The Tory need to offend
One of the more peculiar tendencies of Stephen Harper’s government is its need from time to time to engage in ill-conceived, self-defeating, politically senseless demonstrations of its ideological virility, as if seized by the need to let the world know that — polite as it has learned to behave while running the country — it still has some pretty stupid ideas.
There are lots of reasons to object to Toronto’s Pride parade. It’s lewd, lurid, offensive and centres on the most stereotypical caricatures of gay men and women. Perhaps it does this to send up the very attitudes that lead to discrimination against gays, but for anyone who isn’t steeped in gay history it could just as well feed the notion that gay people are extreme extroverts who like to wear skimpy leather outfits and flaunt their sexuality. Would Jews parade wearing hooked noses, or blacks in pickaninny outfits, to remind everyone of the ignorance they’ve endured? Maybe, but they seem to have recognized there are better ways to go about it.
Nonetheless, the annual Pride parade is a big attraction that is enthusiastically supported by Toronto’s gay community and the city as a whole. It draws in tourists and pumps millions into the economy. If you don’t want to go down and watch, you don’t have to. It’s not illegal, gays have every right to celebrate in whatever way they see fit, and if there’s still a community that just doesn’t like the idea of gay people celebrating themselves. too bad. There are people who don’t like the Calgary Stampede, who are better left ignored. Same thing.
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Cunctator Says:
The article is more revealing about the sad state of political discourse in Canada than it is about Diane Ablonzy and PM Harper. Since when is it surprising that a Conservative (big “c” anyhow) would object to support a Gay Rights parade? Only in Canada, you say? Well, yes, because in Canada, Conservatives (big “c” anyhow) are supposed to always act like Liberals (big “L” and small “l”).
Most days, Harper does play that role just fine – viz., his positions on multiculturalism, bilingualism, human rights commissions, goverment spending, etc., etc, etc.. But, then, he confounds the journalists when he goes and acts like a Lib. Shouldn’t they be more surprised that he isn’t more conservative (“small “c”) on more issues?
Posted on July 11th, 2009 at 9:43 am
wizzard Says:
Conflicted! Diane is a favourite and it seemed my party refused to give her an appropriate post. But public support for that “gay mess in toronto” is abhorrent. What to do? Diane is great and should have suffered no slap on the wrist for her decision but firm dissapproval on our parties part for that off putting display in TO was apt.
Posted on July 11th, 2009 at 10:05 am
nomdeblog Says:
It is unfortunate that gays and lesbians won’t stand up and say that the Toronto Gay Parade doesn’t represent them.
Brad Trost Conservative MP for Saskatoon doesn’t represent most CPC members in Toronto. It is unfortunate that Conservatives won’t stand up and say that too.
It is unfortunate that moderate Muslims won’t stand up and say that the Islamofascists jihadists don’t represent them.
It is unfortunate that middle of the road Christians don’t say that the fundies don’t represent them.
We all need to do more to express ourselves.
It doesn’t make sense for Ottawa to be funding a local Parade of exhibitionists … let’s face it, parades by definition “exhibit” and there is no consensus on the views the Parade exhibits any more than the CBC doesn’t represent us and we don’t see why we have to fund it.
But the bottom line is a lot of these issues are wrapped up in symbolism and Conservatives do not handle symbolism very well. We mishandled the arts funding issue, the $1.99 funding of parties, Dueceppe took the youth criminal act changes and used it to sway Quebecers in the last election, now this Parade fiasco.
As Kelly says, we seem to have this need to offend. But I can say with certainty, Torontonians do not like being offended, nor does Quebec and therefore the CPC can kiss a majority government away until they figure out how to deal with symbolism a lot better than they have so far.
The solution is to have more open debate on all these contemporary issues in Parliament. Let Brad Trost confront Tony Clement ( a non- socon) on the Parade issue.
Posted on July 11th, 2009 at 10:20 am
Soccermom Says:
Doesn’t $400,000 seem a bit much? That’s a ridiculous amount of money for a frickin’ parade, I don’t care who’s in it! The amount is as obscene as some of the attendees in the parade, for crying out loud! If we have to be in the business of handing out $$ for cultural things (and I wish we didn’t), let’s at least be a bit more frugal, shall we?
As a small c conservative I’ve been offended regularly every day if I happen to check out CBC or CTV. Somebody gonna write a column on that?
So the next time the NP or some other stupid newspaper calls asking why I stopped their subscription, I’ll have another good reason. I always say most of the viewpoints in the paper are liberal and that is NOT ME.
Note: I said conservative and liberal in this comment.
Posted on July 11th, 2009 at 11:04 am
ward Says:
“It’s not illegal, gays have every right to celebrate in whatever way they see fit, and if there’s still a community that just doesn’t like the idea of gay people celebrating themselves. too bad. ”
1. It is illegal to walk naked through the streets or engage in lewd acts publicly. If I walked out my door right now, naked, and went to the store I would be arrested.
2. They do not have every right to celebrate in whatever way they see fit. Its bad enough they are “celebrating” in the fashion they are. For a good example of how gay pride is celebrated when gays celebrate in whatever way they see fit is the Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco (warning graphic images at link )http://zombietime.com/folsom_sf_2007_part_1/
3. Its not celebrating anything, it is about exhibitionism and offending.
Posted on July 11th, 2009 at 11:53 am
MaryT Says:
I know of parent’s in Alberta who have had their kids taken away because someone reported they had been seen outside naked. Who hasn’t had a kid get outside and strip.
Kids returned to parent’s.
Posted on July 11th, 2009 at 12:30 pm
Jack Says:
Re #5: It’s Toronto, Ward. I don’t really care what happens in “hogtown” because they’re just living up to their reputation. If Dianne figures that she can generate a controversy that will live on throughout the summer in the heartland of Canadian politics who am I to argue with her?
It’s far better than doing nothing and there is no such thing as bad press. Keep that in mind.
Posted on July 11th, 2009 at 4:54 pm
nomdeblog Says:
“I don’t really care what happens in ‘hogtown’ “
And I don’t really care what happens in Tillsonberg…LOL
But that is the whole point, nobody cares about anything beyond their own neigbourhood and why should they? Calgary should be funding its Stampede and Toronto its Parade and if they want to share the chaps without a seat … errrr, I won’t go there.
But seriously, why is money drained out of Toronto ( $6 billion is a number that I’ve seen of the total $10 billion out of Ontario) to Ottawa in the first place and then all these little gobs of special interest payoffs are handed back? This Ponzi game was all created by a highly centralized bureaucracy under Trudeaupia and we can’t kill it.
Posted on July 11th, 2009 at 6:30 pm
Raphael Says:
Cunctator,
It isn’t a gay rights parade either. Those rights were secured a long time ago, and even same-sex marriage is now legal. So it’s a pointless engagement in sexual hedonism, all for the viewing pleasure of the whole family.
Posted on July 11th, 2009 at 6:33 pm
Jack Says:
Re #8: “And I don’t really care what happens in Tillsonberg…LOL”
That’s my entire point. As long as nothing bursts your personal bubble you won’t care.
And why should you?
Unless of course you feel that the welfare of an entire country comes before your personal daydreams. I’m not certain that people understand that view and nothing I have read here leads me to believe it is otherwise.
That’s why I follow Sarah. She knows and means to change the picture.
I support her.
Posted on July 11th, 2009 at 7:07 pm
stageleft Says:
<b>nomedeblog</b> said: “</i>The solution is to have more open debate on all these contemporary issues in Parliament</i>”
Any “debate” on Parliament Hill is broken along party lines before it gets started….. but thank’s for the Sat evening chuckle.
Posted on July 11th, 2009 at 9:01 pm
UV Says:
I agree stageleft as all the party leaders and whips must be busting a gut over dat one.
Want to be an independent MP/MPP, vote as your constituents would like you to do and not as your party demands you to do.
Posted on July 11th, 2009 at 9:26 pm
ET Says:
The Gay Parade is an insult to gays and lesbians. It has degenerated into a lewd, crude , sado-masochistic and pornographic display that doesn’t and shouldn’t define the nature of gays and lesbians.
Add to that, its take-over by a political far left, which includes marchers and displays of anti-Americanism and anti-Israel (what do these issues have to do with gays and lesbians) – and you get a result that is offensive to many of us.
Why should we taxpayers fund such a display and ideology? If the organizers want such a parade, they should try for private funding – but to hide behind the semantics of ‘we are gay’ and assert that this means that taxpayers should fund their crudity, is outrageous.
Posted on July 12th, 2009 at 3:55 pm
stageleft Says:
@UV: How long will you continue support a system that rewards MP’s voting in their constituents interests by being given their walking papers?
Posted on July 12th, 2009 at 10:42 pm