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While a sexy issue to the media, it is really minor in scope to the Mayor as the majority of Ford's support base could care less about this. Do you really think the average person that voted for Ford is loosing sleep over this? The answer is no. Pride is steeped in political ideology, and Ford gets no support from the gay community (generally speaking, exceptions will exist) so why would he give them the time of day? He'd just get booed if he attended any Pride since he is universally hated, right?

Ford is pretty much the Devil himself... why would you want the Devil leading your parade?
 
PCC said:
While a sexy issue to the media, it is really minor in scope to the Mayor as the majority of Ford's support base could care less about this.
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And that attitude is precisely why Ford is a two-bit politician instead of a real big city leader. He is supposed to be the mayor for all the city, not just his "base".

And once again, this is an event with one of the largest economic impacts on the city, and hugely important for tourism. Any true fiscal conservative who is worried about city finances should be talking up this event, not running from it.

He'd just get booed if he attended any Pride since he is universally hated, right?
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Just like Lastman was booed? Oh, wait...
 
Tulse said:
Right, so if Ford had had this reaction around Caribana, it wouldn't have been appropriate to call him racist -- he would just be "uncomfortable" around black people.

The man is a 42-year-old adult, has been in politics for years, and is the mayor of a city of millions. Not showing up to read a proclamation for two minutes from a podium well back from a small group at city hall is well beyond being "uncomfortable around" gay and lesbian people. And frankly, I don't care how "uncomfortable" he is -- if he is going to offer official city support for an event (which a proclamation is), he should be brave enough to act like it doesn't make him uncomfortable for the two minutes it takes to proclaim it. He's the goddamned leader of the city, and he should act like a leader, and not like he's afraid he'll get cooties if he even says "gay".
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Wanted to add to this discussion (your post seemed like the best to quote), tolerance can go both ways. This means we also need to tolerate those who have differing views towards homosexuality. As South Park once noted, 'tolerance' is not the same as liking something. Ford may be uncomfortable around the gay community, but at the end of the day as long as he gives them the same treatment (and keeps his big mouth shut...) as other Torontonians I can't really fault him on it.
 
Tulse said:
Right, so if Ford had had this reaction around Caribana, it wouldn't have been appropriate to call him racist -- he would just be "uncomfortable" around black people.

The man is a 42-year-old adult, has been in politics for years, and is the mayor of a city of millions. Not showing up to read a proclamation for two minutes from a podium well back from a small group at city hall is well beyond being "uncomfortable around" gay and lesbian people. And frankly, I don't care how "uncomfortable" he is -- if he is going to offer official city support for an event (which a proclamation is), he should be brave enough to act like it doesn't make him uncomfortable for the two minutes it takes to proclaim it. He's the goddamned leader of the city, and he should act like a leader, and not like he's afraid he'll get cooties if he even says "gay".
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Agreed. It's immature, unprofessional, and really, quite 'DUMB' of him and his handlers.


But a few here want to extrapolate and paint the guy as the 'gay hating' devil, etc etc. It's a little ridiculous and I want to say again that it's that type of attitude that will continue to polarize and 'fuel' the christian right. Really, it does no good to shove a set of beliefs that people are not comfortable with because they where not socialized properly as a child/adult.

You speak to a Ford supporter, and most will acknowledge his lack of sensibilities, but that is not what he got elected on.

He has 3 more years to amend his behaviour.
 
Really, it does no good to shove a set of beliefs that people are not comfortable with because they where not socialized properly as a child/adult.
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Agreed, the religious right should learn to butt out of things they don't want to understand.
 
Electrify said:
Wanted to add to this discussion (your post seemed like the best to quote), tolerance can go both ways. This means we also need to tolerate those who have differing views towards homosexuality. As South Park once noted, 'tolerance' is not the same as liking something. Ford may be uncomfortable around the gay community, but at the end of the day as long as he gives them the same treatment (and keeps his big mouth shut...) as other Torontonians I can't really fault him on it.
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I don't disagree, but can you really see him treating any other Torontonians this way? Again, this is a major economic event in the city, and as the city's mayor he should be publicly supporting it. I'm not asking that he embrace gay culture, or change his personal, private beliefs -- I'm asking him to act like the mayor of one of the largest cities in North America, and support one of the largest economic events in the city.
 
js97 said:
Really, it does no good to shove a set of beliefs that people are not comfortable with because they where not socialized properly as a child/adult.
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Yet that statement itself underscores the intolerance its trying to hide.
 
Electrify said:
This means we also need to tolerate those who have differing views towards homosexuality.
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Do we also need to tolerate those who have differing views about letting certain races take the same bus? Or interracial marriage? What about those that have different views about putting certain races in internment camps (and before someone Godwin's on me, I'm thinking about Canadian camps).
 
nfitz said:
Do we also need to tolerate those who have differing views about letting certain races take the same bus? Or interracial marriage? What about those that have different views about putting certain races in internment camps (and before someone Godwin's on me, I'm thinking about Canadian camps).
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Yes.
 
adma said:
Now, politically speaking, that can be spun two ways. One might be the "there goes the neighbourhood" trip espoused by neighbourhood activists (NIMBY or not), heritage activists and advocates of "urban sensitivity", whether Jane Jacobite or not. They'd advocate voting to prevent more like that. And then there'd be the "property rights" advocates who'd advocate voting *against* those meddlesome NIMBYs and hysterical-preservationists...for whom a Mayor Ford is the cat's pyjamas.
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A third way might lie in not seeing much difference between the rather anal Lutyens-esque original and the flamboyantly cartoonish replacement.
 
Ah, but then we get into radical Koolhaas/Cronacaos perspectives on heritage. (Or radically misunderstood, even by Koolhaas himself.)
 
PCC said:
While a sexy issue to the media, it is really minor in scope to the Mayor as the majority of Ford's support base could care less about this. Do you really think the average person that voted for Ford is loosing sleep over this? The answer is no. Pride is steeped in political ideology, and Ford gets no support from the gay community (generally speaking, exceptions will exist) so why would he give them the time of day? He'd just get booed if he attended any Pride since he is universally hated, right?

Ford is pretty much the Devil himself... why would you want the Devil leading your parade?
Click to expand...

If he had have said he'd attend the parade three weeks ago instead of "I have to check my calender" (when asked by a reporter) he'd have been cheered as he made his way along the route, even by me who can't stand his stink. Had he have been up front about not attending the parade but said he was looking forward to attending other events throughout the week damage control would be minimal. He's blown it and more is coming in the next three and a half years.

Further to Tulse's great post above (post #2154), I think there are many people in the last week all around Toronto who are concerned about the way Ford is handling this whole thing. Some have sons, daughters, sisters, brothers etc etc who are part of the LGBTTIQQ2SA community and further, realize if they are a visible minority, have to wonder what he really thinks of them.
 
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