Canadians “against genocide”, but not on a Monday

Well no doubt many had a frustrating afternoon getting home today.  But all the hoing and humming over this has made it apparent that what really erks Canadians (yes, more than oppression and genocide) is inconvenience.  The Tamil/government conflict is far enough away from our city and even further from our thoughts until it is staring us in the windshield and slowing down the commute. We can hide behind the broad and consistently inaccurate term “terrorist” and the scary flag, but after taking a moment to think about it, we all know nothing is ever that simple.  Yes the Tamils are a controversial topic, and certainly it is difficult to see through the blurry outline painted by the national and international media.  But sheesh, I couldn’t believe the hostile reactions to this cry for help and understanding. Thanks to The Star’s decision to open each article up for discussion (another example of a good idea gone bad), we can snatch a glimpse at the indifference of its informed readers. 

Amazing. So much intelligence gets road blocked behind uninformed rationalizations and convenient snap  judgments.  Our international consciousness seems to endlessly teeter between callous conservatism and liberal self righteousness which inevitably ends up with increased apathy and nothing getting done. It’s embarrassing that some Torontonians feel it acceptable to post comments expressing irritation at these “immigrants” who are rerouting their commute instead of thanking them for admittance to the Canadian club. These protesters ARE Canadians and they are trying to tell us that people are in trouble and we can do something about it.  You don’t have to agree with the actions of a rebel group, but you do have to consider what the label “terrorist” allows us to do, which is look the other way.