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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1992-05-27, Page 6PAGE 6. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MAY 27,1992. The Other Side By Keith Roulston j ■Ji J Putting your foot in it is easy these days Believe it or not, I have a certain amount of sympathy for Dan Quayle these days. Though Mr. Quayle has a way of putting his foot in it regularly, just about any­ one who gives a public statement can find himself/herself in trouble these days. Everything has become so polar­ ized these days that it's no longer acceptable to try to stimulate debate by giving a new idea. Just by saying something, anything, you're liable to be branded with some popular epithet. It depends not so much what is said, but who says it. If a well-rec­ ognized liberal feminist woman had said something about the now- infamous Murphy Brown mother­ hood issue, no notice would likely have been taken but since it was Dan Quayle, a whole lot of extra baggage went with what he said. If a black community leader had said the breakdown of family life had contributed to the atmosphere that made the Los Angeles riots possi­ ble, it would have been acceptable. Since it was Dan Quayle, it became something to get people angry. What's more, in this day of 30-sec- ond sound bites on TV, nobody hears the whole speech and the qualifiers that go with a statement. They just hear the one sentence and the entire country erupts over it. It's no wonder that U.S. President George Bush took about five min­ utes to choose his words carefully as he replied to the fuss by Mr. Quayle's remarks about the unwed motherhood of TV career-girl Mur­ phy Brown. No matter what he said, he was bound to have people howling for his head. After much pursing of lips, he finally said his administration felt that a child had the best home atmosphere when there was both a mother and a father in the home. Most psychia­ trists, family counsellors and liber­ als would agree. But because it was George Bush who said it, the reac- Letters THE EDITOR, I write in response to the seminar on child abuse, sponsored by St. John Ambulance on May 13. I was disappointed to see that our community didn't have a better turn out. Constable John Marshall took time out of his busy schedule to inform us about child abuse, and the attendance was far from good. To be accurate, besides the hosts of the seminar there were only five other citizens and one member of the press. This gave me the impression that the people of the community don't worry about their children's safety. The sign coming into Brussels states, “Drive Carefully, We Love Our Children”. Do We? Although we live in a small town, it does not mean that child abuse does not occur. Child abuse can occur anywhere and does. In fact, Const. Marshall says the tion was immediate. Single mothers were irate. Children raised by sin­ gle mothers were irate. Black com­ munity leaders were upset. But even having good liberal cre­ dentials apparently doesn't mean you're immune from attacks. Pierre Berton reported in his column in the Toronto Star on Saturday that June Callwood, of all people, had run afoul of the kind of intolerance that allows people to be branded for saying something others don't agree with. Nobody has better liberal cre­ dentials than June Callwood. She helped start Jessie's, a home for unwed mothers, Casey House, a hospice for men dying of AIDs and back in 1984 was first president of Nellie's, a home for women who were victims of family violence. It was the latter institution that got her into trouble. According to Mr. Berton, Ms Callwood, until recent­ ly a member of the board of direc­ tors, disagreed with some younger staff members over a matter of pol­ icy that had nothing to do with race. The staff members she dis­ agreed with, however, happened to be black. A group called Women of Colour Coalition called her a racist and demanded Ms Callwood not only be thrown off the board of directors, but she be banned from the premises permanently. Rather than destroy the institution she helped to found, Ms Callwood resigned. Now Mr. Berton, in writing this column, is treading dangerous terri­ tory himself. Despite his impecca­ ble liberal credentials, he'll no doubt be branded both a racist and a male chauvinist for daring to speak on the issue. We're in a period of exclusivici- ty: only women can speak on issues that effect women because men, not having experienced what it's like to be a woman, couldn't possibly understand. But women from the comfortable white middle class can't comment on issues dealing with poverty or race because they couldn't possibly know what it's like to be poor or black or yellow or red. I suppose middle-class black women shouldn't be allowed to comment on being poor and black, majority of abuse in Huron County occurs by members of the area whom children know, such as neighbours and friends. I attended even though I've just completed a course on the topic at school. I feel that the more you learn about it, the better you are. Parents, teachers, and club leaders are all in positions where they have children in their care and that is why I feel it to be so important to learn about child abuse. We need to learn what child abuse is and how to recognize it. I hope that if Const. Marshall decides to return to give another seminar on the same topic, that attendance is that of our dances. Lori Willie An Early Childhood Education Student at Fanshawe College. THE EDITOR, Sydenham Central Public School, also known as Sydenham Commu­ nity School, is celebrating its 25th Anniversary in 1992. A reunion is planned during Thanksgiving Weekend on October 10 and 11, 1992. We invite everyone who has attended, worked at, volunteered their time to. or have had children continued on page 23 Even a poor black person probably wouldn't be allowed to sympathize with a poor black disabled woman because they couldn't possibly understand. Let's admit it: there are racists, there are male chauvinists, there are do-gooders who pretend to help the poor but go home to comfortable homes each night with their con­ sciences feeling better. But there are bigots on all sides. All racists aren't white. All sexists aren't male. All hypocrites aren't rich. But do many so-called leaders today seek to reject anyone who offers to understand. Anyone who's not exactly like them is accused of being a bigot. These charges are so easily hurled, and so difficult to defend against, that many commentators hesitant to touch such subjects as Mr. Berton did for fear of being branded some unspeakable "ist". Despite a lifetime of promoting tol­ erance and understanding, you can quickly find yourself lumped in with white supremisists and men who beat their wives. The Dan Qualyles of this world are no longer alone in being able to put their feet in their mouths at the drop of the hat. Anyone with the courage to say anything is likely to get in trouble these days. Going by Mark Franken of Brussels doesn't quite connect in his first at bat of the season with the Brussels Mites. The team played Seaforth Tuesday of last week at home then travelled to Winthrop where they defeated the home team by one run. TIRED OF CRIME WANT TO DO SOMETHING BECOME A CRIME STOPPER Huron County Crime Stoppers Inc. is looking for a few new members who feel they can contribute their skills to help with the Crime Stoppers program. We need members from Exeter, Wingham, Clinton, Seaforth and the outlying areas of Huron County. If interested call Wayne at 1-800-265-1777 or write Huron County Crime Stoppers Inc., P.O. Box 461 Goderich, Ontario N7A 4C7 Against Our Will Is Against The Law If you’re like most people, you'll look at this and think rape. Well, think again. Because sexual assault isn't only rape. It’s any unwanted act of a sexual nature imposed by one person on another. And if you think it’s always a dark alley and a violent stranger, you're wrong again. More than half of all sexual assaults of women are committed by men they know. It can occur on a date. Between friends. Even This message is sponsored by The Brussels between husband and wife. So most people don’t think of it as a crime. And often it goes unreported. But attitudes must change. Because against our will is against the law. If your life has been affected by sexual assault, find out what can be done. Contact a sexual assault service. Or talk to someone you trust. Men must under­ stand that sexual assault is a crime. Maybe then they'll think twice about it. Mennonite Fellowship Sexual Assault Is A Crime.