Daddy Daydreamer
The Reckoning
A rant
Image: Weidenbach / CC BY-SA
THE RECKONING
Somethin' brewin' in my mind
can't pinpoint malaise I will in time
so much conflict strife bad news
sometimes I think what's to lose
do I sit back in comfort nest retreat
do I stand up for what I believe
ay there's the rub what do I believe
beyond platitudes and saying
the fashionable . . .
Posted in: globalizationpoetryracismrantslam
A man yelled racial and homophobic slurs at the LRT station. Here's what happened
Image: Kurt Löwenstein Educational Center International Team from Germany / CC BY
I was heading down the last flight of stairs at the Lyon LRT station in Ottawa. A man stormed around the corner from the fare gates. He wore a leather jacket from a local university and one of those hard hats they give to first-year students.
. . .
Posted in: homophobialrtottawaracism
I wish I embraced Taiwanese culture as a kid
Rejecting my ethnicity exposed a childhood insecurity with being different
“Dad, why do you look different from us?” my son asked, over dinner.
“Whaddya mean?” I replied, glancing at some stir-fried bok choy.
“You're darker than us,” he said, comparing my skin tone to his and his brother’s. “Why is that?”
“Um,” I stuttered, “the ingredients that A-Kong and A-Ma made me with . . .
Laws of the jungle gym
Disciplining other people’s children can be a dicey business
This essay originally appeared in The Globe and Mail.
Disciplining other people’s children can be a dicey business. I sometimes face this issue at our neighbourhood park, where I often take my kids after school.
I am a former teacher, so the playground is very familiar to me: It’s where a different type of . . .
Posted in: bullyingdisciplineplaygroundracism
A motorist's racist comment frustrated me
Some people minimize their prejudiced behaviour with veiled remarks
Photo: Freeimages.com – Pat Herman
We sauntered along the sidewalk, mature trees overhanging narrow street, morning air already muggy. Aunty stopped briefly to chat with a friend. Built close to the road, their old Victorian homes foster interaction between neighbours.
“I'll meet you at the coffee shop,” she . . .