{"id":15160,"date":"2017-12-18T09:00:04","date_gmt":"2017-12-18T17:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/?p=15160"},"modified":"2017-12-22T09:43:31","modified_gmt":"2017-12-22T17:43:31","slug":"canadians-should-work-toward-inclusion-not-separation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/2017\/12\/18\/canadians-should-work-toward-inclusion-not-separation\/","title":{"rendered":"Canadians should work toward inclusion, not separation"},"content":{"rendered":"

It seems the powers that be have succeeded in erasing Canada\u2019s diverse identity and left her citizens apathetic, resentful, and intolerant. We\u2019ve been sold the notion that we mustn\u2019t draw attention to what makes us different from one another because \u201cthey\u201d are too delicate to handle our differences.<\/p>\n

But Canada was founded on cultural differences. The people who immigrated here were brave and refused to accept the lot life handed them. They were the embodiment of proud, strong, and free. The same holds true for the people who immigrate here today.<\/p>\n

Our differences are a cause for celebration and pride. This is where our hearts lie. Our national pride is rooted in our customs, our beliefs, and our cultural differences.<\/p>\n

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This story is a web-exclusive opinion piece; grab our November 29, 2017 issue for more stories.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While I concede that being politically aware and correct is a necessity, I do think it\u2019s gone too far, and that becomes all too clear this time of year.<\/p>\n

We awkwardly swap out \u201cMerry Christmas\u201d and \u201cHappy Hanukah\u201d for \u201cSeason\u2019s Greetings\u201d and \u201cHappy Holidays.\u201d Worse yet, some of us say nothing at all and silently pass by one another, giving a strained nod at best. Stores won\u2019t play Christmas music or decorate their storefronts, and community events get cancelled. Does this really serve to include people, or is it just a whitewash that leaves us gathering in our respective corners, whispering our heartfelt greetings to only those closest to us?<\/p>\n

Wasn\u2019t political correctness supposed to draw people into the fold and ensure they weren\u2019t being excluded because of their differences? Were we not told we had a right to be different, morally and legally?<\/p>\n

If you pass me on the street, please don\u2019t be afraid to say something. Say \u201cMerry Christmas\u201d if that\u2019s what speaks to you. Let your hearts be happy to hear it even if it isn\u2019t yours to keep. Find out what your neighbour celebrates and wish them a Happy Hanukah or ask them if they\u2019re having a bonfire for Winter Solstice.<\/p>\n

Say something. Say anything. Just please don\u2019t say nothing at all.<\/p>\n

True inclusion and tolerance means we take the time to learn about each other and find common ground. It means we open our hearts and minds to something new, and allow ourselves to be vulnerable by sharing what is near and dear to us.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It seems the powers that be have succeeded in erasing Canada\u2019s diverse identity and left her citizens apathetic, resentful, and intolerant. We\u2019ve been sold the notion that we mustn\u2019t draw attention to what makes us different from one another because \u201cthey\u201d are too delicate to handle our differences. But Canada was founded on cultural differences. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":15062,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15160","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-webexclusive"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15160","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15160"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15160\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15180,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15160\/revisions\/15180"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15062"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15160"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15160"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15160"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}