i don't blame her for just forgetting about the issue and moving on.

but, she really ought to contact the ccla and sue the school. you can't fire somebody because they're white. and, the school administrators are government employees.

this is unconstitutional. blatantly.

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2016/01/26/university-of-ottawa-yoga-class-resumes-with-new-teacher.html

15. (1) Every individual is equal before and under the law and has the right to the equal protection and equal benefit of the law without discrimination and, in particular, without discrimination based on race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disability.

(2) Subsection (1) does not preclude any law, program or activity that has as its object the amelioration of conditions of disadvantaged individuals or groups including those that are disadvantaged because of race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disability.
 
to clarify: in canada, all universities are public institutions. we do not have private universities. so, these are all public servants with salaries that come directly from the state, not from tuition. doctors are considered public servants in canada, too, although this is a little bit more vague.

regardless, it may actually be prudent to launch a wrongful dismissal suit and a human rights complaint at the same time.

again: i understand why the victim here might not want to take the issue up. but i do think that these people need to be stopped. and, we do have the legal means at our disposal to do it.

Madeleine J. Whitfield I think it was the Student Union, or some such independent body that came up with this ridiculous idea. The governing body of the U of O, the president, board, etc. had nothing to do with it, or so I understand. I have a feeling that someone made an offhand remark one day based on their own need to complain about something; then someone else thought of doing an informal independent survey of about two people, and hey presto! Yoga banned. Isn't anybody held accountable for their actions and opinions at the Student Union?

Louis Picone I agree take it court or arbritration.Give the woman her job back.

Jeffrey Wheeler The student council is out of control. This is unfuckingbelievable. They were - and remain - simply wrong!

Andrew J. Hutton Unless people do sue, it won't change.

jessica amber murray i think the fundamental problem here is that the student union is making hiring decisions. they probably know more about foucault than they know about canadian law; it likely collapses to simple legal ignorance. but, it's ultimately the responsibility of the school's administration to ensure that this doesn't happen. they can't duck out like that.

Andrew J. Hutton Yes. Exactly.

jessica amber murray just as an example of what i mean: i'm actually somewhat of a left-wing activist (i identify as a left libertarian, or as an anarchist) and i can't count how many debates i've had with these people on the ground where they claim that "intent doesn't matter".

and, they'll hold to it. up and down. over and over. it's repeatedly demonstrable.

of course, our legal system is based on the premise that intent is everything. it's less that they don't care. it's actually that they don't know. why? because they're not forced to take "an introduction to law for philosophy students". they might parrot something about liberals being deluded, but the truth is that they actually really just don't know what they're talking about.

and, it's kind of ironic, right - because these are people with advanced degrees. some of them even teach. but they've never even heard of mens rea. and i mean that; it's less a rejection, and more of a lack of exposure to it - the fundamental, basic point of our legal system.

so, there's lots of blame to throw around and everything. people need to educate themselves, and the system is clearly failing to teach them about reality. but, at the end of the day, the most important thing is that you have to put adults in charge of this kind of thing. whether that means taking the whole thing away from them or forcing them to consult with a lawyer, i don't know, but the school has to shoulder it, somehow, and step in to correct it.

Andrew J. Hutton Anyone with moderate ethics knows firing someone for their genetics and replacing them with someone with differing genetics for only that reason regardless of performance is wrong.

jessica amber murray that might seem obvious to you, but what if you were taught in a university course that it's immoral for a white person to "behave like a south asian" because "white privilege" implies that is "theft"? you might have been taught otherwise growing up, and have to weigh those convictions and come to an independent choice. but, you might not have been taught differently. then, the school is an authority and you are ignorant for rejecting what they teach. and, remember: this is being presented to you as a moral conviction, not an ideological debate.

and, what if you were taught that "liberal democracy" has failed to reverse the effects of colonialism, and that the only way to get to a point of true equality is through ameliorative reparations that transfer wealth not from one class to another but from one race to another?

Andrew J. Hutton I could not be taught that. I grew up understanding we are one people separated by education and environment.

jessica amber murray see, i've never been able to swallow it, either. i'm pretty independent-minded. i don't accept much of anything on face value or without some independent research and thinking. but, this is not the norm. most people believe what they're told. and, most people believe that a teacher is a trustworthy source, too.

of course, this particular situation is stupid, no matter how you parse it. south asians are not a disadvantaged group in canada; their per capita income is actually the highest of all ethnic groups. and, to think that any kind of meaningful reparations can be established at such a basic level is foolish. there's a reflection of low entrance requirements, there.

but, it's not as simple as claiming it's immoral. moral systems are pretty fluid. and, the moral systems on campus nowadays are perhaps not what you might expect.