Sticks and stones

It has been about an hour since I completed [most] of the final edits on my major research paper, and already I feel an itching to write. I have spent the last few months of my life doing almost exclusively that, and yet it is something I must do more.

Everyone seems to be a writer these days, and I am part of that "everyone." I have no special training in writing. The power of social media and blogging, though, helps amateurs like me have their words disseminated all over the world. And I think that is hopeful, because it gives voice to people who maybe have never had a voice before. But that is also terrifying, because I see people every day on social media who share hateful opinions and false information to an audience of thousands.

This problem really came into light here in Nova Scotia over the weekend, when the Chronicle Herald, which is currently staffed by temporary, freelance reporters due to a labour dispute, published an article suggesting that former refugee children were assaulting other children at a Halifax elementary school. The article was published anonymously, with anonymous sources quoting anonymous elementary school students. Even I, as an amateur, saw that it completely lacked any journalistic integrity. And yet the story was picked up by a number of far-right-wing sites, like The Rebel. Due to backlash, the Chronicle Herald has since removed the story online, but that does not change the fact that it was already printed, and shared by hundreds of people. The worst part of this whole thing is that the article demonized children. These are not just ordinary children, either. These are children who have experienced a great deal of trauma and are now trying to integrate into a completely new environment, learn a new language, and be part of a new culture. The last thing they need is people accusing them of violence with no evidence of such.

I think there is so much cowardice in that article: There was cowardice of the paper for not identifying the name of the author of the piece. There was cowardice of the complainant who did not use her real name. Finally, perhaps most importantly, there was cowardice of everyone who read the article, believed it, and shared it. Why did people believe this article? Why was it printed in the first place? I am guessing that it was because it lined up with the assumptions that people already hold. But it sure revealed a lot of ugliness about the people in this province I love. It revealed that people in this province feel so threatened by these most vulnerable of people that they invent slander about these people.

Words have power. The Chronicle Herald used their power this weekend to malign newcomer children, one of the most vulnerable groups in our society. Everyone is a writer in 2016, and sometimes those words hurt others.

And of course I cannot write a blog post without mentioning Jesus. Words have power, and Jesus used his words to heal, not hurt. As one who writes, I pray that my words can have the same kind of power Jesus' words had: prophetic, healing power.