Have you seen the new provincial tourism commercials? They’re lovely and colourful and do a great job at highlighting our assets and hiding the ugly bigotry that’s alive and well here in Newfoundland and Labrador. I guess “prejudice” and “old boy’s club” were not key benefits on the creative brief. That’s what you get for all dem dolla bills.
But have no fear, citizens of earth. We can always count on the people of this fine province to shine a big fat national spotlight on our backwoods hillbilly bullshit for free.
Bigots are everywhere, no doubt, not just here. But I don’t live everywhere. I live here, and so do my children, and so will my grandchildren most likely. So here is where I’m concerned. Here is where I got a problem.
I was listening to CBC radio on my drive home from work last week, and they aired a call from a man who was giving his opinion on the recent news story about a local jeweler who had placed an anti-gay marriage sign in his store window. It read: Man + Woman = Marriage God’s Way, Genesis 2:24.
He went on for several minutes of my life that I will never get back but, in a nutshell, he said that he supported the business owner’s right to put a sign in his window because everyone is entitled to their opinion and free speech and blah blah blah word word word and “the gay crowd” need to just suck it up. THE GAY CROWD. He said it several times and with such contempt, he may as well have been calling them shit-eating zombie fuckers.
After his call was aired (and then another one by a lady who thinks we should leave the homosexuals alone because God will be their judge), the radio host’s voice chimed in to politely say, “Thanks for your opinions.” Yes, thanks for the gonorrhea too, buddy. Much appreciated.
Then this week, my newsfeed was inundated with the glorious goings-on in Spaniard’s Bay where a woman exposed the sexist culture at the local volunteer fire station where she is the lone female firefighter (and most qualified, by the way), and half the department quit and we hope nobody’s frying chips on the stove in Spaniard’s Bay tonight, and missus gets called a “conniving witch” who’s out for the chief’s job, and half the town assemble in protest to show support for “their men” who have been so horribly wronged by these allegations of sexual harassment. CBC broke the story and it quickly made national headlines. Yes, right now when the rest of the country thinks of Newfoundland and Labrador, they’re not thinking of the beautiful scenery featured in our tourism commercials. They’re thinking of a fireman filling another fireman’s hat with jizz. Excellent. Very majestic. The papers deliver just the facts, of course: she alleges this, he says that, they all claim this and that and everything else. Journalism.
Ahem. You know what? I’m not a journalist and this is my blog and I can say whatever the fuck I want and not even my mom can stop me though she’ll probably try, so guess what? WHAT THE FUCK. WHAT. IN. THE. ACTUAL. FUCK.
FUCK THAT GUY ON THE RADIO. Fuck thanking him for his “opinions.” He was an ignorant prick. In the tone of his voice, thinly THINLY veiled in polite words so CBC would actually be able to air the thing, I discerned stupidity, arrogance, and contempt. If he was willing to say this on the radio, what does he say in real life? What does he REALLY think of my gay friends? (Two of whom are getting married tonight, by the way. Congrats, Amy and Katie!) And what, oh dear baby jesus in the garden, is he teaching his children and his grandchildren? I’ll take a pass on those play dates, thank you very much. FUCK THAT GUY. Also, fuck that jewelry store owner. I don’t want my kids seeing your fucking sign, you Old Testament twit.
And you know what else? To anyone in Spaniard’s Bay or any damn place who thinks you gotta be “one of the boys” to work among them: FUCK YOU. How about we all step out of the time warp and be “one of the humans.” And if you’re teaching your kids, directly or indirectly, that women need to just shut their mouths and know their place, SHAME ON YOU. It’s one thing to be an asshole yourself. It’s quite another to teach that assholery to your kids and deny them the chance to be someone better. Sounds like child abuse to me.
Fuck you, radio caller guy – not because I’m concerned for my gay friends and family. We don’t need to defend them anymore because it’s 2016 and there’s nothing to defend and never was. They are strong and would crush your caveman ass with their laughter. What concerns me is that you bastards still exist in the same world as my kids. My son is almost seven years old and still learning about life, and straight or gay or ponysexual whatever the fuck that is I don’t even care, he’s still trying to make sense of the world. And by some horrible stroke of bad and terrible luck, he might come across the likes of you and be exposed to your brand of epic crap. Imagine if he had heard you on the radio, he might have thought, “IT’S ON THE RADIO SO IT MUST BE TRUE. AND THE NICE NEWS GUY SAID ‘THANKS,’ SO IT MUST BE RIGHT.” Mind you, if he had been in the car, I would have slammed the radio off so hard I would have tuned in Tokyo for real. Or maybe I would have left the radio on and used it as an opportunity to teach Max about horrible people like Hitler, and you. We would have a nice long chat and look up the word “bigot” in the dictionary. I think my son is smart enough to resist your hateful poppycock, but even if one ounce of it trickles into his mind, if one speck of his love and understanding and humanity is replaced with arrogance and hatred, someone will pay. I WILL NOT HAVE IT.
And fuck you in Spaniard’s Bay too, BECAUSE MY KIDS ARE HERE AND RIGHT NOW THAT’S NOT FAR ENOUGH AWAY FROM YOU. And I’ll be damned if I let one single droplet of your bullshit spill onto them. The news coverage of the rally showed children holding signs that said “support our men” and I had to check the calendar to see which year it was, and check the mirror to see if I was sporting a beehive, and I was almost disappointed to realize it was 2016 and my hair was on trend because it meant YOU PEOPLE ACTUALLY EXIST. What scares me most is what the kids are gathering from all this. THEY’RE KIDS. Their brains aren’t fully developed yet. Even if you folks in Spaniard’s Bay were right about everything (FYI you’re not, everything out of your mouths has only helped confirm Seymour’s claims), your kids are learning to NEVER TRUST A WOMAN WHO SPEAKS UP. And what’s worse, your daughters are learning to NEVER SPEAK UP AGAINST THE MEN and NEVER REPORT SEXUAL HARASSMENT because NOBODY WILL BELIEVE YOU. Imagine how many times a child has overheard the word “bitch” or “whore” or worse in reference to Brenda Seymour this week. I’m sure that won’t breed any misogyny at all. You should erect a new statue in the town square of a fireman holding his big giant hose, with water splashing into the faces of the tiny womenfolk. That should draw some support.
Are the residents of Spaniard’s Bay bad people? Absolutely not. I probably know a few of them. And, being a bayman myself, with a baygirl t-shirt and a thick Bonavista Bay accent, I’m in tune with outport life. I respect it. Not all baymen are backwoods hillbillies. It’s important to know that. Rumour has it there was a rally in the town today to show support for Brenda Seymour and, more importantly, calling for community-wide education on sexual harassment. I hope the country of Spain hears this so they change their minds on wanting their name back and stop pretending they were never here.
Are the male firefighters there bad guys? Not at all. I’m willing to bet they’re all generally good fellows. What they are guilty of, though, is living in the dark ages, when you could make comments in the workplace like “I jerked in your hat,” and you didn’t have to DO SOMETHING (besides laugh) when a dude played a porn video as part of your team’s training, and you didn’t have to take ambitious women seriously because nobody else ever did and nobody cares. But, see, ignorance is no excuse for treating people like shit. Just because you don’t KNOW you’re behaving badly doesn’t mean you aren’t, and it doesn’t mean you’re off the hook. So now they must make amends out there in Spaniard’s Bay. You know, by getting schooled on what sexual harassment actually is, and how a toxic work environment can be created by the best of people when they just don’t understand shit, and how we need women in positions of leadership because HELLO, it’s 2016. And please please PLEASE, don’t forget to teach the children. As soon as possible too, to get the poison out. Perhaps if we had all been taught this stuff early, none of this would be happening. And maybe, once they all see the light, they can apologize to Brenda Seymour. Maybe even thank her, as I do, on behalf of all our daughters and sons. Thank her for bravely pushing this all too common bullshit out into the light, clearing the path for education and change and bearing the backlash herself, so my little girl can grow up and be anything she wants to be including the god damn FIRE CHIEF, and my son can grow up and never find himself in this kind of hot water.
Ahhhh, it’s great to be a blogger.
And I thought I was pissed off about the price of vegetables.
Share
trista
January 24, 2016 at 4:18 am (5 years ago)I just want to say I LOVE yoir blog!!! Your are awesome and hilarious!!! I am not from spaniards bay, but do live close and do know ( but not related to) any people involved! I have been reading all articles and news on the current situation in Spaniards Bay, and truely believe the media ( who we all know ) doesnt Always report all the facts, I saw this post today and believe it’s the most truth on anything I have read and heard, so I thought I would share. I didn’t write this…..
Okay, so I’ve been very Internet quiet on the shameful uproar surrounding our little town of Spaniard’s Bay. Today I finally gave in and made a comment. When asked to explain the firefighter’s position, I gave the following response. I’ve since been asked to share it publicly…and I will…and then I am going back to “normal” life…spreading joy, peace and love ALL over our little town…y’all know how I do 😉 😛
I will gladly explain MY position, though I certainly can’t speak for others. You see I am NOT a firefighter, nor the wife, daughter, mother, sister, aunt, niece or cousin of one. I am simply a member of this town (a small town, which could previously be described as close knit, where most everyone knows everyone) with a vested interest. I consider myself a fair and friendly person; a non-confrontational peacekeeper – almost to a fault. I AM indeed educated, and in no way, shape or form do I endorse sexual harassment or the unfair treatment of ANYONE, regardless of gender, race, socioeconomic status or otherwise. I am not in ANY way trying to minimize what happened, and while I think the instances brought to light were highly inappropriate, I truly believe that those who performed said actions did NOT realize they could be labeled as sexual harassment…which is why I further believe that the firefighters should have been required to undergo updated training on what that constitutes. I will admit that even I wasn’t aware of exactly how many scenarios fell under that classification – I figure I could charge at least 10 people in the past year alone, given that making inappropriate sexual comments seems to fall under that category. I think that the biggest problems stemming from this whole “2 sides” thing is two-fold. One – the reason given for the mass resignation has been completely misrepresented and misconstrued by the media coverage (which is FOX worthy, by the way). “Our” firefighters did NOT resign due to allegations of sexual harassment. These issues were first brought to light at a town council meeting two years ago. They were “dealt with” (not properly, maybe, but they still closed the book on it. Personally, I think THAT’S when the training should have come in – right at that moment – certainly could have prevented further issues). In actuality, with sympathy and loyalty, the firefighters resigned in support of their council representative and FD Liaison, who, on Thursday night, gave a tearful resignation due to OTHER ongoing issues in the fire department/council. Ms. Seymour picked THAT time to open up to the media which caused the ASSUMPTION that the mass resignation was due to the allegations, which is completely untrue, but certainly makes things look bad on their part. Bad (or perfect) timing, depending on which way you look at it – coincidence or otherwise. Two – due to the media misrepresentation and the confusion as to WHY the firefighters resigned, the “two sides” have been coming at each other guns blazing. Those who see it as only a sexual harassment story think it’s absolutely mind-blowing that almost an entire community is supporting a bunch of men who were accused of sexual harassment and resigned as a result. Those who know that the real reason they resigned – to SUPPORT their Liaison, who had been bullied and belittled for far too long and could no longer subject herself to such an environment – can’t understand all the hatred. I think BOTH sides have their emotions running wild, and BOTH sides have fueled the fire by saying some pretty inappropriate things – I, myself, CRINGED when I saw “Support Our Men” was the wording they had chosen for the rally. Do I think they should have changed the wording to “Support Our Firefighters” or “Support Our Liaison” even? Yes. Do I think it was intentionally worded that way? Not at all. I think these are families and friends of a group of firefighters who are standing up for the rights of a WOMAN, but instead getting ridiculed and labeled as “uneducated cavemen” for not knowing the seriousness of using sexually inappropriate language to another.
kate mc
January 24, 2016 at 3:37 pm (5 years ago)It’s clear that your stance is indeed with the men. After all your explaining away in hopes that the world will change it’s view on the matter, 3 words: STILL NOT OK!!
John porter
January 25, 2016 at 6:32 am (5 years ago)Well, seen you say “the gay crowd” and you got offended obviously means your special as fuck. Because for one, you clearly don’t live here because that’s just like saying the Shea heights crowd or…. The bay crowd. It literally is a Newfoundlanders way of saying the lgbt community without sounding like a righteous, pretentious prick. The rest I didn’t bother reading cause you’re just looking to complain about something, I have a feeling you belong on tumblr. Fucking insane feminist, stop thinking the world needs to cater to your vision of how we should all live and speak.
I fucking hate this world because people like yourself can’t seriously have someone in the same room As you telling a blonde joke that literally has nothing to do with you or hell they would rather you go laugh at the joke with them for what it is, a fucking joke, but noooooooooo you would rather Cbc and vocm do a story about how you’re raped abused and sexually harassed. Fucking idiots
Danny
January 25, 2016 at 10:22 pm (5 years ago)Asshole alert ?
Jen
January 26, 2016 at 2:40 am (5 years ago)Dude, you are clinging to the past like a greasy turd clinging to the side of a toilet. Let go. This kind of thinking is not helping you hate the world less.
Saying LGBTQ community doesn’t make you sound like a pretentious prick. Gay crowd DOES however, run the risk of making you sound like a cretin.
Calling someone a “fucking insane feminist” does not make them sound more insane, it makes them sound correct.
Not reading most of an article and then citing your lack of reading as evidence of it’s poor quality is a terrible way to encourage anyone to listen to you.
And yes, listening to the CBC and VOCM doing real stories about rape, abuse and sexual harassment is likely a better use of ones time than listening to a sexist and probably unfunny blonde joke.
Stop the clinging and get with the flow. You’ll feel less shitty, guaranteed.
MotherFumbler
January 30, 2016 at 1:23 am (5 years ago)Ha ha this comment made my day. Greasy turd — LOL
Geoff
January 24, 2016 at 12:01 pm (5 years ago)As convincing as your blog is there are a couple of things I would like to point out. If I am not mistaken I believe that the female firefighters husband is one of the longest standing members at the Spaniards Bay Fire Department. I not saying this in an effort to question the validity of the claim however I do find it strange that any man would let others take things to the extremes stated in the claims without taking some sort of action…especially when it was taking place within the same department.
I would also like to address the comment of her bet the most qualified for the position. I do understand that she is more than adequately trained however training does not equate to competency and for a position of authority like the one in question I am sure the fine people of Spaniards bay would opt for the most competent as oppose to the most qualified.
Training+Experience+Qualification=Competency.
Please understand that I am not writting in an attempt to argue either for or against your blog but I would like to point out that there is more to proving guilt then attaching ourselves to one individuals claims simply because she was the lone individual of the minority sex in a male dominant industry.
Jenn
January 24, 2016 at 12:57 pm (5 years ago)Geoff, the thing is, it doesn’t matter how trained or qualified a person is – it is never, ever okay to sexully harass your coworkers, or to play PORN at work This last fact is not in dispute at all – the instructor has admitted it and called it a joke, which certainly lends credence to Seymour’s other claims, because if a fire department has the kind of culture that would allow a video of a woman masturbating to be played during business hours (hell, at any old time, whether “official” or not!), I’ve no doubt that Seymour’s other accusations of harassment are legitimate.
Secondly, the fact that Seymour’s husband is on the fire department suggests absolutely nothing. I can only imagine what a difficult position the Seymour family has been in throughout this awful situation (which has been ongoing for years, per the National Post article linked below). Other than the fact that he’s still a firefighter, I know nothing about Mr. Seymour, but maybe it wasn’t just as easy as your comments suggest to speak out against his colleagues. And maybe he DID, to no avail, and wanted to stay in the department to help support his wife. Or maybe he recognized that his wife, who is also a town councillor, could damn well speak for herself, which she certainly did. Because it’s 2016 and women are quite good at using their own voices, you know.
No one should be so quick to judge the dynamics here, including Brenda Seymour’s competency and her husband’s devotion.
http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/crashed-trucks-dead-mice-and-porn-inside-the-firefighting-scandal-tearing-apart-a-newfoundland-town
Husband
January 24, 2016 at 4:46 pm (5 years ago)Husband. Time with come for me too speak folks This is very sad Good FFs there. Don’t speak outside the fire house. Tabou there
Daphne
January 24, 2016 at 6:55 pm (5 years ago)This whole idea that her husband should have done something drives me insane. It’s 2016. A woman should not need to be rescued by her white knight. By suggesting that he did nothing, or should have done something, is only perpetuating the whole notion that a woman cannot stand up for herself and needs a man to look after her. Furthermore, to suggest that one man could do something to address what is obviously a pervasive issue not only with the fire department, but with the town council as well, is just absolutely ridiculous. I can only imagine that this situation was as equally difficult for him as his wife.
Winnie
January 24, 2016 at 1:26 pm (5 years ago)The biggest issue here is Sexual Harrassment in the Workplace. It should not exist and be exposed when it does. But I am baffled by the argument that the men didn’t think they were dining anything wrong. Playing porn as a jokers the workforce? Clearly whoever reaponsible knew this was wrong. Beowulf they play porn for their kids, their mother, their gramdparents as a joke? I certainly hope not! Saying “I jizzed on your helmet” is not only incredibly juvenile, but also disgusting. Not only at work, but at home as well. If this is not behaviour you would expose your family members to, why expose your work colleagues. I refuse to believe that the guilty parties were dumb enough not to know their behaviour was inappropriate. That exude doesn’t fly when my 6 year old does something stupid. It certainly shouldn’t fly for grown adults.
Carla
January 24, 2016 at 2:34 pm (5 years ago)” I refuse to believe that the guilty parties were dumb enough not to know their behaviour was inappropriate. That exude doesn’t fly when my 6 year old does something stupid. It certainly shouldn’t fly for grown adults.”
Winnie, I just wanted to chime in to agree with this. I’m sure they didn’t understand the seriousness of it, but there’s no way they actually thought remarks like that were okay, or porn was acceptable as part of a training video. And it’s not as if either of those things happened in a genial, “we’re all friends here” situation; they pretty clearly resented her presence there and she’d faced a wrongful dismissal. Sexual remarks at work are bad enough, but sexual remarks from men who want you gone count as intimidation, in my opinion.
Tam
January 24, 2016 at 1:37 pm (5 years ago)I love love love this! I am a woman from the bay and your blog speaks for a lot of us. Cheers to you! Giver….
Adam
January 24, 2016 at 2:03 pm (5 years ago)This is just about the best thing I’ve read, like about anything, in some time. Kudos, you rock.?
B
January 24, 2016 at 2:22 pm (5 years ago)And now you know why I don’t listen to radio call-in shows in St. John’s. Lots of ignorant people love to spew their BS for everyone to hear. Sad…
FEMINISM 2.0
January 24, 2016 at 2:24 pm (5 years ago)I think all of this speaks to the mental arrested development of the men….not just those in question but most of the rural males. They have not developed beyond their glory days of 16, many of them do not read anything, have no idea of what is happening anywhere but their own little world…fishing, hunting and work. Their wives and children aren’t even really part of the equation.
And the women. .. they will eat their own in defense of their men….even if they are abusive assholes. ..doesn’t matter….. he may be an asshole but he’s my asshole.
This is an issue with the kids already. Girls in Jr High are labeled sluts and whores as soon as hormones kick in. Girls they thought were friends turn on them as soon a boy enters the picture. And boys act like they own their girlfriends as young as 14 and 15 and the girls allow it. This issue is not going away anytime soon.
Spaniards Bay is not the issue…they are the lightning rod.
Feminism 3.0
January 24, 2016 at 3:24 pm (5 years ago)Though I very much agree with this blog, I don’t think your comment about all rural males is accurate or fair. This is the type of statement that labels Feminism( as is your name) as man-hating.
T
January 24, 2016 at 2:40 pm (5 years ago)Thank you. Thank you for squeezing your voice through. The radio show should engage views, not simply hear opinions.
john
January 24, 2016 at 2:48 pm (5 years ago)Terrific post. Finally some common sense. Ideally, journalism is supposed to be balanced but one must always be aware that journalism is a business-fanning the flames and making controversy makes money for the owners. That ridiculous jeweler knows the monetary value of controversy and free publicity too.
As for Spaniards Bay and what someone said above,, the town there are now desperate to spin the notion that the fire fighters resigned so as to help the female liaison officer-thus they are fighting for women and not against women. I am sure a hapless PR person/lawyer told them to spin it that way. It is good to see they now have some professional input.
It is too bad the town did not seek professional advice a long time ago-like some one to buy them a book…..The Idiots Guide to Sexual Harassment maybe?
Karen Fry
January 24, 2016 at 2:58 pm (5 years ago)Thanks to the population of bigots and narrow-minded arseholes this province seems to produce in shameful abundance, teaching opportunities arise quite frequently which enable me to mold my daughter into the sort of compassionate, socially modern adult that we so desperately need. Case in point: a couple of years back, during the lead-up to an election in my community of Portugal Cove-St. Philips, it hit the news that some micro-minded arseholes were defacing the campaign signs of one of the candidates with anti-gay poisonous comments. As we were subjected to this news item while driving in the car, my girl, then seven or eight, asked me why people would write that, and what did gay mean. Seizing upon an excellent teaching opportunity, I began by saying that it is in no instance cool or permissible to be mean to anyone, call them names, or criticize the way they live their life. The way that she or I or anyone else chooses to live their life, so long as it harms no one, is valid to them, and worthy of support. Knowing that the unfortunate children of the sign-defacers likely interacted with her on a daily basis in the sole elementary school in the community, I then related it to her own world: how does it make her feel when someone on the playground says or does something deliberately cruel to another child? Bad, she agreed. Is it appropriate to simply ignore it and hope it doesn’t happen to you? No, it is not. We do the age-appropriate right thing – either tell an adult, or, when you are the adult or older child, call the person on their bad behavior and stand with others to make it known that this kind of behavior is NOT okay. People are entitled to their opinion, yes, but when that opinion is based on their assumption of superiority over another human being, it is not okay to voice or act on it.
To address the question of what gay means, I explained that while her knowledge of family is a mommy and daddy and kids, in fact there are other, equally legitimate types of family. Some people are attracted to people of the opposite gender to their own (which society labels “straight”, or “heterosexual”), and others prefer the same as their own (which are labeled “gay” or “homosexual”). Both are fine, and both deserve our support. It is none of anyone else’s business how you or I or anyone else chooses to love. It is the person that matters, not the lifestyle that works for them. I told her that she knew people who were both “straight” and “gay”, but that who fell under each label didn’t matter because labels like that aren’t helpful and only distract from who they are as a person. Sermon finished, I was quiet for a bit while she absorbed it all. Did that answer your questions, I asked. Yes, she responded. I asked her if she’d like to explain back in her own words, which she did. She asked a few questions, I answered them, and now a few years later I’m beginning to see that the seeds planted that day have taken root, and my daughter is growing into the type of caring, intolerant-of-bullshit young woman I’d hoped she would be.
tl;dr Idiocy in the news can provide excellent teaching opportunities to mold children into the kind of compassionate, non-judgmental adults we desperately need. Don’t pass them up. Ask what your kid thinks of this or that news piece, and go from there. Thanks for reading to the end.
Teach
January 24, 2016 at 6:46 pm (5 years ago)It was worth reading to the end. Wow,! I’m very impressed how you turn something bad into an opportunity to do good. Ie. Teach your daughter. Thanks for sharing.
Theo Marie
January 24, 2016 at 3:01 pm (5 years ago)I felt such a relief reading your blog. It is cathartic and expresses the fear, horror and outrage i feel watching our girls and women struggle under a burden we thought was going to go away with the advent and continued battles of feminism. Not so.
I have teenaged grandsons and their mother and father do everything they can to teach these boys about respect for girls and women. But we are learning daily through all forms of social media and from our boys what is happening out there in the teenaged world of girls. It’s probably worse (if that’s possible) than it was when I grew up in the sixties, thanks in large part to social media and the attitudes that persist despite our feminist work.
We need more unbridled anger flying out of our mouths. We need to confront misogyny in all its ugly forms and we need to call out the Spaniard’s Bay neanderthals and all who support them. And to quote the eloquent writer above in Feminism 2.0, ‘Spaniard’s Bay is not the issue….they are the lightening rod.’
An anonymous patron of Spaniards Bay
January 24, 2016 at 3:13 pm (5 years ago)I can appreciate the points you have made, but I hope you can reason and have at least thought about for a moment that not all patrons of Spaniards Bay share bigotry views. A lot of us are embarrassed and ashamed of the personalities that are clashing and being strewn all over national media outlets.
GP Newfie
January 24, 2016 at 4:20 pm (5 years ago)You need to go back and read the full article, good patron.
Missy
January 24, 2016 at 3:14 pm (5 years ago)Honestly can not believe that people are actually reading this post and sharing it for others to read! Are we really trying to convince people that there is only one truth? And those who do not see things the way you might should “fuck off”? I will teach my children to respect the views and opinions of others and that not all people see things the same. While we may not agree or may not even like what others say or believe and truly feel it is wrong, doesn’t mean we are right or better than anyone! People who do not view the world in the same light as you are not horrible people. This is just another classic example of bullying and harassment. I really hope you do not speak such profound language in the presence of your children…because I do not feel it is appropriate. ( and i hope you can respect my opinion on that). I hope you can teach your children to be able to respond to others opinions and disagree in an intellectual and respectful manner. While you make some good points in this blog I think it can be worded much better! Unfortunately this world is not perfect, nor are the people in it and education and awareness is important. But if all we choose to do is attack and point fingers we will never succeed in making this world a better place to live. As the old saying goes “two wrongs don’t make a right”. As i see it, this blog is attacking those with differing opinions/views than yours. Instead of judging try informing! We can’t fight ignorance with ignorance!
GP Newfie
January 24, 2016 at 4:25 pm (5 years ago)There is nothing judgmental about this blog post. It is putting down those who think it is okay to harm other people in the name of their social code or brotherhood.
If your daughter was being treated this way would you say ” oh they’re just of a different opinion of you” or would you tell her to stand up and fight? I hope the latter because if not, you’re part of the problem.
J
January 24, 2016 at 5:16 pm (5 years ago)Are you really being serious right now? Not one person in Spaniards Bay has actually stated that these men didn’t sexually harass this woman, actually, they have proven that they did.
What opinions are you speaking of? Are you okay with these men doing this?
Susan McCarthy
January 24, 2016 at 6:21 pm (5 years ago)Its ‘profane” language Missy…you may want to google “profound” because I don’t think it’s a concept you encounter often. Both sides agree on the facts. End of story. They either don’t care, live in a time warp or think it will go away. Their responses have only served to make the situation worse. You have completely missed the point of the blog…these aren’t “opinions”…they are HATE SPEAK…it’s like when you call a gay man (a homosexal in your house I am sure) a FAG…it’s wrong…they are no two sides and its not an “opinion”. The only people attacking or pointing fingers are the men, and especially the women of Spaniard’s Bay…You are however right about one thing…”You cannot fight ignorance with ignorance” …you may want to also google “ignorance” because it means a “lack of knowledge/insight” not good manners. This issue is about ignorance for sure, not lack of good manners!
Waiting to Exhale
January 24, 2016 at 3:42 pm (5 years ago)I love your blog. I love that you tell it like you see it. Some people just don’t ‘see’ things they way others do. I have no doubt that the men in Spaniard’s Bay didn’t realize that Ms Seymore felt harassed at work. I know that isn’t an excuse. I teach my children (I have one of each lol) about respect and since they are young, (so far the only issue regarding gender association has been ‘why does she wear boys clothes and cut her hair short’) I frankly tell them that there is no such thing as boys or girls clothes, colours or hair cuts. They’re fine with that. We tell my son to respect girls and my daughter the same about boys,and to be kind to everyone, regardless of your feelings towards them. I also teach them not to judge. It’s easier to jump to the side of the line of the minority and defend them, I applaud that and I encourage it, when it’s warranted. There seem to be more than 2 sides to this story… it’s multi layered. And as I have to agree that some of the choices following the allegations have been very … questionable (i.e. support our men), I understand where they come from. There’s something more to this story, and I’m holding judgement on everyone involved until I hear all the sides. As Newfoundlanders, we are quick to support, and boy are we quick to condemn. (I don’t live anywhere near Spaniard’s Bay or have any horses in this race as an FYI)
Lorraine Jackson
January 24, 2016 at 5:09 pm (5 years ago)This is so funny but OH so true as well. Thank you.
Susan McCarthy
January 24, 2016 at 6:07 pm (5 years ago)This is the best piece of writing I’ve read in years. You express everything I have been seeing, hearing and feeling for the past week…all the way to N.B.! As a woman in federal corrections for 31 years…in what was and still is to a large extent a “male profession” this situation brings back many buried memories. Those young girls holding those “Support our Men” signs broke my heart. They might as well be wearing a sealskin burqa! But my experience has taught me that not all men (who are also husbands and fathers) believe in this line of thought but for some reason don’t know how to express their dismay, usually out of fear of being shunned too. And is the FORMER Chief’s name really “Hiscock”?! Hollywood couldn’t right this stuff…
Lynn
January 24, 2016 at 7:15 pm (5 years ago)Ignoring the other aspects (as there is a lot at play) and focusing on the porn in the classroom side…
I’ve worked in a few different areas of a primarily male dominated very structure based organization before. In my own experiences what I noticed was the learned acceptable behaviors. If they were respectful and non tolerant of harassment and open door policy about reporting such activities and open that those types of reports would be investigated and acted on as appropriate, it didn’t happen within that area.
If the more senior members were seen as tolerant, induldging and even encouraging the limits were pushed starting with sexual related commentary. If the more tenured people stepped up and said “no” and stopped the behaviors, great there’s the limit. If anyone else less respected than a more tenured member stepped up, especially a female, they were ostracized.
Yes there was harassment prevention training but if the greater majority ignores it or a porn video is played in an unrelated training it makes the harassment training nothing more than a joke, if it was even taken seriously in the first place.
In the similar workplaces I was in 1 had more senior members that acted in a respectful way and stopped the harassment before it started. The other had a senior member that egged on that kind of talk including his own vivid opinions. You can guess which work place had the higher instances of sexual harassment, abuse and worse.
Yes it’s 2016. I think the question is Why.the.actual.Fuck.is.this.still.happening?
As for the jewelry place, I really hope a double rainbow unicorn bites his ass… joking… mostly.
“Be the change you want to see in the world” unless you can be a double rainbow unicorn and get away with bite bigots in the ass, then be the unicorn. (Had to end on a lighter note.)
Kathleen spurrell.
January 24, 2016 at 7:46 pm (5 years ago)A great blog! You covered the situation well. However, I would like to stress that the innocent victims here, are the children. I could not believe I was seeing children holding these posters. Surely they were old enough to ask questions! I would love to hear the explanation given when they asked, “why”
Babs
January 24, 2016 at 8:02 pm (5 years ago)While the issue of sexual harassment in the workplace is at the forefront of what’s going on in Spaniard’s Bay, I’m very curious as to the reason behind why the Town’s Liaison with the Fire Department quit her position on council. I have read about her claims that Brenda Seymour (who is the female firefighter at the centre of the sexual harassment issue and is also a town councillor) harassed her to the point that she felt she couldn’t take it anymore. So the liaison resigned and when she did there were firemen who, in support of her, handed in their resignations as a show of support. The resignations of the firefighters had nothing to do with Brenda Seymour’s allegations of sexual harassment. So my question is this: Why has no one followed up on the liaisons allegations of the harassment she received from Brenda Seymour? Harassment that drove her to resign her position on council. Is it simply because the noise of protesting the sexual harassment issue has drowned out her voice? That would certainly be a terrible wrong and terribly shameful if it’s true. Maybe someone in the news world needs to track the liaison down and ask her some questions; because while Brenda Seymour may well be a victim in all of this, there may be another victim who has lost her voice in the din and is being overlooked. Maybe those who are hot and heavy on the sexual harassment issue (which I’m sorry she has suffered and I hope gets dealt with in a timely manner) need to take a small step back and take another look at the facts.
karen
January 24, 2016 at 9:43 pm (5 years ago)Brilliant, hysterically funny and sadly very accurate
Frank
January 24, 2016 at 11:24 pm (5 years ago)Very good points but very poorly said! I believe 2 wrongs do not make a right!
H.K. Short
January 25, 2016 at 3:47 am (5 years ago)Sweet baby Jesus. You are the top notch.
And, to think that as of 28th January us woman have been allowed to vote.
I was not up on the firehouse shit that was happening in my beloved province but, that was soon rectified. Women that stand up are strong, proud and worthy. I don’t give a rats ass of who you are, where you come from or what you Daddy did. A pig is a pig. I hope that women will see that be can not put up with shit like this. No person deserves to be harassed at work and then the town shit on them. Man, woman or child we are all people and deserve better.
Philomena Barry
January 25, 2016 at 10:46 pm (5 years ago)Hi 🙂 great article which I read thanks to my NL friend who shared it to her Facebook page, and which I will now be sharing too so that people here in Ireland can read the awesomeness too 🙂
Susan
January 26, 2016 at 11:39 pm (5 years ago)Thank you motherfumbler. Thank you for so elequently expressing how I feel about this horrific story.
Sharon Dove
January 27, 2016 at 2:46 pm (5 years ago)Omg! Love this blog! I’m sure we could be friends! Thanks for telling it like it is! ( or should be)
hilary in victoria
March 14, 2016 at 10:14 pm (5 years ago)Oh my dear, I hope you can stay as strong and brave for the rest of your life, yes, and teach your children (boy or girl) to be the same. I left the Rock in the 70’s, when we really didn’t realize what discrimination was, for god’s sake. I really believed at one point that rape was impossible because “a girl with her skirt up can run faster than a man with his pants down”. We have all come a long way, sisters, so let’s not fail now. Good on ya, girl!!
MotherFumbler
April 7, 2016 at 7:36 pm (5 years ago)HUGS