The end is nigh.
Prince George City Council is considering changing the name of Fort George Park to Lheidli T'enneh Memorial Park.
The majority of the online reaction Thursday and Friday went something like this: "OMG!!!!! WTF!!!!! THAT'S STUPID! IT'S ALWAYS BEEN THAT NAME! WHAT A WASTE OF TIME AND MONEY! YOU CAN'T CHANGE HISTORY! WHAT'S IN THE PAST IS IN THE PAST!" and assorted other all-cap ripping out hair in outrage.
How pathetic.
It's so tiresome to hear the same righteous indignation, over and over and over, about social change.
Federal health minister Rona Ambrose said she was "outraged" over the Supreme Court's decision Thursday to allow people with medical marijuana prescriptions to consume it however they like, rather than forcing them to smoke it. The Conservatives are also wild-eyed about Omar Khadr, physician-assisted suicide, pot shops in Vancouver and even the court itself.
And on it goes.
Flying the Pride flag at City Hall and having a parade to celebrate diversity. Same-sex marriage. Same-sex couples adopting children. Transgendered individuals and rainbow children. Legalized abortion. Condoms in high school washrooms. Sex education in elementary school classrooms.
SOCIETY IS BEING RUINED BY DECAYING MORALS!
What's really happening is that once marginalized groups of individuals are no longer powerless and on the fringes. Modern perspectives on women and children and sex have replaced father knows best. Broader freedoms allow everyone, not just privileged white men, to live their lives the way they choose, not the way the majority of society decides. Somehow, that poses an imminent threat to THE WAY THINGS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN!
Keep rolling the clock backwards. The same arguments were used by previous generations to oppose banning smoking at work and other public places, to protest having to wear seatbelts, to belittle switching to the metric system, to defend the common sense of teachers and parents physically punishing children, to deny aboriginals the right to vote and to deny women the right to vote, to drive and a host of other rights taken for granted today.
Even with all the change, somehow the trains keep running on time, as the old saying goes. Civilization doesn't collapse.
For those who think that learning how to say two words and four total syllables is too much work, maybe it's time you made an effort and learned something new. And while you're at it, maybe stop at the wooden archway leading into the cemetery and learn how Prince George was really settled, not the happy tale you heard in school. And maybe walk through the cemetery and think how if that were your ancestors buried there, you'd like them to be remembered in a more meaningful way.
For those who think the current generation shouldn't have to atone for the sins of our ancestors, too bad. Things have to be made right and somebody has to do it. Renaming parks is just one of the many avenues of reconciliation.
For those who think something is being lost with renaming the park from a colonial name to a First Nations name, remind yourself that you live in a country with an aboriginal name and the capital of that country has an aboriginal name, too.
For those who say their opposition to the name change is not racially motivated, where was your indignation when the Multiplex and Massey Stadium were renamed?
Thankfully, a small but significant minority understand the importance of this plan and were bravely sharing their views against the online horde. They stress how the name change promotes inclusivity, it recognizes another view of the past that is equally accurate and relevant and it's an easy and symbolic step that carries a lot of meaning in light of last week's Truth and Reconciliation Commission Report.
Hopefully Prince George city council has the courage Monday night to make the right decision and approve of the name change. The name Fort George Park will be relegated into the past tense, just like the community of Fort George itself was a century ago. Years from now, our children and our grandchildren will thank us for doing the right thing and not passing the obligation to make things right onto them. They will see the value in recognizing both our past and our present in naming a central public space in our city as Lheidli T'enneh Memorial Park and they will be proud of their park and their city.
