What's the thing you hate most about where you live?

The way I see it is that people, as a whole, on this same earth, could only be expected to explore and spread. With the ignorance of the past, terrible, unfair mistakes were bound to be made. None of it should really be all the surprising.

I'm not saying I agree at all with how things were or are being handled. I'm only saying that to move forward as one people, we need to get over the past and move forward as one. I'm saying racism and inequality will never go away until EVERYONE is treated equally regardless of what happened in the past.

Women were treated as second class citizens forever, they have to pay taxes. We brought over asians to work and die on our railroad and then when the job was done, taxed the fuck out of all that stayed here. They don't get to hunt and fish the fuck out of whatever they want. (Also, I do realize that there are aboriginals who hunt and fish responsibly, but I do also know for a fact that some abuse their "right" to hunt and fish without limit. I get to see facebook posts from friends I've grew up with who have multiple stringers, loaded to the nuts with fish, with no regard for conservation, and purely just selfish "I like fishing and it's my right to catch as many as I want.")

All I'm saying is that ideally, in a couple generations, people as a whole will be in a much better place and things like residential schools and stolen land will be things in history books. A reminder of what not to do again. And we will be moving forward as one people, aware and understanding that terrible mistakes were made in the past and that it has nothing to do with white people or brown people or black people, and purely just part of the learning process of human nature.

I bring up my status only to show that I'm not looking in from the outside. I get to see the effects of what happened in my community and in my own family. In my bloodline. My aunts and uncles and cousins. And growing up witnessing this, I've realized that we are getting absolutely nowhere. We are not progressing passed this and we absolutely need to. I think it's something that will happen eventually, but that it would be better if it happened sooner than later.

It HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH BEING WHITE. Being white doesn't make you evil and ignorant to others. If aboriginals here were the ones who were ahead in development and the evolution of their tools and ways of living, they would have been the ones spreading out and wondering why everyone else is being so stubborn and stuck in their ways. They'd be the ones with the strong arm that is able to force change in cultures that may not necessarily be ready for it yet.

I think people need to stop taking this so personally and look at it from the outside. As an entire human population. Through exploring and population growth and the evolution of tools, agriculture, industry, and technology...this was bound to happen somewhere and spread. There was no way that the whole world was going to stay put and not fuck with anything for all time. There was no chance for us to just be naturally peaceful. We didn't understand things like we do now.

It's like the whole gay thing now. Some people still honestly believe that it's wrong to be gay. That it's a sin against god or whatever. They mistreat and abuse those whom they believe are "different." When this finally does end, in order to move forward as a people, the gay community will have to let go of the fact that this ignorance had one ran so rampant. We aren't going to get anywhere if they just hold onto that grudge forever. They need to accept it as a part of growth and shedding ignorance. Fuck yeah it's unfortunate and terrible, but we still need to get passed it and then leave it in the fucking past.

The last residential school was closed in the 90's. That's only 20 years ago. I get why the wound is still so fresh for so many. It's understandable. But we still need to get past it and move forward as one people.

/r/AskReddit Thread