Up here, there's a wide debate raging over "reasonable accomodation" of immigrant cultures into our own. This term "reasonable accomodation" has been appearing in the media daily, for months. I have watched as the media has made this into an issue when there really shouldn't be one. Recently, there have been several "incidents" reported by the media that, in my mind, were not media worthy.
First, there was the Hasidic community center whose director approached the manager of the YMCA next door and asked them to frost the windows so that the men wouldn't see the half naked women doing the aerobics classes. The director offered to pay for the frosting of the windows and the YMCA manager agreed. Then some of the members of the Y got wind of it and protested. How is this news? Two managers agree to do something and one of them has angry customers. Happens every day. But no, this has to be on the news every night, whipping everyone into a froth over the "unreasonableness" of the accomodation.
In 1994, the supreme court of Canada ruled that certain paid holidays had to be given to Jewish employees to respect their religion. 1994. But in the news today, we're reading all about the unfairness of the Jews getting extra holidays compared to their coworkers. If anything, this is dead news. (Though I agree, it's not fair.)
In some cultures, the mixing of the sexes is permitted under only very specific circumstances. As such, men prefer to have male driver's test examiners, for example. So they ask, and it is granted. And then it's widely reported in the media as special treatment.
Rounding out these incidents is the permission of Sikh members to wear a turban working as RCMP officers. And the courts granting of a ceremonial kirpan (little knife thing) to be worn to school.
The whole idea here is that if it doesn't infringe on someone else's freedom, then it's unreasonable to deny it.
Complicating the problem is that the news is controlled by three organizations up here and they are all trying to be king. This "reasonable accomodation" thing has struck a chord with the public and they are milking it for all it's worth. Every day, we see new polls on how Quebecers are either racist or not, and how they feel about immigrants. It seems to me they are fanning the fires of xenophobia.
Propoganda is very powerful.
If you'd like to read a little about these incidents, you can start here, here and here.
12 comments:
I agree that the media is fuelling the flames of what shouldn't be a big deal. On the other hand...
I don't agree the windows should have been frosted over.
I agree with religious holidays being covered, or at least that the person should be able to take a vacation day on that day no questions asked. In my office you can take the Muslim holidays as well.
I think that being able to ask for a specific sex leads to a very slippery slope. Where do we end it? Specific cultures / races? I can't stand it when my female friends refuse to see a male gynecologist.
I always hope that Canada will be sensible about such matters, especially given that it kind of markets itself as a "multicultural nation." It seems, though, that multiculturalism can just be a thin veneer that obscures a much more complicated situation.
No matter what, though, the media in Canada probably can't compare to Lou Dobbs' hysteria. I think Dobbs imagines that Mexican migrants are hiding in his closet when he goes to sleep at night.
I agree that most of these weren't newsworthy.
The frosting: Big deal. The Hasidics offered to pay for what they were asking, and it didn't seem a big deal to the Y. It probably helped that they ASKED, and didn't DEMAND. zzzzz
The gentiles should be getting Jewish Holidays if they get ours off too. That's only fair, but you can't justify refusing Jewish holidays and celebrating Christian ones.
I think it's the REASONABLE part of reasonable accomodation that's being forgotten.
Aha.. so Canada isn't so perfect after all when it comes to different cultures and whatnot.
What is it about human nature that causes us to get so riled up about the smallest things?
When we don't understand something, or necessarily want to live our lives the same way, why must it so often be classified as WRONG?
What whips me into a froth [I heard that] is how RELIGION is at the heart of all these bloody arguments. It should be very simple. Your religion gets left at the door period. In your home, nature and places of worship are fine and dandy. Do not bring your religious standards into my business, our schools or our politics. Enough with coddling this idea that religions will ever do anything but divide people. The love idea and acceptance idea is all warm and fuzzy but it never seems to get a foothold in the guise of 'religious freedoms'.
Lord I need a cocktail.
kb
I agree with everything except the male-only driver tests.
This has popped up in some US states as well. They reported that some muslim cab drivers are refusing to pick up passengers with duty free bags from the airport in case they contain alcohol. The city in question is considering marking cabs as alcohol friendly or not (closed alcohol, not open bottles).
It is destined to get worse. I agree with KB, religion should be left at home and in your place of worship. Otherwise, it is going to be impossible to accomodate every religion and it wouldn't be fair to pick and choose which religions to pander too. In France crosses aren't allowed to be worn in public because the Islamic people are offended. Yet, the Islamic people wear their Burkhas over their heads in public. God must surely be shaking his head and saying, "Why did I agree to the free will thing?"
reasonable is as reasonable does.
that came off sounding very forrest gumpish. but it's all so irritating when i stop to think about what my tax dollars are being spent on when this kind of thing ends up in the courts.
So I totally agree with everything you have written. Especially the part where the media profits from dividing us. And I'm all about "if it doesn't infringe on anyone else".
But then I read KB's comment. I think he is right. These are secular societies, and if you can't leave your religion out of it, perhaps you should consider the possibility that you are the tiniest bit obsessive compulsive.
Everyone thinks that their rights are the most important, that their feelings are the only ones that count and their religion/ethnic background is the one everyone is stomping on.
This will continue until we view ourselves as members of a world community and not as individuals in an individual community screaming for independence and yet demanding to be treated as an equal...
Not in my lifetime thats for sure...
The media are to blame for all these kinds of things get blown out of proportion. Do we really need a press conference to discuss a matter between two people?
On a sidenote I'm totally become Jewish if it means more days off work.
It's more about creating interest than about reporting events that affect ur lives in any meaningful way, isn't it?
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