Colonial legacy’s not-so-simple truth

Phrases like colonial legacy and white privilege lead to either knowing nods of agreement or eye rolls and head shakes. Unfortunately, there isn’t much middle ground.

There’s very little critical thinking that goes into examining the context in which those phrases are used. They’re either accepted or dismissed in their entirety, which is sad. Colonial legacy and white privilege are useful lenses through which to assess serious social issues in our world, our country and our community but applying only the lens of race to these issues ignores so many other perspectives, from gender and wealth to religion and geography.

Increasingly, policing, education and health care are seeing their professions within other contexts, including race, with the goal of improving outcomes. The RCMP has done extensive work, both nationally and locally, to identify and stamp out racism within the membership and embedded within policies. Nationally and locally, large strides have been taken to include First Nations language and culture in the curriculum. Nationally and locally, efforts have been made to understand and improve the health outcomes of Indigenous citizens. These efforts are steps on a journey, rather than quick check marks on a list of accomplishments.

Last week, The Prince George Citizen reported on a series of articles in the prestigious U.K. health journal The Lancet investigating the higher rates of chronic disease and infant mortality and the lower life expectancy of Indigenous Canadians when compared to rest of the population.

As Sheona Mitchell-Foster, a Prince George obstetrician and gynecologist said, there are no easy answers to fix this problem but addressing the colonial legacy and recognizing that much of that colonial system remains intact has to be part of the solution.

This kind of talk from a health professional is deeply upsetting to white residents who have personal stories about being left for hours in terrible pain in the emergency waiting room while aboriginal people are quickly ushered through. These experiences are then confirmed with similar anecdotes from others to confirm the belief that First Nations get preferential treatment not only when they show up at emergency but throughout the health care system.

The tragic irony here is Indigenous people have their own experiences and anecdotes that are exactly the same and exactly the opposite: that white folks get preferential treatment in the emergency ward and throughout the health care system.

There are two side to every story, of course... except when there are three or more. In this case, the emergency room doctors and nurses would argue, based on their own experiences, that they do not racially discriminate patients, even when independent data shows they do. Meanwhile, hospital administrators would have their own views, likely acknowledging there is a problem but pointing to strategies aimed to make things better.

Multiple sides pointing fingers at each other, all insisting the others don’t understand, don’t know what’s really going on, cherrypicking the facts, ignoring reality.

Now imagine the same problem but transferred to law enforcement, education and politics. What a mess. No wonder it seems nothing gets done. No wonder no one seems happy with the way things are.

Looking at various social issues through race or any other specific perspective simultaneously provides insight and muddies the water.

This awareness should humble everyone to not only reject simple solutions but also to reject simple views. As the old saying goes, a firm opinion should be held lightly.

Some have taken this awareness to the absurd extreme that there is no truth or an infinite number of truths, all equally legitimate, but that is a foolish and dangerous perspective because it allows for the rejection of all inconvenient facts and the creation of a homemade "well, it’s true to me" reality largely divorced from the reality most people would accept.

Scientists, by and large, have a healthy relationship with facts and truth. Using the scientific method, truths are paradigms, working models that offer deep insights into reality but are always open to improvement. Facts and findings must be both valid (accurate) and reliable (constant over time). The scientific method isn’t perfect, of course, but its demand for a healthy skepticism towards both accepted belief and new information is helpful.

Colonial legacy and white privilege may seem like new concepts to white audiences but they are fully tested, well-established sociological concepts that broaden the understanding of complex issues and point to possible ways to improve results. That’s not a zerosum game, where better health outcomes for Indigenous people translates into worse service for white folks in the emergency ward and throughout the health care system. First Nations individuals living longer and healthier lives reduces strain and cost on the health care system, which is good for everyone.

Instead of seeing them as threats to existing, deeply-held worldviews, colonial legacy and white privilege should be approached as interesting perspectives on both history and present-day reality.

If you believe in truth, then you have nothing to fear.

Neil Godbout is managing editor of The Prince George Citizen.