A White Guy Is Taking the Canadian Government to Court Because He Thinks They Don’t Like White People

Read: White People Talk About Their White Privilege

If being a white male in today's climate wasn't already tough enough—with all the police officers who don't murder us and the impunity we get while doing just about anything—being a white male who works for the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) sounds like an absolute nightmare. At least that's according to the story of one Joe Bate.

Bate, a 40-year-old employee for the CRA, is currently heading up a discrimination case against his employer in federal court on the grounds that they denied him the opportunity for a promotion based on the fact that he was, as Bate puts it, born white.

"I could be twice as efficient [as my co-workers], have better communication skills… but, unfortunately, I was born white," Bate said in court Tuesday, according to he Toronto Sun.

Bate argues that the sin of his parents for being born with a lighter complexion prevented him from advancing up in the ladder when he applied for a management position, claiming that his bosses cited the Employment Equity Act when denying his application.

Bate told the court that at the time of being considered for the position a large majority of the CRA's employee pool was made up of women and visible minorities—claiming they represent 95 percent of the workplace compared to white men.

As Bate notes, truly, the tables have turned.

"I feel as an able-bodied white male, I'm the only person excluded by a law meant to benefit all Canadian citizens," he told the Toronto Sun outside court. "And I feel my employer has gone beyond the requirements of the law to represent [members of the four categories that the Employment Equity Act seeks to benefit] and not me."

Bate also spoke of a theoretical scenario in which Team Canada didn't allow Wayne Gretzky to play or Don Cherry to coach [editor's note: Don't listen to Bate about hockey] in exchange for making the team more representative. He compared this to how white people have been systematically eliminated from the CRA in exchange for an unending wave of women and minorities (according to him).

Also appearing to be a fan of social justice and champion of equity, Bate made the point that when past advances in civil rights have occurred—such as gay marriage being legalized or women being allowed to vote—the solution was not to shift from one extreme to another by banning heterosexual marriage or stopping men from voting. In his eyes, this has unfortunately been the case at the CRA.

"What a vicious cycle of discrimination," he said.

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