04.13.2013 09:24 AM

At Rehtaeh’s funeral, now

Photo posted by Jane Taber:

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(And I just wanted to say something: my friend Gerald Butts has been running Justin Trudeau’s campaign. Usually, people involved in campaigns go out of their way not to offend the news media.

In the past few days, however, Gerald – who is a dad, and a proud Nova Scotian – has been as upset about the Parsons case as I have been. He’s taken to social media to righteously criticize prominent media commentators – like Chris Selley – for dismissing what happened to Rehtaeh as a case of “bullying,” and not what it is. Which is rape.

I don’t have anything profound to say about that. Other than the fact that, Gerald is the type of person we need more of in our politics, not less.)

6 Comments

  1. smelter rat says:

    I just heard D Dexter on The House. What an idiot.

  2. Patrick Smyth says:

    Chris Selley’s comment looks just like the kind of flippant journalism that prevails currently. Maybe he will reconsider and dwell instead on that which ails Canada, my Province and my City.

  3. Lynn says:

    I live down the street from the church where the service was held, I could not go. A great deal of the reason I could not go is because I could not stomach seeing the politicians and bureaucrats who are going to show up and be concerned for today, and then go into the office on Monday look for somewheere to deflect all the wrong decisions made up until now in this case. Dan mentioned, it is making many of us sick because they were content to let her death just go by and never cared what that poor girl experienced. The girl took her life and NOW there is concern! Dexter did sound like a stuttering buffoon on the house which is typical because he is one. Just a quick point as we point fingers at the teens: some of the worst behavior and bullying I have ever seem in my life has been in the workplace by upper level bureaucrats who believe, like those young men, that they are untouchable, and in most cases they are right, in fact the pit bulls, manipulators and cheats are getting promoted while the victim goes home and questions their sanity and worries about being dismissed from the job. Life, high school with money.

  4. A guest here says:

    I just get so frustrated when people downplay rape. It’s as though people are looking to excuse the rapist. And Selley should simply be ashamed of himself.

  5. Brian mouland says:

    In the past few days I have been going to websites seeing the blame for the suicide put on Harper or Dexter or the RCMP. My brother committed suicide in 2010 due to depression yet I don’t blame the company that laid him off, the girl who broke off their engagement or any other factors. Fact is Ms.Parsons is gone and is never coming back. Perhaps a little less false rage and a little more focus on the problems of bullying and suicide is needed; finger pointing and screaming will not help Ms.Parsons now.

  6. I recently spoke to someone who is trying to help teens with mental health issues such as suicidal thoughts, cutting and not wanting to be outside. So far no help has been provided because their school budgets do not permit this. If a place could be provided for her to start with a few teens, perhaps more teens would drop in rather than out. This is happening in the GTO. But also in the case of Rehtaeh Parsons, there has to be some finger pointing because people in authority turned their back on her. It saddens me a lot as in the 70’s we started a Block Parent organization in our city that was originally housewives and mothers who cared about their children’s safety. It is still alive in some communities but not all. We were affiliated with the police and had a great program with a safety officer who went to schools to talk to students about staying safe and aware of the dangers that might involve them. It seems to me that bullying is more prevalent today than ever which saddens me also. I have a granddaughter of 11 and a grandson of 7 and only pray that this would never happen to them.

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