Cultural appropriation and open racism in the cycling industry

#122

Well I am a ***ist as well… Depending on the day I am a different type of ***ist. Some days I am a little bit sexist, some days a little bit racist (especially against my own people). Some days I am just a idiotist. Every day I try harder to be a better person but some days I am more successful than other days. Some days I fail completely.

Then there are people like my motherinlaw who is a Roman Catholic to the max and really has nothing good to say about indians (North American Indigenous). She is incredibly racist. My wife recently told me how much it bothers her that her mother is that way… I said what’s the big deal, she has always been that way since you were born and now your 50. My wife said that its hard to listen to her talk that way about her husband and kids that way. ERR… We are Metis I had never really thought of it that way. Is that me being racist as I am not fully indigenous??? Now I don’t put up with any of that with her. It does not matter where it is from church to the Christmas dinner table.

I have tried to educate my mother in law on Indigenous issues but in a way she is like a holocaust denier and ignores the 125000 Indigenous children kidnapped from their homes in Canada where over 20000 thousand of them were raped, tortured, starved and murdered. She has openly stated that residential schools were good for indigenous people. She ignores the 7 generations of family and community destroyed by that system and the problems that exist today because of it.

Through dialogue we all learn. We can strive to be better. The first finger I need to point at is myself. I know who I am and I know I have serious issues. The only way we can change society as a whole is one person at a time.

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#123

I am sorry for you that you have a MIL that seems too far gone. Personally, I see no point in arguing with people like these. My grandmother in law is one such person as well. She’s convinced that Covid was a plot by the “elites” decided at the WEF in Davos in 2014 or 15 (she can’t remember…) and the vaccines will terminate a big portion of society over time (“you’ll see”) and only the “enlightened” people without the vaccine will prevail. Too far gone… As it sounds is your MIL when she is racist towards her SIL and her own grandchildren.

If at all possible steer clear of discussions on that particular topic if at all posssible with your MIL. I certainly don’t engage in such conversations with my in laws anymore because there is just no point and in the end everyone is kind of pissed at each other. If she is otherwise kind to you and your kids try and swallow that pill. If not maybe consider cutting contact if your wife agrees (as she seems hurt by her mother as well). Just bad vibes all around. Don’t need that in your immediate family life.

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