#mennonite immigration to canada

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

"William Dyck Positively Identifies Krafchenko As Passenger of Dec. 3," Winnipeg Tribune. December 31, 1913. Page 1 & 2. ---- Describes How Robber Forced Him to Drive Away at Revolver Point and Swears He Admitted Shooting Manager H. M. Arnold ---- "If you don't drive on, and drive fast, I'll blow your brains out like I did the other fellow's." In words to this effect, William Dyck in the witness stand at the preliminary hearing in the trial of John Krafchenko [pictured] before Magistrate Bonnycastle, last evening at the city police court, declared he was forced at the point of a gun to drive the alleged murderer from Plum Coulee immediately after the tragedy had been enacted on December 3.

When the court resumed after dinner last evening Mr. Hastings, counsel for the crown, declared that William Dyck would be the next witness. As the lawyer said this an expectant hush pervaded the court room, and heads were turned in the direction of the doorway through which Dyck, with heavy tread and stolid of demeanor, came in, escorted by Chief of Provincial Police Elliott. He is a heavy, thick-set man of unmistakable Mennonite type. His large and heavy features were utterly devoid of expression.

The main factors in the story told by the "star" witness were of a most damaging nature. Dyck said he had met Krafchenko on the night preceding the tragedy and had been told that If he did not have his car waiting, little after noon, in the appointed place something would happen to him. At that time, he declared, Krafchenko flourished a revolver at him.

Acted Through Fear On the day in question, because of fear, he did as he was asked and at a little before one o'clock a man wearing a black overcoat, black beard and black cap, came running, got into the car and tersely ordered him to drive on.

They had not gone far, said the witness, before the man, whom he at that moment recognized as Krafchenko, put a gun to his head and told him to drive fast or be killed. He demurred and a bullet from the gun passed close to his head and out of the side of the car.

The details of the wild ride were told at length. During the journey, which brought them to a point between McTavish and Osborne stations, Krafchenko had removed a false beard and had torn it up. He had also expressed the hope that he had not killed Arnold, whom he had had to shoot "because he followed me up."

The overcoat, produced yesterday, was described accurately by Dyck, who spoke of taking the police to the spot in the willow bushes near Lowe Farm where the accused had deposited it. In the afternoon session most of the time was taken up by the examination and cross examination of Mr. and Mrs. Humboldt, regarding a watch which the accused is alleged to have shown them in their rooms on Hargrave street some months ago. Both witnesses were grilled strenuously by the counsel for the defence, and salient feature of the evidence of both was that when presented with the watch found in the murder car, declared that it was similar, but they were under the impression that Krafchenko's had a slight engraving on the back of the case, and the exhibit had not. Mrs. Humboldt said: "I am almost positive it had."

When the counsel for the defence refused to cross-examine Dyck, Mr. Hastings said he would have to ask an adjournment as he had not expected the witness to get through so quickly, and consequently his next witnesses were not at the court. As the year was almost out and a holiday occurred this week, he would ask for one week's remand. The request was granted and the date fixed for January 6, 1914, at two o'clock, the hearing to be continued in the city police court room.

On resumption yesterday afternoon, before any witnesses were examined, Mr. Hagel made the usual request that all unexamined witnesses be excluded. Mr. Hastings replied that this had already been done.

Wallace Root's Evidence The first witness called on resumption of the crown's case, was Wallace Root, commercial traveller, residing at Suite 1, Dawson Apartments. Furby street, Winnipeg. Root, sworn, said that in company with another traveller, named Leete, he was in Plum Coulee on the morning of December 3. it was their intention to go to Morden in the afternoon, and to this end they went to Dyck's livery barn. On entering the stable, Root says, he met a man wearing a fur coat. The man was standing near the door and was the only one in sight. The witness asked him if he were the proprietor. He received a reply in the negative, and was told that Duck was seated in a car which could be seen through the doorway, standing on the other side of the road. The two travellers crossed over to the car. William Dyck got out and an arrangement was made, after some conversation, whereby Dyck should take them to Morden at 1.30 in the afternoon. He could not do it earlier, Dyck said, because he had just arranged to take a man about four miles out into the country.

Questioned as to the condition of the car, Root said he noticed that the engine was running, that the top was up, and the curtains lowered.

"As we stood talking together," said the witness, "a man came down the lane at the back of the livery barn. He was about 300 feet away, and was running slowly. When he came nearer I noticed he had a black full beard. He was wearing a fur coat with the collar turned up. With one hand he was holding the coat closed. It was not buttoned. I also saw he was wearing tan shoes and a black cap."

The man, said Root, came right up to the three, who were standing beside the car. "I am ready now," he said to Dyck, and both got into the car, which immediately drove away. Just as the car moved, the witness noticed that the stranger had dropped some money. Root and his companion picked this up. It comprised a number of $1.00 bills and a bundle of $1.00 bills. He shouted two or three times after the moving car, but the occupants paid no attention.

Questioned as to any other comment that was made, the witness remembered accusing the stranger of wearing a false beard, and his friend noted that the bank was the same direction as that from which the stranger came.

Before allowing the witness to leave the stand, Mr. Hastings said "Look at the prisoner." The witness gave Krafchenko close scrutiny for the space of a minute. Then the crown counsel asked "Can you tell me if you have ever seen this man before?"

"No, sir," came the emphatic reply.

Krafchenko's Watch Major Humboldt, the showman, was recalled and asked what he knew regarding a watch shown him at one time by Krafchenko. Humboldt then stated that some months ago Krafchenko paid a visit to his rooms on Hargrave street. During the course of conversation, watches were discussed, and Krafchenko produced his as being an excellent timepiece. The witness described the watch as he remembered it. It was a 21-jewel gold watch with open face. He could not remember the exact number, but re-collected that contained in the serial was a double figure. Explaining this, he said he believed that there were two fours running consecutively about the middle of the number, which was a long one.

A watch was produced and Mr. Hastings asked the witness if he could identify it. After handling it for a moment Humboldt handed it back to the counsel, declaring that he could not open it, and would like to see the inside.

Hereupon, Mr. Hagel suggested that Humboldt must have opened the watch on a previous occasion, and should know how to do it now. To this the witness replied: "I have never opened that watch, or Krafchenko's watch. When Krafchenko handed me his it was opened to show the works."

The exhibit was opened and handed back to the witness, who read from the inside an inscription that the watch was a 21-jewel movement, numbered 2,144,375. The witness examined the watch very closely.

"This," he said, finally, "is very much similar, but I was under the impression that Krafchenko's watch had a very slight engraving on the back of the case." He also noticed that the exhibit was equipped with a small lever by which is operated the setting device. He was of the opinion that Krafchenko's was an ordinary stem wind and stem set timepiece.

Mr. Hagel, counsel for the defence, cross-examined the witness at length regarding his examination of Krofchenko's watch. Humboldt, in reply to questions, reiterated his statements that the watch was opened to show the works when Krafchenko handed it to him. He could not tell, he said, the make of the watch. He was not interested in that. It was more or less a cursory examination. Pointing to the lever of the setting device, Mr. Ha- gel said: "You think if that was on the watch you handled, you would have observed it?"

"I believe I would," was the reply.

"Are you aware," continued the counsel, "that there is a double number in the serial of almost every watch that is sent out by the manufacturers?"

"No."

"And you never knew the make of Krafchenko's watch?"

"I never looked at it."

"Did you ever see Krafchenko's watch before?"

"Yes; on one or two occasions he showed me the face; but the name was not marked on it, so far as I can remember."

"Can you tell me the make of this watch?" said Mr. Hagel, pointing to the exhibit. "No, I cannot."

"Well, can you read this?" queried the lawyer, presenting the watch to the witness, and showing the face of it.

The witness read "Hamilton Watch Company," which was plainly printed on the face of the timepiece.

Mr. Hagel asked a great many questions regarding the time of the day when Humboldt examined Krafchenko's watch, but the witness was not sure on any point, except that it was sometime during the afternoon.

"Are you sure," asked Mr. Hagel, "that the watch was opened when the accused handed it to you?"

"Yes; there is no doubt of it," Humboldt said. He passed the watch to his wife, after examining it.

Mrs. Humboldt's Testimony Mrs. Humboldt, wife of the former witness, said she believed she was present all the time when her husband was talking about watches with Krafchenko. In the first part of her examination she corroborated her husband's statements regarding the loan of a fur coat, which was never returned, and also regarding the rifle which Krafchenko requested her husband to take for him to Flum Coulee,

She said she did not examine Krafchenko's watch very closely on the day in question. It was simply handed to her in order that she might feel the weight of it. The watch was closed. She could only describe it as an open-faced gold watch. The exhibit produced previously was handed to her, and upon examining this, she said: "It is very much like it, but I thought it had a small engraving on the back; in fact, I am almost positive."

In cross-examination, Mrs. Humboldt said Krafchenko, she thought, who was wearing neither chain nor fob, simply took the watch from his pocket and handed it to her husband. The latter opened it, took a glance inside, closed it, and handed it to her with a remark about the weight of it.

Watch Found in Car Sheriff Augustus Charies Doran Piggott, of Morden, spoke of finding the watch produced. He went, he said, to Plum Coulee on December 4, on hearing of the crime, and searched William Dyck's automobile thoroughly. In a kind of toolbox located beneath the rear seat of the vehicle he found a watch. The exhibit was handed him and he identified it as being that which he had found in the car.

Apparently the last man to speak with Manager Arnold before his conversation with the murdered was Ole Lee, station agent of the Midland railway in Plum Coulee. The accused was well-known to Lee, who corroborated the testimony given on Monday afternoon by Lloyd Wagner, the bank ledger-keeper, in regard to Krafchenko's statement about the probable time of day when the Plum Coulee bank would be robbed. On that occasion, he said, during the course of conversation in the Commercial hotel sitting room, Krafchenko had told the witness and Wagner that if a robbery did occur it would not be at night, but rather in the daytime, as this would be easier than to blow a timelock.

During the week preceding the robbery the witness did not see Krafchenko. Lee, on being shown the watch previously produced, said that it looked very much smaller. He remembered that Krafchenko's watch was a gold open-faced, 21-jewel, Hamilton movement with a somewhat unique dial. This description coincided with that of the exhibit.

On the day of the tragedy Lee, on leaving the Commercial, hotel after luncheon, went down past the bank premises at about 12.30 on his way to the station. It was his custom, he said, to put his head in the door of the bank whenever he passed to say good- day to the bank men. On this occasion the storm door on Main street was open, and he looked in and said "Hello" to Manager Arnold, who was seated alone at his typewriter desk. The witness knew no more of the affair of his own knowledge, for, after this incident, he went on to the station.

Money Found in Car Constable Peter H. Levan, of Gretna, Man., said he took part in the search of Dyck's car when he returned at 8 o'clock in the evening, and found a bag of silver money on the left side of the front seat under the cushion. The bag contained $234.80. In addition, $19.20, in a bag, was found in Dyck's left overcoat pocket. The money was turned over to William Esau, teller of the Bank of Montreal at Plum Coulee.

The latter, re-called, spoke of counting the money and seating it in the bag. The amount stated by the constable was correct.

Constable George McKay, of Plum Coulee, was present when the $12.20 in silver was found in Dyck's left overcoat pocket. The constable produced the side curtain of the car in which there was a small pancture, which he believed to be a bullet hole. On this point, however, he was not sure. At this juncture the court adjourned for dinner.

William Dyck's Testimony An expectant hush pervaded the crowded room when Mr. Hastings, on the resumption after dinner, announced William Dyck, as the next crown witness. Every neck was craned toward the door of the court room and all eyes were centred upon the thick set figure of the Mennonite livery stable keeper whose startling testimony was expected to create a sensation.

Escorted by Chief of Police Edward Elliott, of the provincial force, William Dyck crossed the room. He is a man of unmistakable European peasant type, with heavy features, dropping moustache and bushy eyebrows, After taking the affirmation his religion forbidding the oath, Mr. Hastings began the questioning of the witness in a slow and measured manner.

The gist of the first questions were to the effect that William Dyck was a livery stable keeper in the village of Plum Coulee. He had been located in the district for about five years and had been in the livery business during the whole of his residence there. He owned a Case automobile and on being shown a picture of the "murder car" declared that it was very similar, and he believed it to be his.

"Do you know the prisoner?" asked Mr. Hastings.

The witness replied in the affirmative and in reply to very careful questions, made the following statement.

"I have known Krafchenko for about eight months, but it was only about two months ago since I became acquainted with him personally. The acquaintance was made Plum Coulee. He was staying at the Commercial hotel. He stayed for a week and before he went away he borrowed five dollars from me At that time he represented himself to be a boiler inspector employed by a Winnipeg firm. I saw him in Plum Coulee on the night of December 2nd. It was in a lane at the back of the Commercial hotel at about 7.30 or 7.45 o'clock in the evening. I was going from my barn to the hotel when I ran into him. He said: 'Hullo; Is that you Bill, and I said, 'Yes; is that you Jack?" He flashed a flashlight torch in my face. I ask- ed him to come into the hotel but he refused, saying that he was in trouble and daren't come. The police were after him for some trouble in Winnipeg. He then asked me if I was hard up and I replied 'No.' He then said I want you to make the drive for me tomorrow. When I asked him where to, he said: "There's a friend of mine coming here who is in trouble like myself and he must get away. I said. I could not do it, or I would get into trouble too. Krafchenko said there would be no trouble for me as no one would see this other man. I again said I couldn't do it and he drew gun from his pocket. He flashed the torch on it and pointing it at me said: "That's what you'll get if you don't do as I say. I then promised to do it. This seemed to please him and he then told me to have the car outside the barn pointing north at noon the following day. A man, he said, would come along the back lane and would be wearing a black coat and black whiskers 'like an old jew. I was to take that man out. He told me to have the engine running and he said he would be watching to see that I did exactly as he told me."

"Supposing you didn't agree?" queried Mr. Hastings.

"Well," replied Dyck, "he had the revolver pointing at me all the time, and I promised."

Dyck Was Afraid "Why did you promise him?"

"I was afraid of him."

"Was anything said about keeping the interview secret?"

"He said not to tell anybody about seeing him."

"And if you did say anything to anybody?"

"Well, he had the gun there all the time. He told me if I ever let anything out, he would get me anyway, or else someone else would."

"Then we come to the morning of December 3," continued the crown counsel. "What did you do in reference to your car that forenoon?"

"I looked her over to see if she to wanted any fixing, put some gasoline in the tanks and at the appointed time backed her out of the barn to the place mentioned."

Dyck was talking to two commerclal travellers beside his car when the man in the black coat came upon the scene. He had just arranged to take them to Morden at about 1.30 that day as soon as he returned from his present trip.

"Was the man walking or running when he came along?"

"He was running pretty fast."

"I got into the car," continued Dyck, "and just as I sat down I heard one of the travellers say: 'Hey, guy, you're dropping your money." When I heard this I wanted to get out, but the man came into the car and told me to drive on. I started the car and we drove northward because as soon as he was settled in the car he put a gun up to my head and told me to drive fast."

"And you didn't hesitate?"

"No."

"Did you hear any remarks from any of the travellers, except about the money?"

"No, I did not."

"What is the description of the man who got into your car?"

"He wore a black coat, black whiskers and a black cap."

Continuing the witness said: "I drove north about 175 yards and then he told me to drive east. I did so. As he told me this, I slackened the car up and said I would not drive him any further. He called me a vile name and told me that if I did not drive fast he would blow my brains out. 'The same as I did for the other man,' he concluded. He then fired a shot close to my head and the bullet passed through the car curtain."

"When he fired, what did you do?"

"I drove on."

"By that time did you know who the man was who was in your car?" asked the counsel.

"Yes. As soon as he said he would do for me what he did to the other man, I knew it was Jack Krafchenko."

"And your car continued to travel for about a quarter of a mile east and then turned south?"

"Yes. He told me to drive at high speed," continued the witness, "and I did so."

The route of the car, according to Dyck from this point was: one mile south, four miles east, one mile south again, "He then told me to take the best road to Lowe Farm village from there. I went four miles north and turned east one mile, then north again six miles about, and then eastward one mile and then two miles north, which brought us to a road running between Morris and Lowe Farm. We turned toward Morris, eastward."

"During the drive up to the point was there any conversation with you and the accused?"

"Yes. He spoke to me. 'I hope I didn't kill that son of a -------,' he said. I I asked who, and he replied 'Arnold.' He also told me that Arnold had followed him up and he had had to turn and shoot him."

"Was he wearing the beard then?"

"No, on the way to Lowe Farm he took it off and tore it up, scattering the pieces along the road."

"What did he do with the gun?"

"He kept it in his hand during the whole journey."

"What was he doing in the car?"

"He had the money and was looking it over and putting it into his pockets."

"Did he stay in the front seat?"

"Not all the time. He climbed over while the car was running into the back of the tonneau. He was behind there about five minutes when he returned to the seat beside me."

"How far did you go about, towards Morris?"

"About two miles; we then turned north again and passed through the outskirts of a Mennonite village. About three miles past this we got on to a trail leading through some willow brush. I went and stood there and he got out. He took off the overcoat and carried it into the brush about 35 yards, where he left it."

"Up to this time had he spoken of a watch?"

"Yes, at Lowe Farm he put his hand to his vest pocket and then said, 'Damn it, I've lost my watch.' He looked round the car for it, but could not find it."

"He got into the car again, and I did and we drove on in a northwestern direction to a point about twelve miles from McTavish station and about 15 miles from Osborne station. Here he told me to stop and he got out. He then threatened to break the spark plugs on my car so I could not get home, but when I objected he did not do it. He then instructed me what to say when I got back to Plum Coulee."

Krafchenko's Alleged Instructions "He told me to say that there were two men in the car, One was wearing a black coat and cap and black whiskers, and the other was a tall thin-faced young man, who sat in the back seat all the time. I was to say the third man got into the car round the corner just out of Plum Coulee. I was also to say that the young man came to the barn early in the morning and ordered the car, and to say that the young man got out of the car at McTavish and the other at Osborne."

"Did he say anything about pay before he left?"

"He had a bag of silver and asked me if I wanted it. I said no and then he grabbed a handful of change and put it into my overcoat pocket. The other in the bag he placed under, the seat with, I don't want this damn stuff, it's too heavy to carry.

"Did he say anything about what would happen if you told the truth?" "He said he would get me later, and If he didn't someone else would, anyway."

"Were you frightened?"

"I was."

"What next,' asked the counsel, as Dyck paused.

"He then told me to turn round and drive slowly back to town. I did so and when I started he struck across the country northward."

"What did you do then?"

"I drove back to Lowe Farm, where I telephoned my wife to say that was coming home."

"When I got into Plum Coulee," said Dyck, "the police were waiting for me. It was about eight o'clock. Constable McKay was there and I went with him to the Commercial hotel. I told him just what Krafchenko had told me to tell him."

"Then the story published in the papers was true as you told it then?"

"Yes."

"Why did you tell this untrue story?"

"I was afraid he would get me or that someone else would."

"You have stayed here from the time you came from Plum Coulee. That was on December 5? Have you remained here ever since?"

"Yes."

"Have you been over any part of the route you took with Krafchenko?"

"Yes. On December 18 we went as far as the road between Morris and Lowe Farm."

Mr. Hastings produced the coat previously exhibited, and the witness identified it as that deposited in the bush by the accused.

"After coming to Winnipeg, did you tell the authorities the same story?"

"No."

"You told them the true story?"

"Yes."

"Have you been kept in Winnipeg against your will?"

At this point, Mr. Hagel objected to the style of examination declaring that the subject was not relevant to the issue.

Mr. Bonnycastle said he did not think it would do any harm and the counsel for defence waived objection.

"Have you," continued Mr. Hastings, "been able to go out whenever you wanted to?"

"Yes."

"Were any restrictions placed on your movements?"

"No."

Mr. Hagel again interposed. "Oh, say, if you keen on this subject, we may possibly believe some of it," he said sarcastically.

The prosecutor kept on:

"The evidence you gave tonight was of your own free will?"

"Yes."

"Have you been locked up in the provincial jail in Winnipeg all the time?"

"No sir."

"How did you come to be there at all?"

"I asked protection for I was afraid."

"Oh yes," again interposed Mr. H gel, "I'll bet he just naturally ran up to that jail and tried to break in."

At this sally the court roared.

"Have you been out of the city at any time," asked Mr. Hastings?"

"Yes," concluded Dyck, "I went out shooting rabbits yesterday."

The prosecution were more or less set back on finding that Mr. Hagel had no questions to ask the witness. Mr. Hastings said he did not think Dyck's occupation of the stand would terminate so rapidly and he therefore would have to ask an adjournment. This was agreed to and the court rose to meet again on January 6, 1914, at two o'clock in the court room of the city police court.

[beansnpeets]

I was tagged by @blueboyluca, @fluff-fibre-fun and @thebarkpaladin to share 3 random facts about myself. These tend to be tough for me since I already yap about everything on this blog so I have to try to figure out what you guys may not already know 😅 I also tend to be late to the game on these so not sure who hasn't been tagged already.

1) I've talked about it before, but I have a 1990 Dodge Dakota convertible. There were only just over 3,000 of them produced from 1989 to 1991. It needs a restoration very desperately, but it's a really cool little truck. I'm very into classic cars.

2) My family heritage is largely German Mennonite, but my grandparents on my mother's side are Mexican Mennonite, so that's a little more interesting I suppose. My one great grandfather is from Kansas, too. My dad's side we have more record of and I know they immigrated to Canada in the early/mid 1800's from Germany. My family were Prussian nobles and we have a coat of arms.

3) I took piano lessons for YEARS as a kid and cannot play the piano or read sheet music to save my life. I thoroughly feel that my teacher was just not very good. Also the only things she taught us was church music and I've always been pretty averse to that stuff. So that probably contributed.

[globalworship]

A Conversation with Katie Graber

Mark Charles is a friend with Navajo heritage. He has a podcast called "My Second Cup of Coffee." https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVLTYJoHeq7o5MkyhXyhamm2UxqjcCxhh

Mark writes, "Katie Graber is the head of a project I am participating in to create an educational resource of global hymns for North American church musicians." It will be published by GIA.

Mark interviews Katie in this 35-min video.

Start listening about 12 minutes in for Katie's discussion.

+++

From Dr. Katie Graber's academic bio:

Katie Graber’s research focuses on race, ethnicity, immigration and colonization in a variety of contexts, including Western opera, the history of ethnomusicology, and Mennonite music. She has served as co-chair of the Society for Ethnomusicology Voice Special Interest Group, and as Intercultural Editor for the Mennonite Church USA and Mennonite Church Canada’s denominational hymnal Voices Together. In the latter role, she worked with a variety of consultant groups and individuals to edit more than 40 languages in hymn texts of multiple musical traditions. https://music.osu.edu/people/graber.84

+++

Katie leads singing at her church in Columbus, Ohio, and chaired the Intercultural Worship committee for the Voices Together project (a Mennonite hymnal). Read more about this project at https://www.mennoniteusa.org/menno-snapshots/why-and-how-sing-interculturally/

Learn about the hymnal and see the Table of Contents at https://voicestogetherhymnal.org/products/table-of-contents/

[copperbadge]

heymerle

A bunch of them went to North Carolina in the 18th century, so I have a bunch as cousins and inlaws. And one of my nieces has some on *her* tree.

Funnily enough, I’m from the ones who went down to North Carolina, so hey cousin. :D We were only there for one generation, which is per what I’ve started to call the family curse -- on both sides of my family, you almost never find two generations born in the same place and you never find two generations dying in the same place. We can’t trace far enough back on my mother’s side to find a good example of it, and on my father’s, I think it might actually be Nantucket, looks like we made it at least three generations there.  

theforumcat

You kind of just casually threw the phrase “Mennonite Pirate” into the middle of a sentence in the middle of a paragraph but I would like to stop for a moment and dig a little deeper into that concept, please?

Well, presumably he wasn’t a Mennonite when he was a pirate but I suppose one never knows :D On my mother’s side, many generations back, there was a young man in Amsterdam who wanted to avoid the Naval draft, so he joined a pirate crew instead. He spent two years at sea and then jumped ship off the American coast and immigrated. He passed through Pennsylvania up to Canada where, presumably with ill-gotten pirate loot, he founded a mill which became the center of a farming community. By the end of his life he was the minister for the local Mennonite church. 

swords-n-spindles

Starbuck is your actual name??

rocketplane

NGL, Sam. I thought Starbuck was just a fun pen name.

LOL! It’s a middle name. We haven’t been Starbucks in a couple of generations, but the family has used it a lot as a name regardless, I’m not really sure why. 

aurorashard

The new Bedford whaling museum and new Bedford library have a lot of online whaling resources; I can ping some folks who may have more whaling resources (esp genealogy ones) if it's of interest!

Oh thanks! I think I’m good -- the Starbuck name is extremely well-researched (turns out a Starbuck was the genealogist for the region, which could by why) but I’ll bear that in mind if I have questions! 

maryellencarter

With all affection and respect, Sam, I'm pretty sure you'd fall overboard on your first day at sea. There's no way you're coordinated enough to develop sea legs.

OR, hear me out, I have natural sea legs and aboard a ship I’d be the most graceful motherfucker you’ll ever meet!

....yeah I don’t buy that either. :D 

https://historyfirst.com/quaker-abolitionists-unseen-anti-slavery-archive-to-go-under-the-hammer/

Saw the name and thought of you - since I know you’ve mentioned Starbuck being a family name before

Huh. WELL. TIL that my ancestors were possibly Quakers!

Which is a dumb thing to realize this late -- I've known the Starbucks were whalers since I was a kid, and I've known that a lot of whalers were Nantucket Quakers since my 20s, so I don't know why I never put the two together.

This Samuel Starbuck might actually be an ancestor, I don't know -- "Sam" wasn't given to me as a family name, so I wasn't like, named for him, although if I do find out he's an ancestor I'm very much going to claim I was...

I should dig out my old family tree documents and give them a dusting-off, there's bound to be more data out there now than there was when I was making my family tree for school in the 90s.

Good on Samuel Starbuck, anyway, for his abolitionist activism! Well done old man. Proud to bear the name.

Someday I'm going to have to write a whaling novel. Or at the very least a sailing novel. Between the Mennonite Pirate on Mum's side and the Starbucks on my father's, it's a shock I have not already put to sea to seek my fortune there.

[immaculatasknight]

Heil Rocky and Bullwinkle

[spurgie-cousin]

Hold up, since when is any Dutch a "strain of German"? What did i miss about the Amish?

The language spoken by the Amish is called "Pennsylvania Dutch" but isn't Dutch, it's a regional variety of German passed down from the Amish/Mennonite German descendants. In Germany the particular dialect was referred to as "Deitsch" which English speakers fucked up through the years and eventually replaced with "Dutch".

In Pennsylvania/surrounding areas there were so many immigrants from this particular part of Germany that spoke it (not limited to Amish and Mennonites) that it started to be referred to as "Pennsylvania" Dutch. Nowadays it's mostly just Old Order Amish or Mennonites who speak it as a first language/use it regularly in the United States and Canada.

[miseryinyou]

Look, as someone who grew up in half a dozen different churches of varying Christian denominations: I promise you, 90% of the "Christians" you meet are doing it wrong.

I grew up in a suburb of Vancouver, Canada. My mom is a first generation Canadian (born to Portuguese immigrants). My mom was raised in the Catholic church. She was also raised on welfare by two abusive parents.

My Dad was adopted as an infant and raised in a Christian home. He's been an atheist my entire life. My Dad was also abusive.

Growing up, I did the Catholic thing with one set of grandparents on holidays and the Christian thing with the other set of grandparents. My dad generally abstained from the festivities.

On a regular Sunday though? Mom took me to Christian church (she converted from Catholicism to Christianity before I was born). Against my will. Here's the thing: as a kid with a severe anxiety disorder church was hell. I hated the place - not the principle behind it. Even now, as a 24 year-old Christian woman, I hate church. I haven't been to church since pre-COVID and I don't think I'll ever go back. You don't need a church to have a relationship with God and I'm way happier without the church drama.

You see, 90% of the people you'll see in any Christian church (I've practiced in Catholic, baptist, methodist, pentecostal, presbyterian, mennonite, and non-denominational churches in Canada.) are attention seeking lunatics. They are people searching desperately to feel good about themselves. So, they cling to rituals and rudely point out every sin someone around them has made (anything to make themselves look better). Most of these people haven't even read their Bibles. It's all an act.

IF they had read their bibles they'd know:

1. The rituals and fear mongering used in the Old Testament were effectively rendered moot because of JESUS (I'm looking at you Catholics, if you still think confession to a priest is necessary you missed the point of Jesus). The whole point of the New Testament -> that Jesus made a way for us to have a relationship with God without all the fear mongering, ritual sacrifice, and terror.

2. The whole point of the Bible is LOVE and FORGIVENESS. On multiple occasions Jesus is cited as saying that the MOST IMPORTANT lesson is to LOVE each other as you love yourself. (SO anyone who calls themselves a Christian but tries to crucify people due to their sexuality? SHAME on you.)

3. The misogyny in the Bible? It's not that bad. For real. If you take into consideration the time the Bible was written it's on par with the culture. Actually, Jesus and God have always been exceptionally liberal. When you see misogyny in the Bible - read the whole story. It's usually used to depict unfairness of society or the cruelty of men who were in positions of power at the time.

So next time someone tells you they're a Christian, roll your eyes. I know I do. There's a 90% chance they're lying and honestly, I'd rather hang out with someone who doesn't believe in God than someone who only pretends.

I'm not a perfect person or a perfect Christian, but damn, most 'Christians' are just attention seekers with an agenda.

[thelanguagecommunity]

“what language should I learn?”

“is it better to learn [x] or [x]?”

“is it worth learning [x]?”

I get this type of question a lot and I see questions like these a lot on language learning forums, but it’s very difficult to answer because ultimately language learning is a highly personal decision. Passion is required to motivate your studies, and if you aren’t in love with your language it will be very hard to put in the time you need. Thus, no language is objectively better or worse, it all comes down to factors in your life. So, I’ve put together a guide to assist your with the kind of factors you can consider when choosing a language for study.

First, address you language-learning priorities.

Think of the reasons why are you interested in learning a new language. Try to really articulate what draws you to languages. Keeping these reasons in mind as you begin study will help keep you focused and motivated. Here are some suggestions to help you get started, complete with wikipedia links so you can learn more:

Linguistic curiosity?

For this, I recommend looking into dead, literary or constructed languages. There are lots of cool linguistic experiments and reconstructions going on and active communities that work on them! Here’s a brief list:

Dead languages:

Akkadian

Egyptian (Ancient Egyptian)

Gaulish

Gothic

Hittite

Old Prussian

Sumerian

Older iterations of modern day languages:

Classical Armenian

Classical Nahuatl (language of the Aztec Empire)

Early Modern English (Shakespearean English)

Galician-Portuguese

Middle English (Chaucer English)

Middle Persian/Pahlavi

Old English

Old French

Old Spanish

Old Tagalog (+ Baybayin)

Ottoman Turkish

Constructed:

Anglish (experiment to create a purely Anglo-Saxon English)

Esperanto

Interlingua

Láadan (a “feminist language”)

Lingua Franca Nova

Lingwa de Planeta

Lobjan

Toki Pona (a minimalist language)

Wenedyk (what if the Romans had occupied Poland?)

Cultural interests?

Maybe you just want to connect to another culture. A language is often the portal to a culture and are great for broadening your horizons! The world is full of rich cultures; learning the language helps you navigate a culture and appreciate it more fully.

Here are some popular languages and what they are “famous for”:

Cantonese: film

French: culinary arts, film, literature, music, philosophy, tv programs, a prestige language for a long time so lots of historical media, spoken in many countries (especially in Africa)

German: film, literature, philosophy, tv programs, spoken in several Central European countries

Italian: architecture, art history, catholicism (Vatican city!), culinary arts, design, fashion, film, music, opera

Mandarin: culinary arts, literature, music, poetry, tv programs

Japanese: anime, culinary arts, film, manga, music, video games, the longtime isolation of the country has developed a culture that many find interesting, a comparatively large internet presence

Korean: tv dramas, music, film

Portuguese: film, internet culture, music, poetry

Russian: literature, philosophy, spoken in the Eastern Bloc or former-Soviet countries, internet culture

Spanish: film, literature, music, spoken in many countries in the Americas

Swedish: music, tv, film, sometimes thought of as a “buy one, get two free” deal along with Norwegian & Danish

Religious & liturgical languages:

Avestan (Zoroastrianism)

Biblical Hebrew (language of the Tanakh, Old Testament)

Church Slavonic (Eastern Orthodox churches)

Classical Arabic (Islam)

Coptic (Coptic Orthodox Church)

Ecclesiastical Latin (Catholic Church)

Ge’ez (Ethiopian Orthodox Church)

Iyaric (Rastafari movement)

Koine Greek (language of the New Testament)

Mishnaic Hebrew (language of the Talmud)

Pali (language of some Hindu texts and Theravada Buddhism)

Sanskrit (Hinduism)

Syriac (Syriac Orthodox Church, Maronite Church, Church of the East)

Reconnecting with family?

If your immediate family speaks a language that you don’t or if you are a heritage speaker that has been disconnected, then the choice is obvious! If not, you might have to do some family tree digging, and maybe you might find something that makes you feel more connected to your family. Maybe you come from an immigrant community that has an associated immigration or contact language! Or maybe there is a branch of the family that speaks/spoke another language entirely.

Immigrant & Diaspora languages:

Arbëresh (Albanians in Italy)

Arvanitika (Albanians in Greece)

Brazilian German

Canadian Gaelic (Scottish Gaelic in Canada)

Canadian Ukrainian (Ukrainians in Canada)

Caribbean Hindustani (Indian communities in the Caribbean)

Chipilo Venetian (Venetians in Mexico)

Griko (Greeks in Italy)

Hutterite German (German spoken by Hutterite settlers of Canada/US)

Fiji Hindi (Indians in Fiji)

Louisiana French (Cajuns) 

Patagonian Welsh (Welsh in Argentina)

Pennsylvania Dutch (High German spoken by early settlers of Canada/ the US)

Plaudietsch (German spoken by Mennonites)

Talian (Venetian in Brazilian)

Texas Silesian (Poles in the US)

Click here for a list of languages of the African diaspora (there are too many for this post!). 

If you are Jewish, maybe look into the language of your particular diaspora community ( * indicates the language is extinct or moribund - no native speakers or only elderly speakers):

Bukhori (Bukharan Jews)

Hebrew

Italkian (Italian Jews) *

Judeo-Arabic (MENA Jews)

Judeo-Aramaic

Judeo-Malayalam *

Judeo-Marathi

Judeo-Persian

Juhuri (Jews of the Caucasus)

Karaim (Crimean Karaites) *

Kivruli (Georgian Jews)

Krymchak (Krymchaks) *

Ladino (Sephardi)

Lusitanic (Portuguese Jews) *

Shuadit (French Jewish Occitan) *

Yevanic (Romaniotes)*

Yiddish (Ashkenazi)

Finding a job?

Try looking around for what languages are in demand in your field. Most often, competency in a relevant makes you very competitive for positions. English is in demand pretty much anywhere. Here are some other suggestions based on industry (from what I know!):

Business (General): Arabic, French, German, Hindi, Korean, Mandarin, Russian, Spanish

Design: Italian (especially furniture)

Economics: Arabic, German

Education: French, Spanish

Energy: Arabic, French, German, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish

Engineering: German, Russian

Finance & Investment: French, Cantonese, German, Japanese, Mandarin, Russian, Spanish

International Orgs. & Diplomacy (NATO, UN, etc.): Arabic, French, Mandarin, Persian, Russian, Spanish

Medicine: German, Latin, Sign Languages, Spanish

Military: Arabic, Dari, French, Indonesian, Korean, Kurdish, Mandarin, Pashto, Persian, Russian, Spanish, Turkish, Urdu

Programming: German, Japanese

Sales & Marketing: French, German, Japanese, Portuguese

Service (General): French, Mandarin, Portuguese, Russian, Sign Languages, Spanish

Scientific Research (General): German, Japanese, Russian

Tourism: French, Japanese, Mandarin, Sign Languages, Spanish

Translation: Arabic, Russian, Sign Languages

Other special interests?

Learning a language just because is a perfectly valid reason as well! Maybe you are really into a piece of media that has it’s own conlang! 

Fictional:

Atlantean (Atlantis: The Lost Empire)

Dothraki (Game of Thrones)

Elvish (Lord of the Rings)

Gallifreyan (Doctor Who)

High Valyrian (Game of Thrones)

Klingon (Star Trek)

Nadsat (A Clockwork Orange)

Na’vi (Avatar)

Newspeak (1984)

Trigedasleng (The 100)

Vulcan (Star Trek)

Or if you just like to learn languages, take a look maybe at languages that have lots of speakers but not usually popular among the language-learning community:

Arabic

Bengali

Cantonese

Hindi

Javanese

Hausa

Indonesian

Malay

Pashto

Persian

Polish

Punjabi

Swahili

Tamil

Telugu

Thai

Turkish

Urdu

Vietnamese

Yoruba

If you have still are having trouble, consider the following:

What languages do you already speak?

How many and which languages you already speak will have a huge impact on the ease of learning. 

If you are shy about speaking with natives, you might want to look at languages with similar consonant/vowel sounds. Similarity between languages’ grammars and vocabularies can also help speed up the process. Several families are famous for this such as the Romance languages (Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, French, Romanian), North Germanic languages (Norwegian, Swedish, Danish) or East Slavic languages (Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian). If you are a native English speaker, check out the FSI’s ranking of language difficulty for the approximate amount of hours you’ll need to put into different languages.

You could also take a look at languages’ writing systems to make things easier or for an added challenge.

Another thing to remember is that the languages you already speak will have a huge impact on what resources are available to you. This is especially true with minority languages, as resources are more frequently published in the dominant language of that area. For example, most Ainu resources are in Japanese, most Nheengatu resources are in Portuguese, and most Nahuatl resources are in Spanish.

What are your life circumstances?

Where you live with influence you language studies too! Local universities will often offer resources (or you could even enroll in classes) for specific languages, usually the “big” ones and a few region-specific languages.

Also consider if what communities area near you. Is there a vibrant Deaf community near you that offers classes? Is there a Vietnamese neighborhood you regularly interact with? Sometimes all it takes is someone to understand you in your own language to make your day! Consider what languages you could realistically use in your own day-to-day. If you don’t know where to start, try checking to see if there are any language/cultural meetups in your town!

How much time can you realistically put into your studies? Do you have a fluency goal you want to meet? If you are pressed for time, consider picking up a language similar to ones you already know or maintaining your other languages rather than taking on a new one.

Please remember when choosing a language for study to always respect the feelings and opinions of native speakers/communities, particularly with endangered or minoritized languages. Language is often closely tied to identity, and some communities are “closed” to outsiders. A notable examples are Hopi, several Romani languages, many Aboriginal Australian languages and some Jewish languages. If you are considering a minoritized language, please closely examine your motivations for doing so, as well as do a little research into what is the community consensus on outsiders learning the language. 

[ayearinlanguage]

A Year in Language, Day 348: Pennsylvania Dutch Pennsylvania Dutch is actually not Dutch, but a German dialect spoke in the United States and Canada by several hundred thousand people, most of whom are Old Order Amish or related cart and buggy Mennonites. Though the language has persisted amongst specific religious groups, it came to America over several waves of German immigration during the 17th and 18th century, which included Mennonites (Anabaptists), Quakers, and more. By the time of the American Revolution, over half of Pennsylvania was German speaking. Most of these immigrants came from Southwestern Germany, around the area now known as Rheinland-Pfalz and spoke Palatine German, a few dialectical steps away from Luxembourgish. The Pennsylvania Dutch community spread quickly throughout the Midwest and into Ontario where they are still found to this day. While secular use of the language is all but gone, various Amish and Mennonites, especially Old Order Amish, continue to use the language as their primary language within their own community, hence the term for non-Amish Americans and Canadians: "English". Due to the relative insularity of these communities the language is not threatened and has an impressive lack of English loans.

[willkommen-in-germany]

Map: German Canadians (and US-Americans) by percentage % of the population by area

Total population of German ancestry in Canada: 3,322,405 (2016 Census)

Total population of Canada in 2016: 35,151,728

Regions with significant German ancestry populations:

Ontario, Western and Atlantic Canada, Quebec

Religion: Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Anabaptism (Amish, Mennonite, Hutterite)

In the 2016 census, the largest European ancestry groups in Canada were the British Isles (11,211,850 incl. 6,320,085 English), French (4,680,820), Scottish (4,799,005), Irish (4,627,000), German (3,322,405), and Italian (1,587,965).

German Canadians (Deutsch-Kanadier or Deutschkanadier) are Canadian citizens of German ancestry. The 2016 Canadian census put their number at over 3.3 million. Some immigrants came from what is today Germany, while larger numbers came from German settlements in Eastern Europe and Russia; others from former parts of the German Confederation like the Austrian Empire, some from Switzerland.

Across Canada due to WW1, internment camps opened and 8,579 "enemy aliens" were held there until the end of the war; many were German-speaking immigrants from Austria, Hungary, Germany, and the Ukraine. Only 3,138 were classed as prisoners of war; the rest were civilians.

There was also anti-German sentiment during WW2, when 26 Prisoners of War camps opened and interred those who had been born in Germany, Italy, and Japan, if they were deemed to be "enemy aliens". For Germans, this applied especially to single males who had some association with the Nazi Party of Canada. No compensation was paid to them after the war. In Ontario, the largest internment center was at Camp Petawawa, housing 750 who had been born in Germany. Between 1945 and 1994, 400,000 German-speaking immigrants arrived in Canada. The vast majority have been largely assimilated. Culturally and linguistically there is far less to distinguish Germans from the Anglo-French majority compared to the more visible immigrant groups.

Famous German-Canadians include former Prime Minister John Diefenbaker, pop star Justin Bieber, singer-songwriters Feist and k.d. lang, Nickelback frontman Chad Kroeger, and Joel Thomas Zimmerman of Deadmau5, among others.

[vlgeo439019-blog]

What is the future of rural spaces?

Anna Mae’s Bakery & Restaurant in Millbank, Ontario.  

At the beginning of this course I had a pretty vague understanding as to what rurality was. As most naive young folks believe, I had this impression of rural spaces that was very much agricultural-based, leaving little wiggle room for other ideas and different perceptions of the countryside to exist, those of which were very much inspired from nature and the outdoors. I am now entirely a believer in the diversity of rural spaces in Canada, those of which range from small, quaint little towns such as Millbank, Ontario to what one could call the vast wilderness in both Banff and Jasper National Parks. 

With all of these landscapes, rural by nature of course, one must beg the question - what is their future? In the next 50 years what will become of these places, the vast diversity of rural spaces that we have all come to know and love?

I found this question a little disheartening, to be truly honest. Not the question itself, but the direction my answer was going. Based on what I’ve learned throughout this class, rural spaces are far from appreciated within society. Not only is the rate of urban expansion and sprawl growing, but there are no measures to prevent this from occurring. Land preservation initiatives are overall very ineffective in Ontario and other areas in Canada. In addition, with an increased number of people moving into cities, urban areas are pressured to expand despite perceived barriers such as green space. 

For the purposes of the blog prompt this week, I will discuss each of these issues in detail.

Urban Expansion, Sprawl, & Population Growth: 

As I’ve illustrated in other blog posts previous to this, urban expansion is a serious issue in Ontario. In a report released by the University of Guelph titled “Protecting Southern Ontario’s Farmland” (I’ve definitely referenced this before), a significant amount of land, more particularly the agricultural landscape, is continually threatened due to urban development and sprawl.

Between 1981 and 1986 prime agricultural land represented 59% of all land in Canada that has been converted to urban uses. In 1996 19% of all Class 1 agricultural land in Canada was occupied by urban development - this percentage increases each year. In fact, urban centres consume land equal to the size of Hamilton, Ontario every year. 

At the current rate an additional 260,000 acres (1,070 square kilometres) will be urbanized by 2021 in areas north of Toronto, a space almost double the size of Toronto currently. 

How do we combat this? How do we inspire change to protect our farmland and precious green spaces? 

I don’t know if there is an adequate solution to this problem. In Toronto for instance, census data from 2016 indicates that this city grows at a rate  exceeds the national average. Since the last census in 2016 the population of Toronto increased by 6.2 percent, representing nearly 2 million people. City planners are encouraged by legislation and the creation of the Green Belt to build upwards rather than outwards, but at some point these restrictions will not be enough. This is especially the case with a growing immigrant population. 

Nearly half of Toronto’s population is represented by new Canadians, those of which move to the city for the resources, jobs, and the pockets of familiar communities this urban centre provides. Homes need to be built, apartments need to be raised - the need for housing will not vanish any time soon, not in Canada’s largest city and most substantial immigrant ‘magnet’ so to speak. Toronto remains as Canada’s top destination for migrant populations, despite a growing interest in the prairies. 

Lack of Land Preservation:

Some people believe that a growing movement to protect and preserve rural landscapes will help to prevent urban expansion and sprawl. The Greenbelt for instance, is considered as a great success in southern Ontario. With over two million hectares of valuable farmland, forests, wetlands, and watersheds protected in the Greater Golden Horseshoe region, development initiatives are virtually non-existent. The Places to Grow Act, developed alongside the Green Belt, legally reinforces and encourages the growth of major cities where it is needed most - downtown cores. 

The Green Belt.

Or so people think. 

Yes, both the Green Belt and Places to Grow act are successful, but what about those spaces beyond the Green Belt? Areas like Shelburne, Guelph, and Barrie? 

Leap-Frog Effect: 

This legislation has unknowingly curtailed the development of new subdivisions and housing complexes to the edges of the Greater Golden Horseshoe (GGH) - to those communities and municipalities that have access to major highways such as 400 and 401, but are not necessarily prepared for a new commuter population. This anomaly is recognized as the leap-frog effect.   

 Changing Land-use in Southern Ontario. The large red area in the centre of the map is the Simcoe County area.

The above map is from a research project conducted by Jonathan Scida using GIS technology. According to this figure, many municipalities within the southern half of Simcoe County, just outside the reach of the Green Belt, have experienced increased levels of urban sprawl and development. This is a result of close access to major highways and arterial roads, those of which are viable transportation options to access Toronto for employment purposes. 

Developers are drawn to this land because it’s largely unprotected, land is cheap, and people will flock to these areas for a chance to live in homes that are within reach of the city. As a result of this, those communities outside of the Green Belt are largely ignored and are forced to face continued development and loss of agricultural land. This is a problem as 70% of Ontario’s prime agricultural land lies outside of the Green Belt boundary. 

No Legislation to Protect Agriculture:

What about legislation? 

As I’ve mentioned before in previous blogs, this is largely ineffective as well. Currently the protection of agricultural land isn’t legislated in Ontario - in Canada. The Green Belt may exist, but it does very little to change how agricultural land is treated in regards to its land use. Yes, this land may be used to produce food, but on a legal-level it is considered the same as land that is used for purely commercial or residential purposes, all the result of the Planning Act, 1990. 

As illustrated within a report released by the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, “Ontario’s current land-use planning system is geared towards the accommodation of urban (residential) development and other urban-related land uses within the framework of “good planning principles”. Within this framework, farmland is typically viewed as a background landscape upon which development is to be painted, or in other words, as tarmac in-waiting”. 

As this continues to occur other policy tools such as land easements, stewardship programs, and land trusts prove to be inadequate. These tools are largely undeveloped and depend on volunteers for their successful functioning.

In addition, decisions are routinely made that negatively impact agricultural interests and often act to ignore the needs, wants, and demands of farmers. Plans are often put forward that undermine agricultural interests and there is very little pressure and motivation for planners and developers to evaluate the true impacts of their activities on the ability farmers have to preserve and act as stewards of their lands. Parcels of land are often divided as a result of construction and serve as barriers between farmed lands. 

Despite the fact that agriculture is integral to Canada and Ontario’s economy, policy and decision-makers are deaf to the needs of farmers. Farmers have no voice, and this is only going to increase in the near future if legislation and planning does not change. 

Tourism & Creative Destruction:

Finally, in the future rural tourism is likely to increase across Canada and within the province of Ontario. Rural areas offer tourists an assortment of unique experiences that are not easily replicated elsewhere in the world. Not only does the countryside offer people the ability to relax, experience nature, and the great outdoors, but allows people to develop an appreciation for a culture, history, and heritage that is unlike their own. 

St. Jacobs Market.  

St. Jacobs for instance, a community 20-30 minutes north of Waterloo in Ontario, offers tourists the chance to experience the local Mennonite culture and purchase local foods, goods, and produce from an internationally recognized farmer’s market, one that is home to over 300 vendors offering a good deal. If people have the desire to do so, they may partake in a horse and buggy ride, walk on some of the local trails alongside the Conestoga River, or check out the model railway downtown.

Although these experiences are largely successful in bringing tourists into the area, generating jobs for the local population, and a surge of wealth that acts to help renew the community, it must be mentioned that many rural towns and villages that become tourist hubs often succumb to what is known as the “tourist gaze” or “creative destruction”. 

What do these terms mean?

Rural spaces such as St. Jacobs are heavily transformed and commodified to meet the needs of tourists, largely urbanites. Heritage is over-exaggerated and buildings and destinations are designed to appear as though they originate right from a time in the distant past. A perfect example of this is the Tim Hortons in St. Jacobs. This building, as seen below, is purposefully designed to look very similar to a ranch. 

St. Jacobs Tim Hortons

Yes, this may act to preserve rural areas and St. Jacobs in a sense, but it must be argued that the authentic aspect of rural communities is lost as a result of this. The opinions, stories, and views of local populations are lost as a result of continued changes that reflect the urban view of what constitutes as rural (rural idyll). 

Will this be the case for all rural towns and villages in the future? I really hope not, but I have my doubts.

As I mentioned a bit earlier, I’m more than a bit disheartened. The future of rural communities and landscapes is looking pretty bleak, especially based on all the research we’ve had the opportunity to conduct in class. Fortunately, I haven’t lost all hope.

I think that it’s our responsibility as educated citizens and students to play a role in advocating for rural spaces. We need to fight for the voices of farmers and open up the metaphorical political, social, and economic doors that act as barriers to their speech and allow them to be heard within society. We need to fight for better land-use laws and legislation to protect farmland and green spaces. We need to fight for the better management of tourism - authentic tourism if that’s even possible. We need to be spokespeople for our home and native land (insert Canadian national anthem here).

I know that I’m hardly inspiring, but I think that my point has been made. We need to do better and make better decisions if we plan on improving the future of rural spaces in Canada. We can’t expect positive change to happen - we need to be advocates and make positive change happen!

 - Vanessa 

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

“June 1919: the Canadian government banned Mennonites from entering Canada. In speaking to the proposed legislation, John Wesley Edwards said "Whether they be called Mennonites, Hutterites, or any kind of 'ites,' we do not want them to come to Canada... if they are willing to allow others to do their fighting for them... We certainly do not want that kind of cattle in this country!" Edwards went on to say Mennonites already in Canada should be deported. The Legislation cited "particular customs, habits, and modes of living" that were incongruent with Canadian values as the reason for the ban which was in place until there was a change in government in 1921. During the years 1918-1925 the Manitoba and Saskatchewan governments applied heavy-handed pressure on the Mennonite population to send their children to government-run schools, resorting to fining, jailing, and confiscation of farm implements, horses, cattle, and even food. In Saskatchewan alone, there were over 5,400 prosecutions.”

- Mennonite Heritage Archives, June 19, 2019  

[dw-geog4390-blog]

The Movement of Mennonites

When I think of who might be a Mennonite, my perception is guided largely by a combination of stereotypes, some minimal interactions with local Mennonites in Kitchener-Waterloo such as at the market below, and conversations with my girlfriend’s uncle who comes from a new order Mennonite family. My perception of Old Order Mennonites emphasizes a lifestyle and culture based in subsistence agriculture, high-quality craft trades, and a relative rejection of modern luxuries including cars and the internet. I have also associated this group of people with deep roots in the places they have settled in Southern Ontario. However, as I have learned, this is not necessarily the case, Old Order Mennonites are migrating at an exceptional rate within Ontario and are contributing to dramatic demographic changes in Northern and Eastern Ontario.

Source (https://www.explorewaterlooregion.com/listing/st-jacobs-farmers-market/)

Generally, Old Order Mennonites have been shifting their communities north into Ontario in response to rising land prices and urbanization which was preventing them from continuing their traditional lifestyle. These people enter the community and the local economy as farmers and as entrepreneurs in industries including manufacturing. Practical adoptions of technology are accepted within these communities, and some technology like a telephone is being adopted in business contexts. Young men are working for other peoples farms to get greater access to technology. This interview provides an excellent overview of this phenomenon: http://www.cbc.ca/player/play/2512564588/

The Desbarats Region, within the Township of Johnson, is one example of a community distinctly altered by the immigration of Old Order Mennonites. Beginning in 2004, families have been moving to this community, eventually growing the population of the region by 14%, comprising 25% of the population and 27% of the workforce. Residents cite that they moved to Northern Ontario to allow their children the opportunity to continue their way of life and purchase a farm. The influx of this new demographic contributed to a significant change in both the regional culture and food system.

Unlike the North Bay community described in the interview above, this community is exceptionally culturally strict in the use of technology. Community partnerships with the municipal government and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Foods, and Rural Affairs have been both essential for the successful establishment of the community, accommodating the strict cultural needs of the community.

Changes in community composition have generated more benefits than consequences for the longevity, sustainability, and well-being for Desbarats. The introduction of non-industrialised agriculture into the region offers hope that growth in the agricultural sector of the North can be done in a way that promotes the production of fresh fruits and vegetables with relatively fewer environmental concerns. Additionally, the establishment of these new farms has provided access for regional communities to fresher foods and reduced their reliance on southern imports. As such, communities outside of Desbarats stand to benefit from these demographic changes.

To continue improving the state of the Desbarats community for both this Mennonite community, facilitating long-lasting partnerships between families and OMAFRA to promote record keeping, access to newer technology (to the extent that the community are comfortable with), and facilitate access to broader markets than the local area. If this can be accomplished, then the new growth seen within the Desbarats area may be sustained and allow for a healthy rural community for generations to come.

 References

https://www.tvo.org/article/current-affairs/a-mennonite-migration-is-transforming-agriculture--and-diets--in-the-north

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sudbury/mennonites-feeling-at-home-in-northern-ontario-1.2762490

Epp, S. (2018). Assessing Resilience in Agriculture: A Case Study of Old Order Mennonite Communities in Northern Ontario (Doctoral dissertation).

[copperbadge]

Come in, come in. Tea? Cakes? We have excellent cakes here, now that the mill is running so smoothly. A terrible trial we had with it at first, but now there is more time for leisure. Such time! I've been able to build a little boat, even, and my sons and I sail on the lake you saw as you came up. Ah! Canada, not so bad. It reminds me of home.

I was not a pirate for long. Two years before the mast, maybe a little more. I left Amsterdam ahead of a press to force young men into the Navy; I wouldn't have any of that, but the sea didn't seem like a bad choice, so I joined a ship of ill-repute. Well, yes, it was a pirate ship. But it was a life of my choosing, not chosen for me, and that has always made the difference.

It suited me, suited me fine for a while. I can't say I grew rich, but I put some aside -- my spoils are the good strong mill on the river and the land surrounding. Of course it wouldn't do to talk too much about how I bought them now, what with my standing here.

The seas were all right, and I tell you I didn't anticipate leaving when I did -- but we pulled alongside harbor one night, off the coast of America, and I saw the land, laid out before me, a new land at least to me. I was on the night watch, but it was bitter cold and no others were on the deck. So I took my chance; using a rope and with all my worldly goods clutched to me, I swung from the deck of the ship a deserting pirate, and landed on the shore an immigrant.

It wasn't long before I found that many of my people -- Dutch, not reformed pirates -- were making their way to Canada, where the land was good and winters cold. So I came too, and bought this little plot of land. I have a sweet wife and many sons, and they say one day soon I will be chosen as the next minister. 

Not a bad end for a pirate.

It’s talk like A pirate day, not talk like EVERY pirate day. This year I chose my venerable ancestor, an undocumented immigrant who built a boat, a mill, and a dynasty in eastern Canada before becoming minister of the Mennonite church.

[encephalonfatigue]

god is not dead. god is bread. the bread is rising! bread means revolution.

this is a reflection on Kropotkin’s “Conquest of Bread”, because i couldn’t fit it all in goodreads. the title of this post comes from the New York Young Lords,‘‘Celebration for a People’s Church” (1969).

This was a fascinating book. My interest in Kropotkin came out of reading about Anabaptist radicals. Kropotkin thought that Western anarchism’s roots could be traced back to Anabaptist communities. The affection has, in a sense, run both ways though. Catholic Workers adore Kropotkin, and he had an outsized influence on Dorothy Day, who writes a lot about Kropotkin in her autobiography. I can see the connection. Even as Kropotkin spoke frequently about revolution he also was less enthusiastic about violence than many other anarchists. For example, I came across this in Jacqueline Jones’ biography of Lucy Parsons (with whom Kropotkin was acquainted, meeting in London and Chicago):

“At the same time, Kropotkin disavowed the use of violence, which, he said, is “not characteristic of anarchists or the Anarchist party.” He told his listeners that true anarchists accepted “the principle that no man nor no society has the right to take another man’s life.”

That being said, Kropotkin observed the Bolshevik revolution with interest, though certainly through a critical lens, and returned from England to Russia in 1917, in June following the February Revolution. The Menshevik David Shub quotes Kropotkin’s comments as the October Revolution was unfolding:

“When, in Moscow that November, Kropotkin heard the first cannon volleys of the Bolshevik uprising, he exclaimed: "This is the burial of the Russian Revolution.””

Kropotkin eventually met Lenin, as Lenin was in fact quite fond of Kropotkin, even if they had their disagreements. Lenin’s personal secretary Vladimir Bonch-Bruyevich, first met with Kropotkin in 1918, and eventually arranged Kropotkin’s meeting with Lenin. Bonch-Bruyevich documented this in 1919, in a very fascinating piece of writing.

A total tangent, but Bonch-Bruyevich (though a Marxist, and eventually a Bolshevik) was also friends with the anarchist Tolstoy with whom he collaborated with in aiding the Doukhobor immigration to Canada. Tolstoy requested that Bonch-Bruyevich escort the Doukhobors to Canada. The Doukhobors were radical pacifist dissenters. I have a book at home called “Folk Furniture of Canada’s Doukhobors, Hutterites, Mennonites, and Ukrainians” by James Fleming and Michael Rowan, and it describes the Doukhobors in this way:

“The Doukhobors adopted the peasant commune system, or mir, that had existed for centuries… One of the persistent bases of the commune was the rejection of land ownership in the usual sense. Work alone gave rightful claim to temporary possession of land in theory at least land was to be redistributed from year to year. In the early years under this system there as no personal property, and each individual, each family, shared in the common wealth and goods of the community, and contributed to them… Koozma J. Tarasoff has described the Doukhobors as “Christian anarchists in search of a practical utopia.”

Bonch-Bruyevich (aka Bruevich), besides his politics, had a deep interest in folk religion, and spent time studying various ones of Russia. The Canadian folklorist Robert B. Klymasz wrote about Bonch-Bruyevich (aka Bruevich) in a paper called “V. D. Bonch-Bruevich and the Lenin Connection in New World Folkloristics”:

“A number of important ideological factors helped bridge the two sides of Bruevich: that is, Bruevich as revolutionary activist on the one hand, and Bruevich as avid folklorist on the other. Lenin in particular had noted how, in the past, religious heresies were the seeds of political revolutionary change, and how there appeared to be a universal connection between political protest Bruevich committed much of his energy to a long-term search for publishable materials that could underline aspects of social protest that simmered among the tensed-up masses of Imperialist Tsarist Russia before the Revolution. Bruevich's search inevitably led him to investigate the folkloric formulations of dissent as couched in the rich oral traditions of the Doukhobors, whose dicta were immune to the ruthless suppression of the printed word by the official censorship in tsarist Russia. By the turn of the century he foresaw the publication of a series of volumes full of materials concerning the history and study of Russian sectarianism and schism.”

Back to Doukhobor immigration to Canada, and the Tolstoy connection: Tolstoy had written to an economics professor at the University of Toronto called James Mavor (he was involved in a Scottish Socialist League, and while in Toronto, deeply involved in the founding of the ROM and AGO, and is the great-great-grandfather of Noah “40” Shebib, Drake’s producer). Tolstoy described them as Russia’s best farmers who would use land and seeds in the best way possible. One other supporter of Doukhobor immigration to Canada was Kropotkin himself, who also wrote to the Toronto economics professor Mavor, requesting they be granted “land in a block; they cannot live in isolated farms. They are Russians, for whom it is more indispensable than for Mennonites.” (The stuff you learn about in books about Canadian folk furniture.) George Woodcock has also written a book about the Doukhobors that I hope to read some day.

For more reading on the Bonch-Bruyevich angle, there is a record written by Vera Mikhailovna Velichkina (Bonch-Bruyevich’s spouse) about travelling with the Doukhobors to Canada. When the Doukhobors were interned at Grosse Isle, Quebec, in the St Lawrence River, Bonch-Bruyevich began writing down their hymns, psalms, prayers, and narratives, many of which are collected in the “Book of Life of Doukhobors: Materials Concerning History and Study of Russian Sectarianism and Schism”.

Alright, returning from the enormous tangential diversion, what I think is fascinating about The Conquest of Bread, is that it highlights the distinction (of emphasis) between the real politik communism of Marxism-Leninism and more libertarian tendencies of anarcho-communism.  I will start with some fun examples (anarchists are always so good at these things, I can see that David Graeber really fits this tradition so well). These examples reflect a mode of ‘grace’, theologically speaking, where deed and reward are not so tightly coupled in any precisely quantifiable manner:

“When you go into a public library — not indeed the National Library of Paris, but, say, into the British Museum or the Berlin Library — the librarian does not ask what services you have rendered to society before giving you the book, or the fifty books which you require, and he comes to your assistance if you do not know how to manage the catalogue. By means of uniform credentials — and very often a contribution of work is preferred — the scientific society opens its museums, its gardens, its library, its laboratories, and its annual conversaziones to each of its members, whether he be a Darwin, or a simple amateur.”

“The tramways and railways have already introduced monthly and annual season tickets, without limiting the number of journeys taken; and two nations, Hungary and Russia, have introduced on their railways the zone system, which permits the holder to travel five hundred or a thousand miles for the same price. It is but a short step from that to a uniform charge, such as already prevails in the postal service. In all these innovations, and a thousand others, the tendency is not to measure the individual consumption. One man wants to travel a thousand miles, another five hundred. These are personal requirements. There is no sufficient reason why one should pay twice as much as the other because his need is twice as great. Such are the signs which appear even now in our individualist societies.”

What’s interesting is that I’ve witnessed over my lifetime the eradication of this type of transit fare. My first visit to Singapore, I witnessed with fascination the tapping in and out of subway stations and buses, which charged your accounts to precisely the stops you boarded and alighted from. Years later, Presto arrived in Toronto, and I have witnessed the TTC subway stations one by one, replacing their subway gates to eradicate the use of tokens. The fare is still a level one as of now, but there are plans to move it into the direction of GO Transit policy, where journeys are charged according to precise distances travelled. (Of course there are monthly passes, but if it is not universalized, just like health insurance in Amerika, it becomes unaffordably expensive.) Technology has a way of enabling this sort of erosion of commons and grace, into a calculating self-absorbed individualist mode of existence.

This ethos was what provoked Kropotkin to speak out against anarchists like Proudhon, who advocated for labour-cheques, effectively paid on the basis of labour-time rather than the market-determined value of one’s labour:

“It is the same with the wages system; for after having proclaimed the abolition of private property, and the possession in common of all means of production, how can they uphold the wages system in any form? It is, nevertheless, what collectivists are doing when they recommend labour-cheques. It is easy to understand why the early English socialists came to the system of labour-cheques. They simply tried to make Capital and Labour agree. They repudiated the idea of violently laying hands on capitalist property.  It is also easily understood why Proudhon took up the idea later on. In his Mutualist system he tried to make Capital less offensive, notwithstanding the retaining of private property, which he detested from the bottom of his heart, but which he believed to be necessary to guarantee individuals against the State… how can we defend labour-notes, this new form of wagedom, when we admit that houses, fields, and factories will no longer be private property, and that they will belong to the commune or the nation?”

My greatest affinity for Kropotkin comes from his emphasis on human needs before the question of production, because when our most basic needs are not met is when we are most vulnerable to exploitation. He writes in The Conquest of Bread:

“It was poverty that created the first capitalist; because, before accumulating “surplus value,” of which we hear so much, men had to be sufficiently destitute to consent to sell their labour, so as not to die of hunger. It was poverty that made capitalists.”

“Let us limit ourselves at present to opening up the new path that consists in the study of the needs of man, and the means of satisfying them.”

“We study the needs of individuals, and the means by which they satisfy them, before discussing Production, Exchange, Taxation, Government, etc. To begin with, the difference may appear trifling, but in reality it upsets official Political Economy. If you open the works of any economist you will find that he begins with PRODUCTION, the analysis of means employed nowadays for the creation of wealth; division of labour, manufacture, machinery, accumulation of capital. From Adam Smith to Marx, all have proceeded along these lines. Only in the latter parts of their books do they treat of CONSUMPTION, that is to say, of the means necessary to satisfy the needs of individuals…”

Marx the materialist insists on starting with the material conditions and realities, that is the mode of production. The problem is theorists never can get to a consensus as to how production should be organized, who should look after what thing, how best to do so etc. The ultimate materialist base consists of basic human needs. Kropotkin’s claim is that, hey we already have the ability to produce enough for everyone’s basic needs. He spends pages and pages of calculations showing this. Kropotkin encourages us to settle the issue of what must be done to meet everyone’s basic needs, and only when we understand the basic needs can we adjust production to better suit those needs. This is ultimately the issue that is foregrounded in Kropotkin’s 1920 letter to Lenin, where he highlights the food distribution issues in the first few years of Soviet Russia.

I do believe the focus on Universal Basic Income is ultimately a good one. Everyone has the unconditional right an adequate supply of healthy food, clean water, hygienic shelter, and basic healthcare and drugs. Let us secure these things, and focus production around these things. Only when our basic needs are met, are we free enough to think clearly about the details of revolutionary theory and organization. Kropotkin writes:

“That we are Utopians is well known. So Utopian are we that we go the length of believing that the Revolution can and ought to assure shelter, food, and clothes to all — an idea extremely displeasing to middle-class citizens, whatever their party colour, for they are quite alive to the fact that it is not easy to keep the upper hand of a people whose hunger is satisfied.

All the same, we maintain our contention: bread must be found for the people of the Revolution, and the question of bread must take precedence of all other questions. If it is settled in the interests of the people, the Revolution will be on the right road; for in solving the question of Bread we must accept the principle of equality, which will force itself upon us to the exclusion of every other solution.”

Marx is famously known for wanting to abolish ‘wage labour’, but his means of getting there was in fact far more moderate than anarchist theorists like Kropotkin. Marx believed there was to be transitional phases required before we could reach a wageless economic system. Kropotkin in contrast writes:

“Unskilled labour in the eyes of the collectivist is simple labour, while the work of the craftsman, the mechanic, the engineer, the man of science, etc., is what Marx calls complex labour, and is entitled to a higher wage. But labourers and craftsmen, weavers and men of science, are all wage-servants of the State — “all officials,” as was said lately, to gild the pill.

The coming Revolution can render no greater service to humanity than to make the wage system, in all its forms, an impossibility, and to render Communism, which is the negation of wage-slavery, the only possible solution. For even admitting that the Collectivist modification of the present system is possible, if introduced gradually during a period of prosperity and peace — though for my part I question its practicability even under such conditions — it would become impossible in a period of Revolution, when the need of feeding hungry millions springs up with the first call to arms. A political revolution can be accomplished without shaking the foundations of industry, but a revolution where the people lay hands upon property will inevitably paralyse exchange and production. Millions of public money would not suffice for wages to the millions of out-of-works. This point cannot be too much insisted upon; the reorganization of industry on a new basis (and we shall presently show how tremendous this problem is) cannot be accomplished in a few days, nor, on the other hand, will the people submit to be half starved for years in order to oblige the theorists who uphold the wage system. To tide over the period of stress they will demand what they have always demanded in such cases — communization of supplies — the giving of rations. It will be in vain to preach patience. The people will be patient no longer, and if food is not put in common they will plunder the bakeries.”

Of course Marx recognized the problems of wages. His ideas in Capital centre around the problem of how a global market deeply shapes hierarchal relations of domination. As soon as we have a universal signifier of value like money, anything in the world has a relative value to any other thing in the world. There is theoretically an exchange rate between an object and any other object in the world. One shoe is worth x number of carrots. However, it is not merely objects that have been commodified, but our labour. Our labour is sold on the market, and therefore any single person’s hour of labour has an exchange rate with any other person’s hour of labour. There are ratios of value between people’s labour. A doctor’s labour is more valuable in the market than a janitor’s and custodian’s labour. Hence, markets inevitably create classes of people, some of whom are more valuable in the market than others. Hence some people are more disposable than others. One person’s hour of labour, and ultimately life, is more valuable than another person’s life.

Kropotkin writes:

“Most collectivists, true to the distinction laid down by middle-class economists (and by Marx) between qualified work and simple work, tell us, moreover, that qualified or professional work must be paid a certain quantity more than simple work. Thus an hour’s work of a doctor will have to be considered as equivalent to two or three hours’ work of a hospital nurse, or to three hours’ work of a navvy. “Professional, or qualified work, will be a multiple of simple work,” says the collectivist Grönlund, “because this kind of work needs a more or less long apprenticeship.”

Other collectivists, such as the French Marxists, do not make this distinction. They proclaim “Equality of Wages.” The doctor, the schoolmaster, and the professor will be paid (in labour-cheques) at the same rate as the navvy. Eight hours visiting the sick in a hospital will be worth the same as eight hours spent in earth-works or else in mines or factories.”

The solution that Kropotkin writes of here attempts to rectify the issue by equalizing everyone’s hour of labour to an equal value. As long as you work, an hour, you receive the same thing in return. The issue then becomes, what if you are unable to work as much as others, you have more children, you are sick more often, you have a disability, etc. Marx recognized this issue and made a comment, that would be capitalized upon by the authoritarian left for generations. In his “Critique of the Gotha Program” Marx writes:

“In spite of this advance, this equal right is still constantly stigmatized by a bourgeois limitation. The right of the producers is proportional to the labor they supply; the equality consists in the fact that measurement is made with an equal standard, labor.

But one man is superior to another physically, or mentally, and supplies more labor in the same time, or can labor for a longer time; and labor, to serve as a measure, must be defined by its duration or intensity, otherwise it ceases to be a standard of measurement. This equal right is an unequal right for unequal labor. It recognizes no class differences, because everyone is only a worker like everyone else; but it tacitly recognizes unequal individual endowment, and thus productive capacity, as a natural privilege. It is, therefore, a right of inequality, in its content, like every right. Right, by its very nature, can consist only in the application of an equal standard; but unequal individuals (and they would not be different individuals if they were not unequal) are measurable only by an equal standard insofar as they are brought under an equal point of view, are taken from one definite side only – for instance, in the present case, are regarded only as workers and nothing more is seen in them, everything else being ignored. Further, one worker is married, another is not; one has more children than another, and so on and so forth. Thus, with an equal performance of labor, and hence an equal in the social consumption fund, one will in fact receive more than another, one will be richer than another, and so on. To avoid all these defects, right, instead of being equal, would have to be unequal.

But these defects are inevitable in the first phase of communist society as it is when it has just emerged after prolonged birth pangs from capitalist society. Right can never be higher than the economic structure of society and its cultural development conditioned thereby.

In a higher phase of communist society, after the enslaving subordination of the individual to the division of labor, and therewith also the antithesis between mental and physical labor, has vanished; after labor has become not only a means of life but life's prime want; after the productive forces have also increased with the all-around development of the individual, and all the springs of co-operative wealth flow more abundantly – only then can the narrow horizon of bourgeois right be crossed in its entirety and society inscribe on its banners: From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs!”

While Lenin early on emphasized the need to better equalize wages, he would eventually come to the conclusion that is rendered in the deutero-Pauline epistle 2 Thessalonians (3:10),:

“The socialist principle, "He who does not work shall not eat", is already realized; the other socialist principle, "An equal amount of products for an equal amount of labor", is also already realized. But this is not yet communism, and it does not yet abolish "bourgeois law", which gives unequal individuals, in return for unequal (really unequal) amounts of labor, equal amounts of products.”

“Not directly relying on enthusiasm, but aided by the enthusiasm engendered by the great revolution, and on the basis of personal interest, personal incentives, and business principles, we must first set to work in this small-peasant country to build solid gangways to socialism by way of state capitalism .••• Personal incentive will step up production; we must increase production first and foremost and at all cost.”

By the time you reach Stalin, this ideology is made extremely explicit:

“What is the cause of the fluidity of manpower? The cause is the wrong structure of wages, the wrong wage scales, the "Leftist" practice of wage equalisation. In a number of factories wage scales are drawn up in such a way as to practically wipe out the difference between skilled and unskilled labour, between heavy and light work. The consequence of wage equalisation is that the unskilled worker lacks the incentive to become a skilled worker and is thus deprived of the prospect of advancement;  …hence, the fluidity of manpower. In order to put an end to this evil we must abolish wage equalisation and discard the old wage scales. In order to put an end to this evil we must draw up wage scales that will take into account the difference between skilled and unskilled labour, between heavy and light work. …Marx and Lenin said that the difference between skilled and unskilled labour would exist even under socialism, even after classes had been abolished; that only under communism would this difference disappear and that, consequently, even under socialism "wages" must be paid according to work performed and not according to needs. But the equalitarians among our economic executives and trade-union officials do not agree with this and believe that under our Soviet system this difference has already disappeared. Who is right, Marx and Lenin or the equalitarians? It must be assumed that it is Marx and Lenin who are right. But it follows from this that whoever draws up wage scales on the "principle" of wage equalisation, without taking into account the difference between skilled and unskilled labour, breaks with Marxism, breaks with Leninism. And what does promoting them to higher positions and raising their wage level mean, what can it lead to as far as unskilled workers are concerned? It means, apart from everything else, opening up prospects for the unskilled worker and giving him an incentive to rise higher, to rise to the category of a skilled worker. You know yourselves that we now need hundreds of thousands and even millions of skilled workers. But in order to build up cadres of skilled workers, we must provide an incentive for the unskilled workers, provide for them a prospect of advancement, of rising to a higher position.”

By 1972, this quid pro quo ideology is expressed as such (by V.S. Kulikov):

“Under socialism, greater rewards are given to those workers who create more value, whose contribution to the fulfillment of plans and the development of production is larger. This is achieved by paying higher wages to skilled workers, to those requiring longer training. Work undertaken in dangerous or harmful conditions is also better paid. If this were not so, there would be no incentive to acquire eduction, to raise skills, to undertake more complex and responsible work.”

I mean this is the sort of stuff you hear rich capitalist reactionary assholes and ‘white collar professionals’ in America saying to minimum wage workers. This is trajectory from which it is best to read this last quote from Kropotkin that I want to conclude with:

“They will speak of “Scientific Socialism”; they will quote bourgeois economists, and Marx too, to prove that a scale of wages has its raison d’être, as “the labour-force” of the engineer will have cost more to society than the “labour-force” of the navvy. In fact, — have not economists tried to prove to us that if an engineer is paid twenty times more than a navvy it is because the “necessary” outlay to make an engineer is greater than that necessary to make a navvy? And has not Marx asserted that the same distinction is equally logical between two branches of manual labour? He could not conclude otherwise, having on his own account taken up Ricardo’s theory of value, and upheld that goods are exchanged in proportion to the quantity of work socially necessary for their production.

But we know what to think of this. We know that if engineers, scientists, or doctors are paid ten or a hundred times more than a labourer, and that a weaver earns three times more than an agricultural labourer, and ten times more than a girl in a match factory, it is not by reason of their “cost of production,” but by reason of a monopoly of education, or a monopoly of industry. Engineers, scientists, and doctors merely exploit their capital — their diplomas — as middle-class employers exploit a factory, or as nobles used to exploit their titles of nobility.”

[facesofcsl]

Reshma S., Student (Masters of Pediatrics)

I’m a science student and we don’t get exposure to CSL very often. In the second year of my undergrad I was struggling to find a class and I knew I wanted to try something different. 

A friend of mine recommended taking a Modern Languages and Cultural Studies course, taught by Dr. Natalie Kononenko. My professor’s background was in Ukrainian Studies so she would often bring up some of the ways those cultures integrated storytelling and then talk about how it would apply in a Canadian multicultural context. I was intrigued by storytelling because it had very close connections to me as a newcomer. My professor connected me with Edmonton Mennonite Centre for Newcomers (EMCN) as my very first CSL placement; my project focused on how storytelling can help newcomers integrate into Canadian society by sharing their stories.

One of the stories I worked on was with a Syrian refugee. He had written down his story of coming to Canada and was eager to share it, but it was in Arabic and he didn’t speak much English. Someone helped translate it into English, and then we worked with him to create a storytelling map. It traces his story from Syria to Edmonton, and at every milestone there’s a picture and a little snippet of what happened. I think that was really helpful for him because he could use it, for example at human library events, to tell his story in a more consumable way. I never realized how something as simple as storytelling can have such a big impact.

Later on, my professor asked me to be a peer mentor for her class. I was teaching what I had learned about storytelling, and then working with students to develop presentations for USchool. USchool brings kids from socially vulnerable populations and rural communities to campus and teaches them about university studies.

Then last year, the Pathways Program was a surprise for me, I got an email that there were a few paid internships available over the summer for CSL students. I’ve worked in a research lab for the past seven years, so I decided to change it up this summer. I had done some work around food insecurity before, so I applied to work at the Campus Food Bank and I still work there part-time as the Volunteer Coordinator. I loved building connections with volunteers from all different faculties, and exploring different food banks across Edmonton. This was a different side of nonprofits that I hadn’t seen before, so it was really eye-opening. I enjoyed seeing the strengths of the nonprofit sector and being a part of such impactful work.The Campus Food Bank runs grocery buses to increase access to stores like T&T or Superstore; campus kitchen classes to teach students how to cook; and a hamper program to provide food support for our campus community. Even with only four staff, our work is very impactful. The best part of this experience was learning to work with limited resources, and bringing in my creativity to run these programs.

I’m really grateful that I got to learn about CSL. I wouldn’t have experienced this side of my undergrad without the same openness or encouragement to let me do creative projects. I have had a really unique experience in my undergrad and I think these are the memories I am going to carry with me.

CSL even helped me realize that I want to work in a field where I can bring in my scientific background and also work in the community. In a lab, you’re gaining knowledge but I have always wanted to work in community and be apart of a community. Being an immigrant you don’t necessarily have that community around you- people with similar languages, values, and cultures- so you almost have to learn how to build that community for yourself. For me, being involved in these organizations and learning how people from multicultural backgrounds exist together and celebrate each other's cultures was a big thing. CSL even taught me what I want to do for my Masters. Even though I’m doing my research in a lab, I’m looking at HIV exposed children in Uganda. I get to go to Uganda, participate in the field study, and do research. It’s a perfect blend of everything I’ve done in my undergrad.

Now I’m also participating in the Non-Profit Board Internship. I’ve been placed with a business oriented group, and I'm excited to see where this goes in the future. I can envision this experience being very helpful in a medical sciences field where you have to do lots of policy work.

The sky's the limit in CSL. Nonprofits are so open to new ideas, and you’re able to experiment with different things and see if it works to help your community.  I loved being able to bring in my own background, personality, and creativity. There is so much you can do in the nonprofit sector, people have so much passion and you are there for a reason. My motivation behind completing the CSL certificate was just being involved in community organizations and working on unique projects. I loved being exposed to a different field, and I wish I could have taken more courses.