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Blog of Adam Daifallah -- author, journalist, law student. Lover of politics, writing, golf, curling, fitness, fashion, bacon and maple products -- not necessarily (but probably) in that order. Partisan of the Anglosphere. Contact me via email at adam@daifallah.com. This summer I am joined by Keir Wilmut and Omar Soliman.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Politics, Decency, and Fairness
The comments to my post on Warren Kinsella’s Cookie Blunder have got me thinking about politics, decency, and fairness.
I do not believe Warren Kinsella is sexist. I think he made a lame joke without ever intending to suggest that women ought to stay in the kitchen, or anything like that. I think that if he had thought for more than thirty seconds, he never would have made the comment. I know that I’ve made stupid comments like that before, and that you have, too.
So the decent thing to do would be to cut the guy some slack, accept his apology, and move on from this non-incident.
But: let’s play make-believe for a moment. Imagine if, in the build up to an election campaign, one of John Tory’s senior advisors had suggested – via a lame joke – that women would rather stay home in the kitchen. What do you think Kinsella would do?
I think he would make that guy’s life a living hell. I think he would put a boot to this guy’s throat, step down, and not let up until John Tory and the Conservative campaign was gasping and pleading for air. I think the author of Kicking Ass in Canadian Politics would make damn sure that at every single one of John Tory’s public appearances from now until the day of the election there was a group of Liberal women, wearing aprons, waving signs and handing out cookies.
This is, after all, the man who saw fit to ridicule a man’s religious beliefs for political gain.
So the fair thing would be to Do Unto Warren As He Has Done Unto Others, and pound the living crap out of him.
In politics, should we do the decent thing, or the fair thing?
# posted by Keir Wilmut : 11:51 AM
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