Following is the message I left online for Prime Minister Trudeau on his official government page at https://pm.gc.ca/eng/connect :
I read the PM's statement today about the event at Montreal on Dec 6, 1989. I beg to differ, but the women were not killed simply because they were women. that is now an outdated way of looking at it. It was complicated, and it was about some men having to give up opportunities of the career they dreamed of. Marc Lépine must have been treated badly by women - staff - and feminists to have done what he did.
I know what it's like to not be able to have the career you wanted, because you didn't have enough money, or were too old when you went to university - I was 43 when the killings happened - an undergrad at university. Since then I got my MA and started a PhD, which I did not have enough support for, moneywise. When women go for it, they have to use every resource they can drum up. I was too old to start having to compete with younger women, and could not buy my way into a better position.
I never had a career either, but I did learn to write, and so I write, on Sue's Views on the News. Or at least, I used to write. Now I struggle just to get the healthcare I need, a good part of the time, unsuccessfully. What with women secretaries using their power to make things worse, and doctors probably thinking these women are to be trusted, and seeing no reason to provide care to a 70 year old with no husband, no family nearby to be at appointments with me, that no one is gaining anything worthwhile from, I have been left out. Like Marc Lépine, I have not been treated fairly nor compassionately.
This was not a typical situation of violence against women. Most violence against women happens between a couple who at least know one another and are often married. The killings committed by Marc Lépine were about a man being left behind while feminists prospered.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Statement by the Prime Minister of Canada on the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women
by Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada
Ottawa, Ontario: https://pm.gc.ca
December 6, 2016
http://pm.gc.ca/eng/news/2016/12/06/statement-prime-minister-canada-national-day-remembrance-and-action-violence-against
The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today issued the following statement on the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women:
“Twenty-seven years ago today, 14 young women were murdered at l'École Polytechnique de Montréal simply because they were women.
“On this somber anniversary, let us reflect on what Canadians – women, men, and youth – can do to rid the country and the planet of the scourges of misogyny and gender-based violence.
“The statistics on violence against girls and women are unacceptable. Far too many girls and women, here in Canada and around the world, suffer physical and psychological harm at the hands of others – often people they love and trust.
“On this day – and every day – we recommit ourselves to finding solutions that help prevent future acts of violence. Men and boys are a vital part of the solution to change attitudes and behaviours that allow for this violence to exist. There must be zero tolerance for violence against women, and only with everyone’s support can we build a Canada that is safe for all.
“That is why the Government of Canada is investing in several programs, both in Canada and around the world, to help promote gender equality by supporting education and prevention efforts, as well as helping those who have been targeted by gender-based violence. For example, we will continue to grow and maintain Canada’s network of shelters and transition houses, so no one fleeing domestic violence is left without a place to turn.
“As we mourn today with the families and friends of those bright and talented young women who were victims of that senseless act of hatred, I encourage everyone to think about how their own personal actions matter. Start by joining the conversation online using the hashtag #ActionsMatter. Together we can change minds and stop gender-based violence before it starts.”
Showing posts with label class. Show all posts
Showing posts with label class. Show all posts
6 December 2016
1 January 2016
Proving discrimination at a Human Rights Tribunal
Added Monday, January 25, 2016 The aim of this HRT Application
Added Sunday, January 17, 2016 - Further Response to Anonymous commenter
Short edit made Jan 3, 2016
Added June 25, 2016 - improved 20 min excerpt of "street drug" incident.
What counts more – credibility of witnesses or factual evidence? Stated another way, should interpretations and viewpoints of witnesses close to the event or to participants in it be granted the same evidentiary legitimacy as substantive proof in the form of reliable, objective, detailed research or tape recordings of the incidents in question?
When I made out an Application to the Human Rights Tribunal in 2015 claiming discrimination by my family doctor on the grounds of sex (gender), marital and family status, and age, I did so in the belief that my complaint would be taken seriously. I have come to see now that, rather than my evidence and knowledge forming the basis of my claim, the lies and distortions of truth told by the Respondent, his secretary, and a colleague not long departed from the Port Elgin/ Southampton area are being held up as truth (by them and decision-makers at the HRTO), despite my having provided evidence in the form of tape recordings and factual research that indicates otherwise.
I know that my words mean little or nothing to most people. And that is the underlying factor in this case. I have no husband to provide me with credibility. I have no property to enable me to be seen as a worthy person. I have no family nearby. I live alone, in a city that I once thought was a great city to live in – London, Ontario – but now having returned after years away – including a decade abroad – after 5 years here it no longer seems that great to me.
Of significance here is the Interim Decision of October 8, 2015, which relieves the Respondent of the responsibility of having to provide the relevance/importance of each document within the Medical Chart, even though in their initial Response, it was a requirement that they do so, “they” being the Respondent and his lawyer. Their claim at the time (in their Response to my Application) was that my entire Medical Chart were documents intended to show the care provided to me, never mind that it is full of omissions, pages put together haphazardly, indecipherable scribblings by the doctor, not in chronological order, nor with dates on the pages – and no explanations of the relevance of each individual document. According to the Interim Decision, my requesting more detail was “premature”. And so now, according to the Notice of Hearing, Aug 11, 2015, when from that bundle the ones to be relied upon at the hearing were to be listed, by the end of December, 2015, the Respondent went directly to the new instruction, listing them, giving them titles, and numbers, but still neglecting to explain their relevance.
View the HRT Interim decision, October 8, 2015
The pages of the Medical Chart (my medical chart) now have titles, but are out of order and not dated. More importantly, no mention of the relevance of these so-called documents that I received from the Respondent at the end of December, 2015 is included. It would appear that, through the manipulation of language, and the lack of familiarity of the Interim decision maker with my Application, the Respondent has managed to avoid having to provide the information originally required in his Response to my Application. Submitted as a whole, the chart may give the overall impression that the doctor was a caring doctor, but delve more deeply, and it would show he was not. But who has time to delve more deeply. The Human Right hearing lasts 2 days. Am I to spend that time defend myself by pointing out all the mistakes and lack of attention to detail in the Chart, including all that is irrelevant, nothing to do with this Application, but which may make me look bad in the eyes of the Human Rights adjudicator. Without an explanation as to their relevance, the documents are left to the adjudicator’s imagination to comprehend.
In my Application I focused on two matters only, ones I had proof for. Now, that has been turned around by the latest submission to me and the HRT by the Respondent, on Dec 29, 2015, which is the now titled and numbered Medical Chart, plus a statement by his secretary upholding his opinion, a secretary whose name I didn’t even know until I received the statement, as she never referred to herself by her name when she called, and the doctor did not either. The other witness statement is a so-called expert statement by a new colleague of the doctor’s, who did not reside or practice in London at the time but who seemingly is providing his objective views on the treatment provided to me, stating that it was appropriate.
In particular, I should think that sending a patient for renal ultrasound test, to rule out causes of kidney disease, and including an ultrasound on the bladder, was simply not well thought out – typical of this doctor’s attitude towards me – thoughtless, uncaring, and disrespectful. The witness colleague, a family physician also, directs readers to ‘Mosby's Family Practice Sourcebook - An Evidence-Based Approach to Care,’ for evidence (which they must seek out on their own, apparently, from within the book’s pages) that sending me for a bladder ultrasound - a 69-year women who has given birth 2 times, had a hysterectomy and is somewhat overweight - is within practice guidelines for a patient whose lab report shows “an initial abnormal creatinine clearance (eGFR)”. The witness colleague writes:
“While an ultrasound limited to just the kidneys would have been appropriate, it was stili within the standard of care to include the bladder to rule out other possible causes of chronic kidney disease” (Dec 27, 2015 physician witness statement).
See here for a more complete and coherent description and analysis of the ‘pelvic/renal ultrasound incident,’ taken from my original Application but rearranged in a more comprehensible format. I would simply state here that for a woman my age, with my reproductive history, and weight, sending me for an ultrasound test on my bladder was not only unnecessary, it was risky, and uncomfortable, and demonstrated a lack of knowledge of older women’s chronic health issues. His colleague also seems not to want to go into detail on the matter at hand in any serious way.
The witness secretary decided to interpret my manner during the second incident – see the ‘urine sample and “street drugs” incident and analysis’ - as rude, although I did submit to the HRT a while back a longer audio recording of the incident after the doctor himself accused me of shouting at his staff, for the benefit of the staff’s perhaps short memories. Originally, I submitted only the recording of what took place in the treatment room, during my appointment, but I decided to send in the rest of it, which included my taking the container for a urine sample to the washroom (after obtaining a key from the pharmacy), then changing my mind, returning the unlabeled jar to the secretary, leaving, then returning to ask for a form that I could take to the lab to have the urine test done there. By that time I had lost all faith in my doctor. The staff ignored my request, and so I left, going to a walk-in clinic and requesting that I be allowed to provide a sample of urine to test. I did so, but on inquiring time after time I was eventually told that the sample I gave to them had been lost.
Read 8-page transcript of the 21-23 minute recording. The section related to the Tylenol 2 and “street drugs” urine sample request begins on page 5.
Click to hear longer 21-23 minute audio recording of ‘urine sample and “street drugs” incident’.
[Another try has produced a 20 minute excerpt of the April 28, 2014 incident, with higher volume and greater clarity. It starts with changes being made to the Rx renewals, at approximately the half-way point going into the incident where the doctor demanded that I submit a urine sample for "street drugs" if I wanted a renewal on my prescription for two Tylenol 2 tablets daily, for pain due to 2009 broken ankle] (added June 25, 2016).
I have been unable to make a better quality mp3 from the original tape recording due to not having the proper equipment. Instead, I used technology available at a small cost online, but with limited capability. I have not asked for any damages from the HRT, thus would not receive any financial advantage even if my Application were successful. That’s not the reason I am doing this, although I must say I did not realize at the start the financial costs of engaging in this endeavour. I do believe, however, that the recording, lengthy though it is, heard in conjunction with the transcript, provides a better understanding of the emotional content of the incident, and situates it in real time, taking approximately 23 minutes.
This is the phenomenon whereby people are less likely to take responsibility when there are several other people involved. Thus, the in this situation, just to focus on the actual process of the HRTO, the caseworker may make a mistake, or the Legal Support team might, or the Interim decision-maker, or even the translation between the official HRT Rules of Procedure and items of correspondence sent to explain the process to Applicants and Respondents may use words differently, but in effect, open up the process up to misinterpretations and, significantly, to diffusion of responsibility. When so many people become involved, no one is obliged to take responsibility. No one will. And so, in the end, who is there on whom to place responsibility?
The diffusion of responsibility within the actual HRT process is one part of it. Another part is the diffusion of responsibility among the various doctors, secretaries, witnesses, lab workers, fax machines, photocopiers, and other forms of technology through which errors can be made, or Medical Rules and Regulations that state what is permitted and what not, that often leave no one person, such as the physician himself, obliged to take responsibility for errors, lack of knowledge, or lack of awareness of social influences on their own psyches in their interactions with patients.
A third part of the diffusion of responsibility is the fact that the Respondent has four first names, tending to confuse the issue of this doctor’s real identity. The name he uses in his local medical practice is the last name on the list, according to his profile with the CPSO (College of Physicians and Surgeons). Thus, the name he uses usually hasn’t appeared on official notices and documents sent by those involved in this Application, including myself. Instead, it is usually the first or second of the four names that get used. So who is this man, exactly? Is he the person listed as a CPSO member, who is named on the application, and the same person as the local London doctor, or by using this technique is he able to avoid taking responsibility, not really a part of these proceedings due to the name he is known not appearing in the documents?
I find myself in this dilemma of being up against “credible witnesses” due to the very reason I am making this Application to the HRTO, and that is that, largely due to being female, and older, and not having a husband, nor being a property-owner, and being alone here without family, I am in a vulnerable position of not having credibility. I also spent a few years abroad, before returning several years ago to the city where I came to do my undergrad degree after my marriage ended. My name then was Fulham, and I was a student of Sociology in the late 80s and early 90s. Thus, I am now in this situation of being up against people in the health care professions who are granted credibility to speak and be heard and believed while I am not. I have evidence of a factual nature, objectively-conducted research, and audio tape recordings. But that isn’t really good enough, is it. One needs family, association with a profession or academic institution, or a spouse, or property, or a career present or past, to provide one with the credibility and power to be heard and believed.
I was treated very badly by that doctor who made rude remarks about me to my face, mistreated illnesses, sent me for unnecessary tests, changed my medications for no good reason, would effectively end discussion by informing me that “the report’s back. You’re fine,” or telling me I am smiling thus must be feeling okay, and more. It seems to me that a doctor should be able to treat patients regardless of his personal feelings towards them. I realize I am one of those who don’t qualify for first-rate treatment, in this country of ours. But to see doctors openly abusing their position as knowledgeable and respected individuals part of a larger group of time-honoured professionals in Canada is regrettable.
Yesterday, in a comment on this matter, Anonymous suggested I drop this action. I responded, and now have something else to add to what I said there, see below, in comments. On occasion we hear of accusations made against someone, and even of charges laid, followed by the retraction of the charges, or the accuser walking away from it, for whatever reason. When this happens, as does sometimes in cases involving sexual assault or sexual harassment, comments made by some readers in the comments section of the online newspaper then claim that the accuser realized she was mistaken, or had gotten over being upset over nothing at all, and was actually just another false accuser – another good reason why I should not quit this situation, even though it is getting even worse, as mistakes are made (mistakes?) in the process itself, which go unacknowledged and are not corrected, and the Respondent’s witnesses themselves are telling outlandish lies or giving questionable support to the treatment decisions made by the doctor. The two women who have made Interim Decisions, the latest just on Friday, the 16th of January, are taking shortcuts in their examination of the Forms of the Applicant and Respondent, and even of the Rules of Procedure for the HRTO. Hence, they come up with the Decision they probably want to make, not the one the evidence says they should. The latest decision-maker, Dawn J. Kershaw, is from London, I see after googling her name, so I would suspect that this is an issue of conflict of interests, since me and the doctor in question are also located in London. She made a number of decisions, none of them in my favour, and I had been the one bringing them to her. But the lawyer for the Respondent replied, and perhaps in error but I don’t think so, made me look like a nit-picker, simply for requesting a numbered copy of the 103-page Medical Chart containing my medical records.
She - the Respondent’s lawyer – had missed the deadline for Disclosure of Documents, so ended up mailing me a copy of the 103-page Medical Chart in haste – by regular mail - in no apparent order, not numbered, no explanation of the importance of each item, or its relevance to the acts of discrimination I had brought. The importance of the documents are required, but by presenting the bundle of documents as a single ‘document’, they got away with claiming that it showed the care provided to me, the Applicant.
Even at the time I asked the Legal Support Centre what was meant by the term document, and got only a vague answer. I suspect now it is one of those things that enable trickery to be played out, and by putting off dealing with the matter, as I described in an email earlier on Friday to the HRT, after receiving the Respondent’s From 11, but before the Interim Decision had been made, the Lawyer, or the HRT itself, can influence the outcome in the direction they prefer, and that is, that the doctor get off and I get blamed for being picky over requesting a numbered copy when according to the Respondent’s lawyer, she had already sent one to me, a claim that the Interim Decision-maker, Londoner Dawn Kershaw, took as truth because, well, she’s a lawyer and doesn’t lie.
If that Medical Chart is allowed to be used in its entirety at the hearing, I needed to know that the copy the HRT received at the end of December was numbered, and was numbered the same as my copy, on which I wrote the numbers myself, from 1 to 103.
The other requests I made were all denied. So my 8 pages and 2 audio recordings are up against his 103 pages, and according to this decisionmaker, as well as the previous one, it’s okay that the doctor doesn’t give the relevance of each of the items. So he can make claims on the pages which will be taken as truth simply because he is a doctor.
I was denied more time to prepare for the hearing. And my request to have the hearing taped was denied, though I am permitted to tape it myself as along as I transcribe it afterwards and provide copies to the Respondent and the HRT. But even if I do that, the audio tapes of the hearing are not to be made public, Kershaw says.
This is not a good situation. No wonder some women who try to get justice give up and walk away. And it’s not only men who give them a hard time during such proceedings. It’s women, too.
Added Sunday, January 17, 2016 - Further Response to Anonymous commenter
Short edit made Jan 3, 2016
Added June 25, 2016 - improved 20 min excerpt of "street drug" incident.
What counts more – credibility of witnesses or factual evidence? Stated another way, should interpretations and viewpoints of witnesses close to the event or to participants in it be granted the same evidentiary legitimacy as substantive proof in the form of reliable, objective, detailed research or tape recordings of the incidents in question?
When I made out an Application to the Human Rights Tribunal in 2015 claiming discrimination by my family doctor on the grounds of sex (gender), marital and family status, and age, I did so in the belief that my complaint would be taken seriously. I have come to see now that, rather than my evidence and knowledge forming the basis of my claim, the lies and distortions of truth told by the Respondent, his secretary, and a colleague not long departed from the Port Elgin/ Southampton area are being held up as truth (by them and decision-makers at the HRTO), despite my having provided evidence in the form of tape recordings and factual research that indicates otherwise.
I know that my words mean little or nothing to most people. And that is the underlying factor in this case. I have no husband to provide me with credibility. I have no property to enable me to be seen as a worthy person. I have no family nearby. I live alone, in a city that I once thought was a great city to live in – London, Ontario – but now having returned after years away – including a decade abroad – after 5 years here it no longer seems that great to me.
Interim Decision
Of significance here is the Interim Decision of October 8, 2015, which relieves the Respondent of the responsibility of having to provide the relevance/importance of each document within the Medical Chart, even though in their initial Response, it was a requirement that they do so, “they” being the Respondent and his lawyer. Their claim at the time (in their Response to my Application) was that my entire Medical Chart were documents intended to show the care provided to me, never mind that it is full of omissions, pages put together haphazardly, indecipherable scribblings by the doctor, not in chronological order, nor with dates on the pages – and no explanations of the relevance of each individual document. According to the Interim Decision, my requesting more detail was “premature”. And so now, according to the Notice of Hearing, Aug 11, 2015, when from that bundle the ones to be relied upon at the hearing were to be listed, by the end of December, 2015, the Respondent went directly to the new instruction, listing them, giving them titles, and numbers, but still neglecting to explain their relevance.
View the HRT Interim decision, October 8, 2015
The pages of the Medical Chart (my medical chart) now have titles, but are out of order and not dated. More importantly, no mention of the relevance of these so-called documents that I received from the Respondent at the end of December, 2015 is included. It would appear that, through the manipulation of language, and the lack of familiarity of the Interim decision maker with my Application, the Respondent has managed to avoid having to provide the information originally required in his Response to my Application. Submitted as a whole, the chart may give the overall impression that the doctor was a caring doctor, but delve more deeply, and it would show he was not. But who has time to delve more deeply. The Human Right hearing lasts 2 days. Am I to spend that time defend myself by pointing out all the mistakes and lack of attention to detail in the Chart, including all that is irrelevant, nothing to do with this Application, but which may make me look bad in the eyes of the Human Rights adjudicator. Without an explanation as to their relevance, the documents are left to the adjudicator’s imagination to comprehend.
In my Application I focused on two matters only, ones I had proof for. Now, that has been turned around by the latest submission to me and the HRT by the Respondent, on Dec 29, 2015, which is the now titled and numbered Medical Chart, plus a statement by his secretary upholding his opinion, a secretary whose name I didn’t even know until I received the statement, as she never referred to herself by her name when she called, and the doctor did not either. The other witness statement is a so-called expert statement by a new colleague of the doctor’s, who did not reside or practice in London at the time but who seemingly is providing his objective views on the treatment provided to me, stating that it was appropriate.
In particular, I should think that sending a patient for renal ultrasound test, to rule out causes of kidney disease, and including an ultrasound on the bladder, was simply not well thought out – typical of this doctor’s attitude towards me – thoughtless, uncaring, and disrespectful. The witness colleague, a family physician also, directs readers to ‘Mosby's Family Practice Sourcebook - An Evidence-Based Approach to Care,’ for evidence (which they must seek out on their own, apparently, from within the book’s pages) that sending me for a bladder ultrasound - a 69-year women who has given birth 2 times, had a hysterectomy and is somewhat overweight - is within practice guidelines for a patient whose lab report shows “an initial abnormal creatinine clearance (eGFR)”. The witness colleague writes:
“While an ultrasound limited to just the kidneys would have been appropriate, it was stili within the standard of care to include the bladder to rule out other possible causes of chronic kidney disease” (Dec 27, 2015 physician witness statement).
The Two Incidents of Discrimination
See here for a more complete and coherent description and analysis of the ‘pelvic/renal ultrasound incident,’ taken from my original Application but rearranged in a more comprehensible format. I would simply state here that for a woman my age, with my reproductive history, and weight, sending me for an ultrasound test on my bladder was not only unnecessary, it was risky, and uncomfortable, and demonstrated a lack of knowledge of older women’s chronic health issues. His colleague also seems not to want to go into detail on the matter at hand in any serious way.
The witness secretary decided to interpret my manner during the second incident – see the ‘urine sample and “street drugs” incident and analysis’ - as rude, although I did submit to the HRT a while back a longer audio recording of the incident after the doctor himself accused me of shouting at his staff, for the benefit of the staff’s perhaps short memories. Originally, I submitted only the recording of what took place in the treatment room, during my appointment, but I decided to send in the rest of it, which included my taking the container for a urine sample to the washroom (after obtaining a key from the pharmacy), then changing my mind, returning the unlabeled jar to the secretary, leaving, then returning to ask for a form that I could take to the lab to have the urine test done there. By that time I had lost all faith in my doctor. The staff ignored my request, and so I left, going to a walk-in clinic and requesting that I be allowed to provide a sample of urine to test. I did so, but on inquiring time after time I was eventually told that the sample I gave to them had been lost.
Read 8-page transcript of the 21-23 minute recording. The section related to the Tylenol 2 and “street drugs” urine sample request begins on page 5.
Click to hear longer 21-23 minute audio recording of ‘urine sample and “street drugs” incident’.
[Another try has produced a 20 minute excerpt of the April 28, 2014 incident, with higher volume and greater clarity. It starts with changes being made to the Rx renewals, at approximately the half-way point going into the incident where the doctor demanded that I submit a urine sample for "street drugs" if I wanted a renewal on my prescription for two Tylenol 2 tablets daily, for pain due to 2009 broken ankle] (added June 25, 2016).
I have been unable to make a better quality mp3 from the original tape recording due to not having the proper equipment. Instead, I used technology available at a small cost online, but with limited capability. I have not asked for any damages from the HRT, thus would not receive any financial advantage even if my Application were successful. That’s not the reason I am doing this, although I must say I did not realize at the start the financial costs of engaging in this endeavour. I do believe, however, that the recording, lengthy though it is, heard in conjunction with the transcript, provides a better understanding of the emotional content of the incident, and situates it in real time, taking approximately 23 minutes.
Diffusion of Responsibility
This is the phenomenon whereby people are less likely to take responsibility when there are several other people involved. Thus, the in this situation, just to focus on the actual process of the HRTO, the caseworker may make a mistake, or the Legal Support team might, or the Interim decision-maker, or even the translation between the official HRT Rules of Procedure and items of correspondence sent to explain the process to Applicants and Respondents may use words differently, but in effect, open up the process up to misinterpretations and, significantly, to diffusion of responsibility. When so many people become involved, no one is obliged to take responsibility. No one will. And so, in the end, who is there on whom to place responsibility?
The diffusion of responsibility within the actual HRT process is one part of it. Another part is the diffusion of responsibility among the various doctors, secretaries, witnesses, lab workers, fax machines, photocopiers, and other forms of technology through which errors can be made, or Medical Rules and Regulations that state what is permitted and what not, that often leave no one person, such as the physician himself, obliged to take responsibility for errors, lack of knowledge, or lack of awareness of social influences on their own psyches in their interactions with patients.
A third part of the diffusion of responsibility is the fact that the Respondent has four first names, tending to confuse the issue of this doctor’s real identity. The name he uses in his local medical practice is the last name on the list, according to his profile with the CPSO (College of Physicians and Surgeons). Thus, the name he uses usually hasn’t appeared on official notices and documents sent by those involved in this Application, including myself. Instead, it is usually the first or second of the four names that get used. So who is this man, exactly? Is he the person listed as a CPSO member, who is named on the application, and the same person as the local London doctor, or by using this technique is he able to avoid taking responsibility, not really a part of these proceedings due to the name he is known not appearing in the documents?
Conclusion
I find myself in this dilemma of being up against “credible witnesses” due to the very reason I am making this Application to the HRTO, and that is that, largely due to being female, and older, and not having a husband, nor being a property-owner, and being alone here without family, I am in a vulnerable position of not having credibility. I also spent a few years abroad, before returning several years ago to the city where I came to do my undergrad degree after my marriage ended. My name then was Fulham, and I was a student of Sociology in the late 80s and early 90s. Thus, I am now in this situation of being up against people in the health care professions who are granted credibility to speak and be heard and believed while I am not. I have evidence of a factual nature, objectively-conducted research, and audio tape recordings. But that isn’t really good enough, is it. One needs family, association with a profession or academic institution, or a spouse, or property, or a career present or past, to provide one with the credibility and power to be heard and believed.
I was treated very badly by that doctor who made rude remarks about me to my face, mistreated illnesses, sent me for unnecessary tests, changed my medications for no good reason, would effectively end discussion by informing me that “the report’s back. You’re fine,” or telling me I am smiling thus must be feeling okay, and more. It seems to me that a doctor should be able to treat patients regardless of his personal feelings towards them. I realize I am one of those who don’t qualify for first-rate treatment, in this country of ours. But to see doctors openly abusing their position as knowledgeable and respected individuals part of a larger group of time-honoured professionals in Canada is regrettable.
Added Sunday, January 17, 2016
Further Response to Anonymous commenter
Yesterday, in a comment on this matter, Anonymous suggested I drop this action. I responded, and now have something else to add to what I said there, see below, in comments. On occasion we hear of accusations made against someone, and even of charges laid, followed by the retraction of the charges, or the accuser walking away from it, for whatever reason. When this happens, as does sometimes in cases involving sexual assault or sexual harassment, comments made by some readers in the comments section of the online newspaper then claim that the accuser realized she was mistaken, or had gotten over being upset over nothing at all, and was actually just another false accuser – another good reason why I should not quit this situation, even though it is getting even worse, as mistakes are made (mistakes?) in the process itself, which go unacknowledged and are not corrected, and the Respondent’s witnesses themselves are telling outlandish lies or giving questionable support to the treatment decisions made by the doctor. The two women who have made Interim Decisions, the latest just on Friday, the 16th of January, are taking shortcuts in their examination of the Forms of the Applicant and Respondent, and even of the Rules of Procedure for the HRTO. Hence, they come up with the Decision they probably want to make, not the one the evidence says they should. The latest decision-maker, Dawn J. Kershaw, is from London, I see after googling her name, so I would suspect that this is an issue of conflict of interests, since me and the doctor in question are also located in London. She made a number of decisions, none of them in my favour, and I had been the one bringing them to her. But the lawyer for the Respondent replied, and perhaps in error but I don’t think so, made me look like a nit-picker, simply for requesting a numbered copy of the 103-page Medical Chart containing my medical records.
She - the Respondent’s lawyer – had missed the deadline for Disclosure of Documents, so ended up mailing me a copy of the 103-page Medical Chart in haste – by regular mail - in no apparent order, not numbered, no explanation of the importance of each item, or its relevance to the acts of discrimination I had brought. The importance of the documents are required, but by presenting the bundle of documents as a single ‘document’, they got away with claiming that it showed the care provided to me, the Applicant.
Even at the time I asked the Legal Support Centre what was meant by the term document, and got only a vague answer. I suspect now it is one of those things that enable trickery to be played out, and by putting off dealing with the matter, as I described in an email earlier on Friday to the HRT, after receiving the Respondent’s From 11, but before the Interim Decision had been made, the Lawyer, or the HRT itself, can influence the outcome in the direction they prefer, and that is, that the doctor get off and I get blamed for being picky over requesting a numbered copy when according to the Respondent’s lawyer, she had already sent one to me, a claim that the Interim Decision-maker, Londoner Dawn Kershaw, took as truth because, well, she’s a lawyer and doesn’t lie.
If that Medical Chart is allowed to be used in its entirety at the hearing, I needed to know that the copy the HRT received at the end of December was numbered, and was numbered the same as my copy, on which I wrote the numbers myself, from 1 to 103.
The other requests I made were all denied. So my 8 pages and 2 audio recordings are up against his 103 pages, and according to this decisionmaker, as well as the previous one, it’s okay that the doctor doesn’t give the relevance of each of the items. So he can make claims on the pages which will be taken as truth simply because he is a doctor.
I was denied more time to prepare for the hearing. And my request to have the hearing taped was denied, though I am permitted to tape it myself as along as I transcribe it afterwards and provide copies to the Respondent and the HRT. But even if I do that, the audio tapes of the hearing are not to be made public, Kershaw says.
This is not a good situation. No wonder some women who try to get justice give up and walk away. And it’s not only men who give them a hard time during such proceedings. It’s women, too.
Added Monday, January 25, 2016
The aim of this HRT Application
Within the last few days something has become clear to me. My efforts over the last months had been focused on having the doctor take responsibility for explaining why he thought each of the items (most consisting of one or two pages) of the 103 page ‘Medical Chart of Ms McPherson’ were important or relevant to the hearing, and to have the hearing delayed until that matter could be resolved. Only recently have I realized that the refusal of the Interim Decision makers, Laurie Letheren and Dawn J Kershaw from the Human Rights Tribunal, to deal with the matter effectively and fairly, instead, informing me each time that I have to raise these matters at the hearing, was not only avoiding the issue and another example of ‘diffusion of responsibility,’ but a senseless decision – not even making sense.
These are the options the adjudicator will have, if these Interim Decisions and Case Direction are raised at the hearing. She can say, No, there is no good reason why the doctor should have to defend his view that the entire Medical Chart should be allowed, since he has already given his reason, that it describes the care provided to the Applicant. And then it will be up to me to prove otherwise, I suppose – if I get the chance - although by now I have only 8 pages of documents and my word is worth nothing in the eyes of the HRT. And by having to do that, it takes time away from the reason for having the hearing in the first place – the Doctor’s discriminatory practices and attitudes towards me.
On the other hand, the adjudicator might agree that the doctor should explain the relevance or importance of the documents he is relying on – in the 103-page Medical Chart. But how? Would he be required to do so right then, in the Chamber of Commerce room where the hearing is to be held, while the rest of us wait? Or would the adjudicator simply announce that this Decision should have been made beforehand and refuse to deal with it. The Medical Chart would stay, and it would have been seen by the adjudicator, and he could pull any pages from it he wanted to – words written by him, or his receptionist, making negative comments about me that I would then feel obliged to refute, making the hearing more about me than him. Those are three possibilities, but in truth we have no idea what the adjudicator will say or do.
In her Case Direction of January 22, 2016, Ms Kershaw wrote that she thought I was “unhappy” with her “failure to address” another Interim Decisionmaker’s decision (Letheren), but it was not her role to do so, she said. In fact - and I did express this thought - it is her ability not to look beyond the earlier Decision, instead, making the same decision, reinforcing the earlier error not to adjourn the hearing to deal with the relevance issue that was the problem, as well as not examining the relevance of the Medical Chart nor have the doctor do so well before the hearing.
I had put it this way, in an email on January 21 to the HR caseworker and the Respondent’s lawyer, about Kershaw’s Interim Decision of January 15, saying, in part,
“I asked that the decision-maker re-evaluate the material, but Ms Kershaw seems to have left out an inportant docuemtn - a Form 11 by (the lawyer), dated Jan 11. It's hard to know for certain because Ms Kershaw did not give dates to the Forms she was talking about, But it sounds like it. It is that Form 11 that stood between the first Form 10 of mine and what she refers to as my "amended version." Actually, it was not amended, It was a new Form 10 (Jan 12, 2016) made building on what (the lawyer) had written.
If she doesn't come to understand this now, she certainly won't at the hearing, where there is little time to think. It sounds to me like she already has her mind made up and that this process and hearing is a farce.” (S McPherson, email Jan 21, 2016).
This is an excerpt from Form 10 (Jan 12, 2016) submitted by me in response to the Respondent’s Form 11 (Jan 11, 2016) that Kershaw ignored and that formed the basis of my later email comments about this process and the HRT being a farce.
In response, in her Case Direction of Jan 22, Kershaw referred to the email, saying,
“With respect to the applicant’s comments about my making decisions and her characterization of the hearing and the process as a farce, I would caution the applicant that Rule A7.1 of the tribunal’s Rules of Procedure states:
All persons participating in proceedings before or communicating with the tribunal must act in good faith and in a manner that is courteous and respectful of the tribunal and other participants in the proceedings.” (HRT Rules of Procedure, Kershaw, January 22, 2016, Case Direction, 2015-20652-I).
I have laid a complaint against Dawn Kershaw with the SJTO (Social Justice Tribunal of Ontario), which means, I understand, that my concerns will go right back to the Human Rights Tribunal for them to deal with as they please. As I said most recently, the Human Rights Tribunal is a farce. Perhaps it works for some people, but not for this particular case of discrimination. See details of the incidents of discrimination:
Statement on "street drugs", urine sample and termination
Statement on pelvic renal ultrasound incident
Statement on "street drugs", urine sample and termination
Statement on pelvic renal ultrasound incident
One thing they - the lawyer for the Respondent and the HRT caseworkers and Interim decisionmakers - have been successful at is keeping me tied up with fighting this injustice of the Medical Chart and keeping the focus on it instead of the incidents of discrimination I am saying were perpetrated by the doctor. And now, it is Dawn Kershaw who is the problem – the person who will be the adjudicator at the hearing.
19 January 2014
London City Council: controversies relevant to the 2014 election
Added Feb 15, 2014: Background information and Letter to the Editor re article and comments on vandalism in London depicting male genitals and a swastika.
Added Jan 22, 2014: An additional controversy over a workshop to encourage female candidates to run as councillors. Due to the Comments’ section having been deleted from the web page online, see article and comments as saved on my website: ‘Outgoing Ward 5 Coun. Joni Baechler will be joined by other former and current female politicians in running a workshop to encourage London women to run in the upcoming municipal election,’ by Carl Hnatyshyn, Jan 21, 2014). It’s disillusioning when comments on such a controversial issue are excluded from the London Free Press online, where readers might get a chance to see what others in the community think about it.
=====================================================================
Following are a selection of articles, including comments’ sections if available - even though incomplete - providing a sample of the issues affecting Londoners. Now that an election is drawing closer for the election on Oct 27, 2014, of London's Mayor, Ward Councillors and School Board Trustees, how some of the scandals and other problems within London, Ontario, have been handled might be of interest.
Key words are included with each of the articles and Letters to the Editor listed in the reference list below. For some of those articles and Letters, an additional link is provided, to my website, which will include a more complete list of comments than the comments in the official version.
For the most part, the articles and Letters sections I have selected are ones I contributed comments to, in a local London newspaper, which offers a place for discussion of relevant issues, or at least it did, for me, even though a good number of my comments were being deleted by moderators. If my perspectives weren’t welcome, that is unfortunate, but that doesn’t seem to me to be a good enough reason for them to be deleted in such quantities as they were, and eventually, in my not being able to have submissions approved. In a city such as London – a university city - where a diversity of viewpoints should be expected, I am disappointed that mine were not considered acceptable in that rather biased environment. I am not the only person to run into the problem of overzealous moderation, of having comments removed for no reason, though not everyone who complains about it had good reason to; rather, they might be using that tactic to suggest that they have no personal advantage in that forum.
I have gathered the articles from the London Free Press (LFP) online, from which I am now banned from expressing online where other residents and outsiders are offered the freedom to do so, in a forum that, except for me, could be considered informative and vibrant. One purpose is to provide interested readers a variety of viewpoints on these issues, including my own. Another is to have my views reinserted into the sections from where they have been removed, as much as possible, and to have them available to readers, who might otherwise only be getting to read the ‘acceptable’ views on some of these issues.
Since my research interests include gender and sexuality and class divisions, I tend to focus on these when the subjects appear in the news, not just to advertise my blog, as I am so often accused of, but to attempt to get other views across, and not simply the traditional views, or the increasingly sexualized views that so many people have in today’s world.
Prostitution is now a national issue, with the impact of legalizing brothels holding the possibility of a changed London. It might be a subject some don’t want to discuss, but fortunately, it has been, to some extent, mentioned within the pages of the LFP. Keeping in mind that tactics to silence me and distort what I say are not uncommon, I include pieces on the subject of prostitution as well as related pieces on things sexual (see on my website, Letters to the Editor, Dec 24, 2013, Dec 23, 2013; and Letters to Editor, Dec 30, 2013, Dec 29, 2013). See also on a CBC news video what a former sex worker in London, Ontario, has to say about the changes in the law: ‘Former Sex Worker Opposes Legal Brothels' (video, by Wei Chen, June 14, 2013.
More on Kate Perry, Sandy White, and the N-word is on pages 19-21 in Comments section on my website in ‘London city councillor Matt Brown running for mayor in 2014 municipal election,’ by Patrick Maloney, Jan 10, 2014 .
The class divide includes issues of wealth and poverty, as well as the idea of class based on education and/or occupation. Both of these types of divisions come into play in some of the articles and comments. For discussions, see my saved versions of comments on ‘London city councillor Matt Brown running for mayor in 2014 municipal election,’ by Patrick Maloney, Jan 10, 2014; and ‘Dysfunctional, erratic, even “a bit of a disaster”,' by Chip Martin, Jan 3, 2014.
Term limits for councillors was a topic of discussion in one Letters to the Editor section, comments I had made being deleted for no apparent reason. The series of 3 comments is as follows, including a response that remains in the LFP version and my comments which was deleted.
********** S McP to J A (comment deleted)
If a previous councillor were encouraged to become a mentor to newcomers to local politics, it wouldn't be a matter of simply tossing them out, as you put it. The experience they gain in politics can be applied to other occupations, if they chose to, or after one or two terms out of office they might well go into it again.
We have already covered this in the other article's comments section, but here goes again. Just as many of the unemployed become exasperated at the request for 'experienced candidates only' restriction, so it must be in politics when people want to try but there is no encouragement. If there were permitted, no doubt it would be soon enough that they also came to be seen as "proven" and the "best." That's why all who can, who have something to offer, should have the chance, instead of the same ones over and over again counting on voters' loyalty to their name, or complacency when it comes to spending time on this important democratic process.
P E to S McP
“If a previous councillor were encouraged to become a mentor to newcomers to local politics”
You might want to rethink that idea, and before you do, just consider one name, Orser.
********* S McP to P E (comment deleted)
I said "if".
End of selection of 3 comments, one of which is in Letters to Editor, Jan 7, 2014 (Jan 6, 2014).
It seemed like a good idea – not a unique one, by any means, but not deserving of the putdown by the other commenter. For anyone considering the idea of mentoring, whether formally, through a program, or informally, the idea is to match up mentor and protégé, and not even to think that everyone was capable of being a good mentor or would want to be. And yet, it was my comments that got left out of the LFP version.
Regarding Nazi symbols in London, what was most important, it seems, was whether the person creating them was wealthy or not, in other words, the economic class of the perpetrator, which would enable one to be privately open about their interests, the other, doing so publically, in public. See ‘Vandal defaces downtown London business with swastikas,’ by Dale Carruthers, Nov 16, 2013; also see ‘Martin Weiche kept Hitler's memory alive by styling his London estate after the Fuehrer’s Bavarian retreat,’ by Jane Sims, Jan 10, 2014.
===========================================================
added Feb 15, 2014
The article about vandalism focused mainly on the Nazi symbol – the swastika – though there had been another image drawn on the window – male genitals, mentioned briefly in the article but not at all in the comments. Eventually, I noticed the reference to the other offending image, and was in the middle of writing a comment about it to post online when Comments were close, just 24 hours after the article had been posted. Instead, I submitted it as a Letter to the Editor, mentioning the omission of the other image from the title, and deleted from the window before the police arrived, and ignored in the discussion in the writeup. I received a notice saying the LFP had received my submission, but it was not published in the Letters to the Editor section. This is the Letter.
Letter: Re 'Vandal defaces downtown London business with swastikas' , Nov 16 by Dale Carruthers.
"If the swastika offended the owner because it was so close to Remembrance Day, why didn't the depiction of male genitals offend him as much, seeing as it is so close to the Dec 6 commemoration of violence against women.
Even though we know that male genitals have a good side to them, they do also symbolize the harm that is done to women through rape. And many more women suffer rape and sexual violence, surely, than Jews did what happened to them at the hand of Nazis. So why is it this symbol of Nazi oppression and death continues to haunt the world. Why will they (Jewish people, mainly) never let what happened slip farther down in their consciousness! Why is this always a reason to bring it up again, and again!
Rhetorical questions.
The kids will learn about the Nazis in school, though each generation will use the swastika symbol to shock. And they will continue to use the symbol of the penis to shock, although it seems that in today's world most people don't object to that " (Sue McPherson). End of Letter to Editor.
As with the Kate Perry images on the side of the city’s buses, some images are deemed acceptable to show and to discuss, and some not.
=========================================================
Another question for council is why money has been granted for a study into how to help sex workers when two local women – a physician and a police officer - are already working on the front lines, doing what they can (In Person: Dr. Anne Bodkin works with Sgt. Lorna Bruce to help those in dangerous, unhealthy street-level trade, by Randy Richmond, Sept 29, 2013; Intention to get women off the streets, by Randy Richmond, Jan 13, 2014. Obviously, the two are connected – the practical side of it and the research. But since the two women had already started working with sex workers, why was no mention made in the more recent article of how they view their efforts over the last three months. In contradiction to the thoughts of Megan Walker, I would think that focusing on ending prostitution isn’t really a reasonable possibility. Read also, Letters to the Editor: Dec. 30, 2013, Dec 29, 2013).
Language itself is a subject worthy of note here, as it is often used in such forums in ways that are deceitful and controlling. Specific examples can be viewed in Comments’ sections, for instance, about the use of the words ‘academic’ and ‘profession, and variations of them.
The use of the term ‘academic’ became an issue in the comments section of ‘London city councillor Matt Brown running for mayor in 2014 municipal election, by Patrick Maloney,’ Jan10, 2014). On pages 24-25 in my copy of the article and comments, now saved onto my website ( http://samcpherson.homestead.com/files/Miscellaneous/2014_Jan_LondonCityMattBrownForMayor.doc ), I have restored the comments that I made during the discussion of the word ‘academic.’ The word was being used incorrectly, although resistance was great to accepting my viewpoint on that.
Worse are intentional uses of language in ways that distort another’s words.
See this, in my comment, “What will there be to indicate to boys and girls that sex is special, that it isn't something you go around having just for fun, with this person or that, or to get the job you want” (on my website: Comments, LFP Letters to Editor, Dec 24, 2013 (Dec 23, 2013). My url
The response, by P E, begins with a quote from that sentence: "that it isn't something you go around having just for fun," distorting what I said. Worse, my comment isn’t on the LFP website article and Comments’ section. Only P E’s response, taking part of the sentence out of context, leaving a completely inaccurate perception of the original sentence. It’s not hard to do that, and people who do aren’t demonstrating any sense of comprehension for what was said, only trickery, or duplicity in their responses.
Another example of useless internet interaction was during a discussion on poppies – in colours red and white (Letters to the editor Nov 8, 2013, Nov 7, 2013). Sometimes it seems as though a commenter may just be waiting until the other person makes a mistake, when he can then pounce on the offending party with everything he’s got. It’s another example of taking a phrase out of context, without considering anything else the commenter has said, but using the mistake as an opportunity to present basic knowledge on the issue, while belittling the other commenter for his or her apparent lack of knowledge.
It is frustrating dealing with people who have an agenda that seems to be based more on winning, rather than discussion for the purpose of greater understanding or thinking of solutions. It’s even more frustrating to try to have a discussion when the intentions of others may not be that, but in fact may be to suppress information or certain commenters.
It leaves the moderators in a difficult position, as they cannot read every comment for its meaning, or if they do, cannot be expected to get it right every time. So they end up taking sides, against commenters themselves, sometimes, or against the world views of the commenters, and not simply against individual comments.
Other notable incidents in London’s recent history include the city hall being lit up in purple (Now a whole month of demonization of men over violence, by Herman Goodden, Nov 15, 2013), and an announcement of a partial list of recipients of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee medals (And the winners are . . . , Oct 30, 2013).
This has not been a complete summary of scandals and problems London has faced over the year, but a selection based on my own interests, including that of flaws in the comments system that leaves it biased and susceptible to corruption by certain individuals whose agenda may not be the good of the city of London.
If readers discover errors in citing sources, for instance, kindly let me know, and I would prefer that you do not attempt to use one or even two mistakes as evidence that my writing and ways of thinking do not have merit. If the mistakes of any commenter go on and on, and the games go on and on, then it might be time to consider what their purpose is, on the discussion forums of the London Free Press.
List of Articles and Letters to the Editor
Outgoing Ward 5 Coun. Joni Baechler will be joined by other former and current female politicians in running a workshop to encourage London women to run in the upcoming municipal election.
By Carl Hnatyshyn, Special to QMI Agency
London Free Peress
Jan 21, 2014
http://www.lfpress.com/2014/01/21/outgoing-ward-5-coun-joni-baechler-will-be-joined-by-other-former-and-current-female-politicians-in-running-a-workshop-to-encourage-london-women-to-run-in-the-upcoming-municipal-election
View article plus comments on S.A.McPherson website. To access using google chrome, download when prompted to appropriate place on your computer, save, and click open at bottom left-hand corner of page.
http://samcpherson.homestead.com/files/Miscellaneous/2014_Jan_OutgoingWard5CounJoniBaechlerWomenElection.doc
Taxpayers paid almost $100,000 for lawyers to represent city councillors in the Billy T's probe
[questionable activities of mayor and councillors]By Patrick Maloney
The London Free Press
Jan 16, 2014
http://www.lfpress.com/2014/01/16/billy-ts-legal-tab-nearly-100g
Letters to the editor: Jan. 14, 2014
[fresh faces on council, submission and dominance, moderation of comments]
London Free Press
Jan 13, 2014
http://www.lfpress.com/2014/01/13/letters-to-the-editor-jan-14
View on S.A.McPherson website. To access using google chrome, download when prompted to appropriate place on your computer, save, and click open at bottom left-hand corner of page.
http://samcpherson.homestead.com/files/Miscellaneous/2014_Jan14_LFPLetters.doc
Intention to get women off the streets
[prostitution, city-funded study]
By Randy Richmond
The London Free Press
Jan 13, 2014
http://www.lfpress.com/2014/01/13/intention-to-get-women-off-the-streets
Martin Weiche kept Hitler's memory alive by styling his London estate after the Fuehrer’s Bavarian retreat
[gender, Nazi symbol, class]
By Jane Sims
The London Free Press
Jan 10, 2014
http://www.lfpress.com/2014/01/10/martin-weiche-kept-hitlers-memory-alive-by-styling-his-london-estate-after-the-fuehrers-bavarian-retreat
Macartney: "There are likely no perfect answers, and arguments from both sides are worthy of more discussion.”
[term limits for city council, municipal election]
By Gerry Macartney, Special to QMI Agency
Jan 10, 2014
http://www.lfpress.com/2014/01/09/macartney-there-are-likely-no-perfect-answers-and-arguments-from-both-sides-are-worthy-of-more-discussion
London city councillor Matt Brown running for mayor in 2014 municipal election
[municipal election, choosing a candidate, Kate Perry, Sandy White and the N-word; class divide]
By Patrick Maloney
The London Free Press
Jan 10, 2014
http://www.lfpress.com/2014/01/10/london-city-councillor-matt-brown-running-for-mayor-in-2014-municipal-election
View on S.A.McPherson website. To access using google chrome, download when prompted to appropriate place on your computer, save, and click open at bottom left-hand corner of page.
http://samcpherson.homestead.com/files/Miscellaneous/2014_Jan_LondonCityMattBrownForMayor.doc
No economic ‘downturn’ for London Mayor Joe Fontana
[budget, police and fire depts]
By Patrick Maloney
The London Free Press
Jan 9, 2014
http://www.lfpress.com/2014/01/09/no-economic-downturn-for-mayor
Letters to the editor: Jan. 7, 2014
[city council, mentorship]
Free Press readers
Jan 6, 2014
http://www.lfpress.com/2014/01/06/letters-to-the-editor-jan-7-2#comment-1189967168
Dysfunctional, erratic, even 'a bit of a disaster': Critics see blood in the water for incumbents mounting London mayoral or city council runs this year
[council, criminal charges, group of eight, class divide, performing arts centre, gender, masculinity]
By Chip Martin
The London Free Press
Jan 3, 2014
http://www.lfpress.com/2014/01/03/dysfunctional-erratic-even-a-bit-of-a-disaster-critics-see-blood-in-the-water-for-incumbents-mounting-london-mayoral-or-city-council-runs-this-year
View on S.A.McPherson website. To access using google chrome, download when prompted to appropriate place on your computer, save, and click open at bottom left-hand corner of page.
http://samcpherson.homestead.com/files/Miscellaneous/2014_Jan_DysfunctionalErraticABitOfADisasterLondon.doc
Letters to the Editor: Dec. 30, 2013
[mailboxes, prostitution, sex ]
Free Press Readers
Dec 29, 2013
http://www.lfpress.com/2013/12/29/letters-to-the-editor-dec-30
View on S.A.McPherson website. To access using google chrome, download when prompted to appropriate place on your computer, save, and click open at bottom left-hand corner of page.
http://samcpherson.homestead.com/files/Miscellaneous/2013_Dec_LFPLettersDec30.doc
Letters to the Editor: Dec. 24, 2013
[prostitution, sex]
Free Press Readers
Dec 23, 2013
http://www.lfpress.com/2013/12/23/letters-to-the-editor-dec-24
View on S.A.McPherson website. To access using google chrome, download when prompted to appropriate place on your computer, save, and click open at bottom left-hand corner of page.
http://samcpherson.homestead.com/files/Miscellaneous/2013_Dec_LFPLettersDec_24.doc
Letter to the Editor
[vandalism, swastika symbol, masculinity symbol]
By Sue McPherson
to London Free Press
Nov 17, 2013 12:05 pm
http://samcpherson.homestead.com/files/Miscellaneous/2013_Nov_MyLetterEditor_Nov17_Vandalism.doc
[Nazi symbols, class, masculinity]
By Dale Carruthers
The London Free Press
Nov 16, 2013
http://www.lfpress.com/2013/11/16/vandal-defaces-downtown-london-business-with-swastika
Now a whole month of demonization of men over violence
[feminism, city hall lit purple]
By Herman Goodden, Special to QMI Agency
LFP
Nov 15, 2013
http://www.lfpress.com/2013/11/15/goodden-now-a-whole-month-of-demonization-of-men-over-violence
Letters to the editor Nov 8, 2013
[poppies, Remembrance Day]
London Free Press
Nov 7, 2013
http://www.lfpress.com/2013/11/07/letters-to-the-editor-nov-8
And the winners are . . .
[Queen’s diamond jubilee medals, city council, partial list]
London Free Press
Oct 30, 2013
http://www.lfpress.com/2013/10/30/and-the-winners-are
London council gives pay freeze cold shoulder
[pay increase for city council and mayor?]
By Chip Martin
The London Free Press
Oct 21, 2013
http://www.lfpress.com/2013/10/21/london-council-gives-pay-freeze-cold-shoulder
In Person: Dr. Anne Bodkin works with Sgt. Lorna Bruce to help those in dangerous, unhealthy street-level trade
[health, housing, prostitution]
By Randy Richmond
The London Free Press
Sept 29, 2013
http://www.lfpress.com/2013/09/29/in-person-dr-anne-bodkin-works-with-sgt-lorna-bruce-to-help-those-in-dangerous-unhealthy-street-level-trade
Former Sex Worker Opposes Legal Brothels (video)
[prostitution]
By Wei Chen, CBC
June 14, 2013
http://www.cbc.ca/player/Radio/Local+Shows/Ontario/Ontario+Morning/ID/2391336443/
[gender; sexism; Katy Perry, Sandy White and the N-word]
By Dan Brown
The London Free Press
Mar 8, 2013
http://www.lfpress.com/2013/03/08/brown-trashing-katy-perry-seems-odd
Sandy White demanding apology from fellow London councillor Harold Usher
[Katy Perry, Sandy White and the N-word]
By Chip Martin
The London Free Press
Mar 7, 2013
http://www.lfpress.com/2013/03/07/sandy-white-demanding-apology-from-fellow-london-councillor-harold-usher
Public displays of private matters - Irene Mathyssen and James Moore
[politics, sexism, gender]
By Sue McPherson
Sue’s Views on the News
Dec 7, 2007
http://suemcpherson.blogspot.ca/2007/12/public-and-private-work-and-sex.html
24 August 2012
Brian Crockett: not another Michael Bryant 'justice' story
updated Aug 30, 2012; Nov 8, 2012
Two years ago, former attorney-general Michael Bryant, while driving his car in Toronto, was involved in an incident with the cyclist Darcy Sheppard, resulting in Darcy’s death.
On Saturday, August 18, Brian Crockett, Crown Attorney for Oxford County, was charged with impaired driving and failing to provide a breath sample. The Woodstock Police Department and the Fire Department responded to the call of a pickup truck in the ditch (Impaired Driver, Aug 19, 2012; Oxford County Crown Attorney, Aug 20, 2012).
Coincidentally, Michael Bryant, former Attorney-general of Ontario, has just announced the release of his new book, ‘28 Seconds: A True Story of Addiction, Tragedy and Hope,’ although public reception of it hasn’t been good. In it, he criticizes the Toronto Police for jumping in too fast to lay charges (Police reject Michael Bryant’s criticism, Aug 21, 2012). He was initially charged with criminal negligence causing death and dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing death (Bryant charged, Sept, 2009) but the charges were dropped.
One news report on Brian Crockett’s unfortunate incident congratulated the police on doing their duty and not simply letting Crockett off – hardly an expression of faith in our legal system (Kudos for cops in Crockett arrest, Aug 23, 2012). But seeing how Michael Bryant managed to escape due process and possible punishment leaves one wondering.
Obviously, the charges facing Brian Crockett are not even close to the severity of those Bryant had initially faced. The whole purpose of laying a charge of impaired driving – and being strict about it, even for first time offenders – is to lessen the chances of future incidents involving needless death due to impairment. Perhaps it is assumed that some people are likely to benefit more from punishment than others, for whom a one-off is really just that – a one-time incident that will never happen again.
One reader commented that she “supported” Brian Crockett, though what she meant by that isn’t clear, whether it meant she would be bringing him home-baked cookies if he ended up behind bars, or was trying to influence opinion. What she did was judge him on his reputation – his career, and his family and community standing. And just as it was with Michael Bryant, the claim was made that stress had something to do with it, as though it is only people with high status careers who feel such stress and whose lives are difficult. If this is the case, with Brian Crockett, perhaps being relieved of his duties might help (and also relieved of the $200,000 salary). Then he could partake of living a stress-free life, and use a bicycle and public transportation to get around on.
I know Brian Crockett has done good deeds, years ago helping those with little or nothing. Whatever happens now, making one mistake shouldn't have to result in a person's reputation or career being destroyed. I’m sure no one wants to see Brian Crockett be punished for lack of good judgment, if that’s what happened, but if one person escapes paying a penalty while another one is punished, for the same deed, then is that justice? Is it the deed that matters, or does social context (work, family, community) – and character - count just as much? See ‘If Michael Bryant should be judged on his merits, shouldn't we all?, May 26, 2010).
Added Aug 30, 2012
In December, 2005, while still living in the UK, where I had been doing a PhD, I started writing a blog, and one of the first pieces I wrote was about an entertainment writer – Nick Douglas - who had committed suicide (Taking action to prevent, or passively doing nothing, Dec 22, 2005). A magazine writer – Barry O’Kane - claimed afterwards that it was the actions of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HPFA) that had driven him to it, by taking away his livelihood (Golden Globes 'forced writer to suicide,' Dec 22, 2005).
In response, the HPFA claimed that it was simply untrue that Mr Douglas had been denied the opportunity to make a living as an entertainment journalist. And yet, taking away Douglas’s access to resources, and undermining his attempts to be reconized and gain access to important activities of the HPFA, in effect, did limit his capacity to make a living. Douglas was able to continue trying to make do, without the support of the members of the association he belonged to. But without their support, his efforts were almost guaranteed to fail.
Sometimes people like to pretend that a person’s ability to succeed at their career depends on merit, when the real truth is that the person’s social network, membership in the right organizations, and family and community status matter more. People in power may pretend they have done the right thing in allowing someone to continue to work, and may not be doing anything that would actively prevent the person from pursuing their career, but their passive approach could be enough to prevent that person from moving forward.
On reading Jennifer Wells’s article on Michael Bryant’s memoir, we learn that he said nothing to Mr Sheppard throughout the 28 seconds. “I didn’t want to provoke him in any way,” he says. “I didn’t say anything to him at all” (Michael Bryant’s memoir 28 Seconds, Aug 18, 2012).
And yet, isn’t it just this sort of passivity that can cause harm – at least misunderstandings – through lack of communication? What if Bryant had tried to talk to Darcy, to apologize for his car lurching forward, unintentionally, he says, as it had stalled. Why didn’t he explain this to the person who needed to hear it – Darcy Sheppard - instead of to readers of his book?
Which one is the victim, when we look at the story in its broadest terms? Who has been hardest done by, and whose life stagnates as the rich and powerful seek out ‘understanding’ and ‘justice,’ on their own behalf?
Additional information: added Nov 8, 2012
The Brian Crockett impaired driving case has ended, with a fine and a 12 month loss of driver’s licence for The Crown attorney (See Oxford Crown attorney Brian Crockett pleads guilty to impaired driving, London Free Press, Nov 7, 2012; Oxford Crown attorney Brian Crockett pleads guilty to impaired driving, Woodstock Sentinel-Review, Nov 7, 2012).
Another noteworthy case is that of Bonita Purtill, also coming out of Woodstock, which ended in Sept, 2012, with a 7 year prison sentence (see ‘The Bonita Purtill impaired driving case: unanswered questions and other matters’ Oct 17, 2012).
The Bonita Purtill impaired driving case: unanswered questions and other matters
By Sue McPherson
Sue’s Views on the News
Oct 17, 2012
http://suemcpherson.blogspot.ca/2012/10/the-bonita-purtill-impaired-driving.html
Bryant charged with criminal negligence after crash
ctvtoronto.ca
Sept 1, 2009
http://www.ctv.ca:80/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20090901/fatal_collision_090901/20090901?hub=TopStories\
Court date set for Crown facing impaired charges
By Heather Rivers and Ron Thomson
Woodstock Sentinel-Review
Aug 22, 2012
http://www.woodstocksentinelreview.com/2012/08/22/court-date-set-for-crown-facing-impaired-charges
For Michael Bryant, an extraordinary kind of justice
By Christie Blatchford
Globe and Mail
May 25, 2010
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/christie-blatchford/for-michael-bryant-an-extraordinary-kind-of-justice/article1580911/
http://www.caledoniawakeupcall.com/updates/100525globe3.html
http://lists.von.ca/pipermail/fasd_canadian_link/2010-May/001763.html
Golden Globes 'forced writer to suicide' (added Aug 30, 2012)
By Andrew Gumbel in Los Angeles
Independent online World News - Americas
Dec 22, 2005
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article334669.ece
http://samcpherson.homestead.com/files/Miscellaneous/2005_Dec_GoldenGlobesForcedWriterToSuicide.doc
If Michael Bryant should be judged on his merits, shouldn't we all?
By Sue McPherson
Sue’s Views on the News
May 26, 2010
http://suemcpherson.blogspot.com/2010/05/if-michael-bryant-should-be-judged-on.html
Impaired Driver (link added Aug 26, 2012)
Excerpt from Media Release prepared by: S/Sgt Shelton
Woodstock Police Service
Aug 19, 2012
http://www.woodstockpolice.ca/images/19AUG12%20Media%20Release.pdf
Kudos for cops in Crockett arrest
By Andrea Demeer
Woodstock Sentinel-Review
Aug 23, 2012
http://www.woodstocksentinelreview.com/2012/08/23/kudos-for-cops-in-crockett-arrest
Michael Bryant and Darcy Sheppard: divided by class
By Sue McPherson
Sue’s Views on the News
Sept 10, 2009
http://suemcpherson.blogspot.ca/2009/09/michael-bryant-and-darcy-sheppard-class.html
Michael Bryant’s memoir 28 Seconds recounts tragic death of bicycle courier (added Aug 30, 2012)
By Jennifer Wells
The Star
Aug 18, 2012
http://www.thestar.com/news/insight/article/1243483--michael-bryant-s-memoir-28-seconds-recounts-tragic-death-of-bicycle-courier
Oxford County Crown Attorney Brian Crockett faces impaired driving charge
By Ron Thomson
Woodstock Sentinel-Review
Aug 20, 2012
http://www.woodstocksentinelreview.com/2012/08/20/oxford-county-crown-attorney-brian-crockett-faces-impaired-driving-charge
Police reject Michael Bryant’s criticism of probe into fatal 2009 incident
The Star
Aug 21, 2012
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/crime/article/1244643--police-reject-michael-bryant-s-criticism-of-probe-into-fatal-2009-incident
Taking action to prevent, or passively doing nothing: is there a diffference? (added Aug 30, 2012)
By Sue McPherson
Sue’s Views on the News
Dec 22, 2005
http://suemcpherson.blogspot.ca/2005/12/making-living-or-not.html
Two years ago, former attorney-general Michael Bryant, while driving his car in Toronto, was involved in an incident with the cyclist Darcy Sheppard, resulting in Darcy’s death.
On Saturday, August 18, Brian Crockett, Crown Attorney for Oxford County, was charged with impaired driving and failing to provide a breath sample. The Woodstock Police Department and the Fire Department responded to the call of a pickup truck in the ditch (Impaired Driver, Aug 19, 2012; Oxford County Crown Attorney, Aug 20, 2012).
Coincidentally, Michael Bryant, former Attorney-general of Ontario, has just announced the release of his new book, ‘28 Seconds: A True Story of Addiction, Tragedy and Hope,’ although public reception of it hasn’t been good. In it, he criticizes the Toronto Police for jumping in too fast to lay charges (Police reject Michael Bryant’s criticism, Aug 21, 2012). He was initially charged with criminal negligence causing death and dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing death (Bryant charged, Sept, 2009) but the charges were dropped.
One news report on Brian Crockett’s unfortunate incident congratulated the police on doing their duty and not simply letting Crockett off – hardly an expression of faith in our legal system (Kudos for cops in Crockett arrest, Aug 23, 2012). But seeing how Michael Bryant managed to escape due process and possible punishment leaves one wondering.
Obviously, the charges facing Brian Crockett are not even close to the severity of those Bryant had initially faced. The whole purpose of laying a charge of impaired driving – and being strict about it, even for first time offenders – is to lessen the chances of future incidents involving needless death due to impairment. Perhaps it is assumed that some people are likely to benefit more from punishment than others, for whom a one-off is really just that – a one-time incident that will never happen again.
One reader commented that she “supported” Brian Crockett, though what she meant by that isn’t clear, whether it meant she would be bringing him home-baked cookies if he ended up behind bars, or was trying to influence opinion. What she did was judge him on his reputation – his career, and his family and community standing. And just as it was with Michael Bryant, the claim was made that stress had something to do with it, as though it is only people with high status careers who feel such stress and whose lives are difficult. If this is the case, with Brian Crockett, perhaps being relieved of his duties might help (and also relieved of the $200,000 salary). Then he could partake of living a stress-free life, and use a bicycle and public transportation to get around on.
I know Brian Crockett has done good deeds, years ago helping those with little or nothing. Whatever happens now, making one mistake shouldn't have to result in a person's reputation or career being destroyed. I’m sure no one wants to see Brian Crockett be punished for lack of good judgment, if that’s what happened, but if one person escapes paying a penalty while another one is punished, for the same deed, then is that justice? Is it the deed that matters, or does social context (work, family, community) – and character - count just as much? See ‘If Michael Bryant should be judged on his merits, shouldn't we all?, May 26, 2010).
Added Aug 30, 2012
In December, 2005, while still living in the UK, where I had been doing a PhD, I started writing a blog, and one of the first pieces I wrote was about an entertainment writer – Nick Douglas - who had committed suicide (Taking action to prevent, or passively doing nothing, Dec 22, 2005). A magazine writer – Barry O’Kane - claimed afterwards that it was the actions of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HPFA) that had driven him to it, by taking away his livelihood (Golden Globes 'forced writer to suicide,' Dec 22, 2005).
In response, the HPFA claimed that it was simply untrue that Mr Douglas had been denied the opportunity to make a living as an entertainment journalist. And yet, taking away Douglas’s access to resources, and undermining his attempts to be reconized and gain access to important activities of the HPFA, in effect, did limit his capacity to make a living. Douglas was able to continue trying to make do, without the support of the members of the association he belonged to. But without their support, his efforts were almost guaranteed to fail.
Sometimes people like to pretend that a person’s ability to succeed at their career depends on merit, when the real truth is that the person’s social network, membership in the right organizations, and family and community status matter more. People in power may pretend they have done the right thing in allowing someone to continue to work, and may not be doing anything that would actively prevent the person from pursuing their career, but their passive approach could be enough to prevent that person from moving forward.
On reading Jennifer Wells’s article on Michael Bryant’s memoir, we learn that he said nothing to Mr Sheppard throughout the 28 seconds. “I didn’t want to provoke him in any way,” he says. “I didn’t say anything to him at all” (Michael Bryant’s memoir 28 Seconds, Aug 18, 2012).
And yet, isn’t it just this sort of passivity that can cause harm – at least misunderstandings – through lack of communication? What if Bryant had tried to talk to Darcy, to apologize for his car lurching forward, unintentionally, he says, as it had stalled. Why didn’t he explain this to the person who needed to hear it – Darcy Sheppard - instead of to readers of his book?
Which one is the victim, when we look at the story in its broadest terms? Who has been hardest done by, and whose life stagnates as the rich and powerful seek out ‘understanding’ and ‘justice,’ on their own behalf?
Additional information: added Nov 8, 2012
The Brian Crockett impaired driving case has ended, with a fine and a 12 month loss of driver’s licence for The Crown attorney (See Oxford Crown attorney Brian Crockett pleads guilty to impaired driving, London Free Press, Nov 7, 2012; Oxford Crown attorney Brian Crockett pleads guilty to impaired driving, Woodstock Sentinel-Review, Nov 7, 2012).
Another noteworthy case is that of Bonita Purtill, also coming out of Woodstock, which ended in Sept, 2012, with a 7 year prison sentence (see ‘The Bonita Purtill impaired driving case: unanswered questions and other matters’ Oct 17, 2012).
The Bonita Purtill impaired driving case: unanswered questions and other matters
By Sue McPherson
Sue’s Views on the News
Oct 17, 2012
http://suemcpherson.blogspot.ca/2012/10/the-bonita-purtill-impaired-driving.html
Bryant charged with criminal negligence after crash
ctvtoronto.ca
Sept 1, 2009
http://www.ctv.ca:80/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20090901/fatal_collision_090901/20090901?hub=TopStories\
Court date set for Crown facing impaired charges
By Heather Rivers and Ron Thomson
Woodstock Sentinel-Review
Aug 22, 2012
http://www.woodstocksentinelreview.com/2012/08/22/court-date-set-for-crown-facing-impaired-charges
For Michael Bryant, an extraordinary kind of justice
By Christie Blatchford
Globe and Mail
May 25, 2010
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/christie-blatchford/for-michael-bryant-an-extraordinary-kind-of-justice/article1580911/
http://www.caledoniawakeupcall.com/updates/100525globe3.html
http://lists.von.ca/pipermail/fasd_canadian_link/2010-May/001763.html
Golden Globes 'forced writer to suicide' (added Aug 30, 2012)
By Andrew Gumbel in Los Angeles
Independent online World News - Americas
Dec 22, 2005
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article334669.ece
http://samcpherson.homestead.com/files/Miscellaneous/2005_Dec_GoldenGlobesForcedWriterToSuicide.doc
If Michael Bryant should be judged on his merits, shouldn't we all?
By Sue McPherson
Sue’s Views on the News
May 26, 2010
http://suemcpherson.blogspot.com/2010/05/if-michael-bryant-should-be-judged-on.html
Impaired Driver (link added Aug 26, 2012)
Excerpt from Media Release prepared by: S/Sgt Shelton
Woodstock Police Service
Aug 19, 2012
http://www.woodstockpolice.ca/images/19AUG12%20Media%20Release.pdf
Kudos for cops in Crockett arrest
By Andrea Demeer
Woodstock Sentinel-Review
Aug 23, 2012
http://www.woodstocksentinelreview.com/2012/08/23/kudos-for-cops-in-crockett-arrest
Michael Bryant and Darcy Sheppard: divided by class
By Sue McPherson
Sue’s Views on the News
Sept 10, 2009
http://suemcpherson.blogspot.ca/2009/09/michael-bryant-and-darcy-sheppard-class.html
Michael Bryant’s memoir 28 Seconds recounts tragic death of bicycle courier (added Aug 30, 2012)
By Jennifer Wells
The Star
Aug 18, 2012
http://www.thestar.com/news/insight/article/1243483--michael-bryant-s-memoir-28-seconds-recounts-tragic-death-of-bicycle-courier
Oxford County Crown Attorney Brian Crockett faces impaired driving charge
By Ron Thomson
Woodstock Sentinel-Review
Aug 20, 2012
http://www.woodstocksentinelreview.com/2012/08/20/oxford-county-crown-attorney-brian-crockett-faces-impaired-driving-charge
Police reject Michael Bryant’s criticism of probe into fatal 2009 incident
The Star
Aug 21, 2012
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/crime/article/1244643--police-reject-michael-bryant-s-criticism-of-probe-into-fatal-2009-incident
Taking action to prevent, or passively doing nothing: is there a diffference? (added Aug 30, 2012)
By Sue McPherson
Sue’s Views on the News
Dec 22, 2005
http://suemcpherson.blogspot.ca/2005/12/making-living-or-not.html
8 July 2012
Ageism and Karen Klein: the school bus monitor incident in Greece, NY
The You Tube video of bus monitor Karen Klein, of Greece, NY, has been seen by over a million people (Karen Klein Bus Monitor video, 2012). The event made her a celebrity (see Bullied bus monitor Karen Klein, June 26, 2012). I have included mention of relevant articles and documents here – a point or two from each one – and my own views. Links to articles follow, listed alphabetically, by title.
On Monday June 18, while accompanying students on a school bus, Klein was harassed, through verbal demeaning and rude language, by four 13 year old Grade 7 boys (Bullied bus monitor rallies, June 23, 2012) Another student on the bus recorded the incident in a video lasting ten minutes, which was uploaded to You Tube, going viral.
Explanations
The incident raises many questions, about society, teenagers, bus monitors, not to mention the use of it in US politics to attempt to sway readers over to the Republican party, which questions why America’s citizens won’t stand up for themselves (We are true Americans, July 4, 2012). Another politically-oriented article, but with a different aim, suggests that bullying in politics, and between groups vying for power, is the same kind of bullying that Karen Klein experienced (Bullies on the Bus, June 22, 2012). If one did agree with Charles Blow’s ideas, one would also have to admit that the tendency to ‘bully,’ to ‘harass,’ or to ‘scapegoat’, did not start on the bus, or with 13 year-old boys. It started somewhere else, by more knowledgeable people, with more power.
The term ‘bullying’ is used frequently in various articles, supporting the idea that this was ‘bullying.’ But few address the kind of bullying it entailed, or question this description of the harassment Klein underwent. More detail about the events as they happened on the bus, and Klein’s own views, are explained in ‘Bus Monitor Bullies,’ Jun 12, 2012. One failing, however, is that there is no further discussion on the kind of bullying it was – the groups Klein was a member of, that were targeted.
I’m not convinced this was a typical case of ‘bullying,’ as news reports tend to call it. Neither was Barbara Kay, when she wrote ‘The bus tormenters are cruel, but not bullies,’ June 27, 2012, although we don’t share the same idea about what it was exactly that happened to Karen Klein. But this was no typical case of schoolyard bullying, one child bullying another. This was young teens harassing an adult woman - 68 years of age – an employee placed there to ‘monitor’ them. Calling it bullying is a misnomer! The comments following Kay’s piece offer a sampling of perspectives. But just how many of the articles about the harassment see it as a form of ageism?
Could it be that this incident was an instinctual response by young teenagers against a group most of society seems to be expressing hostility towards, these days. Even if older people were loved and not seen as a burden, stupid, or sexually unattractive by their standards, it is fairly normal for the next generation coming up to want to take over the world and confine most of the older ones, where they can be controlled.
This makes it hard to understand Rick Salutin’s views, and his insight that “What you can eventually learn is that those impulses are inside you, but don’t have to control you” (The fourth of July and the bus monitor, July 05, 2012). Other than that, he tries to make what happened sound ‘normal’ – normal behaviour for rebellious teens.
In my response online to Salutin’s opinion, I referred to the St Patrick’s Day riot in London, Ontario, in 2012, as an example of kids exerting power over authority (1 riot, 68 suspects, 175 charges, July 6, 2012). It wouldn’t be my choice of theories to explain Karen Klein's experience, though it is probably part of what happened.
Neither does this remark by one of the teens’ parents add anything useful: "One of the boys’ dads said he was stunned by the video because it’s not how he raised his kids." (The fourth of July and the bus monitor, July 05, 2012). So if it wasn’t home attitudes, gained from banter around the family dinner table, perhaps the teens picked up these attitudes about baby boomers at school – or from online newspapers on the internet! Lillian Zimmerman, in her piece on older people, thinks it is a strong possibility, saying,
“Take a look at some of the reports we’re regularly exposed to in the media and elsewhere. Aging boomers – also known as the “grey tsunami” or the “ticking time bombs” – are seen as signs of the coming gloom and doom. We’re seduced into feeling that longevity – which simply means we live longer thanks to advances in biological and medical sciences – is a looming threat, poised to reduce our system of social welfare, including medicare – our whole economy, in fact – to penury” (Zimmerman, ‘Why we should like older people,’ Sept 16, 2011).
This bus situation, as captured by the video, involved a “confluence of factors which provided an opportunity for the 10 minutes of bullying to occur” (Psychology of Middle School Kids, June 21, 2012). John Grohol explains six contributing factors, while also mentioning the psychological factor of one the boys’ incredible capacity to be “a pro at identifying Klein’s weaknesses.”
More than once, I saw explanations for the escalation of the verbal abuse suggest that the boys seemed to waiting for, or ‘asking’ for, the adults to take charge. “When there was no reaction, they revved up further” (School-Bus Bullies: Are Adults to Blame Too?, June 26, 2012); or this one - “I think you can hear them testing the limits of what they can get away with” (Fourth of July and the bus monitor, July 5, 2012). Both of these views are simply another version of the ‘boys will be boys’ syndrome, making excuses for their bad behaviour and blaming it on their victims.
On the other hand, John Grohol writes on the subject of teens crying out for authority only that “These teens will then sometimes take advantage of such a situation when the moment presents itself” (Psychology of Middle School Kids, June 21, 2012), not that they are waiting for someone to stop them. Furthermore, in Lagace’s article, the perception is that “it is clear from that video that these students are doing everything in their power to break Klein and make her snap,” (Emotional reactions pour in, Jun 22, 2012).
Solutions
Carol Di Tosti writes,
“Bullies exist because they know the system offers them impunity and the chance to ‘look strong’. If victims try to fight back, punishment usually falls on the victim along with the shame and humiliation of being labeled the provocateur” (Viral Universe More Dangerous, June 25, 2012).
Di Tosti expands on this thought in the article, explaining how our system promotes this upside-down mentality, while also delving more into the effects of social media on such boasting and getting caught.
Was the harassment a symptom of a larger problem? Most definitely. But how does one address such ganging up of like-minded individuals or groups against individuals they seem to despise? Is love and healing the answer (Are the Bus Bullies Monsters, June 22, 2012), or separation from peers, learning through informative sessions and community service? In the end, it was decided that the four boys would undergo some form of alternative program away from their regular school for a year, and do community service – with seniors (Students who bullied NY, June 29, 2012).
50Plus.com refers to the harassment as ‘elder abuse,’ Lisa Lagace saying that “The issue of elder abuse is a big one, but most people mistake it for something that happens privately between family members or at nursing homes” (Emotional reactions pour in, Jun 22, 2012). Lagace also claims that “the idea that children no longer respect their elders comes in full force when watching such a video.” The video definitely illustrates that idea, to an extent probably most people wouldn’t want to think about. But the disrespect and abuse by children is only part of it.
Abuse by families and caregivers, including organizations meant to provide care of various kinds, are another huge area. These and other forms of elder abuse committed by outsiders to the person’s own network are described in the article on the website Helpguide.org, under the headings Signs, Risk Factors, Prevention, and Help (see Elder Abuse and Neglect, June 2012).
Another suggestion to prevent such occurrences as Klein experienced was to build up the self-esteem of potential victims (Anti-bullying campaigns should build, June 25, 2012). On its own, this piece by Andrea DeMeer seems coldhearted and blaming the victim. But taken along with other suggestions, it also should be seen as being part of the solution – though not the only one as bullying is one of those things that can happen to anyone. Until it happens to you, you may not realize that.
Other responses to the event offer helpful advice, such as what she should do with her good fortune, (Financial Advice for Bullied, June 22, 2012) due to the more than half million dollars donated to her cause (Greece students who harassed, June 29, 2012).
Why give donations?
Many articles focused on the money that was donated to Mrs Klein, an amount that surpassed expectations. Here is where Canada became involved, Max Sidorov from Toronto placing Klein’s story on his fundraising website where the amount rose to over $600,000 (Guy behind bus monitor mania, June 21, 2012). Latching onto an idea expressed in a film, someone decided to ‘pay it forward’ and reward Sidorov for his effort by collecting donations for him, so far, $7,254 (Love for Max Sidorov too, 2012).
Why are people giving money to bullied bus monitor, Paul Farhi asks? (Why are people giving, June 21, 2012). He concludes that “perhaps the Internet, and a few political fundraising cycles, have taught Americans to transform sympathy, support and revulsion into transferable dollars.”
But another article suggests that people identify with Karen Klein because they feel undervalued at work (Why America Bleeds For Karen, June 26, 2012), - have empathy for her, perhaps, due to being bullied on the job, or worse yet, feel the need to make up for some past indiscretion as a bully. Perhaps, for the same reasons people donate to causes abroad rather than look at what’s going on in North America, it is easier to use donations to appease a sense of guilt, of turning away having witnessed harassing behaviour.
It appears as though Mrs Klein may have gone from being a scapegoat to a token. And yet, if she had not represented that aspect of America that exemplifies family and all that matters about the country, such as grandparenting, working and paying taxes, and just being the stereotypical older woman, perhaps all this wouldn’t have happened to her.
More on ageism, elder abuse, and scapegoating
According to Canadian Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse “Ageism can involve stereotypes and myths, or outright disdain and dislike” (Ageism, CNPEA, 2012). But does this explain the severity of the hostility shown in the video of Karen Klein? The concept of scapegoating seems apt for this incident as it involved singling out one person (although it can also be about a particular group), and the heaping of verbal insults and contempt upon the target.
‘Scapegoating and Othering’ is the title of a lesson plan for teaching purposes for Grades 8 to 10 (2012). While the information is valuable, unless readers and students change their attitudes, or are able to empathize, I don’t know how scapegoated (or bullied) individuals can come out of it any better. Such bullying or scapegoating can be directed to many groups, on the basis of age, body type, marital status, sexual preference, type of disability, class, etc.
The idea of mob mentality is part of scapegoating, as more individuals are likely to join in once one person starts by singling out one person. Tamara Avant, Psychology Department director, explains the idea of mob mentality, without naming it scapegoating or bullying, but focusing on the temporary loss of individual identity and the emotional component of joining with others to harass someone who is not one of them (Psychology of Middle School Kids, June 21, 2012). I would also suggest, thinking of her comment that it is social norms that get lost during such incidents, that it also seems as though instinct takes over, which seems a bit like the ‘nature vs nurture’ debate, though in this case, it is probably a little of both, with a temporary leaning towards the ‘nature’ side.
In 2011, Ruth Rosen wrote ‘Stop Scapegoating Baby Boomers—Remember We Helped Forge American Prosperity,’ in response to Thomas Friedman’s ‘Clash of Generations’ (2011). Although both pieces focus on the economy, with different perspectives, these examples of what people read in our society demonstrate how attitudes are formed. There have been other articles in the news that have focused on perceived intergenerational problems, minimizing class differences, and I have also written about this. Allowing things to go on the way they have been isn’t going to help our society adapt to having an increasing population of old people.
Many of the articles listed here have something to offer in the way of enlightening readers to what happened on the bus, how to think about it and what to do about it, from looking at the way people parent to recognizing the factors that lead to such incidents, and reading up on such topics as ageism and elder abuse. There is still a great more that could be said, but this review with brief analysis has been bounded by issues raised here through these articles.
1 riot, 68 suspects, 175 charges — a $500K tab. Was it worth it?
By Scott Taylor
London Free Press
July 6, 2012
http://www.lfpress.com/news/london/2012/07/06/19960451.html
Ageism
Canadian Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse (CNPEA) -- Réseau canadien pour la prévention des mauvais traitements envers les aîné(e)s
http://www.cnpea.ca/ageism.htm
accessed July 8, 2012
Anti-bullying campaigns should build up victims
By Andrea DeMeer, QMI Agency
London Free Press
June 25, 2012
http://www.lfpress.com/comment/editorial/2012/06/25/19916921.html
Are the Bus Bullies Monsters?
By Amy Weber
Huffington Post
June 22, 2012
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/amy-weber/karen-klein-video-bullying_b_1619084.html
Bullied bus monitor Karen Klein on her huge windfall “I don’t feel like I deserve it”
By Celebitchy
Celebrities Lives
June 26, 2012
http://celebritieslives.com/2012/06/bullied-bus-monitor-karen-klein-on-her-huge-windfall-%E2%80%9Ci-don%E2%80%99t-feel-like-i-deserve-it%E2%80%9D/
http://www.celebitchy.com/235910/bullied_bus_monitor_karen_klein_on_her_huge_windfall_i_dont_feel_like_i_deserve_it/
Bullied bus monitor rallies hometown crowd
By Niamh Scallan Staff Reporter
The Star
June 23, 2012
http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/1216273--bullied-bus-monitor-rallies-hometown-crowd
Bullies on the Bus
By Charles M Blow, Op-Ed Columnist
The New York Times
June 22, 2012
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/23/opinion/blow-bullies-on-the-bus.html
The Bus Monitor Bullies: How to Prevent Your Kids From Acting This Way
By Lesley Kennedy
iVillage
Jun 12, 2012
http://www.ivillage.ca/parenting/child/the-bus-monitor-bullies-how-to-prevent-your-kids-acting-way
The bus tormenters are cruel, but not bullies
By Barbara Kay
National Post Full Comment
Jun 27, 2012
http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2012/06/27/barbara-kay-the-bus-tormenters-are-cruel-but-not-bullies/#more-83107
The Clash of Generations
By Thomas L Friedman, Op-Ed Columnist
NY Times
July 16, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/17/opinion/sunday/17friedman.html?_r=2
Elder Abuse and Neglect
By Lawrence Robinson, Tina de Benedictis, Ph.D., and Jeanne Segal, Ph.D.
Helpguide.org
June 2012
http://www.helpguide.org/mental/elder_abuse_physical_emotional_sexual_neglect.htm
Emotional reactions pour in for bullied bus monitor
By Lisa Lagace
50Plus.com
Jun 22, 2012
http://www.50plus.com/lifestyle/emotional-reactions-pour-in-for-bullied-bus-monitor/175369/
Financial Advice for Bullied Bus Monitor Karen Klein
By Kate Rogers
FOXBusiness
June 22, 2012
http://www.foxbusiness.com/personal-finance/2012/06/22/financial-advice-for-bullied-bus-monitor-karen-klein/
The fourth of July and the bus monitor
By Rick Salutin Columnist
July 05, 2012
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorialopinion/article/1222251--the-fourth-of-july-and-the-bus-monitor
Guy behind bus monitor mania gets cash too as love and money flow
By Deborah Netburn
LA Times – Business
June 21, 2012
http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-bus-monitor-mania-20120621,0,7764398.story
Karen Klein Bus Monitor Bullied By Students FULL UNEDITED VIDEO
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2n9teSP2P_U"
Accessed July 4, 2012
Love for Max Sidorov too
Indiegogo website
http://www.indiegogo.com/love-for-max-too
accessed July 5, 2012
The Psychology of Middle School Kids Bullying a Bus Monitor
By John M. Grohol, PsyD. Founder & Editor-in-Chief
PsychCentral.com
June 21, 2012
http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2012/06/21/the-psychology-of-middle-school-kids-bullying-a-bus-monitor/
Scapegoating and Othering (pdf file)
By Jeff Gagnon, Media Awareness Network
Department of Justice, Canada
2012
http://mediasmarts.ca/sites/default/files/pdfs/lesson-plan/Lesson_Scapegoating_Othering.pdf
The School-Bus Bullies: Are Adults to Blame Too?
By Erika Christakis
Time - Ideas
June 26, 2012
http://ideas.time.com/2012/06/26/the-school-bus-bullies-are-adults-to-blame-too /
Stop Scapegoating Baby Boomers—Remember We Helped Forge American Prosperity (response, Friedman’s ‘Clash of Generations’ http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/17/opinion/sunday/17friedman.html?_r=2
By Ruth Rosen
CityWatch, Vol 9 Issue 78
Sept 29, 2011
http://209.17.170.70/archive/2297-stop-scapegoating-baby-boomersremember-we-helped-forge-american-prosperity
Students who bullied NY school bus monitor suspended for one year
Global News
June 29, 2012
http://www.globalnews.ca/students+who+bullied+ny+school+bus+monitor+suspended+for+one+year/6442671225/story.html
Views on bullying lack real understanding
By Donald D’Haene, Special to QMI Agency
Response to ‘Anti-bullying campaigns,’ June 25, 2012
London Free Press
June 25, 2012
http://www.lfpress.com/comment/editorial/2012/06/25/19916921.html
Viral Universe More Dangerous For Bullies; A Haven for Victim-Bus Monitor Karen Klein
By Carole Di Tosti, Ph.D.
Technorati.com
June 25, 2012
http://technorati.com/women/article/viral-universe-more-dangerous-for-bullies/
We are true Americans, and we will not submit
By Doug Hagmann
Canada Free Press
July 4, 2012
http://www.canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/47802
Why America Bleeds For Karen Klein, Bullied Bus Monitor
By Mark C. Crowley
Fast Company
June 26, 2012
http://www.fastcompany.com/1841276/why-america-bleeds-for-karen-klein-bullied-bus-monitor
Why Are Buses So Conducive to Bullying?
By Jeremy Stahl
Slate
June 22, 2012
http://www.slate.com/articles/life/family/2012/06/the_karen_klein_school_bus_bullying_incident_demonstrates_how_rampant_the_problem_is_.html
Why are people giving money to bullied bus monitor?
By Paul Farhi
Washington Post – The Style Blog
June 21, 2012
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/arts-post/post/karent-klein-why-are-people-giving-money-to-bullied-bus-monitor/2012/06/21/gJQAPoTAtV_blog.html
Why we should like older people
By Lillian Zimmerman
Globe and Mail
Sept 16, 2011
http://m.theglobeandmail.com/commentary/why-we-should-like-older-people/article627325/?service=mobile
On Monday June 18, while accompanying students on a school bus, Klein was harassed, through verbal demeaning and rude language, by four 13 year old Grade 7 boys (Bullied bus monitor rallies, June 23, 2012) Another student on the bus recorded the incident in a video lasting ten minutes, which was uploaded to You Tube, going viral.
Explanations
The incident raises many questions, about society, teenagers, bus monitors, not to mention the use of it in US politics to attempt to sway readers over to the Republican party, which questions why America’s citizens won’t stand up for themselves (We are true Americans, July 4, 2012). Another politically-oriented article, but with a different aim, suggests that bullying in politics, and between groups vying for power, is the same kind of bullying that Karen Klein experienced (Bullies on the Bus, June 22, 2012). If one did agree with Charles Blow’s ideas, one would also have to admit that the tendency to ‘bully,’ to ‘harass,’ or to ‘scapegoat’, did not start on the bus, or with 13 year-old boys. It started somewhere else, by more knowledgeable people, with more power.
The term ‘bullying’ is used frequently in various articles, supporting the idea that this was ‘bullying.’ But few address the kind of bullying it entailed, or question this description of the harassment Klein underwent. More detail about the events as they happened on the bus, and Klein’s own views, are explained in ‘Bus Monitor Bullies,’ Jun 12, 2012. One failing, however, is that there is no further discussion on the kind of bullying it was – the groups Klein was a member of, that were targeted.
I’m not convinced this was a typical case of ‘bullying,’ as news reports tend to call it. Neither was Barbara Kay, when she wrote ‘The bus tormenters are cruel, but not bullies,’ June 27, 2012, although we don’t share the same idea about what it was exactly that happened to Karen Klein. But this was no typical case of schoolyard bullying, one child bullying another. This was young teens harassing an adult woman - 68 years of age – an employee placed there to ‘monitor’ them. Calling it bullying is a misnomer! The comments following Kay’s piece offer a sampling of perspectives. But just how many of the articles about the harassment see it as a form of ageism?
Could it be that this incident was an instinctual response by young teenagers against a group most of society seems to be expressing hostility towards, these days. Even if older people were loved and not seen as a burden, stupid, or sexually unattractive by their standards, it is fairly normal for the next generation coming up to want to take over the world and confine most of the older ones, where they can be controlled.
This makes it hard to understand Rick Salutin’s views, and his insight that “What you can eventually learn is that those impulses are inside you, but don’t have to control you” (The fourth of July and the bus monitor, July 05, 2012). Other than that, he tries to make what happened sound ‘normal’ – normal behaviour for rebellious teens.
In my response online to Salutin’s opinion, I referred to the St Patrick’s Day riot in London, Ontario, in 2012, as an example of kids exerting power over authority (1 riot, 68 suspects, 175 charges, July 6, 2012). It wouldn’t be my choice of theories to explain Karen Klein's experience, though it is probably part of what happened.
Neither does this remark by one of the teens’ parents add anything useful: "One of the boys’ dads said he was stunned by the video because it’s not how he raised his kids." (The fourth of July and the bus monitor, July 05, 2012). So if it wasn’t home attitudes, gained from banter around the family dinner table, perhaps the teens picked up these attitudes about baby boomers at school – or from online newspapers on the internet! Lillian Zimmerman, in her piece on older people, thinks it is a strong possibility, saying,
“Take a look at some of the reports we’re regularly exposed to in the media and elsewhere. Aging boomers – also known as the “grey tsunami” or the “ticking time bombs” – are seen as signs of the coming gloom and doom. We’re seduced into feeling that longevity – which simply means we live longer thanks to advances in biological and medical sciences – is a looming threat, poised to reduce our system of social welfare, including medicare – our whole economy, in fact – to penury” (Zimmerman, ‘Why we should like older people,’ Sept 16, 2011).
This bus situation, as captured by the video, involved a “confluence of factors which provided an opportunity for the 10 minutes of bullying to occur” (Psychology of Middle School Kids, June 21, 2012). John Grohol explains six contributing factors, while also mentioning the psychological factor of one the boys’ incredible capacity to be “a pro at identifying Klein’s weaknesses.”
More than once, I saw explanations for the escalation of the verbal abuse suggest that the boys seemed to waiting for, or ‘asking’ for, the adults to take charge. “When there was no reaction, they revved up further” (School-Bus Bullies: Are Adults to Blame Too?, June 26, 2012); or this one - “I think you can hear them testing the limits of what they can get away with” (Fourth of July and the bus monitor, July 5, 2012). Both of these views are simply another version of the ‘boys will be boys’ syndrome, making excuses for their bad behaviour and blaming it on their victims.
On the other hand, John Grohol writes on the subject of teens crying out for authority only that “These teens will then sometimes take advantage of such a situation when the moment presents itself” (Psychology of Middle School Kids, June 21, 2012), not that they are waiting for someone to stop them. Furthermore, in Lagace’s article, the perception is that “it is clear from that video that these students are doing everything in their power to break Klein and make her snap,” (Emotional reactions pour in, Jun 22, 2012).
Solutions
Carol Di Tosti writes,
“Bullies exist because they know the system offers them impunity and the chance to ‘look strong’. If victims try to fight back, punishment usually falls on the victim along with the shame and humiliation of being labeled the provocateur” (Viral Universe More Dangerous, June 25, 2012).
Di Tosti expands on this thought in the article, explaining how our system promotes this upside-down mentality, while also delving more into the effects of social media on such boasting and getting caught.
Was the harassment a symptom of a larger problem? Most definitely. But how does one address such ganging up of like-minded individuals or groups against individuals they seem to despise? Is love and healing the answer (Are the Bus Bullies Monsters, June 22, 2012), or separation from peers, learning through informative sessions and community service? In the end, it was decided that the four boys would undergo some form of alternative program away from their regular school for a year, and do community service – with seniors (Students who bullied NY, June 29, 2012).
50Plus.com refers to the harassment as ‘elder abuse,’ Lisa Lagace saying that “The issue of elder abuse is a big one, but most people mistake it for something that happens privately between family members or at nursing homes” (Emotional reactions pour in, Jun 22, 2012). Lagace also claims that “the idea that children no longer respect their elders comes in full force when watching such a video.” The video definitely illustrates that idea, to an extent probably most people wouldn’t want to think about. But the disrespect and abuse by children is only part of it.
Abuse by families and caregivers, including organizations meant to provide care of various kinds, are another huge area. These and other forms of elder abuse committed by outsiders to the person’s own network are described in the article on the website Helpguide.org, under the headings Signs, Risk Factors, Prevention, and Help (see Elder Abuse and Neglect, June 2012).
Another suggestion to prevent such occurrences as Klein experienced was to build up the self-esteem of potential victims (Anti-bullying campaigns should build, June 25, 2012). On its own, this piece by Andrea DeMeer seems coldhearted and blaming the victim. But taken along with other suggestions, it also should be seen as being part of the solution – though not the only one as bullying is one of those things that can happen to anyone. Until it happens to you, you may not realize that.
Other responses to the event offer helpful advice, such as what she should do with her good fortune, (Financial Advice for Bullied, June 22, 2012) due to the more than half million dollars donated to her cause (Greece students who harassed, June 29, 2012).
Why give donations?
Many articles focused on the money that was donated to Mrs Klein, an amount that surpassed expectations. Here is where Canada became involved, Max Sidorov from Toronto placing Klein’s story on his fundraising website where the amount rose to over $600,000 (Guy behind bus monitor mania, June 21, 2012). Latching onto an idea expressed in a film, someone decided to ‘pay it forward’ and reward Sidorov for his effort by collecting donations for him, so far, $7,254 (Love for Max Sidorov too, 2012).
Why are people giving money to bullied bus monitor, Paul Farhi asks? (Why are people giving, June 21, 2012). He concludes that “perhaps the Internet, and a few political fundraising cycles, have taught Americans to transform sympathy, support and revulsion into transferable dollars.”
But another article suggests that people identify with Karen Klein because they feel undervalued at work (Why America Bleeds For Karen, June 26, 2012), - have empathy for her, perhaps, due to being bullied on the job, or worse yet, feel the need to make up for some past indiscretion as a bully. Perhaps, for the same reasons people donate to causes abroad rather than look at what’s going on in North America, it is easier to use donations to appease a sense of guilt, of turning away having witnessed harassing behaviour.
It appears as though Mrs Klein may have gone from being a scapegoat to a token. And yet, if she had not represented that aspect of America that exemplifies family and all that matters about the country, such as grandparenting, working and paying taxes, and just being the stereotypical older woman, perhaps all this wouldn’t have happened to her.
More on ageism, elder abuse, and scapegoating
According to Canadian Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse “Ageism can involve stereotypes and myths, or outright disdain and dislike” (Ageism, CNPEA, 2012). But does this explain the severity of the hostility shown in the video of Karen Klein? The concept of scapegoating seems apt for this incident as it involved singling out one person (although it can also be about a particular group), and the heaping of verbal insults and contempt upon the target.
‘Scapegoating and Othering’ is the title of a lesson plan for teaching purposes for Grades 8 to 10 (2012). While the information is valuable, unless readers and students change their attitudes, or are able to empathize, I don’t know how scapegoated (or bullied) individuals can come out of it any better. Such bullying or scapegoating can be directed to many groups, on the basis of age, body type, marital status, sexual preference, type of disability, class, etc.
The idea of mob mentality is part of scapegoating, as more individuals are likely to join in once one person starts by singling out one person. Tamara Avant, Psychology Department director, explains the idea of mob mentality, without naming it scapegoating or bullying, but focusing on the temporary loss of individual identity and the emotional component of joining with others to harass someone who is not one of them (Psychology of Middle School Kids, June 21, 2012). I would also suggest, thinking of her comment that it is social norms that get lost during such incidents, that it also seems as though instinct takes over, which seems a bit like the ‘nature vs nurture’ debate, though in this case, it is probably a little of both, with a temporary leaning towards the ‘nature’ side.
In 2011, Ruth Rosen wrote ‘Stop Scapegoating Baby Boomers—Remember We Helped Forge American Prosperity,’ in response to Thomas Friedman’s ‘Clash of Generations’ (2011). Although both pieces focus on the economy, with different perspectives, these examples of what people read in our society demonstrate how attitudes are formed. There have been other articles in the news that have focused on perceived intergenerational problems, minimizing class differences, and I have also written about this. Allowing things to go on the way they have been isn’t going to help our society adapt to having an increasing population of old people.
Many of the articles listed here have something to offer in the way of enlightening readers to what happened on the bus, how to think about it and what to do about it, from looking at the way people parent to recognizing the factors that lead to such incidents, and reading up on such topics as ageism and elder abuse. There is still a great more that could be said, but this review with brief analysis has been bounded by issues raised here through these articles.
1 riot, 68 suspects, 175 charges — a $500K tab. Was it worth it?
By Scott Taylor
London Free Press
July 6, 2012
http://www.lfpress.com/news/london/2012/07/06/19960451.html
Ageism
Canadian Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse (CNPEA) -- Réseau canadien pour la prévention des mauvais traitements envers les aîné(e)s
http://www.cnpea.ca/ageism.htm
accessed July 8, 2012
Anti-bullying campaigns should build up victims
By Andrea DeMeer, QMI Agency
London Free Press
June 25, 2012
http://www.lfpress.com/comment/editorial/2012/06/25/19916921.html
Are the Bus Bullies Monsters?
By Amy Weber
Huffington Post
June 22, 2012
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/amy-weber/karen-klein-video-bullying_b_1619084.html
Bullied bus monitor Karen Klein on her huge windfall “I don’t feel like I deserve it”
By Celebitchy
Celebrities Lives
June 26, 2012
http://celebritieslives.com/2012/06/bullied-bus-monitor-karen-klein-on-her-huge-windfall-%E2%80%9Ci-don%E2%80%99t-feel-like-i-deserve-it%E2%80%9D/
http://www.celebitchy.com/235910/bullied_bus_monitor_karen_klein_on_her_huge_windfall_i_dont_feel_like_i_deserve_it/
Bullied bus monitor rallies hometown crowd
By Niamh Scallan Staff Reporter
The Star
June 23, 2012
http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/1216273--bullied-bus-monitor-rallies-hometown-crowd
Bullies on the Bus
By Charles M Blow, Op-Ed Columnist
The New York Times
June 22, 2012
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/23/opinion/blow-bullies-on-the-bus.html
The Bus Monitor Bullies: How to Prevent Your Kids From Acting This Way
By Lesley Kennedy
iVillage
Jun 12, 2012
http://www.ivillage.ca/parenting/child/the-bus-monitor-bullies-how-to-prevent-your-kids-acting-way
The bus tormenters are cruel, but not bullies
By Barbara Kay
National Post Full Comment
Jun 27, 2012
http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2012/06/27/barbara-kay-the-bus-tormenters-are-cruel-but-not-bullies/#more-83107
The Clash of Generations
By Thomas L Friedman, Op-Ed Columnist
NY Times
July 16, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/17/opinion/sunday/17friedman.html?_r=2
Elder Abuse and Neglect
By Lawrence Robinson, Tina de Benedictis, Ph.D., and Jeanne Segal, Ph.D.
Helpguide.org
June 2012
http://www.helpguide.org/mental/elder_abuse_physical_emotional_sexual_neglect.htm
Emotional reactions pour in for bullied bus monitor
By Lisa Lagace
50Plus.com
Jun 22, 2012
http://www.50plus.com/lifestyle/emotional-reactions-pour-in-for-bullied-bus-monitor/175369/
Financial Advice for Bullied Bus Monitor Karen Klein
By Kate Rogers
FOXBusiness
June 22, 2012
http://www.foxbusiness.com/personal-finance/2012/06/22/financial-advice-for-bullied-bus-monitor-karen-klein/
The fourth of July and the bus monitor
By Rick Salutin Columnist
July 05, 2012
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorialopinion/article/1222251--the-fourth-of-july-and-the-bus-monitor
Guy behind bus monitor mania gets cash too as love and money flow
By Deborah Netburn
LA Times – Business
June 21, 2012
http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-bus-monitor-mania-20120621,0,7764398.story
Karen Klein Bus Monitor Bullied By Students FULL UNEDITED VIDEO
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2n9teSP2P_U"
Accessed July 4, 2012
Love for Max Sidorov too
Indiegogo website
http://www.indiegogo.com/love-for-max-too
accessed July 5, 2012
The Psychology of Middle School Kids Bullying a Bus Monitor
By John M. Grohol, PsyD. Founder & Editor-in-Chief
PsychCentral.com
June 21, 2012
http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2012/06/21/the-psychology-of-middle-school-kids-bullying-a-bus-monitor/
Scapegoating and Othering (pdf file)
By Jeff Gagnon, Media Awareness Network
Department of Justice, Canada
2012
http://mediasmarts.ca/sites/default/files/pdfs/lesson-plan/Lesson_Scapegoating_Othering.pdf
The School-Bus Bullies: Are Adults to Blame Too?
By Erika Christakis
Time - Ideas
June 26, 2012
http://ideas.time.com/2012/06/26/the-school-bus-bullies-are-adults-to-blame-too /
Stop Scapegoating Baby Boomers—Remember We Helped Forge American Prosperity (response, Friedman’s ‘Clash of Generations’ http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/17/opinion/sunday/17friedman.html?_r=2
By Ruth Rosen
CityWatch, Vol 9 Issue 78
Sept 29, 2011
http://209.17.170.70/archive/2297-stop-scapegoating-baby-boomersremember-we-helped-forge-american-prosperity
Students who bullied NY school bus monitor suspended for one year
Global News
June 29, 2012
http://www.globalnews.ca/students+who+bullied+ny+school+bus+monitor+suspended+for+one+year/6442671225/story.html
Views on bullying lack real understanding
By Donald D’Haene, Special to QMI Agency
Response to ‘Anti-bullying campaigns,’ June 25, 2012
London Free Press
June 25, 2012
http://www.lfpress.com/comment/editorial/2012/06/25/19916921.html
Viral Universe More Dangerous For Bullies; A Haven for Victim-Bus Monitor Karen Klein
By Carole Di Tosti, Ph.D.
Technorati.com
June 25, 2012
http://technorati.com/women/article/viral-universe-more-dangerous-for-bullies/
We are true Americans, and we will not submit
By Doug Hagmann
Canada Free Press
July 4, 2012
http://www.canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/47802
Why America Bleeds For Karen Klein, Bullied Bus Monitor
By Mark C. Crowley
Fast Company
June 26, 2012
http://www.fastcompany.com/1841276/why-america-bleeds-for-karen-klein-bullied-bus-monitor
Why Are Buses So Conducive to Bullying?
By Jeremy Stahl
Slate
June 22, 2012
http://www.slate.com/articles/life/family/2012/06/the_karen_klein_school_bus_bullying_incident_demonstrates_how_rampant_the_problem_is_.html
Why are people giving money to bullied bus monitor?
By Paul Farhi
Washington Post – The Style Blog
June 21, 2012
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/arts-post/post/karent-klein-why-are-people-giving-money-to-bullied-bus-monitor/2012/06/21/gJQAPoTAtV_blog.html
Why we should like older people
By Lillian Zimmerman
Globe and Mail
Sept 16, 2011
http://m.theglobeandmail.com/commentary/why-we-should-like-older-people/article627325/?service=mobile
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)