Hey, their skeptics, get ready for a wild story from Port Coquitlam,
Canada. A bizarre sign showed up at a stop sign, actually not a
really stop sign, but a bus stop, and it's causing quite a stir.
The sign promotes a white only moms in tops group. Yes seriously,
it suggests kids can play with others who look like them and escape force diversity.
After the tweet went viral, the city condemned it, but social media
reactions were all over the place. Some defend the event, others are outraged,
and some questioned the city's reaction if it targeted people of color. It's
a mess and a mix of opinions. But here's the kicker. The drama
doesn't hold a candle to the beliefs of another group a as a true folk
assembly. Stay tuned for more on this wild ride. The story is from
Distractified dot com, published on September twenty six, twenty twenty three. So
felas, let's go ahead and talk about Port COQUITLM I practice that in infantil
You want to go ahead and kick us off. You know there was a
time when things like this were becoming actually less acceptable. I'm uncertain whether to
despair such regression. Are to be glad that people make it easy to know
who holds such contemptible view. But this, this exposure does, this does
expose a very real problem. Overt Racism is on the ride, and some
diversity is a buzzword for danger, something to be held in contempt. Homogenes
their goal. What they don't understand is diversity brings new perspective. Exposure to
new cultures, values, and beliefs that don't mirror your own is an important
experience for growth, not only as individuals, but for a community as whole.
It's important. Now there will always be differences between individuals, and at
times there will be disagreements and even conflict, but the alternative is just stagnation.
Now, the FOCU assembly that you mentioned, they were new to me,
but doing a little research on them, I recall running across another group
that they're tied in with the Odiness, and they pretty much have the same
viewpoints. You know, they support all sorts of detestable things that one would
expect a Christian identity movement only with old European gods instead of a white Jesus.
Now Canada and the United States, they're both becoming more diverse populations,
and I do think that is one of the things that's causing this fear,
this fear of change that we're seeing as a driving force. Hee. These
people are blinded by a desire to return to a time when they that they
look back nostalgia. The reality is is that we're not gonna No one's going
to talk anyone out of prejud can't be forced to learn or give up your
preconceived ideas. Ultimately, people are going to move forward into a future where
diversity is embraced, or they're going to huddle in fear of the changing world
around it. Now I have to look at this sickening sign. It's just
something temporary, a temporarily temporary regression, because for me, it's with shame
and disgust that I recall I've seen and laughed and even worse than this sign.
But if I can grow from a neo Nazi Duke supporting delegate having attended
a wedding where a groom wore a Nazi uniform and bragged about a triple crossburning
he attended the week before, if I can go from there to where I
am now, I have to remain hopeful that these people can too. Now.
Truth is, I almost felt like I should just read out their sign
for two or three minutes, because there's not much I could say that would
make them look worse than that. They pretty much did it themselves a scotta.
I know, I have a somewhat limited view here, coming from my
background, and I was very curious to how you felt about it. Well,
first of all, I'm it's wonderful to learn that Infidel sixty four parties
with some hardcore people. I'll keep that in mind. I keep that in
mind. But you were saying, yeah, you were worried about how we're
regressing here, about how you know, is this a sign of regression?
And yeah, that's totally the case. I mean, I remember when I
was a kid watching old Happy Days reruns and it was edgy to have an
episode where there was, you know, whites only this or you know,
so on you know, colored people go over here kind of thing. You
know, it seems like, you know, haven't haven't we hasn't this played
out already? You know, how how is it that we can see this?
But but there was an interesting twist on this story, I think,
and that is that usually you know, some of the segments we did earlier
this week, we've been talking about cut and dry legal you know, wrongdoing.
You know, this is this is constitutional, this is not, you
know, very very straightforward. In this case, though, I think the
legality is a little bit hazy. So we have this group that's advertising for
whites only, moms and tots, okay, And we know that in the
in the US at least, or I know in the US at least,
that organizations that are offering uh services to the public. And I might be
uh, you know, I might not get the legal terminology exactly right here,
but you know, if if an organization is offering services to the public,
they're restricted from discriminating on the basis of race and so other category.
But that's not the case for private gatherings or social groups or things like that
and so. And I'm not familiar with how it is in Canada, but
I'm assuming that it's fairly similar, uh, if not even more progressive.
Generally, Canada is a little bit more progressive than the US, although not
in all cases. But since this group has been allowed to at least advertise
at a public bus stop, I'm assuming that they fall under you know,
the social group kind of aspect, not not the other group, but who
but who knows. You know, assuming that's the case, then the group
is basically calling themselves out for being bigots. It's you know, they're pointing
at themselves and they're saying, hey, come look at us, bigot alert,
bigot alert and so and but but it's not. But see, it's
an interesting take on it because it's the legality of it is not necessarily so
cut and dry, but the moral case is very cut and dry. And
it's amazing that they're not only that that we're still talking about this kind of
thing, but that if there's people out there that are proclaiming it, that's
the headline of you know, that was the big, the big headline of
their poster. And you know, morally, we definitely have I mean,
clearly there's uh, this is a harmful thing. There's a bunch of you
know, several different ways that we're seeing harm from from this type of of
segregation. Is that they're depriving their children. The moms in this group are
depriving the tots of the wonderful opportunities that come up when you're exposed to people
that are different than you. You know, that's one of the best ways
to learn things is to see things that you don't already believe or that you
don't already know. You exposed to new experiences. Secondly, they're depriving themselves
as parents by limiting their their exposure to other families. Okay, and so
again that helps maintain that, you know, those fences of bigotry and division,
right, the US versus them mentality. They're also depriving their family group
or what you know, the moms and the moms group. Okay, they're
depriving that group of exposure to other people. Okay, New people come in
that are different than you can maybe show you better ways of doing this or
whatever. You know. Evolution economics, you know, you always hear,
don't put all of your eggs in one basket or diversify that portfolio. And
that's because it creates a stronger group. It creates you know, it's not
a bunch of identical people with all the same skills and all the same preferences
and all the same predilections. They're different people with different ideas. And so
then you can pick and choose from the best, and you can set aside
the old Well, we would think you could set aside the old tire,
the old tired ideas. But the way that they're the most impact that they're
having as far as harm is concerned, is on society as a whole,
because what they're saying is, hey, it's okay to act like this,
It's okay to be a dick here. You know, it's okay to be
a bigot. And that's not the case. I mean, we see time
and time again we see that these you know, bigotry just puts up those
fences, it reinforces its elean, it just breaks us down and makes us
weaker. Kelly, what do you think about that? Yeah, I think
I think you're right. Yeah, I know you're right. You're right about
bigotry. I don't know what the laws are in Canada. It's just like
you. I didn't do a deep dive into the laws in Canada because I
knew that was going to be a really deep dive. So what I did
do is I started looking into a Satru and it's actually a very popular religion
in Iceland. But real assaw Through is not the same as the Assatru Focus
Assembly here in the United States. They've co opted this religion, much like
the Christian Nationalists have co opted Christianity and turned it to their bigoted, white
supremacist ideals. And so I want to make sure that people understand that that
you don't don't just get down on somebody because they weren't because they follow a
saw through It's that's just the belief in the old Norse gods. So but
but these are but this Assa Through Focus Assembly has really really changed it.
They are they're even worse than the Christian Nationalists. They started in nineteen sixty
nine with the name of the Viking Brotherhood. Now is it just me or
does like when an organization has the word brotherhood in its name, it seems
to me it's like a dog whistled buzz word. Yeah, I get triggered,
get real hard. Yeah yeah. Right. So anyway, they eventually
they changed their name to the ESAUTH Through Focus Assembly. They now have twenty
four chapters across the United States. They actually got a permit. They haven't
White's only church. So I mean this is something that they're on the move
and marching across America. So we do have to stand up to these kind
of things if we don't want to see this kind of bigotry, and as
Infidel mentioned that racism is on the rise in the USA, it's considered accepted
right now. Many political bleeders are out there using the same dog whistles that
this church is us in and they're making it acceptable to be a bigot.
And I'm hoping that this is hopefully, hopefully the lashing out of a corner
dying animal, because the ideals that they're spreading need to be put the rest
by a society eager to embrace a better future for everyone. And I'm hoping
that maybe that's the path we can take and be warned by people like this.
Cynthia, what do you have to say? Well, you know,
Kelly, the problem is and when I said when you know, I sound
an Infidel. The problem is that unfortunately we have a group of people that
won't let this idea die that you know there are there are definitely people that
want to continuously espouse push and and and continuously give the defibrillator to racism,
bigotry and all things shitty. When it comes to this particular rhetoric, I
think it's I think it's mostly because they need somebody to blame their own their
own inadequacies on yep. Yeah. And also it's still like pushing because like
I'm unfortunately, we have seen in the news on more than one occasion,
news particular news outlets and also other people using this whole idea of the great
replacement theory to be very much so alive. And like, you know,
the immigrants are coming from your jobs, Black people are coming for your wives
and you know, ha, your kids, how's your wife? They get
They coming for everybody, just and just all this ridiculousness that just comes from
not engaging in being able to rise above your cognitive biases. I know that
all of us have them. But the difference when you are saying that you
are a person that values skepticism and critical thinking is that you realize that you
have cognitive biases and you take the time to learn not only what your biases
are, but why they are wrong. And unfortunately this Moms per TOATS groups
and the Asatru Folk Assembly have not done that. They have doubled and tripled
down on why they need to be more insular and why they need to balk
against anything that has to do with diversity, anything that has to do with
inclusion, anything that has to do with, you know, actually saying that,
hey, there's other white of other people other than white people that exist
in the world. And guess what, not all of us are bad.
I know that that's a soccer. It's a soccer of y'all. Really,
yeah, it is a sack I'm saying. But no, not all of
us are bad. I'm just saying, but you guys actually went through the
story pretty well. I applaud you, thank you, you make you make
you make Mama proud. But you know, one of the things that I
actually mentioned in the intro is the things that people are saying on the dumpster
fire that is kind that is known as x formerly known as Twitter. I
wanted to read a couple of tweets to ya if you give me a little
room to do that, Okay, And you know, guys, read the
read the story. It has actually you know, some of the tweets that
I'm reading on it now. Uh. First one, I would like the
city to explain what is hateful about id I thentitarian social gatherings. Yeah,
what's wrong for me? Identitarian? Right? Identitarian? That I had to
say it's slow, just so that I can get my hooked on phonics worked
for me out, you know. Yeah, that's important. You know,
sound it out back in the day. Yeah, sound it out, That's
how you learn words. Here's another one. Guys, white people should not
be forced to interact with non whites until non whites lower their crime rate.
Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, this whole crime you know, dog whistle
and you know, to be honest with you, I can do a whole
show just on that tweet alone and why it's fallacious. But let's move on.
Uh, here's another one. There's lots of black only groups, Asian
groups, et cetera. The way they phrase this was reminiscence of segregation.
But if they had some mom and tots European group or something similar, it
wouldn't be any different than private groups for black families. And that's the tweet
that I really want to focus on, because, honey, there is a
difference between even saying that mom's fur tats for European groups or something similar is
just like saying, you know, private groups for black families or Asian families
or Hispanic families or the like, Right, And I wanted to just bring
us back, as we were talking about earlier, concerning history in the Americas.
Now what they get wrong about this commentary saying that moms and tots European
group is not the same, is not the same as non whites who have
groups. The groups that are non white did not form because they wanted homogeneous
groups to themselves. When you look at Western civilizations like the United States and
even Canada, they formed because segregation was real and practices, and they were
practiced actually in both countries. Canada was not you know, was not immune
to segregation, to racism and also systemic racism, since all of us on
the panel are very aware of Jim Crow and Black Codes and the Indian Removal
Act and also the Chinese Exclusion Act. Like the United States, racial segregation
in Canada applied to all non whites and was historically in force through laws,
court decisions, and social norms, with a closed immigration system that barred virtually
all non whites from immigrating until nineteen six, and several provinces including Ontario,
Quebec and Nova Scotia had segregated school It was not until the passing of the
nineteen seventy seven, the year I was born, Canadian Human Rights Act that
these practices begin to change. And the last segregated school in Canada closed in
nineteen eighty three. That's the year when the Thriller moved. When the Thriller
Oh of course, yeah, when Thriller you know, actually the short film
premiered. Now that you've provided the context, now, well that's important because
everything's go bas to Michael. But just outside Halifax, in Lincolnville, Nova
Scotia, this was a thing. And I also wanted to find a way
to kind of like frame my thoughts as far as like why even though like
I don't particularly care for the term people of color, I usually just use
non white, but why non whites actually need spaces where they're actually away from
white. And as much as I love you Infidel and Scott and Kelly,
I love you guys, and to life and and and I look forward to
the day that all of us can gather in Austin and drink plenty of beer.
I would even drink beer with you, even though I can't stand the
stuff, because I love you a lot. Man. Love is real is
real, as as I should have but not in a in a in a
creepy way, but abort Yeah we're moving on. But but I but I
did pull an article from Aerojona dot org call white people of color need spaces
without white people, And I want to actually have this additional voice to add
why these spacers were not only created, but why they are still necessary.
So just in summary, the author actually discusses the need for POC to have
their own spaces where they can gather without the influence of white cultural dominance and
judgment. So it's not necessarily like, oh, we don't like the white
people, you can't come in here. No, it's not even really about
white people. It's about actually white supremacy and judgment and dominance. And these
spaces are seen as essentially for healing, the self discovering, and empowerment,
and the author actually emphasized sort of like the ACA, sort of like the
ACA a healing environment, a place where people who happened to think like us,
who are irreligious, who are atheist agnostic, can gather and be able
to express our particular thought patterns when it comes to this particular ideology. And
what the these spaces do is you actually get empowerment and self discovery. And
the author even emphasizes valuing and protecting these spaces as crucial for resisting oppression,
and the article even addresses common questions and misconceptions about POC spaces, including concerns
about segregation like some of the tweeters actually mentioned previously. It argues that these
spaces are not forms of oppression, but responses to it, providing a temporary
respite from racism and white dominance. And the author also challenges the notion that
inclusiveness can be cultivated in integrated spaces and explains that the presence of non whites
doesn't automatically make a space inclusive. Okay. And you know, one of
the things that I would even say even was like doing my atheist activism,
you know, also working with the black non believers, even though like this
particular our our particular organization works with white organizations, are have allied with white
organizations. But the thing about it is is that it actually emphasizes and it
actually brings platform to black voices because white dominance and because white supremacy and because
ideologies like moms for tots is still very real in our society and non whites
need a safe place to be themselves. It is not an assault you're here,
Yeah, It's not an assault on any person who happens to be different
from you or for any of us. It has everything to do with being
able to create a safe space so that we can be able to thrive,
we can be able to be empowered, and we can be able to have
healed because as we can all mention that, I believe everybody on this particular
panel was an extra Christian, some of us more deep deeper than the other.
Okay, and we in some cases I know that I am I'm not
gonna say that I'm gonna speak for all of you, but I know that
I am still in the process of actually deconstructing, deconstructing what that experience was
like. Okay, And and I'm grateful for the ACA for being able to
provide a space where we can actually talk about these particular things, especially like
on the you know, the ACA discord as well. But you know,
but there's a cult, there's an intersectionality for non whites that we also have
to deal with white dominance plus dealing with our non belief That is a double
whammy. And then in my goodness, don't even add lgbtqya plus on that
too. Come on, it's important to have triple whammy exactly Scott exactly,
and so you know, if we had a thing about I would say,
like, you know, a if they want to highlight a reason for them
to gather, like they're all moms, okay, and me being a new
mother ish, I'm always looking at parents and asking for advice because I'm always
asking my child, what the hell are you doing now? Okay? And
especially as parents, never have advice for other new parents. No one ever
wants to share their experience. Never. I've been on both sides of Hello,
Hello, you know. But but one of the things that I just
want to say specifically about that particular article is that it does actually call for
support for these particular spaces as a means of subverting white cultural conditioning and fostering
genuine inclusivity, and an invice readers to become accomplices in this effort and highlights
the significance of these spaces for the collection liberation of all of our society.
So as much as we want non white spaces to thrive, we want atheist
spaces to thrive. And if you want our space to thrive, dear listener
and viewer, click here