Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1983-04-13, Page 4W0?I51.18V caa:4rra l column* ludipcgs coo ro so. 0 The: anther Human lights . cried bilityt esus l g wap. thefi*skpmcet byt .ars0 into a faree' t1sn►!rgln tl!a figures.' In essence, the -study lnd(eatee-that *et 1.5 million Canadian men and: women believe they are victims of sexual harassment. One would have to seriously contest the study's definition of harassment, which it claims ranges from suggested- glances to forced sex. For my own,; simple thinking apparatus, an out and out clutchiandggrab of the secretary would definitely .constitute harassment of the sexual variety. Some would eagerly suggest my mere presence constitutes some form of harassment or at the least, cruelty. Obviously fictitious and misleading statistics designed to produce a desired it'en'. eered «in t sexual haraslsment,1` gg folio l illcenal! 4t ilea what 'ate egekM40410. study reveals.• Harry had hadenough and =While •had nagger dee is he sh , machine and Strode' confidently foreman's otceadetermined 'to remove tb1e, burden of guiltfrom chest. Even just - °',talking about the problem, he reasoned, �``rrou d- help bim come to grips with his feelings. He knocked quietly on the door and en- tered the dingy officeat the invitation of the foreman. Re Smiled politely, :closed the door and waited for - the foreman, Bill, to acknowledge his presence. The foreman wheeled around from his cluttered desk and motioned for Harry to occupy the spare chair in the corner. As Harry slowly loweredhis angular and muscular body into the chair, his mind 'th ough.a ealdred MOS' ,. wale tide t ► 1>s i he had Nee and the eiNation too hila beck to • grade Ay-- l tea 'aPea re the ele04-431 .broketithsa ai}ea 4 u , �� don l some!. rry said, rulmmg his hands together in nervols fashion while staring at the Door I hope sol Look, 1 feel foolish maybe -I-should lust get ick . . work.' "No, no," Bill saidholding out his hand: I like toknow what's happening on'the floor with my employees. ' Harry"mlistered up bis courage and began to tell his story while clutching the top button of hisshirt. "My work hasn't been good lately as you've probably noticed. but I've been under a lot of, ;pressure," Harry said by way of , ealplanatwon.. "This may sound silly to you, but lately some of the women have been leering at me suggestively. It makesme feel so disgustingly cheap." "Is that all that's °bothering you?" the foreman asked._ "Well, no, there's more. Not only are the woien'llterunil t t't#tlneslx soh hands are Alecuple ell tike machin f t .. come over o 4 makf 'suggestive remarks about flings we could 09 atter work. feel ;so ashamed. For so long, have masctlllT i'ty l now 1 must free lived wi � Provoked a ,, tics 4n M'► from this bondage. There is no reason.fo a man in the 19800 then, vict�..l of the fan- ies .,sof some -wa ..ton,, ;slllh letcherous women. 1 just can't take it anymore,"', Harr)! vas surprised that he had blurted out the whole story to his boss, but now somehow, he felt relieved. He looked at the foreman and while he expected the boss to eachibit some signs of shock, a hint of smile appeared on Hair's face. °See, .you think it's funny and rut crazy for bringing sot up don't you?" Barry said as the relief°turned to humiliation. "Not at all hid," Bill, offered* comforting fashion. "You've, got a lot to learn thOugh. 1 put up with -that from my female boss but silence boosted old Bill into the foreman's office. Principlesand moral integrity is great. stuff kid, but if you want to get ahead, you gotta put up with that stuff from women. It's a cruel world." eNA Second cleiss mail registration number -0716 SINCE 1848 THE NEWS PORT FOR GODERICH & DISTRICT IFounded in 1141 and published ovary Wednesday at Ooderich, Ontario. Member of the CCNA and OWNA. Adver. tiring rates on request. Subscriptions payable in advance °19.90 In Canada. 'SO.60 to U.S.A., °31°4 foal! other count - 1 tries, single copies SOC. Display advertising rates available on request. please ask for Rote C0049.11*. ffNlve Oc: tabor 1, 1912. Second class mall Registration Number 0716. Advertising is accepted on the condillon that In the event of typographical error, the advertising space occupied by the erroneous Item, together with reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for but that balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the up- pllceble rote. In the event of a typographical error advertising goods or services at a wrong price. good, or services may not be sold. Advertising 1s merely an offer to soil, and may be withdrawn at any time. The Signal.$ter is not responsible for the loss or damage of unsolicited manuscripts, photos or other materials used for reproducing pur- poses. PUBLISHED BY: SIGNAL -STAR PUBLISHING LIMITED ROBERT G. SHRIER-President and Publisher DONALD M. HUBICK-Advertising; Manager DAVID SYKES-Editor P.O. BOX 220, HUCKINS ST. INDUSTRIAL PARK GODERICH N7A 4B6 FOR BUSINESS OR EDITORIAL OFFICES please phone (519) 524.8331. New initiative At the beginning of tills year, the Roman Catholic bishops released a controversial document on the Canadian economy. While church and state have seemingly gone their separate ways, the bishops, statements on the economy fuelled a debate on the church's role in the community. The bishops loudly cried for government to make em- ployment its primary policy.. Widespread unemployment, the bishops contended, was a social evil. Many economists lauded the economic statement as sensible and practical but others suggested the bishops were way off course. Still others were of the opinion that the church had no place recommending public policy. Regardless of one's preferences or leanings, or religious affiliations, the announcement by the Catholic Church this week that it will contribute $4.6 million to a make-work program in Toronto is welcome news. One has to admire the fact that the church is going to put into practice the beliefs of its bishops. They have set a decent example that others could well follow. That example is backing up words with affirmative action. In essence, the church will participate in a provincial - federal job -creation program that will provide work for as many as 700 individuals for a period of 29 weeks in the Toronto area. The government committed $6.5 million to the work project and the church chipped in with $4.6 million. The money will be used mainly to create construction- related onstructionrelated jobs for the unemployed. The funding will help build a summer camp, student housing and church renovations to make them accessible to the handicapped. Many . public buildings . -have: been reconstructed in recent years to allow the handl lapped equal access, and the move to include churches will mean the handicapped will have the opportunity to participate fully in the life of the community. -The, church recognized the need to provide jobs in the community and is doing something about what it considers our major social problem or evil, unemployment. Maybe now is the time to inject- money' into such projects, as long as they provide jobs and meet the needs and requirements of the community. The government has provided funding through a myriad of make work programs but it is a pleasure to see others participate in the healing process. Private sector and government funding, especially in the construction field, can go a long way towards nudging economic recovery. D.S. Dirty tricks not welcome Quite a few Canadians were shocked last week to hear the details of the "dirty tricks" employed by PC riding associations in Quebec in order to secure voting delegates for the candidate of their choice at the upcoming leader- ship convention. The responsibility for appointing voting delegates to a leadership convention rests with the party organization within each riding. Thus the trick is to select a delegate who will be sure to vote for the man whom the guys back home want to see in office. To secure the delegate of their choice the workers for any one particular leadership can- didate round up all the voting members on whom they can depend to cast their ballots the right way. It appears that rules governing party membership are extremely lax. Any person who has been a party member of five days may vote for a delegate. Supporters of Joe Clark and Brian Mulroney went all the way. They openly paid school children and semi -senile old people to attend the delegate meetings and vote as they were paid to vote. Disgusting as the practice appears to be, we found it even more unsettling when the leadership candidates themselves appeared before TV cameras, unshaken by concerns about such_ questionable voting practices. Joe Clark simplified the whole affair by saying this is a democracy and buying votes is an old and accepted prac- tice. Maybe it is, but, personally, we think it stinks. The final outcome of all this jockeying for place will be the election of one man to the leadership of his party — a man could become the prime minister of Canada. We would all like to believe that a future primeminister should be a person who is scrupulously honest in every aspect of his personal and political life. Coming'al A° art at the pams ash „ .4r •'1^54' l!? •,.y 1 B,.y Dave Sykes. EAR READERS SHIRLEY KELLER • A nuclear war isn't a happy prospect. Most people are like .me I imagine .... willing to push that thought into the dark recesses of the mind where it remains undisturbed and undisturbing. But last week2 caught an hour or so of a talk show on radio which dug out those old fears and brought themrto the surface of my consciousness with a tremendous thud. On that 'show, I heard ordinary folks.: like me saying that in. their opinion, nuclear war was not only probable but imminent. One caller who identified herself as a Roman Catholic, said that a recent revelation from Jesus Christ' to the same woman who has had. several previous illuminating visions, warned that Russia will align itself with China to attack the United States and Canada. According to the caller, the message from Christ was that mankind has continued to ignore God's signsthat things were not well with Hie{ God, she said, was showing his , displeasure through natural disasters and hardships which plagued the whole human race. . • • The root of the problem, she said, was sin - total disregard for God's will. The solution, she suggested, was to turn from disobedience and return to God's saving plan. The moderator of the program was obviously skeptical about her viewpoint. And I would wager that a good many' of you who are reading this column share that skepticism. But for Bible scholars, it will not be considered beyond the realm of possibility. Anyone who has read the Old Testament particularly, knows all about God's wrath. '1Fhev have seen that when God gets tired of having short shrift. He uses some devastating methods to prove His supremacy. There's no doubt that nuclear war would be devastating to this world as we know it. Such an attack would fry the majority of people caught in its wake ... and those who survive would exist in a kind of living hell: Nothing at all to recommend it. There's also no doubt that the nations of the world are moving closer and closer to nuclear war. It's getting difficult at this point to decide just who are the aggressors in this battle for. strength .... and who are merely protecting their own interests. One thing seems sure - Canada is stuck in the middle and will get involved. It won't matter who's right and who's wrong. I had lunch last week with a woman who en- joyed a trip to the Orient last fall. When we discussed the nuclear issue over our North American bacon, lettuce and tomato . sand- wiches, my companion said that in her opinion, China was every bit as much of a major power in the world as is Russia or the USA. She noted that nearly everywhere she went in the Orient, China. was in control. She regarded it as no surprise that China was listed as an aggressive nation with designs on Canada and the USA. Coupled with Russia, their nuclear clout would be awesome. And she said, "I try not. to think too much about it. For I fear that nuclear war is certain." -- There are those who believe that' Russia and - China could never get together long enough to mount a joint attack on anyone anywhere. But to a non-military mind like mine, it seems logical for Russia and China to see the 'wisdom in combining their force against the Western world ... and then ince the victory is assured, they would . determine which of them would rule what's left of things. Which brings me back to the Roman Catholic lady's call. • She said essentially it's God's way or no way. She said repent and be saved from destruction. There are still those who believe that mankind can save itself from nuclear war - through un- derstanding and co-operation. Through loving our neighbors as ourselves. But when youget right down to it, that's just another way of saying,"Do it God's way." That was His plan too. Remember from your Sunday Schooldays? I really hesitated to write this column, dear readers. I know that many of you are turned off by my constant references to things spiritual' But more and more I find that one cannot see the . solutions unless one is attuned to God's way. There just is no solution to anything outside Him. He really does have the last word. On everything: The Roman Catholic caller claimed that God's patience was at an end ....that nuclear war was imminent because it was too late now for mankind to change course. In my humble opinion, it is never too late with God. It is also my personal opinion that it is too much to hope that the nations of the world will suddenly become allies - friendly and peaceful without policy disagreements or ambitions for power. But as the song says, if everyone lights just one little candle, what a bright world this will be. Light your candles, dear readers. And do it now. One picks one's way gingerly through the daily minefields of statistical conclusions, contradictory evidence, an increasing lot of doublethink, newspeak and a growing number of other 1984 -style regulations for the improvement of our thoughts and ac- tions, even our smiles. Much of it can be shrugged off in the knowledge that statistics can be used to make a point in favour of anything or of its opposite. However, if some of the nonsense comes to us under the auspices of the noble intentions of suchhvenerable and powerful institutions as the Canadian Human Rights Commission and its confederates, it becomes more difficult to pretend that the naked emperor is wearing his robes, to paraphrase a known parable. Even as a case may be made that in many instances individuals and business en- terprises have seen a number of their traditional rights actually fade since the inception of the Human Rights Commissions and similar institutions, I am not trying to mock or belittle the .basically decent and exalted dreams of such agencies. However, the Commission exposes itself as a hilarious caricature of the Ministry of Love and Thought Police by underwriting and solemnly publishing such studies as the sexual harassment, polls with which our consciousness was expected to be raised just recently. No doubt some forms and degrees of harassment can be found in many human relationships. Without such conflicts and tensions there would be no great literature, drama or opera. In the name of individual dignity we no longer trust individuals to look after their own personal affairs, but en- courage expensive bureaucratic solutions. Frequently this appears to go hand in hand with financial compensation for "loss of dignity", "mental stress" and other in- timate sentimei s one -would ordinarily never expect to purchase with money. - Whilst genuine and serious harassment in the workplace is not acceptable and should not have to be tolerated by anybody, the Human Rights Commission lost its credibility and turned the whole serious subject into a farce by its remarkable manipulation of figures, and worse - by including among the legislated misdeeds such offences as suggestide lochs, subtle hints, teasing, and "condescension or paternalism which undermines self- respect" - interpretations in the eye of the beholder. Since its formation in 1978 the Commission has had just 38 sexual harassment com- plaints. Of these 13 have been dismissed, five have been substantiated and settled; the remaining 20 are being investigated or processed. By means of a poll surveying 2000 persons and by some most remarkable and ex- travagant projections the above mentioned ss complainants have turned into no less than 1.5 million "victims of sexual harassment', as headlines quoted Com- mission sources last week. Itis interesting to note that more men than women chose to make a joke of the matter when the poll was'taken. And one can see the importance of being earnest while smiles and teasings are grimly weighed and interpreted in the Commission offices at public expense! When one multiplies such efforts by the number of the provincial human rights commissions, one can easily see that indeed it not a laughing matter, but a severe case of expensive, meaningless and repetitious overkill where huge hammers of several layers of legislation and bureaucracy are used to subdue the small birds of our human interaction, in the name of the rights which were ours to enjoy and to defend long before the,commissions were created. Many millions of human beings on several other continents live in the torments and deprivations of famine, wars, earthquakes, massacres, coups and other destructive situations in which the most basic and primitive human needs are not met. I am not suggesting that we should stop living our lives as well as we can, but I would like to see the other dimensions broaden our outlook to the extent that those who make laws and speak and act on our behalf could recognize the important concerns and stop luxuriating in the wailing over what really amounts to trivial musings over whether our smiles are pure or whether suggestive hints can be imagined lurking in the background. I am glad that we can have the lesiure and the pleasure of smiling at all. Good heavens, I just remembered something. When I was in Toronto recently, several gentlemen entered the hotel elevator in the morning, smiled and said "Good morning". Were they just pleasant and polite or did I miss something? ELSA HAYDON