes he went to Regina and employed some German immigrants, at other times he employed Natives from the Reserve. In either case, they ate at our tables, they lived with us, and were included in our family.
I always like to think and say that my parents were ahead of their time and had big shoes to fill...but that is how you learn tolerance and acceptance, by example. That is the only way forward, for each and everyone of us to set an example of inclusion.
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Oh yeah, I didn't mean all boomers or all Gen Xers were racist. I meant more that the current Gen Xers and Boomers in power haven't seemed to me to have done much to address the history and its result on the present state of things for first nations people. Maybe they have, though, I'm just not aware of it.
Nice to hear you had positive interactions with first nations people growing up and with your family and your dad sounds awesome. My dad and his brothers have fond memories of going to downtown Prince Albert, SK to "watch the natives fight" and I was raised in an environment like that. Took me as an adult to understand how wrong and sad that attitude is, so working to change. I'm jealous of my kids' starting off point of not having to shed so many prejudices - the education they've received so far on first nations has also spawned an interest in those communities so we talk about first nations in my house a fair amount.