Also outta control: the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal
After the media's abhorrent treatment of the custody/grounding/camping trip/courts-overturning-parental-punishments case in this province a short while ago, I am very skeptical about everything I read in the paper. Not that I wasn't before, but even more so. (If you read the article at that link, do not take it at face value... do a little digging, and if that fails, ask me or better yet wendykh about it.)
That said, if the Post is to be believed on this one, the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal (same fine people responsible for the whole Mark Steyn thing) really is going off the fucking deep end, and they deserve our scorn and angry letters.
The basics, according to one David Wylie, of Canwest:
A Canadian stand-up comedian will face a human rights tribunal hearing after a woman complained she and her friends faced a 'tirade of homophobic and sexist comments' while attending one of his shows.
...
(Complainant Lorna) Pardy could not be reached yesterday for comment. However, the tribunal's decision says she alleges she was discriminated against over her sex and sexual orientation when (comedian Guy) Earle made public comments 'intended to humiliate her.'
Oh, really? A stand-up comedian made public comments in a FUCKING COMEDY CLUB intended to humiliate you? I hope the first question of this woman is whether this was her first time ever in a comedy club.
I'm sure people are going to invoke Michael Richards here, and I get that. Comedians sometimes say offensive things. So do artists. So do MPs and first nations leaders and everyone. The difference here, is that this woman is taking her complaint to the BCHRT, which is going to hear the case.
Or in other words: an arm of the BC government is going to be hearing a case that could determine what does, and does not go, in comedy clubs. Think on that tonight.
That said, if the Post is to be believed on this one, the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal (same fine people responsible for the whole Mark Steyn thing) really is going off the fucking deep end, and they deserve our scorn and angry letters.
The basics, according to one David Wylie, of Canwest:
A Canadian stand-up comedian will face a human rights tribunal hearing after a woman complained she and her friends faced a 'tirade of homophobic and sexist comments' while attending one of his shows.
...
(Complainant Lorna) Pardy could not be reached yesterday for comment. However, the tribunal's decision says she alleges she was discriminated against over her sex and sexual orientation when (comedian Guy) Earle made public comments 'intended to humiliate her.'
Oh, really? A stand-up comedian made public comments in a FUCKING COMEDY CLUB intended to humiliate you? I hope the first question of this woman is whether this was her first time ever in a comedy club.
I'm sure people are going to invoke Michael Richards here, and I get that. Comedians sometimes say offensive things. So do artists. So do MPs and first nations leaders and everyone. The difference here, is that this woman is taking her complaint to the BCHRT, which is going to hear the case.
Or in other words: an arm of the BC government is going to be hearing a case that could determine what does, and does not go, in comedy clubs. Think on that tonight.