The Macro
A reader who I will call BB was particularly angry about a column I wrote last week about the pointlessness of using longer sentences to cut down on repeat criminal behaviour.
I knew the subject itself was controversial; in large part, that’s one of the reasons I was attracted to the issue.
The majority of emails and social media responses I received — not an indication of how the column was received, but more an indication of the people I really pissed off — scoffed at my thesis, despite the fact that social scientists have repeatedly shown that harsher, longer sentences and tighter restrictions on release do not cut down on recidivism.
In short, unless you are going to keep all repeat offenders, regardless of crime, in prison for their natural lives, they are likely to re-offend upon release. Unless, of course, you provide some sort of strategic supervision and support to give them other options.
I even referenced a recent program used by the Winnipeg Police Service and social services, Project Surge, that had reduced recidivism among young offenders.
However, the reaction from BB opened up a whole new avenue of concern.
After accusing me of embracing “liberal wokism (sic),” BB dropped this beauty on me:
“Liberalize all you want, those two bum pals aren’t hurting the public in jail. American sentences like 25 years or life for three offences keeps these types off our streets. Sure it costs money to house them but the dough this present government has spent on shit hole countries like Haiti or Samolia (sic) could be used to build more jails.”
I’m not going to argue that BB represents the majority opinion on this issue. I am going to ask a question about why the readers who accuse me of “wokeism” almost always seem to include a homophobic slur or allegation that I am not a man’s man.
Emails I’ve received include terms like “girly-boy,” “fem-bot,” and two others I won’t explicitly use here, but one is a synonym for cat and the other is the hard F-sharp that refers to sexual orientation and not a sexual act.
I’m not trying to play the role of Capt. Obvious here; toxic and stupid is as toxic and stupid does. But, it has long worried me that homophobic words and phrases are a go-to resource when the anti-woke crowd want to insult an alleged woke person.
I don’t always respond to people like BB, but in this case, I couldn’t resist the temptation to offer him my observation that certain homophobic language seems to be pro forma for a certain kind of anti-woke reader.
After telling me that he was 75 years old, BB responded thusly: “If using language I grew up using offends you, that’s your problem.”
It’s not just my problem. The news is rife with stories about the ongoing battle over LGBTTQ+ protection and rights.
On the worrisome side of this evolving equation, the Manitoba Legislature passed a private members bill to recognize March 31 as a day to recognize two-spirit and transgender Manitobans. Its preamble promotes the idea that the trans community is one in need of support and protection. Nine members of the Progressive Conservative caucus voted for the bill, while four Tory MLAs voted against it, and an alarming eight Tories abstained.
Equally concerning is the fact the Louis Riel School Division was forced to ban 35 people from attending school board meetings after they disrupted a meeting on June 6, 2023 where anti-LGBTTQ+ activists shouted words like “groomer” and “f—ing faggot” at trustee Ryan Palmquist, who recently came out as bisexual.
Thankfully, there is a positive side.
The controversy in Louis Riel school division was focused on a by-election to replace former trustee Francine Champagne, who quit after being suspended three times for racist and ant-LBGTTQ+ posts.
In that byelection, two similarly homophobic candidates ran against school teacher Ian Walker, who has promised to protect LGBTTQ+ students. Walker won, a hugely important victory in the grander scale of things.
What do we make of all this anger and hate, interrupted every once in a while by a spasm of tolerance?
First, we need to recognize the war for tolerance is still being waged, and the outcome is decidedly uncertain.
And second, living to age 75 is not a licence to spew hate.
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