I enjoyed your points on the political scene today. It resonated a bit.
Rhetoric, the refuge of weak arguments, entertaining and deceptive all at once. It diverts and deceives all sides I fear.
There seems to be no way in our community to engage people deeply in public debate. As you seem to say at closing, it can only be done superficially, with the view of getting one or other group into power every few years. One of the simplified ideas people hold is that a Law will divest the community of responsibility, of the need to work on an issue because it will make it simple: “There should be a Law about that”, is intended as a final solution, or as American roadside litter signs (used) read “No Littering ITS THE LAW” – end of story. Maybe.
Mind, fairly simple laws like traffic law occasion little argument, except when stakes are high of course, as driving causing injury, impairment and such.
Law only creates a place for public argument. It does not end responsibility devoutly though we wish for that All that UNDRIP or a constitution or even a fairly precise law can ever hope to do is occasion the community going to work on the issue. So I am not surprised UNDRIP (merely a declaration) cannot resolve anything.
Canada may be at the point of starting to work on indigenous issues, fairly soon.
I enjoyed your points on the political scene today. It resonated a bit.
Rhetoric, the refuge of weak arguments, entertaining and deceptive all at once. It diverts and deceives all sides I fear.
There seems to be no way in our community to engage people deeply in public debate. As you seem to say at closing, it can only be done superficially, with the view of getting one or other group into power every few years. One of the simplified ideas people hold is that a Law will divest the community of responsibility, of the need to work on an issue because it will make it simple: “There should be a Law about that”, is intended as a final solution, or as American roadside litter signs (used) read “No Littering ITS THE LAW” – end of story. Maybe.
Mind, fairly simple laws like traffic law occasion little argument, except when stakes are high of course, as driving causing injury, impairment and such.
Law only creates a place for public argument. It does not end responsibility devoutly though we wish for that All that UNDRIP or a constitution or even a fairly precise law can ever hope to do is occasion the community going to work on the issue. So I am not surprised UNDRIP (merely a declaration) cannot resolve anything.
Canada may be at the point of starting to work on indigenous issues, fairly soon.
Dermot Monaghan | December 16, 2017 |