What is it about my being a white man that makes some people think any argument I make in any discussion I join on any topic is invalid? Honestly, what do my sex and skin colour have to do with my ability to think, form, and express a thought? I am an educated man. I was fortunate to have been born in Canada in the mid-twentieth century. I had the benefit of a public education and earned two university degrees. My schooling included lessons in history, music, drama, and logic. I learned how important objectivity is in the pursuit of knowledge and truth. I also learned that you should judge others as individuals according to their character. So, then why, in 2026, do my sex and race matter to so many people? So much so that I am attacked for being an old white man with no regard to my character. The thing to remember is that despite being white and male, I had to compete for spots in university and employment. Nothing was guaranteed. I suffered hardship and disappointment along the way. Like many Canadians my age, I had to move back in with my parents for a while after graduating from university with a B.A., only to find there was no room for me in the workforce. I remember well when I was in grade 8, my teacher lectured the class on the importance of getting an education. It was that, or you could expect to draw a welfare cheque. I remember the ads in the 1990s that pitched the message, “More education equals more job choices.” I did as my elders told me, only to end up educated, unemployed, and having to move in with my parents. I did not give up. I struggled to find work and initially found jobs through temporary employment agencies. It was at one of these temporary jobs that my supervisor suggested I enroll in library school. I applied and was offered admission to the School of Library and Information Science at the University of Western Ontario (now called Western University) in 1990. I graduated in 1993 with a Master of Library and Information Science degree.