Editor's note: I am assuming Wayne uses the word English to encompass all the Europeans who colonized north America. In Canada, the French and the Scottish were the main players developing the original local rules which have been influenced as time went on by waves of immigrants from all over the world.
Food for Thought
A ten-year-old girl went missing from an inner-city neighbourhood. This girl had a history of running away and the police were not overly concerned. A convenience store clerk stated she had sold this girl a bag of chips. No other witnesses came forward. Three years later, this child’s body was discovered accidentally by a work crew who were digging by the river. Her body was so badly decomposed, the exact cause of death could not be determined.
A novice newspaper reporter was assigned to write this girl’s story. Standing behind the police barrier where the body had been discovered, she overheard a police officer mumbling, “She’s probably better off dead.”
Shocked, the reporter spitted out, “Why would you say that?”
The officer simply explained, “There was no hope for her.”
The reporter was incensed by the policeman’s callous attitude, and she detailed this incident in her column which her editor refused to print. The editor told her to go back and interview the mother, friends, acquaintances, anybody who could contribute to a heart wrenching story rather than handing in an accusation against a police officer.
The reporter was incensed and furious. This girl deserved compassion, not callous and derogatory remarks. The reporter found a few interesting facts: the dead girl’s mother had never married, and, still in her twenties, she already had three children by three different fathers. The victim had been through Child and Family Services and several foster homes. After being reunited with her mother, this girl continually ran away. One of the victim’s former friends told the reporter how this girl was afraid of the men who frequently partied with her mother. These men had molested her on several occasions. Whenever a party began, this girl would take off. The bag of chips she had purchased was probably her last supper.
The reporter wrote a story which could bring tears to the average reader’s eyes, and the editor was satisfied. But the reporter was not pleased. She wanted to do something about what she had uncovered. She searched out the police officer who had stated this young girl is better off dead. After the reporter apologized and gained the officer’s trust, he began talking, “Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” He then continued, “I believe, the only way to prevent this kind of thing happening is through education. Things like this happen in families who do not feel good about themselves and have never learned how to run their own lives. These people are ignorant and stupid. They keep their heads in the sand and eagerly try to believe in romance. To them, soap operas portray real life. History tells us, this is all part of our English heritage.”
At university, before he was hired by the police force, this officer had studied history, philosophy, psychology and religion. He learned that uneducated people tend to live in a fairy tale world consisting of Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty. They come to believe, through wishing and praying, their dreams will come true. “They have never learned how to take charge of their own life and their own future. They have never learned how to set a goal and work towards it. They are selfish, just grabbing on to what makes them feel good and they never think about what is best for themselves and their family. Nobody was concerned about this child’s welfare, what she ate, if she ate, how she was doing in school, and what was going on in her life. Nobody ever took responsibility for her. She was all alone in the world. However, the laws state she is not allowed to run her own life, to get a job and support herself. We have child labour laws. This young girl was abused by her mother’s friends. And, very likely she was also abused by social workers and possibly by some police officers. I’ve seen dozens of such cases. I’ve also witnessed drug dealers and psychopaths getting free education in prison and then, classified as having been rehabilitated, they wind up getting a job working with children. It is common for them to do drugs with children under their care. These young children have nobody to take their troubles and complaints to. They have absolutely nobody to turn to, and no hope. They are better off dying young to end their sufferings.”
The police officer continued, “We owe all of this to our “English” heritage of keeping conquered people dependent on the governing authorities. They keep these people as children who are easily controlled by the State. Do-gooders are always lobbying for guaranteed income, free housing, and safe injection sites. Is it any wonder why I get incensed? These people never learn how to take care of themselves, to run their own lives, and our system guarantees they never will.”
Next month: Our English Heritage Explained
Wayne Douglas Weedon is a Manitoba author who writes a combination of fictional and factual stories, essays, and novels.
