The Afghanistanism of Canada’s George Floyd protests

Decades ago, before the reality of Afghanistan became the Canadian reality for many grieving families, many editorial writers were taunted for only writing Afghanistanisms.

These sort of editorial writers were a fiery lot, admittedly weak on hitting short range targets, but a dead cert on the long range target. Famous for railing about police corruption in far off, almost imaginary, Afghanistan while ignoring the blatant actions of the local bent police chief.

Cowards, in less polite language.

Afghanistanism editorialists : on foot

I often thought about them over the decades whenever I would be publicly invited to join some rally to express local outrage over American actions in some far off country.

Invariably these would involve a quick circle around Halifax‘s conveniently tiny traditional downtown and then lots of fiery ‘long distance’ speeches at Halifax’s Grand Parade, before hitting the nearby trendy restaurants and smoke shops.

I often wondered why they didn’t protest in front of the local (Eastern Passage) capitalist plant profiting over America’s Cold War posturing by making sonic buoys.

But that would require a long inconvenient bus trip out and back from the Passage — I often felt that many of our university-based CFAs thought the world was flat and its boundaries matches those of Halifax Peninsular.

Our local George Floyd protests might have a little more bite, if they usefully contrasted the police reaction to poor, local blacks suspected of illegal guns, to that of rich white millionaires like Gabriel Wortman suspected of illegal guns.

 And make their case even more TV-worthy by marching back and front of GW’s Dartmouth denturist shop. Oh, yes, that would involve leaving the safe boundaries of Halifax Penisular again, won’t it ?

And it would involve the protesters, mostly members of the “think nothing but kind thoughts” brigade, having to mention the unmentionable Gabriel Wortman in public.

So any protest with real teeth is out - back to the safe old ‘warm milk and biscuits’ bromides of Afghanistanisms again.

The more things change, the more they remain the same....