I’m a thirty something “white” male who has known little else than a truly fortunate existence. I’ve grown up “smack dab” in the “cradle of affluence.” Therefore I was able to take full advantage of everything my “inherent” status has provided.
And by that former statement I’m mainly referring to the fact that I should have died 12 and a half years ago. I’ve faced and grappled with the facts. The initial reason I’m alive today is, at least, based, not on treatment every human should receive, but, rather on who I am and where I happen to live. The irony isn’t lost on me. Believe me. In fact it provides very valuable insight. Life just isn’t fair. Or, more importantly, just.
For those who aren’t aware today, Saturday December the 6th, 2008, marks a very sad day in Canadian history. On this day, 19 years ago, Marc Lépine walked into École Polytechnique in Montréal “armed with a legally obtained semi-automatic rifle and a hunting knife, shot twenty-eight people, killing fourteen and injuring the other fourteen before killing himself.” All the people that he managed to murder were women. And, here’s the kicker, those efforts were declared his attempts at “fighting feminism.”
It’s days like today when I’m able to fully appreciate exactly what small minds we humans possess…
And as hard as it may be to believe, my half-assed efforts in marking this date and all it represents are, by no means, intentional. I just didn’t want the anniversary of what occurred on this day to pass in silence, again, this year. And seeing how I’ve been quite unable to finish a single thought these past few weeks I’d like to take this opportunity to highlight something D-Rock from the now defunct G7 Collective wrote on this date, just last year. “Misogyny in this here year 2007.” He managed to say everything and more about the Montréal Massacre that I’m capable of writing right now. I urge you to head on over and check it out. It’s that good.
But a more important issue weighing on my mind are matters surrounding The Dallas Star’s Forward Sean Avery and what he said to reporters;Â
“I am really happy to be back in Calgary, I love Canada. I just want to comment on how it’s become like a common thing in the NHL for guys [Dion Phaneuf]Â to fall in love with my sloppy seconds [Elisa Cuthbert]. I don’t know what that’s about. Enjoy the game tonight.”
Was it a mere “coincidence” his idiotic words were spoken just this past Tuesday? Quoting D-Rock;Â
“… [I]n our “enlightened†society, misogyny still stews in our culture, our institutions, our workplaces, and even in most of us. In a society that still happily depicts women as sexual objects, domineering nags, or helpless victims, it’s no surprise that those in that society who are prone to violence and are looking for a scapegoat for their shortcomings would specifically target them. And with hundreds of Aboriginal women reported missing in Canada with little or no police action, what message is sent to those already warped by our culture’s fucked-up view of half of the population?”
So utterly depressing…