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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Times Advocate, 2004-02-11, Page 44 Exeter Times—Advocate Wednesday, February 11, 2004 Lk-.)Clla =CNA Editorial Opinion TIMES ADVOCATE PUBLICATIONS MAIL REGISTRATION NUMBER 07511 We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada, through the Publications Assistance Program (PAP), toward our mailing casts. Jim Beckett Publisher and Editor Deb Lord Production Manager &Published by Metroland Printing, rt Publishing & Distributing Ltd. Metroland 424 Main Street South, P.O. Box 850 Exeter, Ontario NOM 1S6 • (519) 235-1331 EDITORIALS Cherry offside In a typically Canadian compromise last week, the CBC censured hockey commentator Don Cherry and have placed him on a seven -sec- ond tape delay so any offensive comments can be deleted before they hit the airwaves. The obvious questions are: what is offensive and what took so long? Cherry, of course, is no stranger to controversy, but in his latest rant, in which he said "Europeans and French guys" are primarily the NHL players who wear visors and are thus the most responsible for high sticking, he went too far. Cherry called those same players "sucks," although it would be interesting to hear Cherry accuse visor -wearing players such as Peter Forsberg or Saku Koivu of being "sucks" to their faces. As to his comment about "French guys," we're assuming Cherry was referring to French Canadians, since there don't seem to be many NHL players born in France. Canadians are divided on whether or not Cherry should have been punished for his latest diatribe, or whether in a democracy like Canada, Cherry should be allowed to say whatever he wants. The problem is, the CBC is our national broadcaster, funded largely by the public. Should his com- ments be allowed on the air when he's insulting half of the people (Quebecers and those of European descent) who partly fund his pay- cheque? Cherry has insulted Quebecers for years, whether it's referring to Trois Rivieres as Three Rivers, intentionally mispronouncing Patrick Roy's name for 15 years or defending Eric Lindros for not wanting to play in Quebec City. He was also outraged a couple of years ago when fans in Montreal booed the U.S. national anthem and said "real Canadians" wouldn't do that. A few weeks ago, he said drug use in hockey's minor leagues are confined to Quebec. Cherry's digs and criticisms of all things not English Canadian are outdated and should be silenced. In the U.S., commentators Rush Limbaugh and Al Campanis have been fired for less, but some- how Canada tolerates Cherry's narrow-minded opinions. And people wonder why some Quebecers want their own country — our nation- al broadcaster allows Cherry a platform to insult them every week. Does Cherry really not like French Canadians, or is he still mad he made a career out of losing to the Montreal Canadiens throughout the 1970s? In Cherry's world, you're OK as long as you grew up on a farm in English Canada and like to fight. Come from Quebec or Europe and play with some flash and skill and you'll feel the wrath of Cherry. Some of Cherry's defenders have said he's simi- lar to the curmudgeonly Archie Bunker. The dif- ference is Archie was funny, he was a fictional character and he wasn't paid by taxpayers to insult one of the founding peoples of his nation. Plus, "All In The Family" dealt with intelligent, serious social issues and Archie always learned a lesson at the end of the show. For Cherry, there are no lessons, only a lot of incomprehensible yelling, intolerance and cement -headed preju- dice. Cherry's defenders also say he speaks for the average Canadian. If that's true, we're in a lot of trouble. tslarBELE VE IN FORCE!) RETIREMENT1 20174 Q stributed by Canadian Artists Syndicate Inc. Violence good, nudity bad It was fascinating last week to witness the uproar over Janet Jackson's "wardrobe malfunction" during the halftime show at the Super Bowl. You'd think the world was coming to an end after pop star Justin Timberlake ripped off a piece of Jackson's clothing, exposing, for about half a second, her breast, which was partly covered by some well- placed jewelry. The reaction of the public, U.S. television net- works and the Federal Communications Commission has been hilarious. For a country that has no problem making up excuses to bomb other countries, its puritanical attitudes towards the human body are puzzling. Look at it this way: the U.S. culture is so steeped in violence that it's become a societal norm; but flash a breast on a TV screen for less than a sec- ond and everyone has their panties in a knot. The irony is staggering: you don't hear massive complaining about the images of war and murder shown each night on U.S. television. No, violence is just fine with them. Some of those who complained about Jackson's, um, revealing performance, said they didn't want their chil- dren seeing that. Fine, but they didn't apparently mind the fact there was a good chance that during the game one of the players would break a leg, twist an ankle or suffer a concussion. It's OK for their children to see a broken leg but not a breast? In Canada, Global received a few complaints about the incident, but nothing compared with the brouhaha that occurred south of the boarder. But then again, Canadians have always been less uptight about things like nudity and profanity on television. The U.S. is the same country that destroyed comedian Lenny Bruce's career and life in the 1960s by repeatedly arresting him for having the audacity to swear on stage and question religion and politics during his performances. And that didn't even take place on TV, Bruce's performances were in nightclubs. As a result of the Super Bowl complaints, U.S. net- works have of course overreacted. A scene in "ER" that was going to include a brief shot of an elderly patient's breast has been removed, and the Academy Awards will be put on a seven -second delay for the first time so anything deemed "offen- sive" can be censored from the public's virgin eyes and ears. The FCC is investigating the halftime show to see if decency laws were violated. They referred to the incident as "an outrage." Huh? What year is this, 1950? Last weekend's Pro Bowl in Hawaii was also altered — a performance by Timberlake's for- mer 'N Sync buddy, JC Chasez was scrapped. Perhaps organizers were afraid the young man would bare his breasts on TV. Come on, people, can we evolve please? Do we still really have to be offended by such things as a woman's breast? Aren't there bigger issues in the world? If there was anything offensive about Jackson and Timberlake's performance, it was their horrible music. In fact, anyone with a sense of good musical taste would have turned the channel during the halftime show, any- way; in a way, those offended deserved to be because they didn't have the good sense to turn the channel when two untalented lip-synching, non -musicians hit the stage. And by the way, don't believe for one second it was a "wardrobe malfunction" — Jackson knew what she was doing. She has a new album coming out and she needed the publicity. People don't usually decorate their breasts unless they intend to show them off. Plus, she's a Jackson, so something weird had to happen. But I'm sure that, if instead of a musical performance, the halftime show included a re-enactment of a war, there would have been no complaints. SCOTT NIXON AND ANOTHER THING r About the Times -Advocate I Address & Office Hours Times -Advocate, 424 Main Street South, P.O. Box 850, Exeter, Ontario NOM 1S6. Our office is open Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. Closed on Holidays. Contact Us By Phone or Fax Classified ad & subscription sales (519) 235-1331 24-hour automated attendant (519) 235-1336 Fax number for all departments (519) 235-0766 Subscription Rates One year rate for addresses in Canada: $37+GST Two year rate for addresses in Canada: $68+GST One year rate for addresses outside Canada: $104 Call (519) 235-1331 to order a subscription. Classified Rates Word ads: $10.00 for 20 words, 20c for each addition- al word+ GST. Notices (births, deaths, announce- ments, coming events, memoriams, cards of thanks): $15.00 + GST for up to 50 words, All ads must be pre- paid. 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