We would like to believe the racist incident that we wrote about in last week’s edition of the Mercury was just a one-off event that does not represent what the Energy City is all about. We maintain hope our city is one that is open, accessible and welcoming to people of all races and cultures, and the event that was brought to light on our pages was just a singular arrogant display from a non-thinking and slightly inebriated individual who decided to verbalize and display red-necked leanings in a public setting.
Criminal charges can and have been levelled at this individual. Whether the ensuing legal actions are successful or not, may be beside the point though, since our community may be the one on trial here.
The fact the perpetrator’s friends decided not to rein him in, tells us that maybe Estevan is not as multi-culturally sensitive as we would like to think we are.
Do we, as a community, need to do some more homework on the topic of immigration, acceptance and assimilation? We have the tools that are necessary for such considerations in our city. Do we have the will and commitment to do something about it?
A statement from one of the victims of the incident spoke volumes when she said something to the effect that if someone doesn’t like something that is foreign to them, or prefers not to associate with somebody who might look or speak a bit differently from them, then perhaps the best thing to do is just shut up.
Unfortunately the character in the red truck, decided it would be best to spew a little self-generated venom in the direction of a couple of local residents who were just driving home after a visit with friends.
Nobody should expect to be treated in such a vile manner, especially if they have done nothing to prompt it.
We know for fact that this publicized incident has created a minor furor in the city, and that could be a good thing. It might serve as a wake up call and a reminder that not all of us are willing to reach out, embrace and understand the needs and desires of others who have selected our city as a promising place in which to settle and carve out a career.
Agencies in our midst bend over backwards in attempts to help newcomers blend in while retaining their unique cultural upbringings and beliefs.
With Canada about to receive thousands more newcomers from the Middle East within the next few weeks, our country will be tested several times with regards to our flexibility and desire to not only accommodate, but also welcome this new wave of newcomers. In the meantime, the Energy City has to wrestle with its jaundiced attitude towards the last wave of immigrants who expressed a desire to be residents and Canadian citizens and were trying to settle in comfortably.
That Saturday night incident set us back a couple of notches on the acceptance scale but we feel confident that with the right people and right actions in play, we can make amends. After all, if we are, in fact, a racist community, afraid to accept anything different or out of our narrow sense of ordinary, then we’re on a certain road to failure, both socially and economically.
When it comes to cultural sensitivity, we need to be sitting at the adults’ table.
