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    When one turns to the word “propaganda” images of totalitarian states come to mind – Pravda, The North Korea Times.  We envision an army of Winston Smith’s carefully scrubbing the news of improper thoughts and meanings, carefully crafting the government approved message of the day.  Of course we don’t have that here in North America, we have freedom of speech, we have a free press, we have liberty!  We also have institutionalized self-censorship,demarcated areas of approved debate, and a media establishment that tends to take the government’s word at face value.  These factors contribute to a media system that appears to be  free and without censure, but in reality, craft obsequious stories that pose no threat to power or the norms of society.  Essentially, the (self)censorship we have in the West is on autopilot, it is subtle, unremarkable, but yet *very* effective (for more detail on our system, see my post on Manufacturing Consent).

All this being said, sometimes our subtle system of media control goes a little haywire, it loses its subtle sheen, and becomes a little more transparent in how it operates.  Stories slip through the net and give the status-quo a good shake.  The recent furor caused by Maclean’s naming “Winnipeg: Where Canada’s Racism Problem is at its Worst.” is a prime example of such a happening.  The article pokes many holes in white Canada’s notion of a vibrant multicultural society.  Some highlights:

“One in three Prairie residents believe that “many racial stereotypes are accurate,” for example, higher than anywhere else in Canada. In Alberta, just 23 per cent do, according to polling by the Canadian Institute for Identities and Migration (CIIM). And 52 per cent of Prairie residents agree that Aboriginals’ economic problems are “mainly their fault.” Nationally, the figure drops to 36 per cent.”

***

“Earlier this fall, Robert Falcon-Ouellette, director of the University of Manitoba’s Aboriginal focus programs, hit the Grant Park Shopping Centre in Winnipeg’s south end to hustle for signatures for his mayoral nomination form. The 37-year-old was a late entrant to the election. He’d cobbled together a campaign staff—idealistic political neophytes he knew from academia and activists he’d met at last year’s Idle No More rallies.

It was an ugly entry into politics. “I know you,” a shopper told Falcon-Ouellette, approaching him shortly after he arrived at the mall. “You’re that guy running for mayor. You’re an Indian,” he said, pointing a finger at Falcon-Ouellette. “I don’t want to shake your hand. You Indians are the problem with the city. You’re all lazy. You’re drunks. The social problems we have in the city are all related to you.”

***

   “Tyler Henderson, a 28-year-old Ojibway nursing student at the University of Manitoba, says he feels racism every time he walks out his front door. Henderson says Winnipeg police stopped him 15 times last year. “You fit the description,” police tell him when he asks what he did wrong. Once, police claimed he’d pulled to a stop a few inches beyond the stop line. “It makes me mad,” he says. “But there’s nothing I can do.” Some young indigenous men are stopped twice per month in the inner city, according to University of Manitoba criminologist Elizabeth Comack. “

***

“Don Marks, a Winnipeg writer, recently visited an ER with an indigenous friend. They’d dropped a painting, and the broken glass had cut his friend. “Aw!” a nurse exclaimed in greeting them. “Have we been drinking and fighting again?” The nurse’s assumptions were harmless, says Marks, who edits Grassroots News, an Aboriginal newspaper. “But this was someone responsible for treating Native people in our hospitals. We all know racism exists in our health care system.”

I would go read the entire article at Maclean’s as it touches many important points and different facets of the racist experience going on in Winnipeg.  But the lowlights sampled here are enough to show that punches were not pulled in writing this article.

Response from the Mayor of Winnipeg was predictable.

“We have come together to face this head-on as a community,” Bowman added, noting that Winnipeg exists on what is traditional Treaty One territory.  We have to shine a light on it. Without the light, we can’t see what we’re fighting. We’re not going to end racism tomorrow, but we’re sure as hell going to try.”

Way to go Mr.Mayor.  Ending workplace inefficiency with enhanced system synergies is also on his “to do” list.  I find the reactions of Robert-Falcon Ouellette and Rosanna Deerchild to be much more interesting. 

Ouellette ran for Mayor in the last Winnipeg Civil election and of course faced racist comments on him an his campaign.  He is no stranger to the ugly tide of racism in Winnipeg, but when asked of the Maclean’s article he said this:

“The cover treatment Maclean’s gave the story is sensationalist, he said. The cover features a quote from a Winnipeg resident who says,”They call me a stupid squaw or tell me to go back to the rez.”

“They used the word ‘squaw,’ which is very, you know, derogatory type of comment,” Ouellette said. “But at the same time, I understand they need to be selling magazines and getting people interested to buy the magazine.”  Ouellette has experienced racism, including during his campaign, but it’s not something he sees on a daily basis. He said he believes the majority of people in the city aren’t racist, but that there’s always the loudmouth that stands out.”

His restraint and decorum in the face of such ugliness is  impeccable.  At the same time, troublesome because he’s just being so darn nice about the entire situation.  We see the same pattern with Rosanna Deerchild, here is what she says:

“They call me a stupid squaw, or tell me to go back to the rez,” the quote reads.  But on Friday, Deerchild recorded a segment for Saturday’s Unreserved, saying she does not want to be racism’s cover girl.

“I am far from the angry Indian complaining about being hard done by,” she says.

“Let me be clear. I love my city, my community, my home: Winnipeg, North End, Canada. But neither will I quantify, qualify or pacify racism in this place, or any place it rears its ugly head.”

I’m scratching my head a little over what she said.  I applaud her for being so diplomatic in the face of injustice, but I think that she has every right to be royally pissed off over the state of affairs regarding Winnipeg and racism.

Her choice of words speaks volumes to how the concerns of aboriginal woman have been treated in white Canada in the past.  She makes it very clear that she is not an “angry Indian complaining about being hard done by”.  Deerchild, even in her respected position in society (broadcaster for the CBC), is keenly aware of the stereotypes and negative tropes arrayed against her.  She is aware of what I was alluding to earlier in this post – the system of self censorship/censorship that marginalizes dissident views such as hers, in favour of the comforting white feel-good multicultural narrative that is an acceptable “truth” in Canadian society.

I applaud all those quoted in the articles, they are speaking directly to the problem of racism in our society.  The fact that this article is creating so much noise and buzz in Canada is a testament to how adept our media is at maintaining the status-quo most of the time and for generally not allowing articles of this calibre to be published within the mainstream news establishment.

[Source: CBC.ca – 1,2,3]

[Source: Macleans.ca]