02-21-2019, 07:51 PM
(02-21-2019, 01:53 PM)danbrotherston Wrote:(02-21-2019, 01:47 PM)jamincan Wrote: You're right, that shouldn't be a ticket into office, but it does make me hope that the person will therefore be more sensitive and empathetic to issues affecting marginalized and vulnerable people.
This was a major epiphany for me. It took me a long time to realize that a lack of diversity is a major harm...even if you get good people, they won't have a lived experience of other folks. I do my best to empathize and to understand--which is more than many people do--but I still have never experienced life as say, a person questioning their sexuality, or a person who feels (rightly or wrongly) that the police are the enemy.
Yet, if you look at who was elected in this region, for example: MP's for Canada include 3 minorities (out of 5), including a female minority, and for MPP's in Ontario, we have 4 females (out of 5) including a minority. Fully 50% of our politicians are female and 40% are (visible) minorities.
As for issues of treatment, say for those that identify their sexuality differently than most, or those that fear the police (and usually rightly), these are serious issues that I am sure politicians can't change. When the CBC (with their Liberal slant) carry on with Don Cherry, you see that having friends in the right places (Ottawa) is meaningless. Habits are hard to change, and people still have a difficult time respecting one another. But that respect has to be mutual too -- and as long as it is not mutual, then we'll continue to have issues. Just my 2¢ worth (which when rounding, is worthless).