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Stop Carpet Bombing Canadians with Fear
3-24-2015
The ever evolving Democracies go through fads, just like fashion or entertainment industry. Politicians are no different than entertainers and fashion designers who pick on what is hot and what’s not. Just like Fashion industry goes through various fashions, bell-bottoms to skinny jeans, and short skirts. Entertainment industry is no different, may it be shift from pop rock to hard rock music, action movies to mild comedies. Entertainers and fashion designers instantly switch modes, shelf the old and adapt the new culture. For them it results in sales and profits.
In a democratic societies the politicians are no different. They look at another country’s recent elections, examine the strategy adopted by the winning party, and immediately recruit the winning party’s election campaign manager to direct them to the victory in their upcoming elections. The first party to realize the winning strategy and successful adoption of it wins at the polls.
Western democracies have had their fair share of “Fads.” Then one strategy which we have witnessed over the past century which has been used quiet extensively and successfully is of “FEAR.” In early 1900’s it was the “Fear” of Germans taking over the world. It was followed by a fad of prosperity, promise of chicken at each dinner table. Then the “FEAR” strategy remerged, this time it was the Japanese, and German, followed by prosperity, and industrial revolution, jobs, tackling unemployment, pension, health, and other benefit plans. Now that all those different strategies have been used to the point of overkill. We witnessed an era of “CHANGE” every political party promising “Change.”
The latest fad once again is “FEAR” and “Divisive” politics. Pick on a weaker, smaller, less influential, minority group, create “FEAR” against them, turn the society against them, “Divisive” and get elected. In India last year, a tea seller, Narendra Modi, proved that successful implementation of such strategy can lead to miracles at the polls. Netanyahu in Israel clearly seemed to be following Modi’s footsteps, and Mr. Harper and Conservatives have also realized the benefits of such down right callous and ugly politics can perform miracles at the polls.
Canadian society, much like India, with its unique Multicultural Mosaic provides a fertile grounds for sowing the seeds of hatred, mistrust, fear and apprehension among citizens. Simply, pit one group against the other and Voila, come election times take the trophy home.
No other group stands out like a thumb sore which all others can be convinced to be fearful of then the Canadian Muslims. It certainly looks different, in terms of culture, dress, faith, spirituality, traditions, and most importantly, their rate of growth, may it be due to influx of immigrants arriving at Canadian ports or based on their higher than normal birth rates. Since, it is still in its infancy, weaker in all sense in regards to establishing their identity, low incomes, etc, makes them an easy and obvious target.
One does not need to be a rocket scientist to figure out that the cultural mosaic and face of Canada is changing rapidly. Nonetheless, the factual reality is that Canadian institutions, lawmakers, media, business community, law enforcement agencies et all have not been able to keep up with the pace of change, and are now confronted with the dilemma of addressing it. We need to adopt the new factual realities and change.
What makes the situation worse and solutions even grimmer is that the old guards, mainly politicians, law makers, and bureaucrats who have the power to make such changes are themselves, out of touch with ground realities. Thus unwilling and unprepared to bring about the necessary changes, which can carry us forward, strengthening the dominion, and make us the stronger nation. Instead they continue to drive the country forward while having their eyes fixated at the rear mirror view mirror. It is just a matter of time their careless driving habit will lead to a deadly crash, leaving the rest of us, and our children collecting the remains.
The most unfortunate part of this entire scenario about such short-sightedness of authorities for immediate and short-term gains is that all minorities, especially the Muslims would be impacted the greatest by the approach, careless driving habit, authorities have taken. Without taking into consideration the nature and the rate this, what seems like a weaker group, has already become the second largest faith group in the nation, and thus far has the highest growth rate among all others.
It is time all Canadians not just become the victim of government instituted propaganda of fear which thus far government seemed to be carpet bombing all Canadians with to attain certain short-term objectives. Rather, Canadians need to face the facts and realize the factual ground realities and force our elected officials to start implementing “Change” rather than shoving “Fear” down our throats.
Dr. Salim Mansur, a professor, a scholar in its own class, testified before a House of Commons. In his speech he stated, “Canada is rapidly changing culturally in ways our political elite, media elite and academic elite do not want to discuss… if this pattern continues for another few decades there is the likelihood that Canada will have changed irrevocably, and not necessarily for the better in terms of its political tradition as a liberal democracy.”
The question as Canadians we all need to ask what kind of Canada we wish to leave behind for our future generation. One that upholds long standing Canadian values of inclusiveness, of mutual understanding and respect. Or do we wish to leave behind a Canada seen through the Neo-Cons in Ottawa, divisive, bitter, hatred, where one or two groups are marginalised based on their forefathers’ ethnicity, and religious beliefs.
We all need to ponder as Canadians can we allow and afford the Neo-Cons in Ottawa to succeed by picking on one group. A group, Muslims, which by all indicators, based on Stats Canada Projection which would be most critical by 2031, would reach 3.31 Million, compare to 600,000 in 2006. Literally tripling in growth, constituting 7.3 percent of Canadian Population be disenfranchised and marginalized due to careless, ineffective, and short-term vision of the past government?
Certainly, if short-sighted Neo-Cons in Ottawa succeed in less than a decade and a half we will have a fractured nations with considerable population disenfranchised and marginalized. The only way to turn this around is to pressure our law makers and bureaucrats to make changes in their decision making processes now for a better, healthier, happier, Canada in future.
Stop Carpet Bombing Canadians with Fear and start planting the seeds of mutual understanding and respect to harvest more inclusiveness and better future for Canada and Canadians.
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