So about eighty percent of the world has brown eyes. Obviously the number of Canadians with brown eyes will be slightly lower than that. But what... 60%? The stats just aren't out there. But since a supermajority of humans have brown eyes, it's got to be at least a bare majority of Canadians, right? So anyway, let's look at five eyes:
What do those five eyes have in common? None of them are brown, to be sure - so they belong to humans that belong to a distinct minority of humans, and almost assuredly a minority of Canadians as well.
Yet these eyes belong to the leaders of Canada's five main national parties.
Now, certainly if any position ought to be meritocratic, it's that of Prime Minister - and, by extension, that of 'candidate for Prime Minister'. I'm certainly not condemning any of the five parties for nominating a blue-eyed white person. True meritocracy doesn't disqualify anyone, certainly not those who belong to groups that have held the reins of power since... oh, since confederation.
But even if you raise the percentage of Canadians who have lighter-coloured eyes all the way to the improbable level of 50%, then the odds of all five leaders having lighter-coloured eyes is a paltry 3.1%. And that's if only 50% of Canadians have brown eyes.
I don't really have anything to say. Except, of course, that if Canadians are looking to Ottawa to pay lip service to diversity, they'll be well satiated. But if they're looking to Ottawa to embody diversity... well, they might not find much.
What do those five eyes have in common? None of them are brown, to be sure - so they belong to humans that belong to a distinct minority of humans, and almost assuredly a minority of Canadians as well.
Yet these eyes belong to the leaders of Canada's five main national parties.
Now, certainly if any position ought to be meritocratic, it's that of Prime Minister - and, by extension, that of 'candidate for Prime Minister'. I'm certainly not condemning any of the five parties for nominating a blue-eyed white person. True meritocracy doesn't disqualify anyone, certainly not those who belong to groups that have held the reins of power since... oh, since confederation.
But even if you raise the percentage of Canadians who have lighter-coloured eyes all the way to the improbable level of 50%, then the odds of all five leaders having lighter-coloured eyes is a paltry 3.1%. And that's if only 50% of Canadians have brown eyes.
I don't really have anything to say. Except, of course, that if Canadians are looking to Ottawa to pay lip service to diversity, they'll be well satiated. But if they're looking to Ottawa to embody diversity... well, they might not find much.
No comments:
Post a Comment