Crumble an’ Erb St column – Sept 21, 2001

by Greg Macdougall – Sept 21, 2001 | University of Waterloo Imprint (page 10)

It seems like we’re at war now. But I think we can still change that.

“An eye for an eye will only make the whole world blind.”
-Mahatma Gandhi

Besides some war in some far off place, there’s already been some serious shit going down here. Racism and violence against Muslims and other ‘Middle-Eastern-type’ peoples is happening. It’s not isolated incidents. It’s everywhere. Two shooting deaths this past weekend in the States are the most extreme tip of the iceberg.

Incidents have been reported at this university. Yeah, that’s right, right here. So, I’ma bit disappointed right now – about a lot of things, but very much so about the way some people are racist. Not that that is anything new, though.

Another thing that I’m very disappointed about is how the media is racist. Not that that’s anything new either. But just the way that all the papers and TV stations splashed pictures of Palestinians celebrating the terrorist attacks, but didn’t have anything to say about those who may not have been celebrating, and were instead mourning.

Also, the way that they condemn any anti-Muslim backlash when they are in fact doing so much to fuel it. The way that the Record published a big story on how a local synagogue (Jewish) hired police for protection, yet only put four paragraphs in about how a Guelph mosque (Muslim) was attacked by racists who spray-painted “killers” and “go home” in foot-high letters on the door. This was buried at the end of a story on an area man from Afghanistan who is scared for family that he has living in that country.

“I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.”
-Martin Luther King, Jr.

I’m also disappointed with the mainstream and corporate media, not that there’s anything new there either. They’re pretty much promoting that we go to war. They’re preparing us for it – Tuesday’s Record headline was a quote from Bush, “There will be costs.” Wednesday’s Record screams, “Bracing for Holy War,” like it’s the Afghanistanians who are the ones starting this war – like they’ve got any choice at all. I could keep going but it would probably take me more space than I’ve got.

The media features way too many. government officials and military. types, and way too few people who might be opposing war. The interview I did with PACS director Lowell Ewert, who doesn’t like violence, is an anomoly in the sea of voices screaming for blood.

If you want some historical reference, check out the type of propaganda that passed for news back during the Vietnam war. We’re living through another period of that type of shit being fed down our throats. It’s pretty hard to evade it, it’s everywhere.

If you think there’s nothing wrong with the media coverage of this stuff, then – nothing personal – I think you’re smoking crack.

“Never indeed is hatred stilled by hatred; it will only be stilled by non-hatred-this isan eternal law.”
-Buddha

But it ain’t all bad. There’s alternatives to all the hype – the Independent Media Centre here in K-W has put out a special two-page edition of the paper, Blind Spot, to promote peace. You can get it off the Web at ontario.indymedia.org article #1821, or click on the K-W Blind Spot link.

“If they make us all panic then they can start martial law.”
-Dead Prez