The Context: We recently got a dog. It's not my first dog, and it took me a while to agree to get one when my daughter asked. If you have (or have had) a dog - you know many of the reasons why. One of the many reasons I didn't want another dog is the fur. It's everywhere! But because I …
discrimination
Musings about Dr. Seuss
Dr. Seuss is getting a lot of attention this week. If you haven’t read about the decision to no longer publish 6 books you can do so here. The CBC article has many good points, some of which I will discuss below. Impact First, let’s talk about the impact of images and words in books. The …
It’s OK to Notice Difference
When you have children in your life, it’s bound to happen that they will say something that embarrasses you in public. Sometimes it’s more painful than other times. But likely every caregiver has had at least one experience where a child has noticed something about someone out loud. What does …
The Systemic Nature of Bias
On Monday, Starbucks Canada closed their stores for Anti-Bias training, and I was on the radio again to speak about it; this time with Alan Neal at CBC Ottawa’s All in a Day. What strikes me the most about conversations regarding bias is that we tend to focus on behaviours and individuals. This …
What a chip says about how we still view women
PepsiCo wants to launch a Lady Doritos chip. No, it’s not pink… But I think it says a LOT about how women are still viewed in society. Take a look: It’s going to be a bag that is smaller (to fit in a purse), less messy, and…wait for it….quieter! Not as crunchy – but they have promised to …
[Continue reading] What a chip says about how we still view women
I Can’t Today…
To be honest, today, I don’t feel like writing. There are many things going on in the world that I could write about: Sloane Stephens’ come-from-behind win at the US Open and how she (and other female athletes) are making much less less in sponsorship than their male counterparts. The …
Human Rights – Who Has Them, and Who Doesn’t
A few weeks ago, President Trump decided to reinstate a ban on transgender people serving in the military. It was a blow to transgender rights, which had been creeping along in a positive direction in the US. You can read more about the details here. The first thing that comes to mind is how some …
[Continue reading] Human Rights – Who Has Them, and Who Doesn’t
What does a doctor look like? Anti-Black racism in action.
You have probably already heard or read about Dr. Tamika Cross' post on Facebook and her experience of anti-Black racism on a Delta Airlines flight. In case you haven't, here it is in a nutshell: A man needed medical attention. She got up to help and was told to sit down. The flight attendants …
[Continue reading] What does a doctor look like? Anti-Black racism in action.
Systemic Racism in many forms…even dolls!
Last week in Calgary, a woman was shopping for dolls for her children at Toys R Us and made a startling discovery – the “dark skinned” doll was priced lower than it’s “lighter skinned” counterpart (those are the words from the CTV new report). Image from: …
[Continue reading] Systemic Racism in many forms…even dolls!
LGBT Seniors in Long Term Care
I'm working on a project for Egale about raising awareness about the need for LGBTQ safer spaces in seniors' long term care facilities. It's easy to think that because LGBTQ laws have changed, that all people who identify as LGBTQ are living an open, out and discrimination-free life. In general, …