diversity

I learned alot during the treaties four workshop. I know very little about treaties and I feel a little bit better after taking this workshoip. I know that I still need to learn more about them. I really enjoyed having the perspective of people that went through the hardships of the treaties and residential schooling. It made an impact on me. I had heard about some of the things that had happened but not by a person that it had happened to.

One of the things that was said that has stuck with me is that it is not my fault. I always believed that I was being blamed when issues with the treaties were brought up. I think it was something that I needed to hear so that I could get over the idea of being blamed and defending myself. When I feel blamed I always feel defensive and cornered. I can't change the past, I can only help to make my classroom representitive of all cultures.

I hear numerous racial remarks and jokes and it is so normallized. Why is it okay to make fun of a culture? a hair color? ethnicity? I do this, I laugh at these, I make jokes about myself being a blonde. So is this right? Is this wrong? Why does it seem to be more okay if you are making fun of your own ethnicity or haircolor? After going to the treaties four workshop I went to a comedy show that featured an aboriginal man. Almost all of his jokes were about his culture, his family, and his experiences with the world. I laughed at most of his jokes as at the time I thought they were funny... the next day as I thought about it i really had to stop and wonder why they were so funny. Would they have been funny if it would have been a white guy saying them? Probably not then it would have been racist.