As you know, I believe that Rob Ford won by such a large margin, partly because he harnessed the twin demons of racism and homophobia.
Now I see that the homophobe Michael Coren at least partly agrees.
Ford not only won, he smashed his opponents and was declared Toronto’s mayor within eight minutes of the polls closing.
The chattering classes are claiming this was because the white, angry, male and suburban people voted for him. Some did. But it takes more than that to win.
What these liberal dinosaurs refuse to grasp and are too insecure to accept is ethnic Toronto is conservative. Smitherman is gay and speaks of his husband. Many Muslims, Tamils, West Indians, Africans and others responded with an electoral “not our values.”
Now it's easy to dismiss someone like Coren, if this hadn't happened.
Or there weren't other troubling signs that immigrants are making this country more conservative.
And the the Cons weren't trying to harness those retrograde attitudes and use them to get a majority.
But I am still hopeful that won't happen in Toronto.
Because I think that in a city as diverse as this one, even the bigot immigrants will soon come to realize, that the Cons are not their friends. And that if they set fire to the social fabric the flames will consume us ALL.
Besides most of the young immigrants are on our side. So Coren can crow all he wants. But the battle for Toronto is not over, it's just beginning.
Bigotry will not triumph.
And if he squeals too loud and too foul.
The Pig Man will not RULE...
12 comments:
I have an uncle who is a blue-collar worker, and a big supporter of Rob Ford (kind of looks like him too).
He claims that it was common talk among his co-workers that none of them would be voting for "that queer."
Why do the detractors "simplify"the reasons behind Ford's win? Does one's value system not matter? If someone feels a traditional marriage is their preference, it's no different than another who recognizes same sex. Anti gay's equivalent to anti fat,both are Human Rights issues. Why so many felt Ford's weight was open for inflammatory debate,yet Smitherman's gay lifestyle wasn't 'til the end is baffling. It's disingenuous of those who accuse Ford of being divisive.
aliengoo,
Tell us about your lifestyle. Why do you choose one lifestyle over the other.
Why hasn't the MSM even mentioned the bigot stuff? Are they blind? I'm gay and I don't consider Toronto a safe city anymore so I'm thinking of moving back to Montreal.Merci Simon.
LucM
Seems quite simple to me , people didn't want Smitherman because he is a homosexual and for many of them voting for Smitherman would be like condoning homosexuality. Those who did vote for Smitherman didn't want Ford in office. Lets face one thing here that there was no one suitable for Mayor in this last election but we had to vote for someone. What Ford has promised and what he can actually do is another matter, but regardless what he does services will have to be cut to save the money he is claiming.
hi anonymous...I work in a place where I come in contact every day with hundreds of people from all walks of society and I've heard that too. I also heard people say that Ford was against more immigrants for Toronto, because he said the city couldn't afford any more MIGRANTS. As if Ford could do anything about either. Which makes the immigrant support for him even more ridiculous...
hi aliengoo...First of all let me be clear, I have never attacked Ford for being fat and I do't agree with people who do. I attack him because I think he is a rude and vulgar demagogue with no serious ideas for improving the life of people in this city. Secondly being gay isn't a lifestyle, it's an ORIENTATION. And gay marriage is a question of equality. If people want to attack Smitherman for his policies that's perfectly OK...I wasn't too happy about them either. But to attack him for what he is is simply bigotry, totally disgusting and will DESTROY the social fabric of this city...
hi thwap...thanks for your support. You know it's stunning how many people, including those who should know better, think being gay is a choice. When in fact it's as much of a choice as whether you have green or blue eyes. It's truly depressing, and just goes to prove that no prejudice is as deeply rooted as homophobia...
hi anonymous two...I have no idea why they haven't covered that angle, but I guess it's because criticizing immigrants is taboo. And even some old progressives get more outraged about the burning of a Koran than they do about assaults on gay people. It's like a disease they carry deep inside them, and we'll only be relieved of that when they die, and a new and better generation takes over.
But don't be afraid, and don't let the bigots scare you into moving...even to a great place like Montreal where a vulgar pig like Rob Ford could NEVER be elected.
We're not going anywhere, we will fight those homophobes harder than ever, and we WILL win... :)
hi anonymous three...well I certainly agree with you that there were no good choices in this election. No good candidates with the imagination and the vision to improve life for everyone in this city. And lots of good reasons not to support Smitherman, but his sexual orientation shouldn't have been one of them. From where I stand I see a Toronto that needs to renew itself, but not a broken city. There is no doubt money that can and should be saved, and if Ford was only about that, he wouldn't be so bad. But his views on public transportation are so retrograde they're embarrassing. And the man is so crass and belligerent that having him running things in a city as diverse as this one is like lighting a match in a room full of gunpowder. I don't think he's a deliberate bigot, I just think he's such a vulgar and loud buffoon, he says things other people only think, and that's what I believe accounts for at least the size of his majority. I mean I have to stop some of my gay friends from lumping in ordinary Muslims with the crazy jihadists, so this kind of nonsense is everywhere. But the truth is, and it's an inconvenient one, if we don't talk about these problems honestly we will never solve or cure them...
@thwap,lifestyle,you never stated yours.I choose mine based on my belief system,formed since childhood.
@Simon,regarding proper terminology,lifestyle/orientation: gay,or heterosexual.Marketing is why I used the lifestyle term.There is targeted advertising, ie.newspapers,and magazines I found in Toronto,San Francisco oriented to the gay "lifestyle."
I feel I am saying the same thing Simon. Oxford definition of orientation: the type of aims or interests that a person or an organization has; the act of directing your aims towards a particular thing.
With regards to ridiculing Ford for being overweight,I didn't say you did Simon.Ford's win wasn't based on homophobia,or racism IF you look at who voted,worked on his campaign,or volunteered.There were pockets of votes within the red zones for Ford:
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2010/10/28/toronto-election-vote-breakdown524.html
What did Toronto expect? On one hand, the city is full of fashionable Liberals who think that they have a divine right to rule Canada cart blanche. On the other hand, it is a city that is filling up with immigrants that come from countries that regard homosexuality with utter revulsion.
That poofter Smitherman only had himself to blame, poncing around on TV kissing another man that he represents as his "husband," and with an adopted child to boot.
While all you liberal "progressives" continue to sulk in your lattes, just remember that Canada continues to bring in 240,000 immigrants a year, and very few of them have any sympathy for your so-called "alternative lifestyle." And their votes will only bear this out again and again.
Post a Comment