When I read this story about Rob Ford's latest bully eruption. Rob Ford is not denying Toronto Star reporter Daniel Dale’s allegations that the Toronto Mayor charged at him with his fist raised during a Wednesday night confrontation on public property behind Ford’s home. When asked by the National Post
Continue readingTag: bullying
Five of Five: Dan Savage and the Economist
A few days ago the Economist magazine ran a short opinion piece on the Dan Savage “bible bullshit” speech and the predictable reaction that followed from the religious right. A good number of atheist and humanist bloggers that I read were not entirely happy with the Economist’s comments. I think
Continue readingDented Blue Mercedes: When even silence “indoctrinates:” the “No Pro Homo” education model. (Part 2)
This is part of a 3-part series on LGBT-inclusive anti-bullying education, centering around the Day of Silence, which encourages students to take a vow of silence for the day, to bring attention to anti-LGBT bullying and harassment. It occurs on April 20th. Part 1: When even silence offends: on the
Continue readingDented Blue Mercedes: When even silence fails: On affirmation (part 3)
This is part of a 3-part series on LGBT-inclusive anti-bullying education, centering around the Day of Silence, which encourages students to take a vow of silence for the day, to bring attention to anti-LGBT bullying and harassment. It occurs on April 20th. Part 1: When even silence offends: on the
Continue readingDented Blue Mercedes: When even silence offends. (Part 1)
This is part of a 3-part series on LGBT-inclusive anti-bullying education, centering around the Day of Silence, which encourages students to take a vow of silence for the day, to bring attention to anti-LGBT bullying and harassment. It occurs on April 20th. Part 1: When even silence offends: on the
Continue readingMontreal Simon: Hate Crimes and the Fatal Blindness
I’m glad to see that reported hate crimes are down in Canada. It’s really good news for most people. Just not so good if you’re gay. The report said, though, that while the rate of racial hate crimes was down 20 per cent from 2009 and the rate of religion-based incidents
Continue readingMontreal Simon: My Easter Message and the Real Christians
Well I must admit I can’t think of a better Easter message, than this one outside a church in Oregon. Tom Tate, the pastor of Rose City Park United Methodist Church in northeast Portland, told The Blaze that the sign shows his 385-member church’s “radical hospitality” towards people who feel
Continue readingMontreal Simon: Bully The Movie: When Horror Meets Blindness
It never made any sense. A movie where children kill each other gets a PG-13 rating, a documentary about children getting bullied gets rated R. So I’m glad to see that Bully has been reclassified. I’m happy that kids are going to be able to see it, and that the
Continue readingwRanter.com: Sixth graders are too young for middle school
My wife and I knew something was awry when Primo lost his lunch box less than two weeks into the fall term. We were pretty annoyed that we were out $10 in what seemed like record time, even for one of our boys, who both periodically misplace various school supplies.
Continue readingSlap Upside The Head: Homophobic Lobby Group Freaks Out Over Anti-Bullying Video
Hundreds of students from schools across Vancouver have collaborated to creatd a YouTube video called the Pink Project, a creative effort to help spread the message that bullying is not OK. The video features students from eleven different schools dancing to Lady Gaga’s “Born this Way,” all wearing pink shirts
Continue readingMontreal Simon: Mitchell Wilson and the War on Bullying
His name was Mitchell Wilson. He suffered from muscular dystrophy. But that didn’t save him from being savagely bullied. When he learned he would have to testify in court against his alleged attacker, it was too much for the gentle boy, and he killed himself. But now his words will
Continue readingMontreal Simon: Newfoundland and Labrador Takes On the Bullies
I must admit that I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador. Maybe it’s because when I was a boy I lived by the sea. On a coastline dotted with small fishing villages that were once so busy and then so still.
Continue readingMontreal Simon: The Idiot Tale of Randy Hillier and the Bullies
I realize that the Ontario Con Randy Hillier is a mouth-breathing redneck. I realize he’s not the brightest bulb in the universe. But even I could never imagine that he would make such a jackass of himself by suggesting that anti-bullying programs are bad for bullied kids. Bill 13 is little more than
Continue readingDTK: Randy Hillier Wrong On Bullying Bill
Randy Hillier, MPP in the Parliament of Ontario, has opined against the current Liberal government’s anti-bullying legislation: “Bill 13, Accepting Schools Act, 2011”
Writes Mr. Hillier:
Unlike many of those who have announced support for Bill 13, I have read the complete bill and the relevant sections of the Education Act that it amends.
A dubious claim, at best. For example, he accuses the bill of “not providing schools with any additional tools to reward or punish behaviour.”
Well, let’s look at the bill that Mr. Hillier claims to have read.
In the last section of the bill, paragraphs are added to Section 310 of the Education Act, adding that bullying is grounds for suspension and, therefore, subsequently expulsion.
That sounds like a new tool for punishing bad behaviour, or at least permission to use an old tool for a new reason. I don’t know what bill Mr. Hillier read.
He further writes:
Bill 13 mandates creating a host of new school clubs which could identify people in the club as being: “lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, transsexual, two-spirited, intersexed, queer (or) questioning.”
Go read it. There’s nothing in that bill requiring the forming of clubs. School boards are required to support students who want to create their own clubs for promoting awareness of sexism, racism and other forms of discrimination.
Personally, I think that forming such clubs would be a good idea. A lot of people think so, including – it turns out – Mr. Hillier.
I know. Weird, huh? Let me explain.
He starts by saying that these clubs will single out students who join them and that this will make bullying worse. This ignores the fact that gay students are already being bullied into suicide and that the purpose of the clubs is to create alliances between the bullied gay kids and the straight kids who want to stand up for them.
But later in the article, he tells us:
The depth of a child’s understanding is amplified not only through reward or punishment, but by learning compassion and empathy. The difference between adults and children is that adults are expected to have already learned the lessons of life and developed conscience and compassion on their road to maturity.
Strange, isn’t it?
Here he is railing against the clubs and awareness groups that the law will permit – not require, but permit – and at the end of his article he writes about how important it is that children develop empathy. Gee, I wonder how they could do that, Mr Hillier. Maybe – could they – just possibly – learn it from groups of other students who promote awareness of these issues?
If you really want to understand Randy Hillier’s problem though, it’s located right in the middle of his article:
Bill 13 does the exact opposite of what is needed. Rather than minimizing differences, it helps segregate and highlight the differences between people.
What is needed, according to Mr. Hillier, is to minimize our differences. We need to get those gay kids to just stop acting so … god … damned … gay! Just act like straight kids! Play sports! Break things! Get out more! Except the girls … you lesbians need to stop dressing like boys, stay inside and take up sewing. Buy a dress and put on some make-up. We’re trying to minimize differences here, people! Get with the Randy Hillier program!
Continue readingDTK: Randy Hillier Wrong On Bullying Bill
Randy Hillier, MPP in the Parliament of Ontario, has opined against the current Liberal government’s anti-bullying legislation: “Bill 13, Accepting Schools Act, 2011” Sticks and Stones Writes Mr. Hillier: Unlike many of those who have announced support for Bill 13, I have read the complete bill and the relevant sections
Continue readingDTK: Randy Hillier Wrong On Bullying Bill
Randy Hillier, MPP in the Parliament of Ontario, has opined against the current Liberal government’s anti-bullying legislation: “Bill 13, Accepting Schools Act, 2011” Sticks and Stones Writes Mr. Hillier: Unlike many of those who have announced support for Bill 13, I have read the complete bill and the relevant sections
Continue readingMontreal Simon: Chicken Lilley and the Sun News Bigots
If they ever make a Canadian version of the classic movie Chicken Run, they’re definitely going to have to give the lead role to Fox News North’s Brian Lilley. Because not only does he look the part, with an absurd pompadour instead of a cockscomb, but he’s as cowardly as
Continue reading350 or bust: Franke James Does New York
Franke James made it into the New York Times last week. Andrew Revkin covered the Canadian environmental artist who is fighting back against interference and bullying from the Harper government in Canada’s Approach to Inconvenient Art. Tim Harper at the Toronto Star also covered her story in his recent article
Continue readingMontreal Simon: Remembering the Blogger Bruce McDonald
A reader reminded me tonight that it’s been a year since the gay Progressive Blogger Bruce McDonald killed himself. How time flies. Although I never met Bruce, his blog Canuck Attitude, inspired me to begin blogging. And since he died, I’ve written several post about him. But this will probably
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Bully for Him
It is probably largely due to both the verbal and physical abuse I suffered as an elementary and high school student in the Catholic school system many years ago that I am so sensitive to abuses of authority, be it individual or institutional. I also suspect my experiences play a
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