Stephane Dion must apologize for insulting Jewish Canadians
Liberal “leader” Stephane Dion must apologize for his use of an insulting and demeaning term to criticize Conservative advertisements.
The Liberal “leader” used the term ‘beyond the pale’ in his comments. This is a term that is denigrating and has been obsolete for years because of the negative stereotypes it engenders.
This is in reference to Mr. Dion’s comments recently reported in the Globe and Mail where he said, “The charge goes beyond the pale…”
How can Jewish Canadians trust Mr. Dion’s word when he himself uses a term that attacks them?
The Liberals were also forced to apologize for spurious accusations of Jewish involvement in 9-11 made by a Liberal candidate early last week.
This track record of insensitive and offensive remarks harms the relationship between Jewish Canadians and the government at a time when the focus should be on rebuilding and renewing it.
In totally unrelated news – apparently the Liberals are demanding an apology for the use of the phrase “off the reservation“. They are claiming that it is insulting to natives.
I never knew “beyond the pale” was supposed to be denigrating. I never knew the history of that phrase. That (and my age) might make me obsolete, but I hardly think it makes me disrespectful. The meaning of a word is dependent upon whether its speaker/writer actually knows this sort of thing and is using it with the deliberate intent to offend or hurt.
And I’ll tell you what’s insulting: For the Liberals (or Tina Keeper herself, for that matter) to pretend the phrase “off the reservation” (which I’ve also never heard before) is insulting to all aboriginal people. Next up for Keeper, “apple” accusations hurled at any native person who may think outside the holy box of political correctness.
This PC nonsense, no matter who it feigns to protect, drives me nuts.
Louise
October 5, 2008 at 11:56 pm
What always amazes me is how ’sensitive’ the ‘politically correct’ forces are to so many insults, yet they still hurl about one of he most anti-semitic, anti-French and anti-Christian insults (in one word) with reckless abandon.
We all know that the word ‘Goth’ is an early Frankish word for the word ‘Jew’. That is common knowledge among anybody who has studied religious history or linguistics.
We know that Jewish immigrants who inter-married with Frankish noble families became known as the Visigoths. And, one of the most influential of the Visigoth families – which thus had both French and Jewish blood – was also among the earlies groups to convert to Christianity. It is none other that the Vandals. Remember that when they sacked Rome, the Vandals went out of their way to leave every Christian church undamaged!
Therefore, any time anyone uses the word ‘vandalism’, they are committing a racial slur against both the Jews and the French, as well as a religious bigotry slur against Christins.
I mean, if we ARE going to be politically correct, we had better do it across the board, non?
xanthippa
October 6, 2008 at 12:41 am
Just for the record: I think the whole idea is stupid. I love faux outrage, but there has to be limits. Read Tina Keeper’s original press release – it is so damned idiotic. There’s thin skin and then there’s the Liberal party.
Robert
October 6, 2008 at 1:05 am
Xanthippa, I learned something from you today. I never knew that about the word Goth either. There was the Goth craze when my kids were teenagers and, of course, Gothic art and architecture and what not. I knew about the Vandals and the Visigoths being ancient European tribes who attacked the Roman Empire in its dying days, but that’s about it.
Robert, IMHO thin skin has very little to do with it. It’s the Indian Industry. A lot of people make a good living using political correctness to keep themselves in exalted overlord positions. It’s a symbiotic relationship and I detest it. To be a captain of the industry one has to provide ready made excuses for those who prefer to wallow in self-pity to use, rather than learning to deal with life’s hard knocks and overcome them.
Louise
October 6, 2008 at 3:46 am
Dear Mr. Jago.
I am writing to formally complain and make known to you that I am deeply offended that you would engage in such a blatant act of cultural appropriation as to misattribute the term “beyond the pale” to certain Russian gadgies when, as any fule nose, the figure of speech evolved in the English language from the term the English pale, otherwise called the Pale of Settlement, which was the term describing the extent of despoilage by those Sassanach bastards commonly called the Normans upon the Holy Land, Ireland, land of my forefathers etc. etc., for which offence I will expect your tribute of, say, a flagon of Jameson’s, sent round to my premises at once, else you risk a fierce letter from my barristers and a visit from one of our lads who’s got himself a tidy job just lately at the HRC, so.
I remain,
Terry Glavin.
Terry Glavin
October 6, 2008 at 5:00 am
This is stupid.
Esn
October 6, 2008 at 6:58 am
[...] STEPHANE DION must apologize for insulting Jewish Canadians …. [...]
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