C is for council as in city council as in London’s is a mess.
We made headlines again after a council meeting. This time is was Sandy White, one of the least polished members of council, who used the N word in perhaps the worst analogy to ever be shared in the horseshoe at City Hall.
Virgin radio here in London followed what Virgin in Toronto did when it launched and put an eye-popping bus ad on some of our city’s transit vehicles. This is the photo of Katy Perry that drew so much negative attention.
It did not get my knickers in a knot. It’s cartoonish and silly. But it did draw complaints to the London Transit Commission from some women. Virgin LOVED the controversy because it kept the new radio station’s name in the news. Lucky them. Anyway, because of the LTC’s shrug over the complaints, Sandy White decided to resign from the LTC board.
At council this week, instead of concentrating on the courage of her convictions, White said people would understand if the ad had shown a penis or used words like n*****. Understandably, there was shock on the council floor. Later, Harold Usher, the only black councillor, said he felt she used that word toward him because he had earlier said people told him they liked the bus ad. She refused a call to apologize. Our Mayor sat on his hands until late the next day when he repeated a zero tolerance policy against derogatory language; a policy that was supposed to already be in place and therefore, take effect at this time. Language:1 Fontana: 0.
Sandy White is not a racist. She’s a terrible ad-libber and insensitive and emotional but she’s not a racist. But to compare the centuries-long plight of slaves to a photo that she believed inspired a mild (if I’m being generous) objectification of women is like shooting an ant with a machine gun. She apologized via email and on radio and finally live on the steps of City Hall where she was heckled by a man who called for her resignation. It’s tempting to toss someone after they make a mistake but I don’t think it’s warranted this time. If I were in her ward I’d be concerned about her judgment, though.
While there has been huge outrage and backlash there have also been those who don’t understand the fuss. To them I say, go learn about black history. Yes, Louis CK can discuss and use the word in his stand-up act because the discussion centres on language and when you pay to see Louis CK you know what you’re going to get. A city councillor tossing it out for, in her words, shock value, is unacceptable. And it comes in the context of a mess after mess made by our city politicians. Once again London makes headlines and once again it’s for all the wrong reasons.