I am shocked and dismayed – there is no other way to put it. I am sitting at home in my apartment minding my own business. I was on line reading what was going on in this world, But alas and alack, discovered something absolutely shocking and dismaying going on in my own back yard. Literally, actually, as my building’s back yard is the Alberta Legislative Grounds.
Dismay is the perfect word. Its meaning: consternation and distress, typically that caused by something unexpected. Synonyms are: appall, disconcert, horrify, shock, confound,, startle, alarm, frighten, scare, daunt, discomfit, unnerve, unman, unsettle, throw off balance, discompose, discountenance; concern, perturb, disturb, upset, distress, spook, faze, psych, knock sideways.
This is what I found to be appalling, horrifying, shocking and alarming.
DATELINE EDMONTON: Alberta has awarded a prize to an essayist who argues the sexes are not equal and that women should pick babies over careers to avoid the province having to import more foreigners and risk “cultural suicide.”
The United Conservative government removed the essay from its legislature website on Tuesday following a wave of social media condemnation.
Jackie Armstrong-Homeniuk, Alberta’s associate minister for the Status of Women, was the contest organizer and the head of the judging panel. She initially distanced herself from the affair then, as criticism mounted, took responsibility without explaining which judges decided to award the prize and why.
“The essay contest was intended to reflect a broad range of opinions from young Alberta women on what democracy means for them,” Armstrong-Homeniuk said in a statement Tuesday morning. “While the essay in question certainly does not represent the views of all women, myself included, the essay in question should not have been chosen.”
My goodness that hyphenated-named woman certainly put her foot in her mouth. That expression means to say something foolish, embarrassing or tactless. Well Jackie, congratulations you managed to say and do something that was foolish, embarrassing and tackles. Where does the idiom come from? It may come from the mistake of putting one’s foot in mud or feces. The newer version, to put one’s foot in one’s mouth, may have developed to specifically mean doing something embarrassing through one’s speech. A variant, foot in mouth disease, appeared around the mid-twentieth century. Google talks about what one should do after you have said something offensive: “What I said was unfair; I’m sorry.
Well Jackie tried to do that, but was not altogether successful at that either. Later in the afternoon, Homeniuk issued an updated statement saying some of her caucus and cabinet colleagues had raised concerns. “It’s clear that the process failed, and I apologize for my role in that,“ she said.”
An explanation of the contest was provided along with mention of the top two essays.
“The “Her Vision Inspires” contest challenged women ages 17 to 25 to describe their ideas for a better Alberta.The contest advertised that essays would be judged by Armstrong-Homeniuk and other legislature members but did not specify the names of the other judges. The Opposition NDP said it did not participateThe top two essays suggest ways to get more women, and the public in general, involved in public life. The third-place winner — identified only as S. Silver — won a $200 prize to be spent at the legislature gift shop.”
Unfortunately we the public do not get to hear those winning laudable essays but instead S. Silver’s diatribe. But I suppose it is best to know the enemy’s strategies and nonsense.
“Silver’s essay posits that the governing mission of humanity is to reproduce itself, but that Alberta has lost its way to instead pursue “selfish and hedonistic goals.”
The solution, she argues, is to acknowledge that “women are not exactly equal to men.”
Society, she writes, should celebrate and embrace the birthing role of women and stop pushing them to put off prime procreation years while they “break into careers that men traditionally dominate.”
She says the idea that Alberta can put off procreation and instead “import foreigners to replace ourselves … is a sickly mentality that amounts to a drive for cultural suicide.”
So not only is Ms. Silver a sexist, she has managed, at her young age to become a racist – thinking that the proud contribution of other cultures places Alberta in a position of ‘cultural suicide.” Where did Ms. Silver go to school – here in Alberta? What are those teachers doing what are they teaching – they are being paid by government to teach this? It is utterly appalling.
But one woman in government stood up for justice.
“NDP critic Rakhi Pancholi said Armstrong-Homeniuk owes the public a full explanation of how this view was not condemned, but honoured and rewarded.
“Sexism, racism, hate — this is not what any government should be celebrating, yet increasingly these views are becoming acceptable in this UCP government, and even now applauded,” Pancholi told reporters. Pancholi zeroed in on the “cultural suicide” reference, likening it to 1930s Nazi Germany urging women to be baby vessels to propagate the Aryan race. “This is an absolutely reprehensible claim. It is a nod to the racist replacement theory that drives white nationalist hate,” she said.
Then others scrambled to take no blame for the mess, but neither did they take any responsibility nor make any effort to remedy the reprehensible actions of their colleagues. The article informs us of their passive, tepid response to this horrendous wrong.
“The contest was run through the legislative assembly office, which is headed by Speaker Nathan Cooper. “Cooper’s office, in a statement, said the contest was conceived and administered by Armstrong-Homeniuk in her role as regional chair of the Commonwealth Women’s Parliamentarians group. It added that neither the Speaker’s nor the legislative assembly office were involved in picking the essays “in any capacityAs soon as the content of the third-place winner was brought to the Speaker’s attention, he immediately made the decision for the content to be removed,“ said the statement.”
Thank goodness for Twitter as three candidates racing to replace the existing party leader and the premier himself used that social media platform to criticize the wrongful honoring of the award.
A University of Alberta professor was interviewed. ‘Lise Gotell, a women’s and gender studies professor at the University of Alberta, said the essay perpetuates an essentialist, sexist and racist point of view stemming from the long discredited and outdated concept that a women’s role is to reproduce as a bulwark against immigration.
“The fact that it was chosen says a great deal about the views on appropriate gender roles being advanced by this government,” said Gotell.
“This essay reads like something that quite frankly could’ve been written in the 19th century.”
Follow this link for the entire story: https://www.thestar.com/politics/2022/08/09/alberta-awards-prize-to-essay-that-argues-women-should-pick-babies-over-careers.html.
I can imagine many of my faithful readers groaning and moaning.
They: Where is the funny, amusing Alexis?? Bring her back!
Me: Okay! Okay! I am both – I can be funny but I can be deadly serious. It is a gift to be both. A gift given to me by Allah. If Allah give you a gift one is supposed to use it. So use it I shall.
Yesterday the mail gifted me with The New Yorker magazine. Therefore I shall share some of its absolutely hilarious cartoons.
The first cartoon certainly does not define me as I am not at all antisocial. It is hilarious. I guess my favorite excuse is: My hair hurts. The second is “House might catch on fire – better stay home.
The second cartoon leaves me wishing for, desiring to the utmost actually, some stress balls. I do know whose head they would be thrown at – fortunately that individual is far away.
The third cartoon does describe a situation I found myself in Abu Dhabi. Despite the assurances of the Head of Security and all of the employees who cared about me at the Abu Dhabi Airport Premier Inn, it has to be said, that deep down my feeling was: “But I don’t feel safe.” Here in Canada I do feel safe, although it is clear I am surrounded again by enemies, ones right in my back yard. But at least I know who they are and I am surrounded by love. I am truly blessed by Allah.
AL
