Jan 30 • General discussion
Race to Freedoms
It’s not about who came here first.
It’s about the atrocities of the past — and whether those responsible were ever held accountable, and whether the victims were ever truly redeemed.
The overrepresentation of Indigenous people in prison, the ongoing poverty, the neglect — these are not opinions. They are facts that cannot be denied.
Yes, everyone is responsible for their own life. But if inequity is systemic and ongoing, what real choices did people have in the first place?
This idea that victims must be warriors with supernatural strength to overcome oppression is a romanticised myth that ignores lived reality. Not everyone survives trauma by becoming “resilient” or “strong.” Many are crushed by systems designed without them — or against them.
We tell victims not to “play the victim card,” while simultaneously telling oppressors that their prejudice and hatred are just protected human traits. They’re not. They are harmful, and they should be dismantled — not excused.
I don’t reject the idea of victimhood because I avoid accountability. I reject it because trapping people in cycles of violence and blame harms victims even more. Wanting to empower people does not mean denying that they were victims.
And empowerment without truth, accountability, and meaningful reconciliation is just another way of moving on without repair.
We cannot live comfortably on stolen peace.
0
0 comments
Race to Freedoms
