Ya know what nasyboy, if the Lekiwiski in that video had been a 16 year old swaggering around with a beer in his hand trying to impress his mates or some girl I’d be the first to agree with ya. But the Lekiwiski in that video is, by accounts I have read elsewhere, 40 years old and (at least should have been) long passed that stage in his life.

According to news reports I saw Lekiwiski was “frog marched” to the cameras and told to make an apology, that’s not to say he wouldn’t have made it anyway (what else could he do fergodssake?), and then the party welcomed him back into the fold with open arms, let bye-gones-be-bye-gones, it’s all over with now, one short day after much political theatre, posturing, and chest thumping over bigoted comments made by others.

– and that hypocrisy, and not what Lekiwiski said then (or even how he may feel today), is the point of my post.

It’s a historical gold mine, but a little context and grain of salt is required, especially given that Pat Atkinson was being the release of it. It really contains nothing very new from what we didn’t know. Tories like to get drunk and show off for a home video. Sounds like half the kids in this province, unfortunately.

Whooee! Unless we believe that people’s attitudes can and do change, we’re completely wasting our time with any meaningful discussions, dialogs, rants, blogs, essays, op-ed pieces, church sermons, parental lectures or any proselytizing, at all.

If we do not believe that a Hummer-driving polluter can see the light and slow down his contribution to the death of the planet, why waste our breath and energy trying to convince environmental miscreants to change their attitudes? If we do not believe that a racist can see the error of her ways, what point is there in trying show her that error?

I agree with SL on the Ahenekew hypocrisy. As to why the Con’s are forgiving Lukiwski but not Ahenekew, you only need to look at the targets of the bigotry. Hatred of queers is not as bad as hatred of Jews, at least in the official view of the CPoC.

I know that people can and do change. I know it from personal experience. I’ve changed over the years and I’ve seen huge changes in family members — positive changes. When a seemingly sincere apology is given and a person renounces formerly held beliefs, I want to take them at their word. Call it idealistic optimism but without such a belief, I might as well give up all my do-gooder preachifyin’ an’ become an eco-terrorist.

JB

“Did Lekiwiski in the video remind anyone else of Eric Roberts from “Star 80″?”

Holy crap, get out of my head….

I’ll jump on the bandwagon here too - its not so much about what he said, but with the official hypocrisy surrounding it. I think people can change their views - radically at times - in 16 years. Like Candace, I’m sure some of the things I may have said 20 years ago I would fight hard against today (mostly involving the glories of Marxism).

The same people defending Lukiwski will no doubt be the ones that continue to claim that Trudeau was a fascist because he belonged to them in his youth (and a “card carrying commie” as my mum used to say - even when she voted for him).

Lukiwski has it the worst and he between a rock and a hard place - reviled my the more moderates because of what he said and reviled by the rest because the seem his apology as too “politically correct” (even if he meant it, which at this time I have no reason to doubt.)

“It’s hypocritical political b/s based on nothing more than party affiliation and favour - the current foundation of party politics in Canada.”

It is very hypocritical, I agree fully. I think it goes deeper than party loyalty, though.

There is still plenty of homophobia that goes either unnoticed or we let it slide. A popular schoolyard taunt in the 50’s and 60’s when I was alad was to call someone a “queer” or a “fag.”

Today, things haven’t changed much. I don’t frequent schoolyards but even I’ve heard the derogatory exclamation, “That’s so gay!” I’ve even heard parents of teenagers use this expression. And, yes, I did react with, “What do you have against gays?” Shocked silence and then they never speak to you again. In 2008.

Males in my generation were given a negative portrayal of homosexuals from the very time we learned such people existed. In fact, we learned of their existence by asking just what it meant when the big boys called someone a fag or a queer. Anti-gay prejudice lives on today and has been far more acceptable than racial or religious prejudice.

JB

Any 40 year old politician who doesn’t understand the historical resonance of calling a group of people “disease carriers” …. I don’t know. People do change, and I wish to forgive - but that particular kind of discussion of a whole group of people makes me queasy. If I heard his story on how and why he put his dehumanization down - the story of his shift, rather than just “I’m so sorry”, which MIGHT mean “I’m so sorry that I was frankly honest in a way that would come back to bite me” - I would have a much easier time with understanding this man.

As it is, I don’t get it, and it scares me.

That’s what it comes right down to. This kind of language scares me; I’m not going to be unscared by an apology that could be for political expedience.

Don’t lump all men under the same banner - y’gotta hate to be a dude - because it’s simply not true. Nothing sexy nor sexed about hate.

Oh please, don’t be so quick to jump on the hate bandwagon and lets keep the straw men with the tin men.

It was a time of transition as you note. What percentage of males do you think have never made a statement more offensive that Lekiwiski’s. 10%? 5%?

In the early 1990’s I had two friends who were gay and even before that I was generally respectful. Still I’m pretty sure I used the word faggot and homo. I certainly used homo in the same way that offend Jim Bob (ie as a synonym for lame). It never occurred to me to inspect their fingernails.

The point beneath the hyperbole is that this sanctimonious fascination we seem to have developed of trolling through a person’s history to find remarks that are by todays standards intemperate and then demanding they resign is the real hypocrisy here.

If the man was 40 then and said that, then I don’t think he should be given the free pass. He was an adult - a prominent one at that.

I will understand if he was a kid, or even a young man. But 40 is too much. You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.

What about the Conservative Party and its’ hypocrisy in this Kevin?

Stageleft, that’s a very good point; why are we allowing these assholes an historical free ride when their own hypocrisy shows it doesn’t make any difference anyway?

I’m just offended as someone with a sense of humor. Nothing they said was even remotely funny. Not even in an ironic way. It was just plain dumb and sophomoric.