Have your say

Gun culture pervasive

Your Jan. 12 story Video games latest on V-P's list demonstrates how pervasive gun culture is with our neighbour to the south. The American Pediatric Academy has found conclusive evidence of the purveyance of media violence pushing an entire nation toward a more violent gun culture.

The term "weapons of mass destruction" was coined to use against countries deemed terrorist in the early '90s. Now the term can be pointed back at the very nation that coined it. Americans are using weapons of mass destruction on their own.

We do not want this here in Canada.

WILMA SOTAS

Winnipeg

Deceiving and simplistic

While the writer of the Jan. 12 story The family's arsenal makes a number of relevant points about the need for perspective when dealing with the issue of toy guns and war play, the headline and sub-headline, Got a problem with toy guns? You shouldn't, are deceiving and simplistic.

Yes, many boys (and some girls) are drawn to violent play and to toy guns, and, yes, the majority of them grow up into fine, upstanding young men and women. This does not negate the fact, though, that there is much violence in the world and that raising peaceful, creative young people starts in the home -- and this may include limiting access to violent toys and video games.

RUTH TARONNO

Winnipeg

Patriarchy hurts us all

In his Jan. 14 letter addressing patriarchy, Expecting equality, Gregory Unger manages to make my point for me with his rebuttal.

Patriarchy hurts all of us. All the examples that he gives to show how men are disadvantaged by our current patriarchal system reflect what is wrong with accepting the prevailing norm of patriarchy.

The ideas that men are strong (or should be), women are the natural caregivers of children, and the normalizing of men acting on violent impulses, all contribute to the negative outcomes that he points to.

When you examine these issues more closely, you will find that a lot of this is linked to underlying assumptions regarding gender stereotyping. What feminism hopes to achieve is a more equal society where we are all raised up by recognizing that men and women can contribute to society better when we value each other as equals, which is not the same as saying that we all are the same. A race to the bottom where we are all harmed equally is certainly not my goal.

DIANA GOODS

Winnipeg

Slippin' and slidin'

I am shocked at the lack of sand or salt on major thoroughfares in Winnipeg. This is my second winter here and I am completely dumbfounded as to why there is so little being done to ensure safety on our winter roads.

I counted into double digits how many cars were into the median on Wednesday morning. Every morning as I listen to the radio, I am bombarded with reports of multiple vehicle crashes and cars just sliding off the roads.

Manitoba Public Insurance should forget about building or repairing roads. Maybe they should put up a plan to make our six months of winter driving in this city safer.

DENNIS DANZ

Winnipeg

City owes rebate

Re: Councillor wants all contract details (Jan. 12). If the city has collected between $350,000 and $450,000 in fines from Emterra, yet the taxpayers are paying 14 cents a day for this service, where is the rebate that taxpayers should be entitled to for poor service?

In a little over three months, the city has collected quite a bit of revenue, again on the backs of the taxpayer. I guess that is why we are not likely to see any improvement in the near future.

MERRILL CLARK

Winnipeg

A visionary plan

Re: Bid to seek heritage designation for boreal forest nears completion (Jan. 14). Congratulations to all First Nations leaders of the Pimachiowin Aki world-heritage project and to our provincial government for its submission of this visionary plan to the United Nations.

If all goes well, it will culminate in a vast portion of eastern Manitoba and northwestern Ontario receiving world-heritage status. It would mean that this magnificent land of pristine lakes, marshes, rivers and streams will no longer be threatened with commercial exploitation.

It also means that countless species of flora and fauna will be protected for all peoples to observe, to marvel and to enjoy for generations to follow.

Hopefully, this will also put an end to the rancorous debate that has been raging for years over the routing of the Manitoba Hydro Bipole III transmission line. At a time when the Conservative agenda appears to trump environmental concerns and the imperative to consult with First Nations people, this is truly a splendid achievement.

JULES LEGAL

Winnipeg

Shooting the undead

I enjoyed Bartley Kives' Jan. 12 Detour feature, Zombie zeitgeist, and agree with his reasons zombies have become so popular.

Let me add another reason. They play perfectly into America's gun-loving psyche, wherein you can blow the head off a perceived threat without retribution because the person is already dead. No harm, no foul.

RONN ENNS

Winnipeg

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition January 17, 2013 A12