Monday, December 29, 2014
Another Good Reason Why Rex Murphy Should be Fired
You might think that after all that happened at the CBC this year, Rex Murphy might know when to press the mute button.
You might think that with all those horrible stories about violence against women, that nasty Con dwarf might exhibit a smidgen of human decency.
But no, he'd rather use his last National Post column of the year to dump all over the feminist movement.
Is this the feminism of 2014, flocks of feminists going undercover into the Toys R Us stores, foisting micro-propaganda into tiny toddlers tea sets and light sabres? The story is an outlier, some might say — but the some would be very wrong. In an era when college students under the mighty sway of heteronormative patriarchy have conjured up the concept of “micro-aggression” and stamped their books with “trigger warnings,” there is surely nothing too silly, too intellectually vacuous, for educated feminists to embrace.
As only he could.
Witness that most risible spectacle of BeyoncĂ© — the Chanticleer of Bootylicious — giving a performance at the TV Music Awards that would have the most talented stripper envious of its lavish lasciviousness, assuming poses that would embarrass the most veteran proctologist, while on a backdrop, in bright lights and huge lettering the word “FEMINIST” flashed to the world how “empowering” the louche lewd and lecherous exhibition really was.
Once the grubby little demagogue used to dribble and drool about Pamela Anderson's "boobs." Or Madonna and her sex life. Now he's going on about Beyonce's "Bootylicious" and proctologists.
Using the most absurd examples to caricature and smear an entire movement, and revealing once again his ghastly misogyny.
Am I “mansplaining” here? I surely hope so. Mansplaining is a bit of this year’s wombspeak, a coinage of great self-satisfaction and smugness which attempts to put down reconciling reality to facts, naming fables when they are fables, and contesting any of the dogmas of the enlightened sisterhood, as mere condescension from the other gender. It should be paired with “femsplaining” which is of course pure unshampooed truth — as determined, of course, by when and if it works for the cause.
But of course why should we be surprised? When as I pointed a few months ago, the man is a fierce social conservative, of the American tea bagger kind, and is like them a ghastly homophobe.
Who during the gay marriage debate actually demanded that Jean Chretien should use the notwithstanding clause to deny LGBT Canadians their equal rights.
The right to discriminate is not always a popular freedom to argue for. But it is an absolutely essential one to churches -- which, by their nature, must be able to pick and choose between what they believe to be moral and what they believe to be immoral. For that right to begin to be taken away even before gay marriage has been enshrined in federal law would be an immensely dark omen.
And homophobia and misogyny inhabit the same dark and sweaty crawl place.
What is surprising, and outrageous, is that a right-wing demagogue like Rex Murphy
should continue to be employed by the CBC.
Continue to make regular appearances on the CBC's flagship news show, continue to spread his reactionary views on women and climate change, continue to recite his Con talking points like others recite the Rosary.
And of course, continue to shill for Big Oil...
But what makes Murphy's latest foul eruption even worse, is that coming in the midst of the Ghomeishi scandal, it only reinforces the view that some old and powerful males at the CBC are out of control, and think they can say or do ANYTHING.
Am I mansplaining myself Rexy? You grubby little millionaire.
You know. I'm waiting to see how CBC management handles the Ghomeishi Scandal. But judging by the way they have handled the Murphy Scandal, I find it hard to believe that anyone could have any confidence in them to do the right and decent thing.
Heads need to roll. The CBC needs to cleanse itself.
And they can start that long healing process TOMORROW.
By firing this ghastly tea bagger...
Please click here to recommend this post at Progressive Bloggers.
Something tells me that frizzy hair of his would tickle my thighs if he were to ....
ReplyDeletehi thwap....well actually he once almost tickled mine. Because I live in the same neighbourhood he does, not far from his fancy condo where Mike Harris once lived, and shop in the same supermarket, I frequently cross his path. And since his head comes up to my waist, or lower, I have to be very careful not to step on him. And once I was at the meat counter, and I didn't see him until it was almost too late, I almost sent him flying into the sausage section. Welcome to my nightmare... ;)
Delete"Something tells me that frizzy hair of his would tickle my thighs if he were to .."
DeleteJeez thwap, now I'm gonna have to cauterize part of my brain if I want to eat dinner and keep it down!!
Regardless of his views Simon, Murphy, like Cherry is of a soon (hopefully) by-gone era where men became men and asserted their manhood by being obnoxious, abusive and dismissive of anything but themselves. I don't think either of these guys will leave willingly and I suspect that there a quite a few like-minded folk running the CBC.
ReplyDeletehi bcwaterboy...as much as I detest Cherry I can understand why the CBC hired him to talk down to hockey fans. Even if he promotes violence, and insults French Canadians and Europeans. But I will never understand how they can have Murphy appear on the National. I don't know who they think he is, but apparently they don't realize that they are blowing their journalistic credibility right out of the water. Management at the CBC is clearly incompetent and a big part of the problem...
DeleteWhen patriarchy developed language embedding male-bias in over 10,000 items of speech they taught us all to be misogynists, enemies and how to HATE. E.g. fem was renamed (wo) man in the 13th Century. As such "she" is a man that's not a man! Is there any confusion bigger than this?
ReplyDeletehi Louise...I detest the brutish patriarchy which is responsible for so much barbarity and cruelty in this world. My idea of a real man is one who is kind, gentle, and strong, and respects women in every possible way. And needless to say I dream of the day when women run the world, for it would be a saner place, and I trust their judgement more than I trust the judgement of most men...
DeleteMost of the board of governors are Harper appointees! Don't expect things to get better, before they get worse!
ReplyDeletehi HippyTreeMan...yes I know the board members and the President are all Cons. But CBC managers have the power to fire Murphy and I don't understand what is stopping them. I should also add that due to the complaints over Murphy's shameless shilling for Big Oil they set up a list of CBC staffers and their public appearances. However, when I checked the list I see that Murphy is not included because he is on contract. Can you believe that? Those managers are not just incompetent, they're shameless...
DeleteCross Country Check Up is always listened to when there is a guest host!
ReplyDeleteOtherwise it's off as soon as Rex's "fawning supra superciliousness" comes on.
Can't believe Rick Mercer shares the same island!
hi hinofan....I'm told that Murphy is much better behaved on Cross Country Check Up, but his appearances on the National are appalling. And as I said in my post, at a time when young and vulnerable employees are complaining about sexual harassment, to have him attack feminists in such a disgusting manner is simply beyond the pale. And for that alone he should be fired...
ReplyDelete