It is to laugh. NDPers are pouring out comments about the Tommy Douglas post because, of course, “St Tommy” is beyond criticism. I have no interest in allowing them on the podium of this blog to spout their outrage.
Sure it was the 1970s before homosexuality was declassified as a disease, but “progressive” voices knew it a long time before. Pierre Trudeau, who said and wrote his share of outrageous (to our minds in 2008) things, and Lester Pearson and the Liberal Cabinet of the day were, I conjure more than a step ahead of the NDP on the issue in 1968. Douglas’ comment in the national leaders’ debate would have been carefully vetted and was intended to sway public opinion. On this, one might say “Tommy Douglas was not a leader,” but that would be crass and inconsistent with the point of the posting which was that times change and people learn. Be careful throwing the first stone because, in this digital age, we all live in glass houses.
Lukiwski, however, was speaking privately and bore appearances of exhaustion/alcohol impairment (who of us hasn’t been that in a campaign office late at night); his rant is best compared with Borat’s monologues.
Bill Siksay, Jason Cherniak and Matt Guerin are big enough to accept Lukiwki’s apology. Many Canadians, I believe, will have leaned something about hateful speech in the past 24 hours. As Cherniak put it, it’s what is said now and going forward that matters.
