When hateful words arrive at the door – TheRecord.com

Shawn Wasserman didnt know who had left the newspaper at his Kitchener home. That bothered him.

It was called Druthers and it was full of anti-vaccine views and conspiracy theories, with some commentary that was anti-Asian, anti-Muslim and antisemitic.

One of the articles said the 9/11 attack no doubt involves shadowy elements recruited from among militant Zionists and Saudi fundamentalists.

It went on to allege that the one per cent, the globalists and the Chinese Communist Party are involved in a transhuman gene editing and subscription injection agenda.

These references, Wasserman said, are dog whistles that blame certain vulnerable groups. There may have been anti-Black and anti-LGBTQ comments also, that he couldnt decode, he said.

As he went through the newspaper, I realized the hate that was hidden behind the veil of anti-vaccination rhetoric.

Wasserman, who is Jewish, was anxious. The paper had arrived soon after he had put up Chanukah decorations. Had it been left at his home specifically to intimidate the Jews who lived inside?

He was afraid to ask his neighbours if they had also received the paper, in case one of them had laid it at his door.

Being a member of a vulnerable group carries multiple burdens. One of them is not really knowing whether, when something bad happens to you, if its because you are being targeted as part of that group, or if its just part of the ups and downs of life.

Wasserman told a few people in his Jewish community about his concerns, but didnt take action until another paper appeared on his doorstep a couple of months later.

This time, he and his wife (who is of Asian descent) had just decorated their home for Lunar New Year when it arrived.

Now he was scared. He called Waterloo Regional Police.

An officer went door to door in his neighbourhood, asking other people if they too had received this newspaper. They had.

Wasserman was relieved to learn that he and his family hadnt been specifically targeted.

But its not a victory, he said.

The fact that the misinformation and hostility in the publication is being distributed more widely than he thought does not comfort him.

Druthers, based in Toronto, bills itself as an alternative newspaper that offers honest news and information they dont want you to see.

It relies on supporters to deliver copies. Subscribers can pay to receive up to 400 copies and they deliver or give them away to others.

Wasserman said he wont contact Druthers to ask them not to deliver the paper. If he does that, he will have to give them his address, and then Ill be giving them the ability to target me if they so choose.

Others living near Wasserman are also unhappy about having no choice but to receive the newspaper.

I think its really offensive and a sign there is a lot of misinformation out there, said Stephen Furmaniuk, who doesnt belong to a vulnerable minority group but sees the antisemitism and racism in the content.

Theres a lot of hatred. Its very concerning to me. Its aggressive to present it to a person that doesnt want it.

All of this is going on while the anti-vaccine-mandate protest drags on in Ottawa. It, too, has been a combination of anger at government and medical authorities and hateful symbols like Confederate flags and swastikas.

It almost makes you wish for the early days of the pandemic, when we were frightened and isolated, but at least we were all more or less on the same side. It was us against this mysterious new illness.

Two years later, with livelihoods threatened or gone, mental health shredded, hate crimes rising and vaccine mandates dividing us, we seem unable to communicate at all.

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When hateful words arrive at the door - TheRecord.com