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A Muslim Montrealer is filing a human rights complaint against Costco after a comment allegedly made by a sales clerk. Asma Al-Shawarghi, who was raised in Canada, said she was at the Costco store on l'Acadie Boulevard on Oct. 18 and asked a sales clerk whether a coat she was looking at would keep her warm in -40 C weather. Al-Shawarghi said the sales representative responded that no jacket would keep her warm at such temperatures, adding, "If you don't like that, go back to your country." She said she replied that Canada is her country and that she's a Canadian citizen, however, she said the clerk ignored her and started serving another customer. Al-Shawarghi said she was deeply bothered by the incident, which happened in front of her two daughters, aged two and seven.
My comment: It is sad to see such comment became the top rated comment on CBC site. Is that the taste of reality? Is racism only about 'insulting' people for their race, skin color, nationality etc? How about 'evaluating' them by conditions and choices?
This sort of thing happens on a regular basis for minorities, especially if they look/act different. The costco employee should be fired immediately for saying something so incredibly politically incorrect while representing Costco and damaging the reputation of the business. The woman in the news should get thicker skin. In current political and social climate it may get much worse than this for her.
This is even more disturbing considering that the Costco on Acadie is in area where the immigrants are a majority and there is a huge Muslim population. Most of the clients of that Costco are not born in Canada.
I am torn between my impulse to not minimize such intolerance and on the other hand the sneaking suspicion that all of these highly mediatized stories are tempests in a teapot.
I mean, a-holes exist out there, and they say things to people. Happens every day. It's happening right now.
I don't understand why it's always front-page news.
A few years ago I was told to go back to Quebec by an OPP officer that I dared speak in French to. We were in a 90% francophone town in Eastern Ontario. Mother Teresa and the Dalai Lama never got involved.
I am torn between my impulse to not minimize such intolerance and on the other hand the sneaking suspicion that all of these highly mediatized stories are tempests in a teapot.
I mean, a-holes exist out there, and they say things to people. Happens every day. It's happening right now.
I don't understand why it's always front-page news.
A few years ago I was told to go back to Quebec by an OPP officer that I dared speak in French to. We were in a 90% francophone town in Eastern Ontario. Mother Teresa and the Dalai Lama never got involved.
That is the golden question: Why exactly is such a trivial event considered news?
Costco will fire the employee, and that employee will have a tough time explaining this to her next potential employer. That is a more than adequate punishment for a dumb but ultimately harmless comment. Why involve human rights courts and the media? It only serves to stir the pot, like all the most divisive stories do, and that means profits for the media. After all, journalists need to pay bills too. This is the same nonsense that goes on in America.
Accusations of racism sell like hotcakes in the media, while your experience of a francophone being told to return to Quebec doesn't fit the narrative that sells. Don't forget, it's the Quebecois who are the prejudiced ones! Flip your story around as a Quebecois telling an Anglo to return to Ontario, and Jambo and company will be posting your story by noon.
Around 2 weeks ago, I created a big impact on a young white quebecer on street. We had a argument over something, we were a-holes to each other. The discussion wasn't about politics but he immediately told me that I should f----ng go back home and how I am f----ng arab and a terrorist and a fagg-t too. And he kept telling me how this is his country.
I told to myself "if you let this guy go, you'll fight with him in your head whole weekend". So just to p-iss him off, I told him this is "my" country now, I "claimed" it so it doesn't belong to him anymore but to the Arabs and Muslims (I am not Arab or Muslim, but I look like one). Of course this flipped him off. I thought he would attack me but he didn't. If he did, I would charge him with assault, and do everything in my power to put the a-hole in jail. After he ranted on my face, did everything to have a fist fight with me, he left the scene yelling at me. Honestly I felt great. I had a Walter White "stay away from my territory" moment.
Leaving the scene with all that negative feelings would be the worst. And I think I would start looking at ordinary people with too much negativity even though they have nothing to do with it.
Will I do this again? maybe.. I suggest when there is such person, put him in his place. Forget about those who say "It happened to me, and I put up with it, so if it is happening to you, you should do the same and get over with it". If someone is so bluntly bigoted or racist, tell him things he fears the most, put all that darkness in his lungs so he can walk around it with. And if he attacks you, use the laws for your own good. That's my suggestion.
p.s.: American "Stand your ground law" may not be a terrible thing after all. Why the hell am I supposed to flee the scene
p.s.2: I think we need to have a Canadian version of "what would you do" show. especially here in this province.
Around 2 weeks ago, I created a big impact on a young white quebecer on street. We had a argument over something, we were a-holes to each other. The discussion wasn't about politics but he immediately told me that I should f----ng go back home and how I am f----ng arab and a terrorist and a fagg-t too. And he kept telling me how this is his country.
I told to myself "if you let this guy go, you'll fight with him in your head whole weekend". So just to p-iss him off, I told him this is "my" country now, I "claimed" it so it doesn't belong to him anymore but to the Arabs and Muslims (I am not Arab or Muslim, but I look like one). Of course this flipped him off. I thought he would attack me but he didn't. If he did, I would charge him with assault, and do everything in my power to put the a-hole in jail. After he ranted on my face, did everything to have a fist fight with me, he left the scene yelling at me. Honestly I felt great. I had a Walter White "stay away from my territory" moment.
Leaving the scene with all that negative feelings would be the worst. And I think I would start looking at ordinary people with too much negativity even though they have nothing to do with it.
Will I do this again? maybe.. I suggest when there is such person, put him in his place. Forget about those who say "It happened to me, and I put up with it, so if it is happening to you, you should do the same and get over with it". If someone is so bluntly bigoted or racist, tell him things he fears the most, put all that darkness in his lungs so he can walk around it with. And if he attacks you, use the laws for your own good. That's my suggestion.
p.s.: American "Stand your ground law" may not be a terrible thing after all. Why the hell am I supposed to flee the scene
p.s.2: I think we need to have a Canadian version of "what would you do" show. especially here in this province.
This is an entirely plausible story but judging from your past posts it seems like you have a lot of issue with the place you live in. Not sure if you will ever be happy there.
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