My role as chair of the first panel at the Canada Strong and Free Conference in Red Deer meant I was expected to deliver a land acknowledgment.
I approached it with a performative gravitas, deepening my voice like a CBC announcer. This adopted, respectful tone, I’ve noticed, often becomes a stand-in for actual meaning in these acknowledgments. The underlying assumption appears to be that a solemn delivery will distract from any disconnect between the words and tangible actions or reality, thereby maximizing the inherent virtue signalling.
With a deliberately reverent, almost preacher-like cadence, I read my acknowledgment: “I would like to acknowledge all the great men and women of all races and origins who have built up and developed this part of the country. We are in Red Deer County, which, if left alone, would produce nothing. But with the great people who have lived here in the past and live here now, this land produces food, energy, and a great life.”
The audience’s ovation was immediate.
Hey Andy,
I’m surprised to see you so devoted to anti woke rhetoric.
To me, woke “culture,” a name creation of the right to begin with, is usually the efforts to make society more trauma informed and therefore more inclusive for people who need a hand up. But my goodness have these efforts been co-opted by some brutal opportunists in the Conservative world. A new dog whistle.
Some vulnerable populations require a trauma informed approach to share the playing field, not level it. It helped me get a leg up and participate in the world where fear was once all I knew.
I really think you’re tilting at windmills, here, Andy. Or at people experiencing significant trauma who could benefit from a world a little more inviting.
Let’s have a chat about it sometime.
Your pal,