Call me a social conservative...

You've no doubt heard of this by now: Carelton University Students' Association decides to stop supporting Shinerama because Cystic Fibrosis (CF) affects only white people, and primarily males. This is untrue. For the purpose of this blog, and highlighting the naiivety of CUSA's decision, let us assume it is true. 

Forty years ago the life expectancy of an individual with CF was four years. Now it is 32 years. I'm a white male, and I understand that because of the culture we have, my life has been significantly easier than that of others. But if the logic that CUSA used  to draft their motion last week was used by student unions 40 years ago, we would be punishing infants on the basis of their sex and race. Barack Obama writes about his childhood in Dream's From My Father, saying "I was too young to know that I needed a race".  Talk about inheritance, talk about race. Forty years ago, no-one would have dared suggest that we should reconsider raising funds for CF if we knew that the disease only affected white males, given that most of those affected would have died well before reaching adulthood.  So why (since we are assuming CF does only affect whites, and primarily males) is this acceptable now? 

You're a female,  and I'm a male. We're on the bus together, you're standing and I'm sitting. I'm going to give you my seat. If you're a male, tough. But if you're a white man, or a black man, or an asian woman and you can't breathe because you've got CF, I'm going to make sure you're ok, and then go make a donation to Shinerama. What on earth would ever make it  right to punish someone because of their inherited race? Race is inherited, so is CF. Back to reality: yes more whites are affected by CF than other races - but as far as I know, not being able to breathe feels just as shitty if you're white as when you're black. 

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When I graduated from high school, I was very fortunate to recieve the Bryan Lynk Memorial Scholarship. Bryan was a young musician from Cape Breton, the same age as myself.  Bryan was born with a twin, Brendan.  Both twins were born with CF. When they were five years old, Brendan passed away. Despite the fact that we socialized in many of  the same circles, I never had the opportunity to meet Bryan. Bryan lost his battle with CF at the young age of seventeen. Spending his last hours in the IWK hospital, a local radio station played one of his band's songs on the Halifax airwaves as he listened closely. His career as a musician drew quickly to an end. 

Bryan was white. Bryan was male. Bryan had a life ahead of him as a young musician, talented, smart and charming, so I'm told.  Would his cause be any more worthy if he had been black, female, gay, or a visible minority? No. He suffered,  just like everyone with CF suffers. Is a caucasion's suffering less worthy of relief simply on the basis that his ancestors have suffered less than someone elses? No. 

Each year, Bryan's friends and school teachers continue to  work to raise money for research into the disease that took Bryan too early. An annual all-day event call BRYSTOCK raises thousands of dollars for Bursaries and Shinerama in Bryan's name. Here is how: 

Thank goodnes CUSA is revisiting their decision to ditch Shinerama. My suggestion is a good primer in Roberts Rules for their entire council, and a requirement that all information contained in whereas clauses be cited in APA or MLA style.