Letter on 'assimilation' relied heavily on myths

12.2.12

Letter on 'assimilation' relied heavily on myths: By Cheryl Ward And Maria Gomes, The Daily News February 11, 2012

Re: 'Dismantle reserves and integrate First Nations (Your Letters, Daily News, Feb. 8)

The reality is that more than ever there are news articles about indigenous issues. This is happening for a number of reasons and in an ideal world the newspaper would be a space to courageously confront issues such as indigenous rights and settler unease. Unfortunately, one only has to scan the online comments that follow the news articles about indigenous issues in order to get a pulse of the current state of settler-indigenous relations.

On one end of the continuum, people who post comments are sincere and transparent as they wrestle with complex issues related to our collective history. On the other end of the spectrum are postings that reflect a current of hostility and contempt for indigenous people. The comments on this end of the spectrum are not benign and do not serve to open or enrich the dialogue.