Jak's View From Vancouver

Vancouver's Race Riots

On September 7, 1907, white racists rioted in Vancouver.  They attacked and rampaged through Chinatown, and they attacked and were beaten back from Japantown.  No one died, but only through luck.  The riot was spurred by a march of the Asiatic Exclusion League, a labour union-supported group of racists seeking to exclude all non-white labour from British Columbia.

We can tell ourselves that this was now a hundred years ago. Unfortunately, the riot was only the beginning. Over the next fifteen or so years, these same racists managed to have laws passed that reduced Japanese, Indian and Chinese immigration to a trickle.  They also had the Native Canadians moved to reserves.  The Chinese Exclusion Act stayed on the books until 1947; and Natives were not given the vote until as late as 1960.

Canada's racist past is nowhere near as deep nor as broad as that in many countries, but it does exist, and we will be obliged to repeat our sins if we choose to forget the sins of our own history.

Stairs II

The Dead Hand of Socialism

The cloying dead hand of socialism has fallen across BC in the form of "affirmative action" regulations approved by the New Democratic Party for the next provincial election.  There are now racial and gender quotas for candidates, and central rule by an iron fist.

People often assume that, as an anarchist, I must somehow be a socialist at heart, or at least a far-left-winger.  Wrong.  Socialism is much farther away from the principles of anarchism than is capitalism, for example.  And these new rules vividly illustrate the problems with socialist theory and practice.

Socialism of all kinds -- from the softest utopian Owenism to the harshest national socialism -- is founded on two fundamental principles-- elitism and fascism:   (a) the masses (and even the constituency parties) are too stupid to make up their own minds and need to be led by what the Trotskyites call the "vanguard" -- a repugnant elitism by any name; and (b) the good of the society outweighs the rights of the individual; this is fascism by any definition.

These new rules by the Grand Poobah Carole James and her clique are profoundly anti-democratic, robbing the local voters of all choice.  I have  never been tempted to vote for the NDP.  This disturbing fascistic elitism guarantees that I never will.

Gangsters and Movie Houses

My wife and I went to see "American Gangster" yesterday evening.  I thought it a mediocre movie at best, but that's not what I want to write about.

It was the first weekend of a major first-run movie;  movie houses and complexes all over town were playing "Gangster" -- we could have gone almost anywhere to see it.  But we chose to go to the Van East movie house in our own neighbourhood.  Two great seats cost us $10 (it would have been $11 if we had chosen the balcony), a dollar or so less than EACH ticket would have cost downtown. Sure, the seats are not the plushest, but they are comfortable enough with a lot of legroom and with available cup holders. The house is well cleaned between shows, and we were subjected to ZERO commercials and only two brief trailers before the main feature began.  The house was about half full.

Why on earth would one NOT support a local business when you get excellent service for half the price?

Vancouver, East To The Fraser Valley

Bands of Gold

Free Geek Vancouver

A very good friend passed on this link to Free Geek Vancouver.  I haven't used them or assisted them yet, but from reading their materials, this seems to be exactly the kind of anarchistic cooperative enterprise we need to support and to build more of.  I am glad to spread this link.

100 Years: Vancouver's Racist Riot

On September 7, 1907, white racists rioted in Vancouver.  They attacked and rampaged through Chinatown, and they attacked and were beaten back from Japantown.  No one died, but only through luck.  The riot was spurred by a march of the Asiatic Exclusion League, a labour union-supported group of racists seeking to exclude all non-white labour from British Columbia.

We can tell ourselves that this was now a hundred years ago.  Unfortunately, the riot was only the beginning. Over the next fifteen or so years, these same racists managed to have laws passed that reduced Japanese, Indian and Chinese immigration to a trickle.  They also had the Native Canadians moved to reserves.  The Chinese Exclusion Act stayed on the books until 1947; and Natives were not given the vote until as late as 1960.

Canada's racist past is nowhere near as deep nor as broad as that in many countries, but it does exist, and we will be obliged to repeat our sins if we choose to forget the sins of our own history.

Urban Sunset

Glass and Brick II