Who I Hate #2.......

Who do I hate?


Ezra Levant

I'm a patriot! And a bigot! My mother must be so proud!

Here's a guy who was apparently born conservative. His first college protest was against affirmative action. He's stated that it'd be great for the country if Quebec separates, because it'd get rid of bilingualism and multiculturalism and that'd give the government the chutzpah to stand up to other "special interest" groups, you know like First Nations and environmentalists. He's a former Reformer and a staunch current Conservative. Oh, and he was a tobacco lobbyist. For all these reasons and more, for every time I hear him speak, I hate you, Ezra Levant.

Unbiased News, I Hardly Knew Ye....

Before I get to the real meat and potatoes of this post, you wanna see the most token "article" about a "women's interest" story ever? Well, here you go. At least CTV had the decency to cover the Clothesline Project. The CBC didn't even give it a mention. Thanks CBC! I know how you hate to dirty your hands with that lady stuff, seeing as you're 'Liberal media' and all. Which brings me to....

While watching television with my partner last night, we stumbled across a channel we usually flip over. We probably would have if not for the "stunning" editorial being shat out of the mouth of one Ezra Levant, my new worst enemy, on the offending channel, the Sun News Network. Now, most people in Canada know the Sun papers, the rag that comes in the red boxes, it's primarily a glorified sports section with a bunch of right-wing editorials and a bunch of nudey pictures thrown in, all wrapped up in a third grade reading level. The Sun is basically the cheapest lad mag you can get in Canada, and there's a new one every day. Whoopee! The Sun papers are owned by Sun Media (owner of a multitude of tabloid "newspapers" such as the Calgary, Edmonton, Ottawa, Toronto, Winnipeg and Vancouver Suns, as well as Le Journals de Montreal, Quebec et Sherbrooke, and the 24 Hours mini-paper), which in turn is owned by Quebecor Media. The Sun papers in Canada are the sister paper of a full on pornographic British "newspaper", just so's you know. But I digress.

So, now the Sun has a news channel. A channel calling itself "lively", "unapologetically patriotic," and "less politically correct" than its' competition, most notably the CBC and CTV news networks, which the Sun Propaganda Network accuses of being "uninspired", "liberal-biased" and the reason "so many Canadians turn to U.S. news channels for their news.".

I have never watched Fox News or CNN for anything other than laughs. Why would I? I live in Canada, and those channels aren't going to tell me shit about shit that affects me directly. Now the CBC and CTV often spend lots more time on world news and sports than the news at home, but at least they cover the news at home and each has local news options for stories about my (and your) community. So, I call bullshit there. But, that's only one in a series of many, I assure you.

Sun News Media has taken on, with false and token begrudgement, the moniker of "Fox News North", and while disputing the name itself, they say that they only are trying to keep the feel of the broadcasts "irreverent" and "provocative". Which as we all know are synonyms for prejudiced and pornographic respectively. So, whether it's sickeningly right-wing editorial show after right-wing editorial show or "Sunshine-Girl" turned newscasters, all of a certain age and body type that for some reason aren't allowed to wear anything with sleeves, you know what to expect from the Sun Bullshit Garbage Network. Something for everyone, as long as you're a white, cisgendered, monotheistic-worshipping male.

Where did this channel come from? Why is it on my T.V? These questions raced through my mind as I projectile vomited at Ezra Levant and Kathy Shaidle on my screen telling me why political correctness and the Human Rights Commission is turning Canada into some kind of thought-policed Orwellian state. Well, it turns out that there are rumors that CRTC chair Konrad von Finckenstein was under pressure from Prime Minister Stephen Harper to resign from the commission and take another government position, such as an ambassadorship, in order to facilitate Sun News getting its desired license. I know, Herr Harper doing everything in his considerable power to get a right-wing Canadian Fox News clone on the air? Why that's INCONCEIVABLE!

The network was absolutely disgusting in its' obvious right-wing bias during election coverage and even after when Ezra slammed a member of another news network for apparently showing her bias when shedding a tear at the Liberal aftermath and Michael Ignatieffs' decision to step down as leader. All without a hint of irony. And, as I watched yet another editorial rant begin, this time about the 'Nanny State' not letting Canadians eat and drink whatever they damn well please, I began to feel frightened. And as that editorial gave way to one about the woman in Saudi Arabia jailed for daring to drive a car, I had just the slightest glimmer of hope as the patriarchal laws of Saudi were brought into question (as if we're so much better here. Right.) Up until Canadian women were chastised by the pundit for "wasting their time on silly Slutwalks and being offended over trivial things a Toronto cop said, rather than helping their sisters overseas(!)" Really dude? So, what the fuck have YOU done for women overseas in Muslim nations? Jack shit? I fucking thought so. Like Canadian women, who barely have a hold of any rights here in the Great White Male North can just march on over to Saudi and get the monarchy to settle the fuck down with the misogyny, if only they'd mobilize. The audacity was too much. To put the onus on women here for the suffering of women there is unacceptable. Fuck you very much Sun Misogyny Patriarchy-Fest Neo-Nazi Klan Network. I'll be keeping an eye on some of their (male, natch) editorial pundits, but I can't even bear to see the poor, plastic women that they have doing their news. It makes me sad, the hold that the media networks have on their female anchors, making them look this way, dress this way, have this procedure, all for the hope of gaining male viewership. It makes me sad that dudes fall for it, demand it, want it. The whole channel is one big garbage fart. And this is what news is coming to....

Update! Steven Tyler Is A Piece Of Shit! Part 2!

TW for abortion discussion, victim blaming, pedophilia

I wrote about this a while ago. I can't even convey how much I fucking hate Steven Tyler. While I don't want my ranting about how much of a pedophile fuck he is to take center stage around here, I thought I would just articulate about how monstrous he was concerning that statutory rape and abortion deal he was "involved" with. The child, Julia Holcomb, that he apparently forced to get pregnant has grown up and is sharing her side of the story, found here among other places. 

The facts are chilling. This girl had an obviously traumatic childhood. Her mother signed away legal guardianship to Tyler, so that he could take her cross-country with him on his tours. Her birth control was taken away, indeed thrown out a window, to ensure that pregnancy would occur. Forced impregnation is one of the crimes most heinous perpetrated against women. It binds women, both financially and with obligation to care for the new life to the oppressive man who impregnates them. It silences them under the weight of increased duty and responsibility which the man, having done his "duty" will not share. It is a psychological weapon wielded by men and even if abortion is "allowed" to the woman, the damage is done. She did not choose this pregnancy. Whether or not she chose the abortion is now by and large irrelevant.

After a house fire, in which Holcomb was hospitalized due to smoke inhalation, Tyler then pressured her into the abortion. While he states he was worried about the safety of the child, due to the smoke inhalation, I surmise he was worried about his career and lifestyle, thinking that it would be harder to rape other women children, if he had a wife and child on tour with him. After offering no support when Holcomb stated she wanted to keep the child and continuing to pester her about aborting it, she reluctantly agreed. Tyler DID stay around for the procedure. He just spent the time snorting rails on the bedside table. He was nice enough to offer one to Holcomb. As he left he told her "the baby had been born alive and allowed to die.". That kind of information can only serve to mentally scar the parents of the aborted child, so why would it be released at all? I think that Tyler made this up, told Holcomb that story to hurt her further, put the blame that his child was aborted on her even though he wouldn't have had a hand in raising it and indeed didn't want it. But, it was his offspring, his apparent son, and why should he take any kind of responsibility or feel any guilt? That's not what men do. Men fuck. Women care. That's just how it is in Steven Tyler's rock 'n' roll 'n' rape world. Unfortunately, this is the world that most women are forced to live in, too.

The fact that Steven Tyler was painted as a tragic victim in all of this is the terrible icing on the cake. He was, and is a monster. The facts are there: he raped a minor who was in his care. Whether she was fourteen as he said or sixteen as she said makes no difference, as either way she was still just a child to his twenty-odd years of age. He deprived her of food, water and social contact. He provided her unsafe, unsanitary living conditions, which led to the fire that hospitalized her. He provided her drugs in lieu of proper care. He forced her to get pregnant, then forced her to get an abortion. He then said the most hurtful thing any person could say in that situation. And he's a famous mega-star. People buy his records. People watch him on their televisions. He should be in jail for the rest of his life, and all his assets should be appropriated and distributed to women in need, women facing the same kind of coercion and violence and trauma that he inflicted on Julia Holcomb. When will people take a stand? When will those famous pedophile freaks out there ever be held accountable. Steven Tyler has been on my boycott list for a long time, but I implore all of you to join me on that. Write the producers of American Idol and ask, no demand his departure from the show. Write your local radio stations and demand that they take Aerosmith out of their rotation. Make him poor and forgotten, just as he left Julia Holcomb.

I hope this to be the last time I ever discuss Steven Fucking Tyler here.

Probably The Worst Thing Ever

TW for pedophilia, rape culture,

Now, no one I know had ever accused Facebook of being good for anything. I used to be on the Facebook, but my profile has been deleted (not simply de-activated, like they'd prefer, what a trial that was) for a long time now. There was always lots of shitty, questionable stuff floating around Facebook, and it was just an all-around ruiner of lives. But this, THIS defies my even my low expectations. Two unnamed young men in B.C. (ages also withheld, but they're in their early fucking twenties) created a sort of pedophiles' bible on Facebook, teaching other would-be rapists the best 'tips 'n' tricks' to trick girls as young as THIRTEEN into having sex with them.Even tips on what to do and say if you get caught by the girls' parents.

Let that sink in for a moment.

Now think about the fact that while the page has been taken down, no criminal charges are being laid against the creators. They made a how-to guide for the budding pedophile, but they're not being charged with anything, and they won't be unless someone out there commits an offense based on the sites' content, which is no longer there for cross-referencing in court, thank you very much. And since these perverts put a disclaimer on their rape-guide and kept in within "legal bounds", whatever the fuck that means, no charges against them were laid, and their names stay withheld. The RCMP is doing absolutely nothing, not even slapping them on the wrist. These pedophiles are getting off with barely a warning. This makes me sick.


And, of course, once again the onus is being put on girls to protect themselves and parents to keep their kids safe. City councillor Deb MacIntosh said it's ultimately the responsibility of parents to inform their children about potential social dangers and to monitor their online activity. Huh. Right. She then goes on to say:

"You don't have to be one of those militant parents who check on everything, but know who they're talking to," she said.

Once again, nothing to men out there about not raping children, not using alcohol and trickery to coerce young women and girls into sex acts, nothing about taking no as an answer and respecting the autonomy of women and girls, nothing about not being a goddamn fucking pedophile piece of shit. Where is the responsibility of men? They get a slap on the wrist and a few cursory remarks about people being "so shocked and ashamed." of this behavior. Oh bullshit. Men love to ignore and traipse around that pesky statutory rape law all the time. There has got to be a study on why pedophilia is not only on the rise, but it's becoming more and more acceptable to mainstream culture. You can bet that pornography is linked to it. There you go scientists, I've already got the ball rolling for you.

Getting back to Facebook for a minute, I think it's about time that the whole site got shut down for a while and re-worked. How many media stories have you heard about the dangers and evils of Facebook? What good has it ever done for anyone? Facebook at best only causes paranoia and heartache in those that use it, and is a tool for sexual predators, rapists and pedophiles at worst, and there's not too many degrees on that spectrum. I'm not saying that all social media is bad, but what the fuck? Somebody has to be policing what goes on and is put up as public content better than what's happening now. This is disgraceful behavior by disgusting human trash. Anyone who writes a rape handbook should be jailed as though they've not only committed the crimes they've written about (which they probably have, why is no one looking into that?), but also because they are inciting others to commit those crimes too, regardless of whether or not anyone is in fact influenced by the material they've written. The potential for influence is there. The means are there. The information is there now, thanks to these perverts. They should rot. But, thanks to our laws protecting men, we'll never even know their names. I fear for the women and girls that have and will encounter these predator monsters.

Canada's #1! Canada's #1! As Long As You're A Hetero White Dude! As Long As You're A Hetero White Dude!

Alright, let's get down to it. While reading my morning news on the CBC I came across one of those "it's so fucking great to live here!" pieces that the news so often runs, designed to promote nationalism and ignorance simultaneously. Before I start the rant, why do I fucking read news off the CBC so often? It only pisses me off, then sends me scurrying across the web to other news sites to find objective views (often with more information) on the same stories. Why do I never learn? I guess I'd have less to write about? I don't know. Fuck it.

Anyways, there's tons of reasons why Canada is a kick ass place to live, and if you can't see that, well I guess you're as dumb as a couch! And for all you couch-dumb cretins out there, someone's compiled a survey to help you out! Not that Canada's actual place on the survey is mentioned, nor where one can view the whole survey, but who cares, right? I mean, nearly four out of five Canadians are satisfied with their lives! Nearly four out of five! What the fuck does that mean? And why haven't I met any of these people? They must live in the nice houses on the other side of town. What an abstract way to define something so very complex. It's hard for me to imagine the average Canadian woman (whomever that is) saying she's "satisfied" with her life. What with being a member of an oppressed class, oftentimes within an already oppressed class, while the resources available to her AS an oppressed class are being slowly (or not so slowly) taken away.

The "average" Canadian households' income is $27,015 as of 2008! That's in US dollars, too! Whoopee! But, what nobody mentions is that as of 2010, the average Canadian household debt is $96,000. And that's in Canadian dollars. Which lately are at parity or worth more than the ol' greenback.

Nearly 72% of Canadians aged 15-64 have a paid job (rather than an unpaid one? I know lots of Canadians that have both, but that's just until housewifery and motherhood becomes paid work, any day now...). But, I know that this is skewing the truth too. Lots of those jobs are paying wages that put Canadian citizens, most often women below the poverty line. Do you know what it takes to be an office clerk/receptionist these days? I do. It takes all of the skills to be an office clerk/receptionist such as data entry, phone etiquette, etc, as well as the skills of an accountant, as well as usually a babysitter for your dudely, oblivious boss, as well as oftentimes being tri-fucking-lingual, and having super-double-secret clearance, all for minimum wage! Whoop-dee-doo! And that is for fields in which women predominate, due to the fact that men devalue them, simply because they allow women to work in them. Therefore, these jobs are undervalued in terms of pay and respect and given to women who already makes less money than men, even though wage disparity is apparently illegal. What the fuck.

And it goes on. Blah blah blah we work 40 hours less per year. That's a whole week. 87% of Canadians have a high school or equivalency diploma, which gets you nothing out in the real world. Life expectancy is 80.7 years, one whole fucking YEAR above average! The level of PM10, which can damage... your lungs.... is... what? Our air is better? By a little? Huh?

This is bullshit, and you know it. Perhaps it has something to do with our lax laws on bribery? It's hard for me to read that list and think somebody's not on the take. And with Stephen Harper off to spread more lies about how good things are at home, it's up to us here in the middle of this shit not to be fooled by what the government puts out there to placate us. Remember, to all those that say "It could be worse, you could be in Libya/Syria/Congo/Detroit.", we could also be in Iceland or Sweden or elsewhere, where things are better. The fact that certain things are worse elsewhere should not stop us from trying to improve things here. Passivity doesn't foster change.

Also, in other news, it's now your own responsibility to find your missing children. I'm not saying the website in and of itself is a bad thing, but if you're going to acknowledge that the resources the police have are limited, shouldn't fixing that be a priority? Or am I off base here? No, I didn't think so. I just hate that when a child goes missing, more often than not, it seems that the family of said child has to be more active in the search then the police do to have any kind of justice, closure or hope of finding their child ever again. The system is broken. My heart goes out to any family that has ever lost a child, only to be told that "there's nothing more the police can do at this point."

Final note of the post: I've started reading Letters From A War Zone, by Andrea Dworkin. I don't know why it's taken me so long. She was a brilliant writer, and a brilliant human being. I'm sad that I am only now able to read her words and see her brilliance post-mortum. I am sadder now than ever at the fact she is no longer with us. I feel the world has lost a great ally in her. But I am glad her writing and legacy live on, and I am glad to be one of those that hopes to be worthy to carry on her words, and tell people of them. Thank you, Andrea Dworkin, for all that you did.

Still Here...

Well, after emerging from my rapture shelter to see if the rest of the world is still here (it is, hoorah.), I suppose it's once again time to get back to work. Guess the Lord missed the memo about the ol' End of the World. Now what'll I do with this quiche lorraine I baked? Lord, I'm very disappointed in you. I kind of feel a little sorry for those who spent their life savings in anticipation of the rapture and now have nothing, but not enough to move me on my stance that monotheistic religion, Christianity in particular, has bred a socially acceptable form of misogyny for centuries now that needs to be abolished if we're to move forward as a culture. Will that happen before the next rapture? Probably not.

TW: Rape, Misogyny, Violent Sexual Abuse, Anti-Semitism

How about that Lars von Trier? Isn't he a hoot? Now, I'm going to admit that before all of this anti-Semitic, misogynist garbage he spouted at Cannes, all I knew of him was that he wrote and directed Dancer In The Dark, which in my opinion is a great movie. It also has an absolutely killer soundtrack by Bjork, who stars in the movie, turning in a great performance alongside Peter Stormare and Catherine Deneuve. But I digress. Although I loved the movie, I heard that von Trier and Bjork didn't get along at all, which I found odd. I think I'm beginning to understand now.

I'm not going to speculate about his upbringing. I'm only going to focus on the jerk that von Trier seems to be now. All of his other movies, save Dancer in the Dark are rife with nudity and violence of the most disgusting kind. A recent film of his, titled Antichrist, contains some of the most graphic, disgusting scenes of what can only be described as torture pornography that I have ever heard of. I have not seen this movie, as I stated before, but just reading the description of some scenes in the parents' content advisory on IMDB made me want to vomit. Another previous film of his, entitled Dogville is apparently rife with rape scenes. This is cinema at its' absolute worst. All it seems to be is high budget pornography. Which I guess is unsurprising, due to the fact that he also produces movies which he intends to be pornography. I have never been so afraid of movies as I was researching the works of Lars von Trier.

So, it's with no great surprise now, armed with all of this knowledge that I review the comments that von Trier made at the Cannes film festival. His now infamous quote of:

"I found out I was actually a Nazi. My family were German. What can I say? I understand Hitler … I sympathize with him a bit.”

is the one that's ringing in most peoples' ears. But, since one kind of hatred breeds another, he's a misogynist AND an anti-Semite. He also made comments, widely ignored about his next film being a “three-to-four hours porn film with lots of uncomfortable sex scenes”. In addition to that, he called his co-workers 'pornstars' and 'hardcore'. The man is so disgusting and corrupt, and once again, since he's famous and makes pornography, people are willing to let him off the hook. His misogyny is buried in news stories that are only focusing on his anti-Semitism, as is the norm for woman-hatred in the news. I mean, just look at Mel Gibson if you need proof of that. I cannot contain my contempt for him as a human being or my contempt for the filth he creates and peddles as art. It boggles my mind how a man so sick, so perverted and disgusting, so absolutely fucking entrenched in misogyny and racism could ever have any part in a movie like Dancer in the Dark. He makes me sick. I'm calling on anyone, anyone reading this to please, PLEASE boycott all films and television shows that Lars von Trier is involved with. Cut him off at the knees. I beseech you, internet readers, let's take away the demand for this deviants' particular brand of pornography. Men like this shouldn't be applauded or celebrated. Men like von Trier should never be allowed to hold a camera again.


And for all you von Trier fans out there, if you're going to tell me something like I don't "get it" or I don't understand subtext or the men in his movies are also portrayed badly or some other line of Lars-defending-bullshit, save your fucking breath. I understand subtext just fine. And the subtext in his movies is saying that women are just orifices for men to use, the more violently, the better.  And that is a subtext that DOES NOT FUCKING SIT RIGHT WITH ME.

It's Okay To Be Takei

So, I was doing some research on Tennessee's new "Don't Say Gay" bill. What utter bullshit. Now, I know how right wing conservative Tennessee is, but just ignoring homosexuality in the hopes that it'll go away? This is garbage of the stinkiest kind. The bill has already passed in the senate, and is fast on its' way to becoming law. Now, American politics isn't my forte, being a Canadian and all, but this is just too dumb for words. Apparently, George Takei, better known as Mr. Sulu on the original Star Trek and gay rights activist thinks so, too. He's fighting the bill at all stages and has lent his name to a cause that makes the bill seem every bit as stupid as it is.

 

I think this is awesome. He makes me smile. It's definitely okay to be Takei.   

In completely unrelated news, several cities around Canada are starting a new anti-rape campaign complete with ads called the "Don't Be That Guy" campaign. The campaign started in Edmonton, and is focused on taking the blame and onus off of women and letting men know it's NOT okay to sexually assault women. It's about fucking time that the constant victim-blaming stopped and men are forced to own up to their own violent behavior. I hope that this campaign produces some positive results, and that men think about their actions and make some positive changes. I won't hold my breath however, as I suspect that the MRA backlash will be fierce. But, at least it's not another "Watch Your Drink, Watch Your Friends, Watch Your Back" message giving women the impossible to complete checklist of what-to-do-to-not-get-raped. At the very least the Don't Be That Guy campaign seems to be a small step in the right direction.

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Harperland

Well, the cabinet shuffle didn't have many surprises in it, except that whole John Baird as foreign affairs minister move. Really? You want that putz as our representative to other countries? Are we talking about the same John Baird? The shouty, schoolyard bully who never lets anyone in the Commons get a word in edgewise, and steadfastly defends his Conservative cabinet mates, even in the face of overwhelming evidence that they're guilty of one crime or another? I'll say it here and I'll probably say it again and again:

I HATE JOHN BAIRD!

I mean, the guy just rubs me the wrong way. Every time I see him, every time I hear him speak. 

I'm John Baird! Grrrrrruffff! Ruff!

Hate that guy. In other moves, Tony Clement hits the Treasury Board. You know what they do? Mostly make cuts to civil service. Whooops! Wonder what's first on the chopping block. Most of the other cabinet big names stayed put. Peter McKay (who I don't like), Vic Toews (who I also don't like) and Jim Flaherty (three for three) all retain their positions. Rona Ambrose stays in charge of Public Works and Government Services, and when there's time she can still pretend to care about Status of Women.

But, that's not enough for Mr. Harper! If you didn't get re-elected, well then, it's off to the Senate for you! Three, count 'em, three defeated MP's just got appointed to the Senate by Harper, even though the public said through voting that we don't want them. Larry Smith, Fabian Manning and Josee Verner, all defeated, all returning to the Senate. Hmmm.... remember what I said about Harper stacking the deck in his own interests? Well, lookee here at what we have now. Things are getting worse. Good thing the world is ending on Saturday, or we might've been in a heap of trouble. Yup, the Lord is on his way, and I for one am sooooo sure he's coming. Say, do you think the Lord likes quiche? Maybe I'll bake a quiche.

You Wanna Read Some Fail?

Well, do you? Because if you do, Neil Macdonald, senior Washington corespondent of the CBC has got a big, huge, steaming, sweating, dirty, leaking, reeking pile of fail for you to read right here. He's written a little article in defense of the poor IMF rapist a.k.a. Dominique Strauss-Kahn a.k.a DSK. Basically, his gripe is, y'know it's important to protect the identities of rape victims but what about the accused rapists? Why not protect their names until they're proven guilty? Poor DSK, you know because of this, he might never be president of France? Oh, what a shame for him! And Neil seems to think we're doing him a great injustice, as the public just looooves to see people of high status fall. Like DSK is  completely innocent of malice, just made a bad decision and we're vulturing around him, waiting for the carcass to stop twitching. What utter bullshit. This guy is a rapist. At least twice over, from what I understand. And we're supposed to feel sorry for him? For what he's lost? For the way the media portrays him? I just can't believe the turn this is taking. This guy should have been locked up a long time ago. I hope that they somehow nail him to the wall. Although slimy rich jerks like him usually manage to get off without a hitch. Didn't I hear he's retained Michael Jacksons' lawyer? Yeah, thought so. And listen to Neil talk about Sean Lanigan. Fine, but let's not forget that he's the exception to a very ugly rule. This almost reeks worse than victim blaming. I'm very disappointed in Neil Macdonald for writing this pile of horse shit, and I'm even more displeased with the CBC than usual for letting it be published online. For anyone that denies the rape culture is real, there's your fucking proof.

Who I Hate...

Who do I hate?


Judd Apatow.

The King of the Man-Babies

Seriously, what a douchebag. Thanks for nothing.

Welcome Back!

Well, I guess we all had a little rest what with Blogger being down for a couple of days, then me taking the weekend AFK (away from komputer, isn't that right?), but it's time to get back to work. I mean there's lots to talk about about, even if none of it is good news. I don't even need to tell you how disturbing I find this story to be. Of course, the local news sources are sparse with the information, but it's just one more example of just how pervasive the rape culture we live in is becoming. Women aren't safe. It doesn't matter if they're young or old, thin or large, able or not, women are at risk. I wonder how this douchebags' lawyer will manage to blame the victim in this case.

Then, across the country, we have this. More deplorable actions from more deplorable police officers. I haven't had a chance until now to discuss my feelings about police, so please allow me to do that here. I have respect for what the police are supposed to be. I think our society, most societies need what the police are supposed to be. However, for the most part, the individual officers I have met, the individuals whom I know went on to train to become or became police officers and the individual officers I read about in the news fill me with dread. The police is an institution rife with misogyny, homophobia and xenophobia. All over the world, where there is police, there is police corruption, brutality, rape and abuse of power. And we're taught at a young age that these are the good guys? That if there's a problem, go to a police officer? It sucks, because I know that there are good officers out there, but I never know if the one I'll have dealings with is one of those.

But, getting back to the incident at hand, these four officers are definitely NOT the good ones, and that's putting it mildly. I'm so sure that they just watched and had no involvement and didn't coerce these intoxicated women into any action at all. I'm so sure that they're just innocent victims of circumstance and their male sex drives and all. I mean, if they didn't force the women to have sex so they could watch on the closed circuit cameras, don't you think they should've, oh I dunno, intervened when it happened? I mean, that sort of stuff isn't supposed to happen in jail. But, I guess when it's two ladeez and you've had a hard day of policing, you let it slide, amirite?

Bullshit. These dudes were involved somehow. And the fact that one of the victims is coming forward, saying not only was she assaulted in prison by her cellmate, not only did the officers not stop the assault but watched for their own personal pleasure and amusement but that she may have been exposed to HIV, as well.

What. The. Fuck. Police.

How is any woman supposed to feel safe calling the supposed "guardians of the peace" when victim blaming and abuse of power are so rampant? Where are women supposed to turn when they need help? Is the possibility that they may be raped and beaten BY THE PEOPLE WHO ARE SUPPOSED TO PROTECT THEM FROM BEING RAPED AND BEATEN a reality that women have to live with?

The police forces of not just Canada but the whole world need an overhaul. They need to be rebuilt, practically from the ground up. No, I don't know how to go about this without bankrupting every city, state, province and country. But something's got to give. The people who need protection most deserve to be protected, not further endangered by their protectors. And that's all people, not just white, heterosexual males. Both genders and people of all sexualities and all races deserve to be protected from the things in society that may harm them. I hate to be that guy, but my tax dollars go to fund the police. I should be able to be proud of them. To not fear them. To not fear for any woman that has to make the call to them for help.

Baaaaaaaaaarf!

Trigger Warning for Abortion Debate:

I wanted to write a quick post about this a couple of days ago when it happened, but I got busy and was away from the computer. So, "Respect For Life Day", huh? Well that sounds nice and all. I mean, I respect life. I've never killed another human being. I don't eat much meat, and the meat I do eat is raised in great conditions, because I'm very careful about that. I don't kill bugs if I don't have to. I respect the lifestyles and choices of others, because everyone is entitled to autonomy over themselves. So, Respect For Life Day? Sounds like something I could get behind. Let's see what it's all about.

Oh. Oh wait. I see. I see what's going on here. A throwaway line or two about the elderly and the disabled, and then right into the anti-abortion, pro-life rhetoric. And what an occasion this was! It's been 42 yeas since Canada legalized abortion, and the National March For Life doesn't want you to fucking forget that for a second. These jackasses manage to get about 12,000 like-minded haters together to march on Parliament Hill every year. They clearly love life. And they love babies. Presumably, they love Jesus, too. (Sorry, that might be a bit of a shot at Christians, and if you're of the faith and you don't support pro-lifers, I apologize). But, from here, it just looks like another get together of people who art more righteous than thou. 

These folks hate abortion, that's right. It's a sin. They have all kind of facts about how abortion hurts women, hurts families, hurts the economy, hurts Jesus, etc., but I'm sick of linking to them, and you've heard all of this crap before. So, what about the women, though? What if they need an abortion? What if they've been raped? What if they don't have the money for this child? Or the space? What if they have career plans? Life plans? Hey, the National March For Shut Up And Have Babies doesn't give two shits about that. Jesus said have that kid, and then you can figure out the rest, because as we all know, God helps those who help themselves, right? Not that they'll step in and help all the women who need assistance raising children in an overburdened system, with no access to universal daycare, no chance to go back to school and better themselves, MRA groups telling deadbeat dads how to get out of child support and rising costs of food and necessities. Nope they've got more abortions to go prevent, more women to "help" and babies to "save".

The crux of it is that it's a right, a right to choose that every woman should have. Safe, legal abortion should be a no-brainer.... and looking at who we have in office, that should be right up their fucking alley. The no-brainer thing, that is (see what I did there?).

If you want to e-mail Jim Watson, and tell him what's what, that you don't think it was a good idea to make an anti-choice day, then you'll be in good company. I'll be doing it, too.

UPDATE: Monday, May 16, 2011

Jim Watson strikes back! But says nothing. Film at never!

Ah Misogyny, Come To Call Again

So, while perusing the ol' Canadian news sites, I came across this little gem. The CBC covers it too, with less detail, of course. But, what really chaps my ass about this whole thing, is the "police advisory" at the bottom of the article.

"Be vigilant of your surroundings and stay with a group and just be aware. Sometimes if you're out drinking and having fun for some people it can reduce their ability to be vigilant. We just want to make sure folks are safe," said Staff-Sgt. John McGetrick."

Thanks Johnny! Nice of you to tell all the ladies how to avoid trouble! What's that? You say you were talking to everyone, not just women? Now come on, we both know that's bullshit. And of course, nowhere does he mention "Oh, and gents, maybe you should not sexually assault women you invite into your cars. Actually, maybe you should just not sexually assault anyone, anywhere, anytime." Now, I know we've all seen this before, but it never gets any less infuriating. Victim blaming. All the time, everywhere. It has to stop. There are no circumstances where rape is acceptable. No one ever "asks" to get raped. That defies the very definition of the word. There is no piece of clothing, or lack thereof, signal or sign, or lack thereof, word, phrase, gesture, glance (or lack thereof), that makes it okay to ignore a womans' right to choose at anytime, anywhere, anyhow. The women that this particular man assaulted are not being blamed (to my knowledge), but the (female) public at large is being asked to, once again, watch their own backs. Dudes? Well, whatever. You don't get raped, so keep on truckin', right? Wrong. Rape is 100% wrong, and 100% the fault of the rapist. Remember that. If you're really not part of the problem, then be part of the solution. Don't tolerate rape jokes or slang, don't tolerate rape apologia. Let everyone know you are anti-rape and under no circumstances is it ever the victims' fault. Otherwise, you get assholes like this in positions of power.

Connected to this line of thought are the Slutwalks that are popping up these days. I don't feel as though I have a right to analyze the movement too much, but I did see an interesting debate about it on The Agenda with Steve Paikin. It was the first time I ever got to hear Gail Dines speak, so that in and of itself made it worth the watch. I came away from the debate unsure of my stance, but lacking the emotional experience that only a woman could have on this issue, I know that however I may end up feeling on the choice to "reclaim" that word, my opinion really doesn't matter in the long run. I sincerely hope the movement garnishes positive results. 

I sometimes feel awkward making posts about misogyny. I know that the scope of my experiences and fact that I was raised a member of the patriarchy prevent me from understanding things as women do. But, I see these things now. And they anger me terribly. As stated before, if anything I've said has offended anyone, please bring it to my attention, and I will do my best to rectify the situation. Unless you're offended by feminism. In which case, piss off.

Quick Links

Man, there's a whole bunch of bullshit going on these days, my head is swimming, so I thought I'd post some links, and let the discussions go from there.

Public Servant Slams Response To Harassment

Hillary Clinton Removed From Iconic Photo

Harper Could Shape Supreme Court For Decades

All super good news, amirite? I'm real overtired today, so I apologize about this half-assed post. But, man, did you read these? If you didn't, go ahead, I'll still be here when you get back. There, now you're up to speed. First off, sexual harassment in the workplace is more commonplace than anyone really wants to admit. Actually, that pretty much goes for all threats women face these days, they go on more often than anyone wants to admit. I work in an industry where misogyny and racism is rampant, and I do my darndest to try to make the work environment better for everyone with varying degrees of success. But, I always (apparently misguidedly) believed that government jobs were a bit better, due to the stricter HR codes and harassment policies. Whoops, guess not! It looks like assholes are everywhere, although I'm not as surprised as I'm pretending to be. This poor lady was groped, advanced upon and then threatened until she was too afraid to go to work. And this guy gets to just continue his rise to the top of the office. I fucking hate this world.

The decision to photoshop women out of a picture, simply due to the fact that they are women, and that might excite your target audience is just beyond fucking comprehension to me. And people want to continue to argue that monotheistic religion doesn't subjugate women. Really. Huh. Not at all? Not even a little bit? Not even the part where you erase them from history so your menz won't get all distracted and having teh bad thoughtz? No, I guess not. Sorry about that.

And finally, my ol' pal Stephen Harper, doing what he does best. Stacking the deck in his own interests. Well, as long as the Supreme Court of Canada doesn't make decisions on anything too important. What? What's that you say? They make decisions on abortion law? On gay marriage? On prostitution law (five bucks say Johns get a free ride)? All of that stuff I've been saying that Stephen Harper hates more than getting a phone call during 100 Huntley Street? Oh, well then. That's a problem. But, not for the Conservative right, I guess.

Once again, apologies for the shodiness of this post. Better quality next time, I promise.

Oh Give Me A Break....

Hey! Hey everybody? You all remember that whole G20 thing, right? That thing that came after that G8 thing? Remember? It was a pretty big shitshow? C'mon you remember it. You know, about the whole government having secret powers thing, overstepping their boundaries, ordering the police to plant fake protesters in the crowds (anarchists indeed), arresting and beating hundreds maybe thousands of protestors, throwing them in jail, and sexually assaulting them, before saying "Whooops, you're all free to go."? Ah, jogged your memory, did I? Well, it's about to get stupider. Now there's a big ol' blame game going on. The Conservative government is blaming Dalton McGuinty for passing the 'secret police power law', saying that it fell under provincial jurisdiction. The Tories, with the support of the NDP are blaming the whole debacle on the Toronto Liberals. And while the NDP are demanding an inquiry into the whole matter, the Harpernauts are saying a public apology will suffice. Really? That's it? I mean, if you're so mad about this, why not stick those remaining Liberals to the wall? Well, for one, Dalton says it's not his fault. The orders to give police special and secret powers came from on high, from the PM himself, possibly. And therefore, no apology. He IS taking responsibility for issuing the order to the police, although he says his orders were misinterpreted. Is Dalton innocent? Oh no, no way. Do I believe that he thought this up all on his own and that the Prime Minister or his staff had no involvement whatsoever? No, not really. A secret police force with the power to arrest, detain, beat, rape and do whatever else they please to whomever they please sounds like it'd be right up Harpers' alley. I don't know if we'll ever get to the bottom of what happened in Toronto during the G20. But the victims have a right to know. The people have a right to know. We need to know who's protecting us and who's selling us out. Because if they did it once, they'll sure as shit do it again.

Update! Steven Tyler Is A Piece Of Shit!

Trigger Warning: Statutory Rape and Abortion Discussion

I was just getting ready to leave for work when this was brought to my attention. Awww, poor little pedophile rapist. Doesn't your heart go out to him? Listen to how tough it was for him to have had to make his fourteen year old girlfriend have an abortion so it wouldn't ruin his career, while he was in his late twenties at the time! That's fucking statutory rape! Hello? Anyone see that? Listen to what he says:

‘It was a big crisis. It’s a major thing when you’re growing something with a woman, but they convinced us that it would never work out and would ruin our lives. … You go to the doctor and they put the needle in her belly and they squeeze the stuff in and you watch. And it comes out dead. I was pretty devastated. In my mind, I’m going, Jesus, what have I done?’…

Growing something with a woman? Like a fucking Chia Pet? That's sick. He ruined this fourteen year old childs' life, and he's being treated like the victim! This is utter bullshit and it makes me so fucking mad! They let this pedophile sit on the panel of American Idol and drool over the young girls there. He shouldn't be let within fifty miles of those children! And think about some of the songs he's written. Ragdoll? Deuces Are Wild? Um, all the other Aerosmith songs where he waxes poetic over CHILDREN?!?! Men Monsters Men like him should be locked up forever, not celebrated on national T.V. I hate this society that champions these rapists, these pedophiles and fucking normalizes their behavior for the masses. Fuck you Steven Tyler, you sack of child-raping shit. I hope you die slow and twice.

Has It Been Four Years Yet?

Well, Stephen Harper hasn't given me as much to work with as I thought he would after winning a majority. The pundits seem to think he'll stick close to the center for a while. I guess that's good news, and other than keeping Parliament closed for two more weeks and stacking the senate a bit more, things seem quiet on the political front. Let me be clear: I DON'T FUCKING TRUST IT. The CBC shat out this piece of nothing today, both to placate worried left-wingers like me, and to mask the real reason I believe that the Conservatives won the majority. In a word, hate. The climate of this country is shifting, ever faster towards a climate of hate. The more multicultural we become, the more racism I see. The more women advance and fight back for basic human rights, the more misogyny I see. The more Canada takes in immigrants for the sole purpose of having more taxpayers and consumers, without having the jobs for an increased population, I see more xenophobia. Gay marriage = more homophobia. This Conservative party, the one that tried to sneak so many dehumanizing bills under the table, now no longer has to. They have the Commons. They have the Senate. And I believe that the shit will positively cover the fan when Parliament reopens. I think I'm going crazy from the waiting, the anticipation of bad things to come, but they most assuredly will.

I'd like to apologize for criticizing some of the new NDP MPs in an earlier post. It seems I was jumping on a bandwagon that I really didn't want to be on. It was shitty, elitist and even sexist of me to assume anything about these people, due to the facts that I don't know them, haven't yet seen what they can bring to the table and didn't check all sources, merely jumped to a conclusion. I wholeheartedly apologize and will never make such a mistake or blanket statement again. These new MPs have enough to deal with right now, they don't need to add one more shithead blogger to the pile. Thank you to those that pointed out my mistake.

I started reading The Alphabet Versus The Goddess by Leonard Shlain yesterday. So far, it's an interesting read, but I'll save opinions for completion. If anyone's read the book and wants to put in their two cents, or has any other recommendations, by all means, let me know what's good.

The Day The World Turned Less Day-Glo

I just found out that Poly Styrene, lead singer of the amazing but short lived band X-Ray Spex has passed away. Now, I've only been listening to the band for a little over a year, but they've fast become one of my favorites since I was introduced to them. Poly Styrene's vocals and lyrics were without a doubt amazing albeit unpolished, and she was just a super rad rock star. I bet she was a cool person. I'm saddened by this news, especially since I also just found out she was working on a solo record. Super sad. I weep for music a little more every day.

R.I.P. Poly Styrene (1957-2011)

Rumblings, Post-Election

I'm trying to remain optimistic. I keep hearing about the inexperience of the new NDP caucus, by and large in Quebec. It almost seems as though the party was slapped together at the last minute, and some representatives weren't even expected to win... but they did. Ruth Ellen Brosseau is fast becoming the bull's eye of media and public opinion scorn. A nineteen year old bartender who spent a portion of the campaign on vacation in Las Vegas, who speaks French so atrocious they won't even air the over-the-phone interview that was conducted with her, who has possibly never even been to the riding she was elected in. That doesn't look good. People are also nervous about the fact that four other MPs are currently attending or recently graduated from McGill University. I'm not in any way implying that young people are not fit for government duties. But I am worried about the Conservative majority preying on the youth and inexperience of the Loyal Opposition. It raises questions I don't even want to have to ask. That meeting Jack Layton had with Stephen Harper just before the budget was released, just before the non-confidence vote, what really took place there? I'm starting to believe some kind of deal was cut. The Liberals are out of the way now, possibly for years, and the BQ is on the verge of disappearing altogether. Did Jack Layton sell us out to become the official opposition, only to make that opposition so weak it can barely oppose at all? I shouldn't be judging the abilities of these new MPs before the even sit in the House, but I'm nervous. I've had an unshakable feeling of dread in my spine since the majority was announced. I have stated before I am scared of the direction this country is poised to take. I am scared for people who are not white, who are not male, who are not cisgendered, who are not christian. Even more so than before, I am scared. I sincerely hope that my fears can be at least somewhat placated when the dust settles and the House reopens. But I'm not confident.


P.S. As a quick aside, this was the "Funny Quote of the Day" in my Gmail inbox this morning: "Bachelors have consciences, married men have wives." Barf. Fail. Fuck you, Samuel Johnson.

Good Tidings Amidst A Conservative Shitstorm?

Trigger Warning: The comments on the article linked to in this post were pretty tame at the time of posting, but who knows what's happened since.

According to news sources, a record number of female MP's are headed to Parliament post-election. This is the first silver lining I've seen out of this whole election debacle, aside from the NDP becoming the official opposition, but I'm waiting to see how that works out. The stats are at least 76 women will be sworn in, putting representation in the house at about 25%. That's unprecedented for Canada, I believe... and ho-hum for many other places in the world. The fact that we're just reaching this kind of statistic now makes me feel once again like we're stuck in some kind of fucking time warp in this country. Like no one wants to let go of the June and Ward facade of 50's lifestyle that the Conservatives seem to want to play up so much. By the way, the Conservatives only have 17% female representation in the House of Commons even though they hold the most seats. I know, right? I'm fucking shocked, too. But, that's just status quo from a party that loves to covertly do away with funding for womens' groups, womens' shelters, Planned Parenthood and what have you.

But, getting back to it, this shouldn't be how it is in this day and age. We're doing miserably in this aspect of government in this country, so bad it looks (perhaps rightfully so) that we're not even trying. While we're not the worst in the world, we're sure as shit not the best. I dunno about you but I'm not happy about 48th place in anything. Sure, those stats are from 2009, but we all know that shit hasn't changed so drastically in two years. So, am I happy about the small increase? Yes, of course. But I hope it's only the first few drops signaling that the dam is finally about to burst, and female representation in politics is about to have a major upswing. But, once again, with a Conservative majority, I won't hold my fucking breath.

Oh Canada, I'm So Disappointed...

Well, there you have it. A Conservative majority government. I guess that's what I get for telling you all to go out and vote. And while I'm happy about the human-rights friendly NDP becoming the official opposition, the whole Harper majority thing sends chills up my spine. This man has no scruples and his sordid cabinet of characters, all of whom have their own scandals and skeletons to hide, will barely have to hide their contempt for anyone who's not white, male, christian and upper middle-class or better. Everyone who's got a conscience knows that Harper is a dictator, and now the doors are open wider than ever for him. I'm not saying he'll just do whatever he wants. I'll leave that to Greg Weston. But I am frightened. And I disagree with Mr. Weston on the point of Harper staying close to center. I don't think he has it in him. I believe he'll be emboldened by this victory and the cuts to womens' groups and programs will continue. I believe abortion will be placed back on the table, and we'll have our own war on roe here, just as is happening in the U.S. I believe that gay marriage will be re-opened and possibly reneged on. I just hope that with a strong New Democrat opposition, perhaps some of the coming tide of government-sponsored misogyny and homophobia can be abated. But, I'm not confident. I feel that dark days are ahead. I'm afraid for my partner. I'm afraid for me. I'm afraid for everyone I know. And with the Liberal and Bloc parties all but decimated, they'll be too busy rebuilding to be even the modicum of use they once were to concerned leftists such as myself. I had hoped for different. I suppose that's what I received. But I had also hoped for better. And on that, I feel cheated.

Oh, and congratulations to Elizabeth May in getting a seat in the House of Commons. I am truly glad your perseverance has paid off. I only wish that it had happened under much different circumstances.

Seriously..... what a putz.

Welcome To The Nimbostratus Parade!

Well, here we are. Here I am, anyways. There'll be no real direction in this first post, so bear with me as I find my feet. I'm starting this blog because I have opinions. Lots of them. And to most people, they're not popular opinions. I could give a shit, I assure you. Most people just love the status quo, and I get that. Me? No, I think there should be, must be a change, and soon. I believe in feminism, in social equality for both genders, all races and people of all sexual preferences. I believe that when people say "I'm not politically correct..." they mean "I'm a fucking bigot, and I'm gonna tell you why, even if you don't care...". I believe that the world is headed for a fuckton of trouble and I'm not sure if I can change any of that, but if I can get a few people to listen and stop being such goddamn fucking douchebags, well... it can't hurt, can it?

I used to be one of those douchebags I speak of. As a white, heterosexually identified male, I reveled in my privilege, of course all the while being ignorant that I had it. I was a bigot, a homophobe, a dudebro, a porn-addict. I was the person I'd hate most in the world now. I did a lot of damage and caused a lot of heartache, to say the very least about it. I'm trying to change, trying to atone, trying desperately to deal with the guilt of the pain I caused and trying ever so hard to make a positive difference in the world that I helped to fuck up for so many people. I think this blog is part of that. Bigots, Douchebros, Nice Guy TMs, and members of the conservative religious right will (most likely) not like what I have to say here. Toughie for you. You're welcome to debate, but keep it clean and constructive. No slurs, no name-calling, no fighting. Feminists and other socially conscious folks, please bear with me. I'm learning. If I make a mistake, or if I say something that offends, by all means bring it to my attention and I will rectify the problematic statement immediately. I only hope to improve.

The topics here will vary greatly, I'm sure, from politics (election day today Canadians, get out and vote!), to feminism in and out of the news, to the bullshit that is pop culture these days, to cooking (my favorite pastime), to whatever else strikes my lil' fancy. I hope I can entertain and educate along the way. So, with that I bid hello to any prospective readers and welcome you to join the Nimbostratus Parade! It's gonna be a heck of a journey, I assure you.

P.S. If anyone is wondering just what the fuck a Nimbostratus is, then learn yourself something! And if anyone is wondering why there's no nudey pictures here, then go fuck yourself.