Just as in his reality show, Trump’s need to crush opponents and win at all costs leads to chaos. History shows us how to defeat him
I admit Donald Trump is a lot smarter than I thought he was. In fact, he’s quite cunning. I also once thought that the U.S. president was very unpredictable. I just couldn’t make sense of what he was doing. The guile of Trump came into clear focus in a statement by Michael Nutter, the former…
There are people behind the scenes working hard to provide answers to hard questions, even if they’re hard to unravel
There’s been a lot of chatter over what was behind Justin Trudeau’s pregnant pause during a news briefing on June 2. Now, stopping to think before answering is not something politicians are known for. But in this case, it wasn’t a bad idea. After all, the prime minister had just been asked a very tricky…
Anger and deep frustration over racism are appropriate responses. Setting fires, breaking windows and looting aren’t
America is clearly broken. We Americans have struggled from the beginning of the nation to live up to our ideals. From our Pledge of Allegiance: “… with liberty and justice for all. …” From our Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. …” From our Constitution:…
We need to acknowledge the impact of racist myths. There is no good or bad race of people, there are just people
A video is circulating on social media of a white woman in New York City calling 911 to report being threatened by “an African American man.” The truth is that the woman was allowing her dog to wander in a bird-watching section of Central Park and the man asked her to put her dog on…
Award-winning documentary by U of A researcher follows family’s tireless efforts to turn grief into advocacy for change
Tasha Hubbard, a filmmaker and Indigenous studies professor in the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta, had been filming with Boushie’s family since 2016. She wanted to document their experience as they sought justice for their loved one through the provincial legal system, and hoped to provide historical and personal context on Indigenous…
Donald Trump wants to designate Antifa as a terrorist organization. But how will he do it and will it have any impact?
“The United States of America will be designating ANTIFA as a Terrorist Organization.” – @realDonaldTrump, May 31, 2020 With that tweet, U.S. President Donald Trump has started the process of changing the narrative about radical left-wing individuals, parties and groups in his country – and around the world. How he’s going to actually do it…
If historical figures with 2020 attitudes could be found, renaming familiar streets and place names wouldn’t be so daunting
Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman is determined to pursue his name game – renaming, removing and rewriting history. Among his targets is Bishop Grandin Boulevard – the mayor doesn’t like the late Bishop Vital-Justin Grandin’s attitudes. If Bowman succeeds, the next logical renaming would be St. Vital – also named after Grandin, who was an important…
Trudeau insinuated that if you support the rights of Palestinians, you must be anti-Semitic
I like to think I’m not easily offended, but a recent speech by Justin Trudeau at the Yom Hashoah Virtual Holocaust Remembrance Day Commemoration pierced my spirit. In this ceremony, Holocaust survivors and their descendants not only remembered the crimes committed against the Jewish people, they celebrated who they are and the beautiful traditions that…
You may never know the outcome of your actions. But you can know with certainty the results of doing nothing
In studying the history of social change, I’m moved by the number of great people who died never knowing the full extent of their contribution to a better world. Three examples from the 20th century are Raphael Lemkin, Peter Bryce and Viola Desmond. Lemkin was a brilliant lawyer and professor. He was also a Polish…
The recent federal election offered us a lesson on how the manipulation of a narrative can have dramatic impact on how we think and behave
Like many Canadians, I was amused and entertained (and appalled) by the recent Canadian election. But beyond the entertainment factor, there was a lesson here about human behaviour which we need to take to heart. The spate of scandals (#MeToo, political interference in the legal system, racism, lapses in ethical behaviour, the Norman Affair) surrounding…