Rob Ford's Toronto

[RC8]

Ford clearly has the power here over both his wife and that female staff member. We have heard about these women (and their pussies) exclusively from Ford in his desperate attempt to assert his authority and keep his job. Both of them have been dragged into this with no ability to control the narrative themselves.

See but this is the important part, not the act of objectifying someone (which is harmless in and by itself). The abuse of power and complete disregard for these women's lives is what makes him a misogynistic and disrespectful imbecile, a bully, and a terrible person in general.

 

[Kat_YYZ]

The way it could be interpreted is that his wife is there for his sexual pleasure, and she has no other purpose. Then he trots her out to stand in shame beside him while he shamelessly fake-aplogizes.

you know, I didn't consciously think of it that way... but the fact that after offering up the imagery ("I have plenty to eat at home"), he actually makes her appear in public (something she seems to be quite uncomfortable with even in 'normal' times) having everyone gawk at her to complete the visualization from earlier -- it's really awful!

 

[juniorfox]

Considering that statements have no meaning outside of specific social contexts, I don't understand your point. Of course it's the situation that makes it sexist. Just like throwing a banana at someone can be benign or extremely racist depending on the context.

What I mean is referring to genitalia as a pussy is not inherently sexist, only vulgar (as opposed to calling a guy a pussy because that implies he's woman like in a negative manner). But in this context, taken as part of the situation and also a longer term pattern of behaviour, I believe his use of the word in this case, regardless of the fact that it was referring to genitalia, was in fact misogynistic.

EDIT: The corollary I'm making here is that calling a gentleman of East Indian or Pakistani descent a "paki" is inherently racist. The word "paki" itself is inherently racist. But the statement "Women have pussies" is not sexist, it's just a crude and vulgar statement of fact. But the situation in which Ford used it in today, even though he was technically using it in the same sense as a descriptor for a vagina, was in fact sexist because of the specific context of the situation.

 

[RogerD]

My theory is that none of this circus is by accident. Some PR firm from the US might be behind it. Making him getting maximum exposure (the whole world talking about him) and stretch it as long as they can. I don't even recall Canada as a whole getting this much airtime on US TV. Then, when the time's right, he's going to go to rehab and run again. This is made obvious with the show he's putting and now he's getting his own TV show. Unbelievable...

City Council fell for it by having that farce of a council and a vote. The mayor's vote counts for 1 and they could have resume managing the city without him and just ignore him. Because every Councillors wants their 15 minutes of glory on the world stage, all they are doing is fueling the Ford Circus further. I watched CNN this morning and many panelist agreed that despite everything and the polls, he could still win due to the silent majority. From a PR perspective, it makes sense and he's doing what he can to win again, as a citizen, I find that very selfish and embarassing

Maybe you are mostly joking, but there are just a whole bunch of reasons why this is not possible. No PR firm, let alone responsible member of his staff would suggest him to carry on like this, making the comments he has. The logistics of what you are suggesting would be extremely messy and illogical. The reasons Canada is getting so much airtime on US TV is because this is a wild wild wild story.

 

[Huge Seagull]

The only way [Hudak] gets to be Premier is if he can win seats in North York, Scarborough and Etobicoke. There's no way he'll risk losing those potential votes. She will use his refusal as an opportunity to score political points against the Conservatives

Or maybe he has a higher estimation of the small-c conservative voting pool in those regions than you do. Maybe he sees that we're nearing the point where even hard-core Fordites can start to give themselves permission to move away from Robbie.

Kat, newearthling: yes. That was the worst aspect of today's spectacle.

 

[JWBF]

If you want tasteless, then there's this...

Will Rob Ford write his own suicide note? Or will Doug dictate it to an aide, that way there will be someone to blame for it, and it's always fun firing a pleb below their class?

 

[Solid Snake]

Maybe you are mostly joking, but there are just a whole bunch of reasons why this is not possible. No PR firm, let alone responsible member of his staff would suggest him to carry on like this, making the comments he has. The logistics of what you are suggesting would be extremely messy and illogical. The reasons Canada is getting so much airtime on US TV is because this is a wild wild wild story.

If he goes to rehab and lose weight, maybe I was right. If he keeps this up until next year than I was wrong. There's nothing illogical about the potential of a "redemption/miracle ending" story. I'm not saying I approve, I just doubt that all of this circus is an accident

 

[salsa]

I've just received confirmation that tomorrow City Council is going to proclaim Norm Kelly "Interim Mayor" which technically is not against the rules. Ford would still be Mayor but there's nothing to prevent changing the Deputy Mayor's title.

A more worthy title for him would be "Ford Apologist"

 

[RogerD]

If he goes to rehab and lose weight, maybe I was right. If he keeps this up until next year than I was wrong. There's nothing illogical about the potential of a "redemption/miracle ending" story. I'm not saying I approve, I just doubt that all of this circus is an accident

My premise is not whether going to rehab will help him. Furthermore, going to rehab now certainly does not prove it was his strategy all along. What I'm saying is that the idea that US PR firm, or any PR firm, or any level-headed city staffer, would create such a tangled web of nonsense thinking it would work out for Rob Ford in the end.

Again, I'm not saying a "redemption/miracle ending" story is illogical. It has long been suggested he is much better off going to rehab and coming back as a new man. But no strategist would allow this to have happened. It's too risky.

 

[newearthling]

Let me guess, you castigate those who colloquially use the 'c-word' but tolerate those who refer to male idiots as 'dicks'.

Wait, maybe I shouldn't use the word 'idiot', since it is by far more offensive than the others...

Not sure where you getting this from. Are you just making stuff up in your head?

 

[RC8]

Not sure where you getting this from. Are you just making stuff up in your head?

Like what? Like this?

The way it could be interpreted is that his wife is there for his sexual pleasure, and she has no other purpose.

 

[requiem]

My premise is not whether going to rehab will help him. Furthermore, going to rehab now certainly does not prove it was his strategy all along. What I'm saying is that the idea that US PR firm, or any PR firm, or any level-headed city staffer, would create such a tangled web of nonsense thinking it would work out for Rob Ford in the end.

Again, I'm not saying a "redemption/miracle ending" story is illogical. It has long been suggested he is much better off going to rehab and coming back as a new man. But no strategist would allow this to have happened. It's too risky.

I agree. When the allegations first broke, perhaps if back then he had owned up to it and taken a leave, he might have had a decent chance at redeeming himself. Instead it's been 6 months of lies and denial, and such a circus that the attitude is "why/how is he still here??" Everyone's sick of him...they won't be rooting for him, it's just too late and this has gone on for too long. No PR firm wants this on its resume.

 

[juniorfox]

Hey here's a totally unrelated question. Take a look at this for a second:

Anyone care to speculate what "basement living room/REDACTED (Personal identifier) REDACTED (Personal identifier) area" means?

"Basement living room/Renata's sex swing area" ?
"Basement living room/children's dungeon area" ?
"Basement living room/Randy's grow room area" ?

How the hell does that sentence end in a way that implicates someone in something?

 

[TOvp]

See but this is the important part, not the act of objectifying someone (which is harmless in and by itself). The abuse of power and complete disregard for these women's lives is what makes him a misogynistic and disrespectful imbecile, a bully, and a terrible person in general.

Nicely out, although objectification isn't something harmless.

Well more accurately it would be I don't need to sexually use and harass my employees, the Chippendale dancers, because I have a c**k to use and abuse at home.
Sorry also for the crudeness. But the context was much worse.

Anyway, it can't really be translated because men have always had more agency than women. Women are still being objectified and judged based on their looks and sexual availability to men.

That's a key point. The line on it's own is tactless and crude, and magnified when spewed by a public official in public, especially when public official in question has a history of abusing women.

 

[TOvp]

See, even the language in a police report is demeaning: Fickel was on a date with a GIRL.

If the situation was reversed, highly doubtful the sentence would read: Hills was on a date with a BOY.