Guess what? You know some Arabic already

In the town where I grew up, there is a perpetual debate about the fairness of bilingualism.  An underlying theme is that English is the dominant language, one even francophones understand, so it's really pandering to special interests and impeding unilingual anglophones to insist some positions, like doctors, be bilingual.  A sense of cultural loss also fits into that.

This is a big thing in Quebec, too, where the preservation of "pure laine" French and culture is seen as a battle for survival.

As the idea of learning Arabic or more about Syrian culture creeps into the conversation around onboarding Syrian refugees as new Canadians, similar themes of cultural erosion, imposition and that shadowy fear of The Other conspiring to replace our language, culture and customs with their own are surfacing.

Which, to me, is bananas.  

Language isn't static.  Culture isn't static.  To try and shut out external words and ideas is like trying to keep your genepool pure through inbreeding.  The results aren't purity, but weakness and eventual collapse.

Besides, the things that we try so hard to preserve unchanged are themselves only snapshots in time of change.  French is a bastardization of Latin, which itself incorporated words from other language, including Arabic.

English is even worse - it's a crazy amalgam of words, concepts and differing grammatical rules from Nordic, Germanic and Romance base languages.  

That's how languages work; they evolve, they adapt, they incorporate, they lose - they evolve.  They're meant to change.  Lots of factors can impact how and why a language changes - colonization is a huge factor, as is immigration, but trends play a role too - as does innovation.  If you've ever had a rendez-vous or googled someone or eaten sushi, you have essentially been a willing accomplice to the bastardization - or evolution - of the English language.

Back to Arabic.

While the popular, ignorant narrative looks at Arab-speaking people/Muslims/brownish skinned people as barbaric (a word derived from Ancient Greek), the truth of the matter is that the Arab world has played a massively important role in the evolution of science and culture.

The English language has been a happy recipient of many terms and concepts that originated in Arabic.  Which means that learning Arabic is less of a new thing than you might think:

ADMIRAL - from the Arabic word Emir.

ALCHEMY - which is a predecessor to CHEMISTRY. Both Arabic.

ALCOHOL - who'd a thunk it, right?

ALGEBRA - of all the things people worry about being imposed upon them, they keep missing this one...

ALGORITHM - a name turned into a concept.  Kinda like Google.

It would kill American xenophobic gun-nuts to know their ARSENAL of weapons has Arabic all over it.

AVERAGE - which comes from a word for "partially damaged".  I find that funny.

CANDY, CARAT, COFFEE, COTTON?  All Arabic.

LEMON and LIME?  MAGAZINE and MONSOON?  Same.

Ever sit on a SOFA eating something doused in SUGARy SYRUP?  You've been enjoying some Arabic roots.

See?  You know some Arabic already.  Some of your favourite things, or things you take for granted, have Arabic origins.  

Of course, words are different than values, which is where the argument will go next.  Sharia, extremism, mysogyny and whatnot will be raised as "over there" things we don't want imposed here. Except, those are all things that exist in domestic forms already.  And ironically, many of those who come here from elsewhere are trying to get away from the systematic forms of oppression that we say we don't like (and in many cases, actually do) over here.  Ideally, what makes what we have special is a robust democracy that helps strike balance between standardization and special needs.

As it happens, beneath culture and values and language is a core truth that is universal; the understanding that we are all human, all neighbours, and that we all flourish when we treat others as we would like to be treated ourselves.

It's funny, isn't it?  We focus so intently on the differences, on jockeying for position and superiority and whatnot that we easily forget the basic truth that we all want the same thing - and we can only have it when we strive for it as one.

The Force Awakens

Like many of my generation, the Star Wars franchise has been a force in my life for as long as I can remember.  The original films are among the first I remember seeing; the toys, the first I recall playing with.  As a child, I slept between Millennium Falcon sheets and fantasised about being in that galaxy with Luke's powers and lightsaber, but the ell-travelled coolness of Han Solo.  Over the years, I've dropped my share of Star Wars references in everything from casual conversations to political speeches.  I was even inspired to create my own galaxy and cast of heroes - a tale that I've yet to share broadly.

When I went to see The Force Awakens on the twenty-fourth with my father, brother and son, it was more than an afternoon at the movies; it was nostalgia, escapism, and as is very much the case with the saga itself, a family experience.

I didn't go into the movie expecting to be wowed.  Star Wars isn't meant to be Inception, nor should it be the Matrix, or Avatar.  It's a galaxy with its own codes and rules that one visits, like a favourite travel destination; the familiarity of that world is a large part of its charm.  One visits with the expectation of exploring different facets of the familiar through the years, and that the space itself will change - at least a little - with time.  I didn't love it; if anything, I was quickly reminded that the Star Wars magic has never been in its plots points or dialogue.  Having said that, I was happily surprised by much that I wasn't expecting would offer unexpected twists.

To this I owe a debt of gratitude to JJ Abrams and the folk at Disney who worked so hard to create a culture of respective silence around the film - so effective were their efforts that Apps were developed to help protect people from what they didn't want to know.

Part of the real treat, the raw experience for me was sitting with my father, brother and son, between the wistful nostalgia of a grandfather who remembers seeing Episode IV in theatres with his eldest and the unashamed excitement, fear and ultimately hope of his grandson experiencing Star Wars on the big screen for the very first time.

Despite what you might have read, The Force Awakens isn't a rehash of A New Hope. It hits a few of the same beats, but does so with intention and, as was the case with Spectre, isn't afraid to be self-aware of that fact.  The most important function of the movie was to make fans feel comfortable that they were returning to that place they loved through Episodes IV, V and VI; mission accomplished. Bad Robot and co didn't stop there, though - nor did the brilliant Mouse House marketing team that reeled us all in.  Several things that were teased in the trailer were intentional red herrings, implying arcs that didn't exist, but making the turns the story did take register all the more.

Overall, I felt the emotional weight I was supposed to at the expected times; only one returning character was a disappointment, and the hoped-for threat posed by another character will hopefully materialize over the coming films.

Beyond this there were plenty of surprises of the whimsical dewback variety - they don't really serve any essential plot-point, but they help add texture to the Star Wars universe.  Some of these characters and movments worked, some were less effective, though even some of the lesser-effective whimsical moments were meant to be followed to the last beat for their efficacy to materialize.

The story was what it needed to be - it got our characters in place to hit the ground running for the next two episodes, giving just the right character beats and moments necessary to give them the complexity they need if we're to care about them.

Everything we see in The Force Awakens is majestic - carefully framed, physically present and lit for impact.  There are no toss-away gestures; everything reveals something, about the universe itself if not specifically for the story at hand.  And the chase sequences are pitch-perfect, exactly what I wanted them to be.  And, the BIG lightsaber battle gave us something we've not previously seen in the previous instalments - consequence.  You kinda know who's supposed to win, but that win is earned.  It was perfect.

A bit on the characters.  I think Harrison Ford gets the best compliment he could want - he earned his billing.  This rendition of Han was absolutely true to the character that first made Ford famous, and I think his performance here makes it clear why Disney feels a backstory film is a good idea.

Chewie actually got some more room here than he's been previously afforded, giving us more insight into his quirky, bear-teddy self that ever before.

Leia mailed it in a bit and was easily the weakest performance in the film.

Daisy Ridley and Adam Driver have rightly gotten great reviews for their performances, which are prefect and appropriate for their roles.  both offered surprises, almost inverting the expectations we should have for Rey and Ren.  I walked out of the theatre wanting to see where their characters go from here, which is a good thing.  John Boyega - I seriously want to know this guy in real life.  He's so enthusiastic.  If someone else had played Finn - say, a 20 year-old Mark Hamill - I would probably have hoped he got killed off.  Boyega makes Finn work to the point where he becomes the true underdog hero, the one we more realistically would hope to be under similar circumstances. His performance and his arc make it clear that his actions have real consequences.  More of this, please!

Poe Dameron is the closest thing to a Star Wars Deadpool, with the quick wit and almost meta sense of the game going on.  That Poe can be equally Han Solo smart-ass and Luke Skywalker all-in noble hero while still giving a bit of a wink to the audience is credit to an incredible performance by Oscar Isaac.  BB8 was the happy puppy you expected him to be.  Captain Phasma... yeah, I hope that character gets some ass-kicking to do in the next one.  She really needs to step up.  

Domhall Gleeson's has faced some criticism for his critical scene; where others see scenery-chewing, I see a very relevant, relatable and chilling anger boiling to the surface.  It totally worked for me and hints uncomfortably at too many real-world allegories, both historical and present day.

My favourite new inclusion, though - Maz Kanata.  

Having worked really, really hard to avoid spoilers, I had know idea what to expect from her character going in.  I knew she was a pirate, and she clearly had some inside-baseball info based on her lines in the trailer.  She was the unexpected highlight for me and I can't wait to get more from her down the road.

Kanata's quirky personality, the hints at her backstory and Lupita Nyong'o's brilliant performance - I fell in love with this character almost instantly.  She has just the right hints of Yoda, but also feels like your Scotch-drinking grandma or Leonard Nimoy buying milk in his pjs.  And she's a believer.

Even better - Maz Kanata almost single-handedly undoes the gobbledy-gook about midicholorians that took the magic out of the Force at the same time as making it a genetically exclusive club.  So far as we know and see, Kanata is not a Force-user; she doesn't have the precious midichlorian count to make the team.  Nonetheless, the Force is something real and magic to her, something she clearly understands at a deep level.  If her only gift is long life, then her grasp of the magic that surrounds us and penetrates us and bind the galaxy together is something we can all aspire to.

Star Wars needed that; as much as good can always trump evil, even those with humble beginning can change the course of history.

There you have it - my first impressions.  I will probably go to see it again in theatres, which says a bit more.  

Not everything is sunshine and roses, but I'm glad to have been back in that long-ago galaxy and look forward to seeing what else is revealed in our next adventure there.

Not me

http://www.willitbuzz.com/en/can-we-guess-who-you-are-with-20-questions/result/250/#/result/

Here is our best guess at who you are:
1. You are male. - yes
2. You are currently in your mid twenties. - decidedly not
3. You have a temporary job while you're still trying to figure out the rest of your life. - Not sure this applies... maybe?
4. You have blonde hair, blue eyes, and a gorgeous smile (Have you ever tried professional modeling?). - bit of a stretch this...
5. People often flatter your appearance. You secretly wish they told you how smart you are. - kinda the opposite.

So, how did we do? How many of these did we get right? Tell us in the comments!

Not very, alas.  Try again.

What Syrian refugees bring to the table

It is our hope that this video might help shift the conversation from what these refugees cost (what other challenges they might bring) to a conversation about what we are gaining by welcoming them to our countries. 

It's a sad fact -the bullies always get more attention than the bullied.  When we talk about oppressive regimes, or war-torn countries, the people are often the B or C story.  So when we do talk about, say, Syrian refugees, it's in the context of ISIL, or Assad, or war in general.  They are refugees, they are potential terrorists - we view them through the frame of the bully first, rather than focusing on their own narratives.

Back in 2001 while backpacking through Europe, I spent a fair bit of time in the former Yugoslavia making friends and hearing stories.  One story stands out in particular - a couple of English teachers talked about being students when war broke out, and how it slowly creeped into their lives.  They were doing their homework, thinking about the things they wanted to do, the boys that annoyed or intrigued them; the war was an over there thing until one day, a bomb exploded near their homes and blew out their windows.  

The main thing they wanted me to take away - we aren't war people, they said.  We're people.  We want good jobs, and families, and to enjoy our friends.  We didn't want the war and while it has shaped us, it doesn't define us.

It's no different where Syrian refugees are concerned.

We can choose to look at them as victims, or as representatives of a society at war, or as being somehow associated with ISIL - but is that how they define themselves?  What are we losing out if we choose not to understand these new Canadians for what they have to offer as well as what they have lost?

At its best, Canada is an incubator of ideas, solutions, culture.  At it's best, Canada represents the confluence of the best from everywhere else, a salad club of opportunity.

It's easy to forget this latent potential when we focus on what we have to lose.

Thank you to the TSO, Jeff Melanson Kinan Azmeh for reminding us that our humanity is something we have in common, and that in welcoming new Canadians we all have much to gain.

Erin Kang: The Anti-Donald Trump

“What we’ve done is create a space where we’re challenging what the dominant narrative is,” she said. 

It’s really about this idea about whose stories are valued; who gets to share them; who gets to consume that and let’s turn that on its head.”

Erin Kang is a powerful woman, even if she doesn't fully recognize it herself.

She's got presence - she inhabits a room in an unforced way.  Her voice is strong, it draws you in to her words which invariably speak with a raw truth we seldom experience.  Her laugh is infectious.  

Yet she knows how to listen, too.  She cares enough to ask.

Erin's got a mission, too; she wants to disrupt society's status quo, empower those people whose voices are often ignored or silenced and build bridges of humanity between all of us through the power of story telling.

With Stories of Ours, that is exactly what she's doing.

More than just a competent planner and a story-telling facilitator, Erin is a positive force of nature. She puts her mission - the breaking of our status quo by empowering others through storytelling - before all else, which is why she succeeds.

People like her make the world better for everyone.

And on the other end of the spectrum, there is Donald Trump.

Trump is a powerful man.  No, really - just ask him and he'll tell you.  Though he came from wealth and privilege, Trump feels that he's a self-made man, and therefore more worthwhile than pretty much anyone else.

The successes Trump has enjoyed stem largely from his being a bully - he cuts off, insults and works behind the scenes to destroy anyone who disagrees with him.  In Trump's vocabulary, "honest" and "fair" are synonymous with agreeing with whatever he says.

Donald Trump has one priority, and its name is Donald Trump.  He doesn't care about anyone except in what they have to offer him - and that includes the whole of the United States.  Being President isn't about "making America great again", it's about feeding his ego.

His voice is loud, obnoxious and much of what it shares is self-indulgent, petulant or blatantly bigoted.  

The only story he cares about is his own.  Understanding context isn't something he's interested in. You're either for him, or in his way.

People like Trump tend to dominate society's narrative - they have the privileged and the wealth to hog the mic, as well as the inclination to shout down everyone else.

They're the sort of people that say "you're with us or against us" and are prepared to do whatever it takes to get their way - even if it means starting a war, or cutting off heads, or treating fellow humans like vermin.

Trump sees himself as the hero of his own story.  Fair enough; most villains do.

People like Erin, however, are the people's heroes.

And lord knows we need 'em.

Don't Let This Man In

Middle-Eastern male, beard, within the age most likely to be radicalized.

Questionable parentage - where's the paperwork?  What's he trying to hide?

Some questionable associates - criminals, the poor, etc.

Clearly has some history with violence - which means he's likely to commit same here, right?

Radical ideas that clearly don't fit with the mainstream.

Clearly has an agenda - ie, he's not here for us.

Dear Immigration officials - if you see a dude like this trying to get into the country, turn him back.

We don't need his kind upsetting our perfect little applecart, do we?

Ford V Trump

"It's a movie, Donald. It was a movie," he said. "It's not like this in real life. But how would you know?"

Hilarious, but not surprising that Donald Trump thinks real life is like the movies.  His own life, however, is a bit more Goodfellas than it is Air Force one.

FORD                                                               TRUMP

Humble                                                              Egomaniac

Puts the work before himself                             Sees all work as being about himself

Uses his resources for public service                 Uses people for personal service

Isn't a racist, misogynist prick                            Um, yeah

Has walked away from plane crashes                Is a walking disaster for America

Donald Trump is used to living in the sort of fictitious world reserved for the hyper-rich or for celluloid characters.  He thinks Michael Bay is a military strategist, not a movie maker.  He makes fun of veterans, though he's made a point of never serving himself.  

Trump is two-dimensional, cartoon villain - the kind Harrison Ford characters tend to beat on screen.

Wonder how many other pop-culture figures see the would-be president as less substantial than the characters they play?