The nationalistic fervor I'm seeing in Canada creeps me out. The Canadian flag is not the great balm for the soul so many settlers think it is. It is a symbol of colonial oppression for Indigenous folks. It wasn't so long ago that those hidden graves at residential schools were discovered. More continue to be found at the sites of former residential schools, and genocide deniers have been taking over the narrative.

Indigenous communities still remain without drinking water despite political promises even while Nestle plunders nearby water sources.

A large percentage of calls to action for Truth and Reconciliation remain unmet.

I see the jingoistic flag-waving disturbing and alienating. I've already had people laughing at my alienation.

Do not alienate Indigenous people. As Jeff Doctor says over on BlueSky, "Remember who taught you about maple trees, about the food from these lands, the ways to keep safe and warm. Some of your ancestors have already resisted Americans alongside ours, learn from the true histories, not the nationalist versions."
https://bsky.app/profile/jeff.doctor/post/3liaarncgwf2x
#Canada #CanadianFlag #MapleLeafFlag #215Children #ResidentialSchool #Jingoism #TruthAndReconciliation #SystemicRacism #Genocide