Rob Ford's Toronto

[CN Tower]

^Why do you recite facts and truth? Ford supporters are immune to such things, as evidenced by their arguments.

Never said I was a Ford supporter per se. I agree with some of his policies and disagree with many as well.

I do not condone the treatment that he's been given by The Star however. I find it reprehensible.

I also find the constant jokes about his weight to puerile and bigoted.

 

[EMP1729]

^Why do you recite facts and truth? Ford supporters are immune to such things, as evidenced by their arguments.

What I have noticed is that the Fords make a statement to the media that may or may not be truthful. The media reports it, and Ford Nation believes it to be gospel. Later, the media does some investigation, and find that the Fords lied, or told a half-truth. The media reports this, but the Fords do not apologize, or clear the situation up. Ford Nation dismisses the subsequent investigations as a smear campaign caused by dirty liberals.

Seriously, what powers do the Fords have over Ford nation? Is it a cult of personality?

 

[voxpopulicosmicum]

Never said I was a Ford supporter per se. I agree with some of his policies and disagree with many as well.

I do not condone the treatment that he's been given by The Star however. I find it reprehensible.

I also find the constant jokes about his weight to puerile and bigoted.

What about the Star's "treatment" of Ford is reprehensible? That Ford is boycotting them? That there isn't a revolving door between Ford's office and the Star's editorial office, as seems to be the case with other Toronto media? That the Star reports about what Ford does? What, exactly, is your concept of "the media's role"? Has the Star misrepresented Ford's conduct? You may not like the Star, but do you have a substantive critique?

As for fat jokes: putting aside that Ford is the first person to make jokes about his weight and to make his weight a story, I agree that the fact Ford is obese has no bearing on the correctness of his actions or political inclinations, and, as such, criticizing Ford for being obese is bigoted. But I also think that Ford is a peurile, bigoted bully in his own right, and as long as he is so, I don't really care if he is bullied by others. If Ford were to renounce bullying, I would change my mind.

And besides, I am sure that none of those who make fat jokes are actually bigots, because, hey, some of their best friends are fat, and that proves it, right?

 

[sarnya]

What I have noticed is that the Fords make a statement to the media that may or may not be truthful. The media reports it, and Ford Nation believes it to be gospel. Later, the media does some investigation, and find that the Fords lied, or told a half-truth. The media reports this, but the Fords do not apologize, or clear the situation up. Ford Nation dismisses the subsequent investigations as a smear campaign caused by dirty liberals.

Seriously, what powers do the Fords have over Ford nation? Is it a cult of personality?

I saw somebody write the following sentence on Facebook, which can summarize anyone who defines themselves as a Ford supporter.

"There seem to be a lot of angry people out there who are living out their revenge fantasies vicariously via certain accommodating public figures through whom financial arguments can be used as smokescreens for what is nothing more than 'getting even' wish fulfillment."

 

[nfitz]

I also find the constant jokes about his weight to puerile and bigoted.

Ford made his weight an issue, the media is supposed to ignore it?

Ford made the the property by his house an issue, the media is supposed to ignore it?

Ford made his anti-gay bigotry an issue, the media is supposed to ignore it?

The Star may have crossed a very fuzzy line once or twice ... but I haven't seen constant jokes about his weight. Compare to the Toronto Sun, which seems to make constant jokes about the physical attributes about left-wing councillors.

If you feel this way about a newspaper that does such detailed and in-depth reporting like the Toronto Star, how do you feel about the shallow and lazy reporting in the Toronto Sun, which seems to commit the offences you describe much more frequently?

 

[denfromoakvillemilton]

Police say they have found “no evidence†that Toronto Star reporter Daniel Dale — publicly denounced as a lurker, stalker, peeping Tom and potential “sicko†by the Ford brothers — went onto the mayor’s property or peered over his fence last week.

On Wednesday afternoon, Dale was cleared of any criminal wrongdoing when Toronto police ended their investigation and announced they will not be laying charges.

“I closed off the investigation,†Det. Tricia Johnston told Dale in a phone conversation. “There’s nothing left to do.â€

“You’re not being charged.â€

http://www.thestar.com/news/article...rter-daniel-dale-over-mayor-rob-ford-incident

 

[Peepers]

This article sums it up nicely.


http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com...es-the-weekend-off-forgets-to-hound-rob-ford/

Actually this NP commentary couldn't be more off the mark. It begins:

"Something weird happened at the Toronto Star over the weekend. They suddenly shut up about Rob Ford. "

On the weekend in question in which McParland claims "The Star took the weekend off" The Star broke the story that Ford plans to tear down his modest bungalow and build a much larger home which is probably the real reason why Ford wants to buy the parcel of parkland.

This is why the National Post is in trouble (they let go 60 staffers last week). They devote an entire story to what the competition is doing and they couldn't even get that right. They're irrelevant.

 

[dt_toronto_geek]

So far, the only real outsider (i.e. no sister's ex-boyfriends or anything) "harassment at home" we know of has been Marg Delahunty. And Miller was never involved in a contentious land-parcel-grab re his own home--and besides, you might as well label *all* Ford-home-rubberneckers (and you can be sure there's plenty of those at this point) to be "harassers"...

Of course I thought of the Delahunty segment but I don't consider that harassment (trespassing, sure), even though in his scattered mind he may have thought it was. Clearly by the way that Walsh was dressed in her Princess Warrior costume with a CBC camera in tow it should have been obvious that it was TV piece, even though I'd bet that he's never viewed anything on CBC except Hockey Night In Canada or when he was a kid watching The Friendly Giant, of which he learned nothing.

 

[cdr108]

Of course I thought of the Delahunty segment but I don't consider that harassment (trespassing, sure), even though in his scattered mind he may have thought it was. Clearly by the way that Walsh was dressed in her Princess Warrior costume with a CBC camera in tow it should have been obvious that it was TV piece, even though I'd bet that he's never viewed anything on CBC except Hockey Night In Canada or when he was a kid watching The Friendly Giant, of which he learned nothing.

well you must remember, the CBC is a pinko communist organization, except for HNIC of course.
no respectful hardworking taxpayer would watch it.

 

[Paleo]

As for fat jokes: putting aside that Ford is the first person to make jokes about his weight and to make his weight a story, I agree that the fact Ford is obese has no bearing on the correctness of his actions or political inclinations, and, as such, criticizing Ford for being obese is bigoted. But I also think that Ford is a peurile, bigoted bully in his own right, and as long as he is so, I don't really care if he is bullied by others. If Ford were to renounce bullying, I would change my mind.

And besides, I am sure that none of those who make fat jokes are actually bigots, because, hey, some of their best friends are fat, and that proves it, right?

If Ford were 200 lbs, he'd still be a jackass. A 200 lb one instead of a 300 lb one but still a jackass nonetheless.

The schadenfreude is strong with this one.

 

[voxpopulicosmicum]

Of course I thought of the Delahunty segment but I don't consider that harassment (trespassing, sure)

I'll try one more time and then I promsie to give up: it is not trespassing to enter on private property for a lawful purpose as long as there's no fence, sign or other communication telling you not to.

 

[adma]

I saw somebody write the following sentence on Facebook, which can summarize anyone who defines themselves as a Ford supporter.

"There seem to be a lot of angry people out there who are living out their revenge fantasies vicariously via certain accommodating public figures through whom financial arguments can be used as smokescreens for what is nothing more than 'getting even' wish fulfillment."

Or, for that matter, a lot of whom are commonly branded as "trolls" on forums like this.

 

[Johnny Au]

well you must remember, the CBC is a pinko communist organization, except for HNIC of course.
no respectful hardworking taxpayer would watch it.

What about Kevin O'Leary and his three shows? He does not sound pinko or communist at all.

 

[cdr108]

What about Kevin O'Leary and his three shows? He does not sound pinko or communist at all.

everything on CBC is pinko communist dribble

 

[RC8]

Who are these "certain intolerant minorities"? I think I understand what you're saying, but I'd respond that individuals are intolerant; abstract groupings of people aren't anything but convenient categories that gloss over individual voices and diversity of opinion/belief. Besides, who really qualifies as a "minority" in the Toronto of today?

This kind of Pim Fortuyn-esque us-and-them thinking is hypocritical at best.

You are reading too much into a word. I did not imply any sort of 'recognised minority'.

The majority of people in Toronto wouldn't vote for a candidate because he snubs homosexuals. Those whose vote would be swayed due to such behaviour are without any doubt a minority, hence my comment.