Has the world of political correctness gone insane? Or is it just selectively applied?
Christmas trees, saying “Merry Christmas”, Hanukkah Menorahs are no longer welcome in many public schools or spaces … for fear of disrespecting those who do not follow the Christian or Jewish faith.
But apparently the Swastika is quite welcome … if it is presented as a “spindle whirl” First Nations piece of “art” … the sensitivities of the 50 million people who died because of what the Swastika stood for during World War II be damned!
The Swastika piece … sorry, the spindle whirl piece … was carved for Vancouver’s west side University Hill Secondary School by its Salish “artist in residence” and was even WELCOMED and “blessed” in a special ceremony. And it is scheduled to be displayed permanently in the school.
This is from the Internet:
Who funded it?
How could University Hill Secondary School and the Vancouver School Board … who are supposed to create spaces where ALL students feel safe, respected and protected … accept and welcome any art that even remotely looks like a Swastika … and agree to display it?
Have they forgotten the 44,000 CANADIANS who gave their lives in the Second World War fighting what the Swastika proclaimed… and the 54,000 CANADIANS who were injured in that fight … many of whom still suffer from the wounds and nightmares. Not to mention the sadness, loss and broken lives of their siblings, friends and all their relations.
Does Remembrance Day mean anything to Vancouver school officials … beyond just a ceremony and a day off?
What are University Hill Secondary and the VSB saying to children who have seen tattooed numbers on the forearms of their grandparents and great grandparents …. not only the 6 Million Jewish victims under the Swastika but the 5 Million others as well
What about other kids today who were never able to enjoy the love or companionship of a grandparent or great-grandparent taken so young in the fight against what the Swastika stood for! What are THEY to think now as they see that symbol welcomed into their school, even in stylized form?
Accepting this stylized Swastika … or displaying it … in my view insults the sacrifice of so many Canadians of EVERY faith, EVERY race, EVERY ethnicity … including the many First Nations warriors who served and sacrificed valiantly in Canada’s armed forces during the Second World War and since.
Is this the best symbol of Salish culture they could come up with to be displayed before children in University Hill Secondary?
The Swastika … in ANY form …stylized or not … has NO PLACE being welcomed ANYWHERE in Canada … in ANY public place … especially a school!
And don’t give me those tired old arguments that the Swastika is actually an ancient symbol embraced in several ancient cultures. So were, at some time, long white robes, hoods and even the burning of crosses.
Historical context is no excuse for displaying ANY symbols clearly identified TODAY as promulgating hate, racism and violence. Where does the Swastika fit in with the idea of mutual respect, understanding and reconciliation?
Are U-Hill and VSB officials afraid to stand up …. just because the “art” was done by a Salish artist?
This piece of “art” should have been rejected and now should be returned to the artist as unsuitable and unwelcome in any Vancouver public school.
Harv Oberfeld
