Rob Ford's Toronto

[nfitz]

There's a legitimate protest to be made against the continued illegal occupation of Palestinian lands.

I'm not really familiar with the particular protest (ironically, I'm a lot more aware because of the fuss bigots like Rob Ford are making).

Is the protest against the occupation of Palestinian lands ... or the religious discrimination within Isreal itself.

 

[ShonTron]

I'm not really familiar with the particular protest (ironically, I'm a lot more aware because of the fuss bigots like Rob Ford are making).

Is the protest against the occupation of Palestinian lands ... or the religious discrimination within Isreal itself.

I don't think it is against what goes on within Israel's mandated borders; Arab Israelis (and Christians) have it relatively good. The "apartheid" usually refers to the partitioning of Palestinian land, the way Jimmy Carter uses it.

If the anti-gay crowd didn't use it a wedge issue, only a few would be making any noise about it. I do think that QuAIA is a poor choice of name, though - it makes themselves a lightening rod.

 

[adma]

I wouldn't scream "the sky is falling" at Mammoliti's actions yet. Seems to me that even the big media out there is treating him like a creep--whatever he was trying to pull may have backfired real badly. *May have*. Remember: in the Ford era, "may have" can be defied...

 

[nfitz]

We could use Ford's mugshot from Florida on the posters. Nothing screams family values to me like a suspected DUI mugshot.

He was convicted of DUI in Florida; it was the drug possession charges were dropped.

 

[nfitz]

I don't think it is against what goes on within Israel's mandated borders; Arab Israelis (and Christians) have it relatively good.

And yet there is discrimination based on religion. One could argue years ago that blacks in the USA had it a lot better than those in Africa ... did that justify segregation?

The "apartheid" usually refers to the partitioning of Palestinian land, the way Jimmy Carter uses it.

Is occupation of a neighbouring territories land apartheid though? Doesn't seem the correct term.

If the anti-gay crowd didn't use it a wedge issue, only a few would be making any noise about it. I do think that QuAIA is a poor choice of name, though - it makes themselves a lightening rod.

They do seem to be doing an excellent job of outing bigots though.

 

[RC8]

I don't see any particular reason that we should ban black people from campaigning against anti-semitism. Can you offer a reason?

Why? If more people, whatever their background, stood up against discrimination, the world would be a better place.

What about white Canadians and Americans campaigning against South African apartheid in the 1980s?

There's a legitimate protest to be made against the continued illegal occupation of Palestinian lands. It is not at all anti-Semitic. Israel is a country that is not one and the same with the faith. Besides, the protest is not anti-Israel, it is anti-occupation (or Pro-Palestinian if you prefer). What about the "Not in Our Name" Jews protesting in front of Indigo on Bay? Why doesn't Mammolitti go bug them? They are out every Friday afternoon. Oh yeah, he's got an anti-gay agenda with a nice little wedge issue to push.

The QuAIA is a nice convenient excuse for knuckle-dragging opportunists like Mammolitti to attack Pride. They are not endorsed as a participating group, they have no official status. QuAIA bowed out voluntarily so that it wouldn't threaten Pride from those who want to kill it, and not be a distraction from the main point of the weekend, and that was the right move given the politics of today. You can't expect the organizers to control a small renegade group. What are they supposed to do? Search bags for signs, hire paid-duty cops to arrest anyone caught with a dissenting opinion? After all, the message passes the city anti-discrimination policy, even if a few gnash their teeth because of it

I am balck, and I rail against the current Israeli government all the time.

Black people can and should stand up against the discrimination of jews. To make a black-specific group for it is completely unnecessary, however.

There's no reason at all why the dykes who belong to whatever group shouldn't be marching whenever there is a protest against israel. Pride, however, has nothing at all to do with that, and it's a sensitive issue. There might be jews (queer or not) present with a different opinion, and it really isn't the place to have that discussion.

It's not issue-specific. 'Queers for the Brits to pull out of Northern Ireland', 'Queers for the independence of Turkish Cyprus', 'Queers against Muammar Al-Gaddafi', 'Queers against Hezbollah', etc. just have NOTHING to do at Pride.

If those with the views stated above want to protest, feel free, but do it at the right place or don't complain when the funding for a parade dedicated to sexual freedom gets taken away.

 

[nfitz]

If those with the views stated above want to protest, feel free, but do it at the right place or don't complain when the funding for a parade dedicated to sexual freedom gets taken away.

I fail to see why a parade that celebrates homosexuality gets funded ... but if one protests during the parade about one people occupying the territory of another, then it puts anything at risk.

Protesting occupations has been going on for centuries ... anyone who uses such a flimsy excuse to carry out their prejudice against gays is simply being bigoted. If it wasn't about this issue, they'd be complaining that funding should be cut because someone was caught carrying a Pepsi can, and it violates some city agreement with Coke ... or something equally as bizarre.

We need to ignore the prejudiced propaganda coming from idiots like Rob Ford and Giorgio Mammoliti and simply call them for what they are ... bigots. It's that simple. Time to stop beating around the bush.

 

[RC8]

They do seem to be doing an excellent job of outing bigots though.

In the same way a woman driver running over a crowd would do a great job outing male supremacists.

The LGBTQ community need to realise that sometimes when people tell them to stop doing something, it's not because they're gay.

Or in this case, it's not just because they're gay. Let's not pretend Ford or Mammoliti were fans of pride in the first place.

Pick your fights wisely.

 

[nfitz]

Pick your fights wisely.

Isn't that suggesting that their rights are somewhat more fragile than others?

 

[RC8]

I fail to see why a parade that celebrates homosexuality gets funded ... but if one protests during the parade about one people occupying the territory of another, then it puts anything at risk.

Protesting occupations has been going on for centuries ... anyone who uses such a flimsy excuse to carry out their prejudice against gays is simply being bigoted. If it wasn't about this issue, they'd be complaining that funding should be cut because someone was caught carrying a Pepsi can, and it violates some city agreement with Coke ... or something equally as bizarre.

We need to ignore the prejudiced propaganda coming from idiots like Rob Ford and Giorgio Mammoliti and simply call them for what they are ... bigots. It's that simple. Time to stop beating around the bush.

While I share your lowly opinion of Ford and Mammoliti, I think that using a city-funded parade to protest against anything other than for what it's intended, is unnecessary and easily avoidable.

Why jeopardise the whole parade like that? It's idiotic once you've been told (rightly so) not to do it.

 

[RC8]

Isn't that suggesting that their rights are somewhat more fragile than others?

The situation is like meeting your mother-in-law. You know she'll be nit-picking, so you ought to behave well and prove her prejudices wrong - instead of choosing that one night to make a point about how burping competitions are fun.

It's about being intelligent and adapting to the context.

 

[nfitz]

While I share your lowly opinion of Ford and Mammoliti, I think that using a city-funded parade to protest against anything other than for what it's intended, is unnecessary and easily avoidable.

Why jeopardise the whole parade like that? It's idiotic once you've been told (rightly so) not to do it.

The city providing funding for an event with hundreds of thousands of people attending gives them the right to muzzle all the attendees? The group organizing pride isn't promoting this.

Wouldn't this be equivalent to threatening to cancel the Olympics because someone who is there protests something happening on the other side of the world? There were anti-poverty activists at the 2010 games; should Toronto not bid on the 2020 games because of this?

 

[nfitz]

While I share your lowly opinion of Ford and Mammoliti, I think that using a city-funded parade to protest against anything other than for what it's intended, is unnecessary and easily avoidable.

Why jeopardise the whole parade like that? It's idiotic once you've been told (rightly so) not to do it.

The city providing funding for an event with hundreds of thousands of people attending gives them the right to muzzle all the attendees? The group organizing pride isn't promoting this.

Wouldn't this be equivalent to threatening to cancel the Olympics because someone who is there protests something happening on the other side of the world? There were anti-poverty activists at the 2010 games; should Toronto not bid on the 2020 games because of this?

The situation is like meeting your mother-in-law. You know she'll be nit-picking, so you ought to behave well and prove her prejudices wrong - instead of choosing that one night to make a point about how burping competitions are fun.

I don't see how one compares a legitimate and peaceful protest about the occupation about one people occupying the territory of another to a burping contest.

One would think the best way to impress the mother-in-law would be to show some civic responsibility and demonstrate that one DOES have some passion and beliefs, rather than being a mindless air-head.

It's about being intelligent and adapting to the context.

Sounds more to me that you are condoning that there be a different rule for gays - rather than tackling the real issue - that many seem quite happy to let prejudiced bigots like Rob Ford get their way.

 

[tkip]

The LGBTQ community need to realise that sometimes when people tell them to stop doing something, it's not because they're gay.

Makes sense to me. You go tell some of this though and see what their reaction is.

 

[tkip]

We need to ignore the prejudiced propaganda coming from idiots like Rob Ford and Giorgio Mammoliti and simply call them for what they are ... bigots. It's that simple. Time to stop beating around the bush.

I'm curious nfitz. Can you provide any proof of Ford's alleged prejudiced propaganda? Aside from your own dislike of the man. I'm still waiting for the smoking gun.