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Posted by eleanor

Calling Belinda nasty names

First, a bunch of hurt and angry men called turncoat Belinda Stronach a prostitute and a whore. The Ontario MP dumped the Tories for the ruling Liberals and a Cabinet post, you'll recall. So of course the hooker analogy was everywhere.

The problem is that a bunch of feminists responded by saying that this was misogynist.

The papers are full of sexist crap said about Stronach these last few days, but think twice about the "prostitute" and "whore" stuff. As far as I know no one, no one at all, has responded by saying: there is nothing wrong with being a prostitute.

It all reminds me of an offensive press release released in 2002 by the queer lobby group Egale: the group could have educated people about effeminate men, but instead trashed pansies. Read my old analysis here. And fashion your own back-talk about the strength and respectability of prostitutes.

Comments

# re: Calling Belinda nasty names
May 20, 2005 11:18 AM
Today's La Presse (a French-language Montreal paper) quotes filmmaker Francine Pelletier calling the Conservatives misogynist, but she takes aim at Liberals, too, for their opportunism. In rough translation, she wonders why female Grits have been so outraged about the Stronach crap while yet refusing to discuss the sexism within their own party that so clearly holds them back.

Women who want to be in politics, says Pelletier, must adopt the "matante" look. That's the archetypal "aunt" look, that of the drab middle-aged lady. "Women should have the right to be who they are, to be sexy if they want to be. That's what Belinda Stronach did, and she's paid dearly for it."
# re: Calling Belinda nasty names
May 20, 2005 10:40 AM
I received this in a private e-mail:

"If she had left the NDP [New Democratic Party] instead of the PC's I guess there would be a bunch of angry men acusing her of being nothing but a "sex trade worker"...
# re: Calling Belinda nasty names
May 19, 2005 4:01 PM
Hi,
What I object to is the "double standard" of these largely white, middle class MP's would react and respond in a different way if it were a male MP who crossed the floor. I support Belinda and congratulate her. Scott Brison and Keith Martin endured some short-term criticism for crossing the floor but the comments didn't get so "personalized". So, what, that's okay to do to a woman but not a man? That's pathetic. I see these white, middle class male MP's as engaging in "Neanderthal-like thinking" and a double standard is at play here. As for calling Belinda a prostitute? Well, personally if my principles were in place and I had integrity and character, I could care less what some Neanderthal chose to call me. I think in the end it speaks volumes about the individual making such a comment. In society I suppose many have come to negatively-associate the term whore or prostitute. It is worth examining how worked up we all need to get about this wording. I look forward to reading what others think.

Peace, Christine.
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