A quote often attributed to British Prime Minister Winston Churchill (1874-1965) has it that "If a man is not a socialist by the time he is 20, he has no heart. If he is not a conservative by the time he is 40, he has no brain."
A variant came to mind in the 1990s when I began to notice how certain post-war Baby Boomers who self-idenitifed as anarchists in their youth were suddenly behaving like libertarians. And yes, BC Bookworld's Alan Twigg appeared to be among them.
During a Writers' Union of Canada event at the Vancouver Writers Festival last Wednesday, TWUC equity, membership and engagement co-ordinator Rebecca Benson, who is Tuscarora from Six Nations, was interrupted by Alan while presenting an outline of the TWUC's "equity policy and programming and subsidies for writers." Apparently Alan felt it okay to shout out his two-bits. But to what end? An instance of free speech -- for free speech's sake? Failing to hear ceremony where he only felt exclusion? Apparently, according to a statement he posted on his B.C. Booklook site.
I have pasted Alan's disturbing I-wrote-about-you-so-I-own-you statement below (followed by his revised version that appeared later this morning [and after that a more recent update, as of October 27th):
A public message from Alan Twigg
In an age when tweets can easily be misconstrued as truths, I wish to make a public statement beyond 140 characters.
Firstly, I wish to sincerely apologize to any person who was upset by the discord that ensued during a private function for Writers Union members in October.
I responded to an Indigenous speaker as an equal but organizers hastily intervened to eradicate any discussion or feedback—from anyone. I particularly wish to apologize to Rebecca Benson, from Six Nations, who was therefore placed in an awkward position.
I was only permitted to voice an initial criticism of the unusually doctrinaire nature of the address, but in absolutely no way did I object to the person who made it. There is a big difference.
One organizer threatened me with removal if I persisted in trying to speak my mind. There was to be no freedom of speech at this gathering. Ironically, I was prohibited from voicing a suggestion that I had hoped might be useful for enhancing Reconciliation. [View that proposal below.]
Now my frustration with the organizers–not with TWUC itself–has been misrepresented by one person who has maliciously branded me as a racist in a Tweet. If that person—or, for that matter, anyone—cares to read the thousands of pages I have written and/or published about and for First Nations cultures and Indigenous authors over the past 40 years, they could make a fairer assessment.
The wonderful growth of appreciation and understanding of Indigenous peoples that we are now witnessing in this country is the result of constructive actions and some difficult conversations.
Today, there are at least 266 Indigenous authors in B.C. and I know that because I’ve written about every one of them. I have provided extensive and respectful coverage of books pertaining to First Nations in every issue of B.C. BookWorldsince 1987 and I’ll continue to do so.
Along the way I wrote and produced a CBC documentary, Jeannette Armstrong: Knowledge Keeper, of the Okanagan, in 1995, and published the first and only book entirely devoted to Indigenous authors of one province, Aboriginality: The Literary Origins of British Columbia, in 2005. I also had the honour of presenting Jeannette with the George Woodcock Lifetime Achievement Award, making her the first Indigenous writer in BC to be so recognized, in 2016.
While I might not agree with absolutely every TWUC policy and action that has been taken during more than thirty years of membership, I understand that overall the work accomplished by TWUC has been vital and progressive. If someone says or does something that we find problematic in some way, well, historically we have always been welcome to voice our views within TWUC. That level of candour and honesty and engagement is important for the integrity of any union.
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A VOLUNTARY REPARATIONS FEE
Here is what I was prevented from proposing at the TWUC event.
“A reminder to audiences that we have gathered on unceded territory has been effective in raising public consciousness. Possibly it could be rendered more effective. As it stands, many earnest people now get to feel repetitively guilty. It is human nature to resent admonitions. Therefore, we need to constructively recognize this phenomenon and find a way to enhance this announcement.
“I believe there are many homeowners and condo-owners — and possibly others — who would welcome an opportunity to annually remit, on a voluntary basis, a Reparations Fee. This amount could be decided voluntarily by the “settler” or it could be established by the jurisdictions of First Nations in particular areas.
“Funds accrued could go either to individual First Nations or be shared communally, provincially or federally, among First Nations. Obviously, it should be up to the First Nations to decide such administrative matters.
“Therefore, I would suggest some discussion of the feasibility of inviting theatregoers and concertgoers, or attendees at sporting events, etc., to provide some financial reparation, if they wished to do so, on an annual basis.”
Respectfully,
Alan Twigg
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Here is Twigg's revision of the above:
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Here is Twigg's revision of the above:
How to be branded racist by a Tweet
In an age when false tweets can easily be misconstrued as truths, I wish to make a public statement beyond 140 characters. -- Alan Twigg
Firstly, I wish to sincerely apologize to any person who was upset by the discord that ensued during a private function for Writers Union members in October.
When I responded to an Indigenous speaker as a colleague, organizers hastily intervened to eradicate any discussion or feedback—from anyone–so I particularly wish to apologize to Rebecca Benson, from Six Nations, who was therefore placed in an awkward position.
While I did express some initial criticism of the doctrinaire nature of her address, in absolutely no way did I object to the person who was making it. Possibly the fact that I was responding to Rebecca as an equal colleague, regardless of ethnicity, stirred the ire of the event organizers.
What has not been made clear is that this was not a public event on a stage at the Writers Festival. We were in a private room in a hotel. This gathering was for Writers Union members only. One organizer threatened me with removal if I persisted in trying to speak my mind. I do admit that I expressed consternation when it became clear to me that no freedom of speech was to prevail at this gathering; but at no time was any of my behaviour the least bit racist.
I was therefore, ironically, prohibited from proceeding to voice a constructive suggestion that was to be the main reason for my speaking; an idea that was intended to benefit First Nations.
Soon thereafter one person, Dave Bidini, maliciously branded me as a racist in a Tweet. I believe Mr. Bidini has misguidingly and purposefully misinterpreted my criticism of the methodology that Ms. Benson was employing to communicate Writers Union guidelines. [It should be noted that criticism does not necessarily constitute dissent; although dissent should be tolerated, as well, within any union. I support completely the Reconciliation agenda, as evidenced by the suggestion I was not permitted to make, and by my track record as a writer and publisher.]
If anyone cares to read the thousands of pages I have written and/or published about and for First Nations cultures and Indigenous authors over the past 40 years, they can make a much fairer assessment of whether or not I am a racist, rather than entrusting Mr. Bidini incendiary tweet seemingly designed to generate more followers on his Twitter account.
When Dave Bidini was unable to substantiate exactly why my critique of the speaker’s didactic methodology constituted racism, he subsequently proceeded to fabricate an outrageous quote allegedly gleaned from a brief parking lot conversation. He alleged in a Tweet that I feared Indigenous people wanted to take control of my home. In a Trumpian age, apparently many people are more than willing to believe in an outrageous lie.
If Dave Bidini did some research, he would discover I have done more work to enhance and elevate the appreciation and understanding of First Nations culture than most non-Indigenous members of the Writers Union. I am not entirely sure why I was made a member of the Order of Canada, but that might be one of the reasons.
The wonderful growth of appreciation and understanding of Indigenous peoples that we are now witnessing in this country is the result of constructive actions and some difficult conversations. I am willing to undertake constructive actions and difficult conversations.
Today, there are at least 266 Indigenous authors in B.C. and I know that because I’ve written about every one of them.
I have also provided extensive and respectful coverage of books pertaining to First Nations in every issue of B.C. BookWorld since 1987 and I’ll continue to do so.
Along the way I wrote and produced a CBC documentary, Jeannette Armstrong: Knowledge Keeper, of the Okanagan, in 1995.
In 2005, I published the first and only book entirely devoted to Indigenous authors of one province, Aboriginality: The Literary Origins of British Columbia.
In 2016, I had the honour of organizing the presentation of the George Woodcock Lifetime Achievement Award to Jeannette Armstrong, making her the first Indigenous writer in BC to be so recognized.
While I might not agree with absolutely every TWUC policy and action that has been taken during more than thirty years of membership, I understand that overall the work accomplished by TWUC has been vital and progressive. If someone says or does something that we find problematic in some way, well, historically we have always been welcome to voice our views within TWUC. That level of candour and honesty and engagement is important for the integrity of any union.
When criticism is disallowed, we move more towards autocracy.
Respectfully,
Alan Twigg
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The October 27th version:
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The October 27th version:
How to be branded racist by a Tweet
In an age when false tweets can easily be misconstrued as truths, I wish to make a public statement beyond 140 characters. -- Alan Twigg
Firstly, I wish to sincerely apologize to any person who was upset by the discord that ensued during a private function for Writers Union members in October.
When I responded to an Indigenous speaker as a colleague, organizers of this gathering of peers hastily intervened to eradicate any discussion or feedback—from anyone–so I particularly wish to apologize to Rebecca Benson, from Six Nations, who was therefore placed in an awkward position as TWUC’s newly appointed Equity, Membership and Engagement Co-ordinator.
We were at an informal wine ‘n’ cheese stand-up affair. I was not aware in advance that Ms. Benson had been invited to give a formal address. I was near the back of the room. When Ms. Benson completed her address, I raised my hand and stepped away from the wall so that she might be able to see who it was among the TWUC members-only gathering who wished to comment.
I did not have a microphone. No microphone was supplied to the gathering for purposes of any feedback. It was a very large room. Ms. Benson was at the other end of the room. I therefore had to raise my voice so she would be able to hear me. With about twenty yards between us, I began by first trying to express an opinion about the nature of her speech, with regards to tone and its content.
I am an editor who has worked as a professional theatre critic over five decades. If she was a colleague who had been hired to make addresses for my union across the country, some critical response would surely be in order, in our collective best interest. And if I believed the line between principled rhetoric and indoctrination had just been crossed, surely this private venue for TWUC members-only was the best place to speak up. Doing so in a public space would have been inappropriate.
The intentions of newly mandated TWUC policies are no doubt laudable; I support those good intentions. My criticism was essentially an editorial one. I addressed Ms. Benson as a colleague and at no time was my response the least bit racist. In a nutshell, I said, “You are telling me how to think.” There were no profanities; I did not come in contact with any other person. We were in a private meeting room in a hotel, not on a stage at the Writers Festival. Nonetheless, one male organizer/volunteer, who was not a member of our Writers Union, felt self-elected to threaten me with removal if I persisted in trying to speak my mind.
When it became clear to me that freedom of speech was to be denied at a Writers Union function, I responded with overt indignation largely because I had intended to proceed with a constructive suggestion, but I was not permitted to continue. [It should be noted that criticism does not necessarily constitute dissent; although dissent should be tolerated, as well, within any union. I support completely the Reconciliation agenda, as would have been evidenced by the suggestion I was not permitted to make, and also by my track record as a writer and publisher.]
Thereafter, one person, a TWUC member named Dave Bidini, maliciously branded me as a racist in a Tweet. Before doing so he had verbally asserted I was a racist, whereupon a fellow TWUC member had told him he was daft. Possibly this rebuke from her had stirred him to a retaliatory action.
If anyone cares to read the thousands of pages I have written and/or published about and for First Nations cultures and Indigenous authors over the past 40 years, they can make a much fairer assessment of whether or not I am a racist. It is so much easier to formulate a severe judgment based on Mr. Bidini’s incendiary tweet that was possibly designed to generate more traffic on his Twitter account.
When Dave Bidini was unable to substantiate why my truncated critique constituted racism, he subsequently proceeded to fabricate an outrageous quote allegedly gleaned from a brief parking lot conversation. He stated in a Tweet that I feared Indigenous people wanted to “boot us off our land.”
In a Trumpian age, apparently many people are more than willing to believe in an outrageous lie.
If Dave Bidini did some research, he would discover I have published and written a great deal more work to enhance and elevate the appreciation and understanding of First Nations culture than nearly all other non-Indigenous members of the Writers Union. I am not entirely sure why I was made a member of the Order of Canada, but that might be one of the reasons.
The wonderful growth of appreciation and understanding of Indigenous peoples that we are now witnessing in this country is the result of constructive actions and some difficult conversations. I will continue to provide preferential treatment — at my own discretion, not because of any governmental dictum — to books from and about Indigenous societies, as I have been doing non-stop, in every issue of BC BookWorld, since 1987.
Today, there are at least 266 Indigenous authors in B.C. and I know that because I’ve written about every one of them.
Along the way I wrote and produced a CBC documentary, Jeannette Armstrong: Knowledge Keeper, of the Okanagan, in 1995.
In 2005, I published the first and only book entirely devoted to Indigenous authors of one province, Aboriginality: The Literary Origins of British Columbia.
In 2016, I had the honour of organizing the presentation of the George Woodcock Lifetime Achievement Award to Jeannette Armstrong, making her the first Indigenous writer in BC to be so recognized.
In the past two years, 47 of the first 400 reviews and essays generated by the new Ormsby Review directly concern First Nations–12% of the content. I co-created and publish Ormsby Review; I don’t take any salary.
While I might not agree with absolutely every TWUC policy and action that has been taken during more than thirty years of membership, I understand that overall the work accomplished by TWUC has been vital and progressive. If someone says or does something that we find problematic in some way, well, historically we have always been welcome to voice our views within TWUC. That level of candour and honesty and engagement is important for the integrity of any union.
When criticism is disallowed, we move towards autocracy.
Five days after Mr. Bidini’s tweet, I got news that I’ve now raised enough money to buy a new pick-up truck for the remote village of Luhombero in Western Tanzania. It’s just the sort of thing that we racists do.
Respectfully,
Alan Twigg
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“Falsehood flies, and the Truth comes limping after it.” — Jonathan Swift in “The Examiner” (1710)
“To call Alan (Twigg) a racist with the kind of progressive work he has undertaken over the years is slanderous.” — Irene Watts, Holocaust survivor and author
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