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THE NEW TANNERTHURSDAY, JANUARY 25, 2018 5THE NEW TANNER THURSDAY, JANUARY 25, 20184 Just a thought I MUST be wrong By Trish Bell 20 Years ago BLM. Charlot tesvi l le . MMW. Sir John A. #MeToo. The list appears never end- ing: a massive bombardment now imposed on us daily, telling us of our collective shame; we, today's society, must pay permanent penance for the wrongs done by our ancestors in times that were so different from this. After all, history shows us that an eye for an eye always brings the scorecard back to rights. And besides, it isn't like people are being told what to think or what to say, nor are they persecuted simply for their social-economic standing or mere colour of their skin. But wait, isn't that exactly what's hap- pening here? Stanford's Thomas Sowell says it best: "the word racism is like ketchup. It can be put on practically anything--and demanding evidence makes you a racist"--although, after this past weekend's march, I'd add sexist too. La te ly, eve ry moment , every decision, every person seems to be measured upon the scales of racism and sex- ism, and if your skin is of a certain colour, your pocket- book a certain weight or your gender on the male end, the scales of justice are ser- iously askew. Truth appears lost to the pressure cooker of storytelling and spin doc- toring, neither the master of accuracy. So before we get out the pitchforks and string up anyone else, might I sug- gest a few things. First, man is an animal. Pure and simple. Sure we dress ourselves up and call our daily culture civilized, bet when it comes right down to it, we are little more than a hierarchical pack with a mob mentality. We claim to care about each other, but when the chips are down many of us, most in fact, will turn tail and save our own skin before caring for those around us. We cal- lously step over each other and then look each other in the eye and say we didn't do it. Racist? Heck we're just plain selfish folks. Even to- day's culture of appeasement isn't about setting right our future course. Perhaps it is an incessant need to be part of history or simply the de- sire to be part of a cause, but we are bullishly headed once again towards the same mis- takes. Now, because I have white skin, I am incapable of knowing the heartaches of others. Because I have only ever lived in Canada, I cannot grasp the idea of los- ing my culture or traditions. Because I am considered middle-class, I do not under- stand struggle. And, because I am a woman, I am merely a victim waiting for some- one to give me a voice. Yet, I am none of these things. It doesn't matter if I came from humble beginnings, am the daughter of labourers or granddaughter of someone who fought and bled for his country. No one asks what I have done, what I have been through, or whether I treat each person before me as the individual he or she is. It doesn't even matter that I recognize "facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored." Society now decides what I think and who I am, by looking at me and telling me it is so. Yet, more than all else because I dare to say I think dif- ferent than what's popular, that I open my opinion up to scrutiny, that I cast aside the safety of political cor- rectness and call out the ills I see around me, I MUST be wrong. I must be wrong to want us to stop whitewash- ing our past with the brush of presentism, asking those of today to forever atone for the wrongs of our ancestors. I must be wrong to want gov- ernment that lives up to the morals and values we expect from the society that elected it. I must be wrong to want people to stand up, vote and care about the world around them. I must be wrong to think Morgan Freeman's idea about s topping ra- cism--and sexism--begins by refusing to see ourselves as different. After all, I only know white privilege. It really doesn't matter what I have actually done, be- cause you will decide who I am and what I believe based on your decision about me and that insatiable need to right wrongs of the past with wrongs today. Too bad, 'cause if you got to know me you'd see: I don't live in the past, I learn from it. ENJOYING WINTER: 10 members of the Seniors' Hiking Group enjoyed fine weather and exercise while hiking the Roberts Side Trail at 27th Side Road and 9th Line (Silvercreek) recently. - Submitted photo