CASEY BABB
national post
For roughly fourteen months — since Hamas carried out their horrific terrorist attacks in Israel on October 7 — adoring fans of the group have said and done things across Canada which should have the entire country up in arms.
From planning a vigil for slain Palestinian terrorist Yahya Sinwar in Mississauga (who the Mayor of Mississauga likened to Nelson Mandela) to calling for Jews to “go back to Europe” to physically assaulting Jews, burning Jewish effigies and calling for the death of Zionists (extremist and progressive code for Jews), Canada’s nationwide Hamas fan club has been intoxicated by Jewish trauma and the idea that they, too, can play a role in punishing Jews for daring to exist.
Yet, despite the fact people know these terrible things are happening, few outside the Jewish community seem concerned.
My sense is that this isn’t because people don’t care or because they support these jihadi Neanderthals. It’s because Canadians — and most other people throughout the West — have been taught how they ought to view themselves and others — and sadly — this has left most Canadians muzzled — afraid to speak up on issues that matter most.
For at least the last decade, Canadians have been taught several things — directly and indirectly — which are slowly stripping us of the ability to think clearly.
The first, and perhaps most supreme, new social and ideological law of the land appears to be that as an Anglo-Saxon nation, we’re inherently racist settlers, undeserving of our country. We’re urged not to take pride in our great nation — but to apologize for the misgivings of previous generations and our illegitimate occupation of this land. As Adam Kirsch notes in his new book, “On Settler Colonialism: Ideology, Violence, and Justice,” the only way Americans, and by extension, Canadians, can now affirm our virtue is by confirming our guilt. Objecting to dangerous and perverse trends afflicting our country is sacrilege. Who are we, as a people who don’t belong in the country we were born in (akin to Israelis), to dare and speak up about preserving something we are not entitled to in the first place?
Further, and tethered to this new way of thinking is another supreme diktat — all elements of every society, culture, and people are to be respected and, in fact, celebrated. Anything short of this is racist. As American antiracism guru Ibram X. Kendi has repeatedly opined — being “not racist” isn’t a thing. You’re either racist or you’re antiracist — actively working towards racial equity as a solution to virtually all issues. If you aren’t doing this — you are, of course — part of the problem.
Ultimately, because our society has become so obsessed with racism and division as opposed to harmony and collectiveness, it’s understandable that the majority of Canadians are more comfortable watching their country die than they are speaking out about things like extremism, fanaticism, and Jew hatred. Doing so could — God forbid — lead to someone being called “racist” or “intolerant” — currently the most feared words in the English lexicon.
Finally — and inextricably linked to the previous two points — many Canadians have come to believe that there isn’t any distinct national identity here. Even our leaders have declared publicly — in the most high-profile of places — “There is no core identity, no mainstream in Canada.”
It is no wonder, then, that so few take issue (publicly, at least) with things like terrorist cosplay, chants of “death to Canada,” and Nazi salutes at protests. We’ve been gaslit into believing our country has no national ethos while simultaneously being told we’re racist settlers who are in no position to dictate the terms of our country’s trajectory.
At the end of the day — some very rotten things are happening here — and while many are likely mortified — few have dared to say anything. We know that rabid antisemitism always leads to the destruction of societies and other minority groups. We know when narratives or activities are dangerous, destabilizing, and anti-Western. And we know what are and are not signs of a burgeoning society. And still — indulging our cult of guilt, keeping our mouths shut, and respecting even the most heinous phrases and actions are what we’ve come to learn and embrace.
If Canadians want any chance of preserving whatever part of this country they love and cherish — if they want their grandchildren to enjoy the same things that they once did — they’ll need to wake up, speak out, and stand up for what they believe in and what they want this country to look like. If they don’t — we’ll likely lose it all.
