Orange: Listening and Learning

It is shocking to read about New Brunswick’s role in the residential school nightmare. While it’s true that we didn’t have the residential schools that we hear so much about today, we had our own versions of it. One of the earliest of them (they were called “Indian Day Schools”) took place on the grounds of Trinity Anglican Church right here in Sussex.

Then in the early 19th century there was a new school model in New Brunswick, which was packaged as a kind of apprenticeship for Indigenous children. The program leaders approached Indigenous parents and told them that if they sign a contract to send their kids to live with settlers in the province, they would 1) learn a trade, and 2) learn to read and write. The parents were often very poor and hoped for a better life for the children, as most parents do. Many were so poor that they hoped their kids could return to be able to bring in some more income to the family. Of course, their poverty was a result of what the European settlers (especially those in power) had done to their way of life for centuries, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

The settlers were happy to have the kids come to their farms because this was a government program, meaning they would get paid for this. And the children ended up becoming more like slaves to the settlers. They were mistreated, often humiliated, sexually abused, all the while losing their Indigenous identity. Not only were they not learning a trade, they were also not getting the reading and writing education they were promised.

All through history when people lose things in life, especially rights and privileges, they become exploited. In the movie Gladiator, we remember that the main character is a strong and skilled warrior who at times seems unbeatable. Yet at the same time, (SPOILER ALERT) he was forcefully separated from his family, held in captivity, and denied many basic rights that other citizens of Rome enjoyed. And with this disenfranchisement, he was exploited as a prize fighter. He was put in deadly and horrifying situations just to entertain onlookers. “ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED??”

You may be like me: grew up in a more privileged situation and has no idea what it would be like to be oppressed, denied, and exploited. The only way we can understand someone who did experience these things is to listen. The stories have always been there, but now they’re getting shared more and more. It’s our responsibility as fellow Canadians to hear them, reflect on them, and take action.

Congratulations Gladiator. This is your week.

And the Oscar goes to…

Best Actress:

Susan Sarandon as Louise in Thelma and Louise

Best Actor: Joaquin Phoenix as Commodus in Gladiator

Best Quote: “And now we are free. I will see you again… but not yet… Not yet!” – Djimon Hounsou as Juba in Gladiator

My top 10 favourite Ridley Scott movies:

1. All the Money in the World (2017)
   

2. Black Hawk Down (2001)
   

3. House of Gucci (2021)
   

4. Blade Runner (1982)
   

5. The Martian (2015)
   

6. American Gangster (2007)
   

7. Thelma & Louise (1991)
   

8. The Last Duel (2021)
   

9. Alien (1979)