Monday, July 25, 2022

"The United People of Canada": The cultural appropriation goes ever on ...

Now that everyone else has twigged to TUPOC's appalling cultural insensitivity -- wherein it is currently running a "Truth and Reconciliation"-themed GiveSendGo fundraiser in order to pay for a new sound system and a wicked cool wet bar -- here's a tidbit I have not seen addressed by anyone else.

If one drives by TUPOC's paramilitary compound^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H church in the Byward Market, one notices a plethora of flags and, if you look closely at a couple on the right-hand side:




Why, yes, those do appear to have a First Nations feel to them, especially the one that is clearly:




So, yeah, in the end, a white nationalist, Freedom Convoy-related group has moved into the Ottawa core, and is currently begging for donations based on decades of oppression of Canada's indigenous peoples while simultaneously stealing their symbolism.

I'd suggest you can't get any lower than that but, hey, it's only Monday.

BONUS TRACK: What exactly is the "Magna Carta Fund"?




9 comments:

MgS said...

Oh look - they’re setting up their very own branch of the conservative money network - just like Ezra has done. Isn’t that cute *barfs*.

Not only should CRA be watching that operation very closely, so should CSEC and FINTRAC.

Augray said...

The more I think about it, the more I suspect that they don't really believe any of this. It reminds me of the idiotic response to the statement that "Black Lives Matter", with "All Lives Matter".

And if that's not their intent, just what kind of horrible human being would you have to be to think something other than what that flag states? What kind of moral morons are they that they feel the need to state the blindingly obvious? I mean, what's next? A flag proclaiming that "Genocide Is Bad"? It all has a disgusting reek of insincerity.

Anonymous said...

Hmm. Oddly enough the director contacts are all at 533 Clarence St. in London, my hometown.

That address appears to be shared by St. Peter's Cathedral Basilica and Campus Creative.. don't know about Room 109. I might take a stroll out of curiosity.

Anonymous said...

"I am not, nor have I ever claimed to be, in support of the Freedom Convoy protest. Have I supported and prayed for those that were starving, freezing, and suffering in Ottawa when they felt that they had no choice but to stand in the frozen streets in the middle of a very cold winter to advocate for what they believe in, doing so in a manner that while I may not agree with, they felt was the only available option? Yes. Does supporting people that are suffering mean that I am supporting the protest of those that are suffering? No. Facts and context matter.
Even if I did support the protest, which I did not, what does that personal belief have anything to do with The United People of Canada and its mission to restore and adaptively reuse surplus and underutilized institutional properties into vibrant and inclusive community spaces?
Regards,
Kimberley Ward
Board of Directors Member
The United People of Canada"

CC said...

Please tell me that that last comment is just parody, and that Ward didn't actually say that.

Anonymous said...

Nope, that’s her all right, in a statement released on their Facebook page. Don’t miss the responses.

CC said...

I don't do Facebook so, please, a screenshot. Or a link. That's just too precious.

Anonymous said...

sure. Contact...?

CC said...

E-mail canadiancynic@yahoo.ca.