My recent Toronto Star piece on a racist costume from my past was referenced by essayist Pico Iyer in an article on chronocentrism for The New York Times a few days ago.

Iyer’s article delves into my discussion of the racist costume as part of a larger conversation about how we reframe the past according to the assumption that we have “advanced beyond our forebears to a state of relative enlightenment,” and that those who “dismiss the past just because it’s past run the risk of not appreciating the fact that the past, like most of us in earlier times, was imperfectly doing its best.”

It’s fascinating to see what started as a very personal piece become folded into a larger conversation about the danger of perpetually trying to reframe and dismiss past actions through a lens of the present. I’m also grateful that Iyer’s piece recognized the intention of my original article while also engaging in a critical dialogue.

If you’d like to ready the full piece, it’s here.