Ryan Paul
About Me
I’m a thirty year old half black, and half white British guy living in Kenora, Ontario in Canada. For the first six years in Canada I was living with my children and their mother on a First Nation reserve just outside of Kenora. I now live in town, two blocks away from my former employer office.
I have two children – a son called Nicolas and a daughter called Alex (yes that is her full forename). My dreams for them are for both of them to become soldiers.
Someone once said that it seems the driving force in my life is racial equality. I don’t think anyone ever spoke a truer word.
I’ve become increasingly disillusioned with Canada’s reputation as a fair and free country, because of race relations and how the Federal Government keeps First Nation people on a permanent lower economic and social level. When it comes to Native rights, my view is that colonisation was always going to happen – it’s part of life – conquer or be conquered. My issue is with the way it was done, and the failure of Canada to live up to its reputation as a decent, and civilised society. The failure to honour the treaties and fairly compensate natives in Canada will always be a dark stain on Canada’s reputation. I’m hoping that in return for serving Canada and it’s citizens, this country will become the place I know it could be – by honouring the treaties , settling land disputes and changing society to treat First Nation people as equals.
Drunk drivers, racists and paedophiles should all be sent to an uninhabited island.
Obviously, I have conviction in my beliefs and am not often swayed from them, although I am always open to the possibility that I’m wrong. I believe in freedom of speech, thought, and religion – so long as they do not promote hatred, bigotry, racism or unjust violence.
Tags
AfghanistanArmyarmy reserveBarack ObamaCanadian ForcesGary MchaleGermanyinfantryIsraelmilitarynavynaziPalestinePalestinianU.S militarywar criminalWorld War IIVarious Stuff
Comments
- Hunting Pellet Guns:Where can I drop in and get it
- Matthew:I also lost my rifle during th
- Lauren:man. I love your voice! you ar
- brian strickland:your a fucking prick..that bas
- hector jimenez:vanessa williams is mixed a bl
- BC:His views are right on the but
- Nancy Martinez:Ok I wanna start off by saying
- Collin Litke:Now this is what i am talking
- Private:Thank you Paul for your speedy
- Private:It appears that someone in the
April 23rd, 2009 at 1:10 am
Very Interesting.
May 28th, 2009 at 11:47 am
That is unfortunate. Do you feel it is particularly prevalent in Kenora? Does it go both ways? Does it create a general atmosphere of hatred across all races, even amongst themselves?
May 28th, 2009 at 12:21 pm
Well I’ve been in a few places in the world… and it most definitely IS more prevalent in Kenora than anywhere else I’ve been.
I’ve definitely come across racism from Natives towards white people… but that was few and far between. Maybe twice in six years. I’ve seen PLENTY of resentment, anger and animosity because of how Native people in this town are treated. For instance… if First Nation people in this town simply stopped shopping here and went to Dryden, Kenora would grind to a halt. This town NEEDS First Nation people yet the population have this underlying feeling of resentment.
I’m not sure there’s an underlying feeling of hatred… but there’s definitely an underlying feeling of resentment on both sides. Just one side has a justification for their resentment and the non-native folk have no reasonable justification. My two cents
May 29th, 2009 at 8:41 am
I see. It must be difficult for the native population. Big changes really fast. It is the same where I am. But I think it gets into everyone’s system and they don’t even realize it. A lot of self-entitlement involved too, for a variety of reasons. More complex than I’m going to get into.
All said, we all came out of the same pond at one point, and have now carpeted the planet. We are racing along at break neck speed and everyone needs to put the past aside and get on the with the future before there is none.
Enough with the me, me, me. Races and individuals.
May 29th, 2009 at 8:49 am
Putting the past aside is a good theory…
The Prime Minister’s apology went a long way that’s for sure, as did the meagre $2billion amount of residential school payments…
but in practice it’s a little hard for Natives to put the past aside without being treated as equals by the general population.
May 29th, 2009 at 10:20 am
Guys from Canada and the UK are very feminine, (not that there is anything wrong with that) gay or straight,i could care less,no insult intended.
Guys in the USA,are to masculine (macho) they should be a little more feminine like guys in Canada and the UK
May 29th, 2009 at 12:47 pm
Guys from Canada and the U.K aren’t feminine – I think the word you are looking for is ‘gentlemanly’.
There’s a difference between being polite, reserved with good manners and being macho – which usually involves chest beating rude manners and beer drinking
June 1st, 2009 at 11:09 pm
I grew up in a town only five hours south of Kenora. Similar to Kenora it’s surrounded with reservations but you can see the difference only five hours away probably because it’s in the United States. So what does that say about the government here in Canada.
August 7th, 2009 at 3:07 pm
Interesting little blogs you come across when your searching for something else entirely.
I was there recently my family moved away from kenora during the mid 80’s,we used to go to lakeside bapist church and GOSH! first nations make up a good chunk of kenora’s population,I have to agree with you with if the first nations ever decided to shop elsewhere or just boycotted stores in kenora most would go out of business.
I think right now there is a underlying current among kenora residents that this is very much possibility back in the 60’s,70’s,80’s I don’t think this was even considered but now it is.
There is an uneasy peaceful atomsphere in kenora.
September 14th, 2009 at 5:01 pm
Nice blog dude. I’ll probably be checking it out for updates every once in a while, you’ve got a lot of interesting views and ideas posted on here.
Anyhow, hope to see you friday, and take care Paul.
September 19th, 2009 at 5:30 pm
The Yanks and Canadians and Aussies and Brits are committing genocide in Iraq and Afghanistan.Just as they committed genocide in the Americas,in Australia,in India,in Africa and so on.By supporting their military you are promoting the very things you claim to be against.
October 28th, 2009 at 11:27 am
I want to compliment you on your willingness to speak your mind. I am half Native American and half Irish, 32 year old single mother and a career mother at that. There is an unfortunate amount to prejudice still prevalent. May it be against race, stature, gender, sexuality, the ignorance is overwhelming. I think that forming a constructive outlet and allowing people to have a voice is one of the more positive displays of pro-action I have seen in a long time. regardless if you share the same beliefs everyone has the right to have a voice. Thank you for the opportunity!
November 14th, 2009 at 9:35 pm
True. Natives bring a lot of revenue to Kenora. Merchants and their families need to be aware of this and be appreciative. There are still A LOT of narrow minded assumptions regarding natives, stereotyped, as always.
December 1st, 2009 at 4:13 am
To add to your disillusionment Britain has a racist clause in the Race Relations Amendment Act 2000 called SECTION 19 C it allows ANY JUDGE in ANY COURT to discriminate against a black and ethinic miniority in a court of a law. Check it out here…[read section 19 b first then 19c!]
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2000/ukpga_20000034_en_1
And to think that the throne is not even hers!!!
December 9th, 2009 at 1:55 pm
Glad to ‘meet’ you after having posted a response elsewhere. I have a lot of your stuff to read, give me time. Bob
February 5th, 2010 at 11:51 am
I was born and raised in Kenora and still live here after 40 years. I enjoy travelling and have visited places that are quite different from here.
All people in Kenora have the same rights no matter what color.I am white and hold no prejudices against natives.The only problem I have is seeing drunk people on the streets no matter what color.People call this prejudice because most of the street people are native!Doesn’t everyone want their community to be free of things like this?All in all we all live in peace here…sad that some like to stir the pot and make it sound like we are unable to do so.
While there are questions about what land belongs to the natives,many of us believe they were here first and that they were robbed of land,but that is not for us to decide.All we can do is move on and love Kenora for what it is.Free of war…where our parents want us to grow up healthy and happy…not to be soldiers of war…but soldiers of peace.