by Obert Madondo (@Obiemad)

In Canada we hardly confront racism perpetuated by political figures. As a consequence, Prime Minister Stephen Harper‘s government and Conservative MPs are having a field day practicing racism and creating resentment towards minority groups dominated by persons of color.

Earlier this year, Harper’s immigrant-bashing minister of Immigration and Multiculturalism, Jason Kenney, introduced draconian cuts to health benefits for refugees, including coverage for pre-natal care. The majority of refugee seekers are persons of color, trauma survivors and other vulnerable people.

This isn’t just about social conservatism. The infamous Fords of Toronto politics are crazy!

This time it’s not the rabidly right-wing Mayor Rob Ford proposing exiling convicted criminals. Or posing with Jon Latvis, a member of the neo-Nazi band RAHOWA (Racial Holy War). Or skipping Toronto’s Gay Pride parade for the second consecutive year.

It’s the Mayor’s councilor-brother Doug’s daughter, Krista, a former captain of Toronto’s short-lived lingerie football team. This is what she advises women to do to avoid sexual assault: “Stay alert, walk tall, carry mace, take self-defence classes & don’t dress like a whore.”

Yes, “don’t dress like whore!”

Alice Moran, a Toronto actor, comedian and one of the victims of the recent string of sexual assaults in the Annex district of Toronto, has responded with a personal Open Letter to Ms. Krista Ford, posted on her Facebook account.

Dear a lot of people, but specifically Ms. Krista Ford,

In advance I’d like to say I am sorry.  This is not the ideal situation to first acquaint oneself with someone and I am mortified. Sorry! However, under the circumstance, I feel like you owe me a moment of your time, even though we’ve never meet.

The circumstance being you called me a whore.

I should clarify: I’m one of the victims of the recent string of sexual assaults in the Annex.  ‘Sup?  It’s nice to make you acquaintance.

So, you’ve called me a whore.  Here we are.  This is awkward now, isn’t it?  You’re probably wondering if I’m going to challenge you on having been a member of Lingerie League.  I’m not, because I’d never slut-shame another woman.  I believe you have a right to your body and regardless of how you do or don’t dress it I believe you have a right to respect and personal security.  I guess that’s the key difference in our thinking.  You could wear a t-shirt that says “I’m literally asking for it” and I’d still advocate for your security.

That’s what I’m asking for this brief moment of your day, for your edification.  You’re a woman and you should know that your body is yours and yours alone.  No matter how you dress it, you have a right – an actual Charter of Rights and Freedom right – to not be sexually assaulted. You are entitled to life, liberty and the security of person.  Welcome to Canada – you live here!  If you weren’t aware of your Charter rights, other Canadian things you may have missed out on are double-doubles, good maple syrup, and Beachcombers*, so check that shit out.

For the record, I was sexually assaulted while wearing a knee-length polka-dot dress.  The last time I wore that dress, it was to Easter dinner at my Gran’s, where I’m fairly certain I could make little to no money whoring.

With due repect / sorry,

Alice Moran

Canadian / Comedian / Beachcombers Enthusiast

Still, what happened here? Is it that Krista was brought up by the most socially-conservative Conservatives in Canada? Or did she catch the same male-chauvinist bug that caused a Toronto Police officer to advise a group of York University students not to dress “like sluts” to avoid getting raped?  The bigoted utterance ignited “Slutwalk”, the hugely-successful worldwide progressive movement against bigotry, and for sexual liberation.

Photo: Toronto Life

RELATED: 

• RCMP’s Misogynistic Response to Galliford Sexual Harassment Claim
• Hundreds of Canadian women join RCMP harassment lawsuit

By now, most of you are aware that a second athlete from Europe has been ejected from the London Olympics for racism. Swill soccer player Michel Morganella got the boot yesterday for posting a racist message on Twitter insulting South Koreans after his team lost 2-1 to South Korea.

But most of the mainstream media isn’t telling us what Morganella actually said. Only the New York Post seems to have the courage to report the exact words he wrote on the micro-blogging site:

“I am going to batter the Koreans, burn them all… bunch of ‘trisos’.”

Last week, Greece expelled triple jumper Voula Papachristou (pic), after she insulted African immigrants with these vile words:

“With so many Africans in Greece, the West Nile mosquitoes will be getting home food!!!”.

Papachristou’s tweet prompted an avalanche of retweets and postings of YouTube videos, most of which promoted the extremist views of Golden Dawn, a Greek political movement led by Nikolaos Michaloliakos. In recent years, the movement “has grown from a small, fringe group to a widely reported Greek political party with nationwide support”.

The same kind of deliberate half-reporting happens here in Canada when the corporate media reports on racism involving public figures. For example the recent story of the right-wing Mayor of Toronto, Rob Ford, pausing with Jon Latvis, a member of the neo-Nazi band RAHOWA (Racial Holy War). The mainstream media’s reporting was one big apology on behalf of Ford. The kind that nukes public debate even before it has started.

When the media omit the racist words said when reporting on racism, they promote the worst kind of censorship. The kind that makes us more bigoted and more ignorant. The kind that makes us even more squeamish about discussing racism and other thorny issues.

For example, if the New York Post had not quoted the exact words Morganella said, most of us would never have known that he threatened to “batter” and “burn” all Koreans. We’d never have known that “trisos” is a French slang word for people with Down’s Syndrome.

Photo: Voula Papachristou: via CBC News