NDP Pulls Away From Pack. Which Right-Wing Party, Cons or Libs, will Right-Wing Canadians choose to try and stop the NDP?

Slumberjack wrote:

Sean in Ottawa wrote:

The difference is that men and women are not on an equal footing in our society when it comes to power. They are getting closer but there is a difference. This is the context of the statement.

Yes, but that in itself should not provide a blank cheque for gender based discriminatory remarks.  Knowing all that it entails should provide more of a disincentive imo for the people engaging in it, irrespective of whether it's men or women doing it.

Quote:

The comment was not individual and so I struggle to see your difficulty. On gender issues men, having accumulated centuries of advantage that has not been erased entirely, can accept a little sarcasm, understanding that this is not meant aggressivley towards them personally but against the injustice of inequality. Sarcasm was used effectively to make a point. I thought the point was clear -- and was hostile only to inequality and not to an individual here. In the context I don't find that men were the target so much as inequality.

Well, you accept it.  That's your choice.  I choose not to.  Others are free to be similarly put off by remarks like that, or not.  Commentary doesn't have to be individually directed to have an effect, as anyone who has ever felt slighted by a generalized slur will tell you.

Maybe we need to revive "The Man Thread" to discuss this issue.  The last time we had one we mainly covered beer and underwear.

Back to the same disagreement. I did not read this as a generalized slur against men. I took it as sarcasm targeting inequality and a comment on the significant number of men in the House who are lacking in merit
(do we need to create a list?). It is this interpretation that is setting us apart. When it comes to the overall quality of the MPs in the House men vs women, I do not take a suggestion that merit would lead to 70-80% women to be a reflection on men in general. I took it to be a reflection on the average quality of the men in the House. Many men in the House are dinosaurs who do not believe in the basics of equality among human beings. This is what I read the post as saying.

All that said, I admit that even if it were a generalized slur against men, in light of the power differences that persist in our society including what we get paid, I'll be somewhat more forgiving. Part of privilege is an acceptance that you might have to put up with generalized comments meant to symbolically strike at an unlevel ground.

By the same token some comments about white people are going to be taken differently than if directed at people of colour. I won't rush out to defend white people from all generalized comments made in a context of a racist and sexist society.

So to sum: 1) this was not generalized and 2) even if it were, the context is different than if it were reversed. Finally, in a sexist society, this sure isn't the battle I would pick even if I were offended.

ETA: this is not a rejection of the principle that you raise nor any hostility to you or a presumption that you are part of a problem rather than a solution. I understand your point -- I did not read the post as having the same meaning as you did and I see a context differently.

Slumberjack wrote:

Sean in Ottawa wrote:

 this is not a rejection of the principle that you raise nor any hostility to you or a presumption that you are part of a problem rather than a solution. I understand your point -- I did not read the post as having the same meaning as you did and I see a context differently.

Sean, remarks like that have been occurring here for years.  It is not just about one instance, but part of along running sexist theme that has been freely put to use.  I am not asking you to sign on to it.  I am stating how I perceive the matter.

Ok -- fair enough. I think we read the content differently.

NorthReport wrote:

Did you know we have 2 mainstream political medias in Canada?

We have the no matter what they do, or how weak they actually are media, especially the right-wing Liberals, but the right-wing Conservatives as well, need to be supported by us all the time.

Then we have the no matter what, trash the NDP media, and no matter how much they are leading in the polls, minimize it. 

Today is perfect example of the Abacus headlines not matching the increasing NDP lead, and the dropping in support Liberals and Conservatives.

I wouldn't worry too much about it. The mainstream media has little remaining credibility at this point, even amongst the dwindling and ageing audience base that still consumes their drivel. It also appears to me that the public is becoming increasingly savvy (or cynical, as the case may be) to see through their ideological and partisan agendas. The worst offenders (the former Sun News, the CBC, and the Toronto Star, IMHO) have so eroded their credibility that they have become laughable parodies of themselves.

As for all of the media's typical tendency to ignore or diminish the NDP, I will note that I seem to be seeing a reasonable amount og postitive (or at least, "balanced") coverage of the NDP in the more stodgy conservative press (Glib and Stale, CTV, Global). To a certain degree, I wonder whether elements of the old, white, male establishment realize we need a change in government, recognize that Justin Trudeau is woefully not up to the task, and that the NDP isn't all that "scary" an option as they've traditionally thought.

Finally, this election may be one where I think that the media's ignoring us could work to our benefit. First, it prevents us from peaking too soon, and spooking our opponents. Second, it allows us to make our own, unfiltered case to a public that, judging by polls, is receptive to it.

NorthReport wrote:

 NDP leading a tight horse race, two national polls show 

Which helps to explain the cowboy hats.

Pulling away from the pack at this point is an encouraging development, but it's no lock-up of results at the polls in the fall. Though it should help with attracting better candidates, and since there is a real expectation of winning this time, it should also keep candidates from vacationing in Vegas during the campaign, for example.

ilha formosa wrote:

Pulling away from the pack at this point is an encouraging development, but it's no lock-up of results at the polls in the fall. Though it should help with attracting better candidates, and since there is a real expectation of winning this time, it should also keep candidates from vacationing in Vegas during the campaign, for example.

 

The NDP is not pulling away from the pack. It is leading it but everyone is in reach. Show me 5 consecutive polls with a greater than 5 point lead and I'll agree to this language.