I Thought We Were All Green?

[Fishbone Jones]

While I kinda applaud the initiative, where is the recognition for the rest of the ethnic groups in our military? Are we setting some sort of precedent by officially recognising a specific group, without trying to exemplify the whole? The Canadian Forces is a complete entity, not a bunch of separate groups working together. I thought SHARP was to make us all neutral?

http://www.recruiting.forces.gc.ca/engraph/news/details_e.aspx?id=349&bhcp=1

 

[Bart Nikodem]

As other ethnicities get their own history month the CF will put out publications celebrating their accomplishments and contribution to the CF.

From what I saw in the poster and slide show was recognizing individuals from a specific group and their contribution to the CF, not just the specific group.

As for the SHARP trg, what I took from it was that we need to be tolerance of difference and accept it, not make everyone the same. I am referring to the X and O video where it was explained an X was an X and an O was an O and no matter how hard they try to hide it, that will always be the case.
All the best,
Bart

 

[Fishbone Jones]

I can buy that, I just thought it a little odd that the CF jumped on this bandwagon all of a sudden. Almost like someone was trying to make a point. And why just a month, shouldn't this type of thing be celebrated 365 days a year?

 

[Bart Nikodem]

I am also surprised in that from my recollection Black History month has been going on for quite some time. The little research I did just now indicates it stated as Negro history week in 1926, and the Canadian Parliament declared February "Black History month" in 1995. So for the CF to jump on it all of a sudden is a bit strange but better late then never I guess.
Bart

 

[winchable]

I look forward to a day when we don't look at accomplishments based on colour of skin, but until then I guess we'll just bicker the trivial horse shit.

Native History Month: November
Asian Heritage Month: May
Black History Month: February
White History Month:
You might have taken History at a Highschool level but basic education requirements for history and social events pretty much only cover the European (wasps as some put it) aspects of history, so I guess you could pretty much view every month as White History month in North America.

It's a shame but sometimes even history has to be marketed under labels, but due to time constraints and a number of other things you have to section things off for people into comfortable little groups in order for them to digest it.

 

[projectile]

yeah everyones the same, well it wasn't like that 50 years ago and we are just recognizing all the people that helped give rights to african americans.  You people are looking too much into it.  All the CF did was recognize it, stop stomping all over this.

 

[Trinity]

I don't recognize Black History Month. And I won't until there is an official White History Month, Asian History Month, Native History Month etc etc.

Equality for all, except for the WASP's.  :

We don't have white history month...

cause the other 11 months are white history month. (essentially)

Its like.. why there a need for an all black channel on tv?

Because everything else is marketed (basically) to the white male

The norm is for the WASPs.  All of our teachings, values, norms.  etc..

Is what they are doing right (i.e. black history month)
I don't know.  But as a while person, we probably will never see the
difference in values, history, etc... because everything is geared towards
us anyways.

 

[3rd Herd]

You might have taken History at a Highschool level but basic education requirements for history and social events pretty much only cover the European (wasps as some put it) aspects of history.

Che.
I do not know where you got your education but having taught social studies and history/geography for the last five years you defiantly took a different program than I taught.
Grade Seven-world history, world and Canadian geography
Grade Eight- world history, world religions and world geography
Grade Nine- European, North American and Native history, Canadian geography
Grade Ten is mostly Canadian History
Grade 11 Canadian and World (remember the two world wars) history and political ideology.
Grade 12  History-Canadian and World( UN and peacekeeping)
Grade 12 Geography- physical and regional, cultural.

And then you also covered current events, role of the DART teams for example, mock elections, debates on social issues(homosexuality, racism, pro/con life, capital punishment, child soldiers). Also, in covering a fair amount of English classes I seem to have become real familiar with "In the Heat of the Night", "Anne Frank's Diary"............. not exactly a WASP/European curriculum.

In regard to my time in the service, we were all green no matter what branch of the service and uniformly all looked like bus drivers in service dress.

 

[projectile]

black history month essentially celebrates the black people who gave rights to african americans.  would you complain less if it were called "black human rights month"?  What if "rememberance day" was called "white people remembered day", would you not "celebrate" that day because of what it is called?  (I go to rememberance day proceedings, I am in no way bashing it, just making a point).  What I am trying to say is don't let the name of the holiday influence if you want to recognize it or not.  The mostly-white Canadians in the world wars died for a good cause and they get "rememberance day"  The black people were persecuted and non-violently mostly-black african americans (MLK) fought for black rights, instead of what you see in Africa when black people took their rights by force and look at their corrupt governments, and they get "black history month".  WHO CARES WHATS ITS CALLED, you are being ridiculous.  You should be glad black people got their rights this way, instead of the african counties that exist today.  Another thing you people complain about is that its a month, well its a pretty dilute month.

and further more, its a pretty pathetic "celebration" the CF is giving to play people.... a poster and a clip show.....wow I hope that person didn't have to work overtime.  They should have just said they recognize it.

 

[Spanky]

"you people" ???????

 

[Armymedic]

Are we setting some sort of precedent by officially recognising a specific group, without trying to exemplify the whole? The Canadian Forces is a complete entity, not a bunch of separate groups working together.

I would applaud this if it were done by any other govt agency. Done by the military, specifically recruiting, all bad.

The reality of the CF as it stands (and as it is meant to be after SHARP) is that there are no identifiers.
While you may be a white, black, Asian, Native, Inuit Canadian before you join, after swearing the allegiance, and completing your training you become just one thing:

A Canadian Forces member.

This recognition is wrong.

 

[ZipperHead]

I know I'll hate myself in the morning for this.....

While I agree that we are all supposed to be "green":Neither male nor female, black nor white nor yellow nor red nor brown, straight nor gay, etc, the reality is that we aren't. Or more precisely, the people that we are trying to recruit aren't green.... yet. It is easy for us (especially white, anglo males) to talk in these terms, but "we" make up a huge (I don't know the stats, so won't even guess) proportion of the CF, and that would be intimidating to anybody wanting to join. For whatever reason (nature, nurture, fear, ignorance, etc), if I were to walk into a group of people that greatly outnumbered me, for whatever reason: gender, race, orientation, height, etc, I would likely feel uncomfortable, and less likely to feel included in that group, regardless of how the people of that group actually felt towards me. Now imagine thinking about joining that group for at least 3 years, and wondering if they would want you there.

I'm sure we have all experienced something along this lines (being the outsider), even if it were for a short period of time (walking into the wrong bar, encountering a group of people from a different ethnic group on the street after dark, walking into a classroom/office/party with a huge number of people of the opposite sex, etc).

All's that I can say for myself was that I was fairly scared of joining the military, and that was after spending 5 years in Army cadets. I didn't know what to expect (other than what I experienced from cadet camps, the movies, etc) and I didn't know how I would fit in, and I was in a group of people that looked 90% like me (we had 3 females in my recruit platoon, one Asian guy, one french guy (who made a wrong turn at Albequerque and ended up in Cornwallis and not St Jean), and other than that, white, anglo males). Now imagine being from the other 5-10% of what makes up the current CF population and looking in: I'm sure that they aren't feelin' the love, especially when "we" get hostile about the attempts made to try to recruit "them".

As long as "these" groups don't get any special bonuses, treatment, extra cheese on their pizza, etc just because The Man wants them in his CF, I don't particularly care. I do tend to get torqued whenever I see a disproportionate number of "minorities" (anybody that doesn't make up the majority of what is representative of the CF right now) getting their picture on the cover of CF publications, newspapers, etc, but I suppose growing up through the changes in the CF caused that (resentment that the attention is being drawn away from "my kind"). It's time to move on, and not be so put out by things that "we" have no control over. We are hurting for recruits (as I'm sure we have all noticed), so I think we need to be more inclusive, even if it makes "us" feel uncomfortable seeing Black History month, Asian Pride week, International Womans Day (that one REALLY made me made for a while), etc.

Al

 

[winchable]

3rd Herd, PM inbound, best not to steal the thread.

I don't see how black history month can possibly fit into recruiting, and it seems like a bit of a stretch, to me it's always been more marketed towards younger kids and schools.
That being said, as long as they're not getting money for being black, or shortened recruiting times I'm not bothered if the recruiting center wants to encourage minorities to join by showing that "Yes, the CF does have ___________ people in it."
And as long as they don't stop recruiting all together, I think that White People will always feel included naturally because hey this is North America it's implicit.
Just because a white guy sees a recruiting ad with a bunch of black people on it doesn't mean they're going to say "oh jeez I thought it was an all inclusive army, hmm..maybe I can find a whiter one somewhere."

I can see Allan posted the same thing as me too.
doh.

 

[Armymedic]

I don't see how black history month can possibly fit into recruiting, and it seems like a bit of a stretch, to me it's always been more marketed towards younger kids and schools.

What I was trying to say.

 

[ExistancE]

European (or white, or caucasian or whatever) history month would include both the invention, propagation, and perpetuation of things like democracy, code of law, air travel, space travel, modern sanitation, electricty and electronics, telecommunications, automobiles, the social sciences, computers and the internet, radar, radio, the printing press, and tonnes of other things I won't continue to list as I've made my point. Let others have their history months, let them pad whatever accomplishments they think make them a great people, since that's the manner in which they've chosen to identify themselves. Let them hang on to and develop sacronsanct icons like Martin Luther King Junior, despite his penchant for prostitutes. On my SHARP course I was told that no one in the CF would be treated differently because of their race, religion, gender, or sexual preference... which didn't explain why a muslim could keep a prayer matt in his c9 pouch and be allowed to dissapear 5 times a day to pray. I know that deviations from the spirit of equality such as different fitness standards and religious allowances have been beat to death on this board but I only bring it up because as an extremely new member of the CF it's just as confusing to hear one thing and see another as to hear that we are all equally green soldiers, and then see that some green soldiers are being recognized not because they were good green soldiers, but because they were good black soldiers.