Inkless Wells

Paul Wells on all the latest out of Ottawa—along with the occasional post about jazz. Follow Paul on Twitter: @InklessPW

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Today in the no-spin zone: Sheila Copps and the burqa-wearing oppressed

by Paul Wells on Monday, July 6, 2009 11:58am - 82 Comments

“How genteel we Canadian women are. Just like our burka-loving sisters in Afghanistan, we are expected to carry out our work quietly in the shadows, because that is our place in politics and in life. Heaven forbid we should be noticed, feted or written about.”

— from a column in which Sheila Copps defends a sister whose work was rudely fact-checked

Tags: burqas, david akin, Jane Taber, professional standards, Sheila Copps

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FelixJones

Three pages of comments about a Sheila Copps blurb, most of which led to an attack/defense of Sarah Palin? You people are the reason why she persists in the public view. I guess now I should add my name to that list. I effing hate the internet.
http://intensedebate.com/people/truemuse truemuse

Well here at Maclean's it is definitely a boys club. Guess Well's doesn't take the point that the women change to conform to the men in power. Like Alexandra Shimo, and other young women at this paper, they adapt, but I don't see the men changing their styles and content toward balance. It starts at the top — recognition that values of equity are important. If there is no corporate culture around that — in journalism, in politics, anywhere — then the pov is always a male oriented one. How many women participate on these comment boards? There are women writers at macleans, and readers, but the vocal tenor, the lead, is male. We all miss out when half the story is told.
http://www.intensedebate.com/people/truemuse truemuse

Well here at Maclean's it is definitely a boys club. Guess Wells doesn't take the point that women change to conform to men in power. Like Alexandra Shimo, and other young women at this paper, they adapt, but I don't see the men changing their styles and content toward balance. It starts at the top — recognition that values of equity are important. If there is no corporate culture around that — in journalism, in politics, anywhere — then the pov is always a male oriented one. How many women participate on these comment boards? There are women writers at macleans, and readers, but the vocal tenor, the lead, is male. We all miss out when half the story is told.

http://intensedebate.com/people/SeanStok SeanStok

You forgot to mention O'Malley, Ameil, Savage, Kingston, etc…

But maybe objective balance is just another misogynist trope.

http://intensedebate.com/people/SeanStok SeanStok

Oh, and calling them all young women makes you sound like an old sexist dude. I expect the average age of the men writing is somewhere around 40, if not less, and probably not too much more than the gals. Wells just acts like a cranky senior, he's not one yet.

http://www.intensedebate.com/people/SeanStok SeanStok

You forgot to mention O'Malley, Amiel, Savage, Kingston, etc…

But maybe objective balance is just another misogynist trope.

http://intensedebate.com/people/truemuse truemuse

Wasn't it Michael Petrou here at Macleans who pointed out that the Afghan parliament has as many women MP's as Canada? In that sense our female MP's are just like our burka-loving sisters in Afghanistan, aren't they? And I suppose that Sheila Copps, delicious parliamentarian that she was, who could debate any journalist into the ground (love to see the pug noses of Wells and Copps nose to nose), I suppose that it's a little hard for Sheila to devolve into 'just a journalist' after her long career, isn't it? But trust Wells to paint her as a juniour journalist, rather the pundit she is, a superior pundit to Wells.
http://www.intensedebate.com/people/truemuse truemuse

Wasn't it Michael Petrou here at Macleans who pointed out that the Afghan parliament has as many women MP's as Canada? In that sense our female MP's are just like our burka-loving sisters in Afghanistan, aren't they? And I suppose that Sheila Copps, delicious parliamentarian that she was, who could debate any journalist into the ground (love to see the pug noses of Wells and Copps nose to nose), I suppose that it's a little hard for Sheila to devolve into 'just a journalist' after her long career, isn't it? But trust Wells to paint her as a juniour journalist, rather than the special pundit she is.
James Halifax

Sheila Copps is special. In fact, I'd say she's Sooooo….special, she should be wearing a hockey helmet, though she would have to consider the size ramifications given the layers of tinfoil.