Maple Leaf deemed too exclusionary
There’s a debate going on right now at Calgary’s Mount Royal College regarding the proud symbol of our nationality: the Canadian flag.
In an effort to be “as fully representative of [...] students as possible,” the MRC Students’ Association has removed the flag from Wyckham House, the MRCSA’s student services building on campus. According to the SA, by displaying the maple leaf banner in the public space, it could be interpretted by some as overly patriotic and exclusionary, and, God forbid, could even cripple the fundamentals of the democracy upon which their organization is built.
The association is preparing a questionnaire to ask students about the flag after it received a submission raising the possibility that Canada’s red-and-white standard could be “exclusionary.”
“People may not realize that overt displays of patriotism can also be seen as exclusionary and even sometimes work to undermine democratic ideals,” the unsigned letter reads.
Really? Have we honestly reached a point in our civilization where the most sensitive display of political correctness trumps all reason and practicality?
This comes hot on the heels of the University of Alberta’s convocation ceremony controversy from a few months earlier, where the cries of a few uptight activists convinced the university’s governing body that sticks and stones may not break bones, but words can truly hurt their delicate sensibilities. But while the convocation issue at least had a bit of cultural rationale behind it, this latest debacle at MRC is an outright demonstration of the utter ignorance that some resume-padding politicians can exercise when it comes to their perception of how the public is perceiving them.
Political correctness has the right to be practiced in all matters sensible – a public figure, for example, should know to hold his tongue when expressing his views on the country’s Jewish population. But it goes without saying that there’s a clear difference between inciting hate and displaying an established symbol of nationality. Are we really to the point where we can no longer display national banners for fear of excluding our international citizens, lest they forget that they’ve made a choice to come to our country and they’re aware of which country they’re currently residing in? Come on: a flag does not a patriot make.
Without tumbling too far down the slippery slope, why doesn’t MRC apply their logic across the board? If the UASU were to send delegates of their own to the college to engage in some student diplomacy, they’d best be sure to remove any and all symbols of their own Students’ Association, lest the democratic process be undermined by waving such a display of patriotic dominance in the face of our fair president.
Let’s remove the Canadian flag from parliament as well. We’ve already risked straining relations with our southern neighbours when US President Barack Obama arrived in Ottawa last month and was bombarded by assurances that we are, in fact, Canadian.
Is this really the message you’re trying to convey, MRC? Get your heads on straight and realize that unless you’re flying a swastika, a flag isn’t a controversial symbol.
Link: Calgary student association hung up on ‘exclusionary’ Canadian flag
