"He has the posture of a warrior. Brash. Worldly. Fearless."
October 12, 2017 4:37 PM Subscribe
On This Hour Has 22 Minutes, Mark Critch presents an erotic reading of longtime Globe & Mail columnist Margaret Wente's column on the New Democrat Party's new leader, Jagmeet Singh, with the help of an actor resembling Jagmeet Singh, moody lighting, strawberries and wine, and at least a litre of maple syrup.
22 Minutes should do this kind of live reading for all of Margaret Wente's columns. Maybe she'd actually clue in to how unbelievably embarrassing they are. Even better, maybe The Globe & Mail would, and fire her already.
I mean, labelling Jagmeet Singh an alpha male and Justin Trudeau a beta male like some hormone-driven sixteen-year-old who just participated in a combination dating and marketing seminar run by some smarmy, misogynist, self-styled entrepreneurial guru like, say Dimitri the Lover? WHY DON'T YOU TALK ABOUT THEIR POLICIES, PEG?
As for her ignorant racism in describing Jagmeet Singh's turban as "brilliant branding device" and "exotic", I have neither the words nor the patience.
Not only is her work routinely racist and reactionary and generally sucky, but she's also been caught plagiarising material for her column. Seriously, what's it take to get fired from The Globe & Mail?
posted by orange swan at 4:58 PM on October 12, 2017 [23 favorites]
I mean, labelling Jagmeet Singh an alpha male and Justin Trudeau a beta male like some hormone-driven sixteen-year-old who just participated in a combination dating and marketing seminar run by some smarmy, misogynist, self-styled entrepreneurial guru like, say Dimitri the Lover? WHY DON'T YOU TALK ABOUT THEIR POLICIES, PEG?
As for her ignorant racism in describing Jagmeet Singh's turban as "brilliant branding device" and "exotic", I have neither the words nor the patience.
Not only is her work routinely racist and reactionary and generally sucky, but she's also been caught plagiarising material for her column. Seriously, what's it take to get fired from The Globe & Mail?
posted by orange swan at 4:58 PM on October 12, 2017 [23 favorites]
JAGMEET'S DAD GAVE ME MIND ALTERING DRUGS!
I mean, he prescribed them, as my psychiatrist. I guess it was Shoppers Drug Mart that actually gave me the drugs. Anyway, he was very helpful.
posted by rodlymight at 5:08 PM on October 12, 2017 [58 favorites]
I mean, he prescribed them, as my psychiatrist. I guess it was Shoppers Drug Mart that actually gave me the drugs. Anyway, he was very helpful.
posted by rodlymight at 5:08 PM on October 12, 2017 [58 favorites]
Thanks for posting this - 22 Minutes has a tendency to be over-earnest and not too funny, but this was good.
A little bit of background on Margaret Wente's plagiarism here and here.
tl;dr: Columns of hers have contained entire sentences and full paragraphs of verbatim, unattributed, plagiarized material, for which she's been caught out time and time again.
Full stop.
Yet she still retains a senior columnist position in Canada's print news industry, where capable and ethical journalists are being laid off left, right, and centre.
And! Majumder's appearance in this bit is not without irony: Wente blathered on about Newfoundlanders (Majumder is from Newfoundland) being lazy and shiftless, and then went on this weird apology tour of the province, and people were still convinced that she was being an asshole about it.
Speaking of which, the Globe (which bills itself as "Canada's national newspaper") recently stopped printing in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Wente basically appeals to all of the smug, white, boomer racists in this country who think they're above reading tabloid journalism because they read the Globe. She's always looking for someone who isn't her - a white, straight, well-off Canadian who, owing to her level of privilege, won't be held accountable for the cardinal sin of plagiarism she has repeatedly committed - to kick in the face.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 5:11 PM on October 12, 2017 [20 favorites]
A little bit of background on Margaret Wente's plagiarism here and here.
tl;dr: Columns of hers have contained entire sentences and full paragraphs of verbatim, unattributed, plagiarized material, for which she's been caught out time and time again.
Full stop.
Yet she still retains a senior columnist position in Canada's print news industry, where capable and ethical journalists are being laid off left, right, and centre.
And! Majumder's appearance in this bit is not without irony: Wente blathered on about Newfoundlanders (Majumder is from Newfoundland) being lazy and shiftless, and then went on this weird apology tour of the province, and people were still convinced that she was being an asshole about it.
Speaking of which, the Globe (which bills itself as "Canada's national newspaper") recently stopped printing in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Wente basically appeals to all of the smug, white, boomer racists in this country who think they're above reading tabloid journalism because they read the Globe. She's always looking for someone who isn't her - a white, straight, well-off Canadian who, owing to her level of privilege, won't be held accountable for the cardinal sin of plagiarism she has repeatedly committed - to kick in the face.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 5:11 PM on October 12, 2017 [20 favorites]
Somebody mocking National Treasure Embarrassment Margaret Wendt? Long overdue.
posted by nubs at 5:11 PM on October 12, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by nubs at 5:11 PM on October 12, 2017 [3 favorites]
How does someone who can't be bothered to write her own shitty columns justify calling the residents of an entire province lazy and shiftless?
And let's not forget that she wrote glowingly of Rob Ford during his mayoral campaign in 2010.
posted by orange swan at 5:15 PM on October 12, 2017 [9 favorites]
And let's not forget that she wrote glowingly of Rob Ford during his mayoral campaign in 2010.
posted by orange swan at 5:15 PM on October 12, 2017 [9 favorites]
The other thing she's doing in the Jagmeet Singh column is a whistful dog-whistle to a Certain Type of Canadian of a Certain Age who can remember when you could REALLY openly talk shit:
Raised in Malaysia, Sikh teenager Baltej Singh Dhillon and his family move to British Columbia in 1983. They settle in Surrey. He studies criminology, and though initially interested in practicing law, Dhillon begins to volunteer with the RCMP.
He acts as an interpreter so that the RCMP can communicate with recent Asian immigrants. The use of volunteer translators further highlights the RCMP's need for a more culturally-diverse recruitment pool; cultural homogeneity may hinder investigations.
In 1988, Dhillon decides to formally apply to join the RCMP. Though he meets all the entrance requirements, there's one significant problem: the dress code forbids beards and wearing a turban in place of the uniform hat.
Sikhs have long been one of Canada's largest religious groups, currently comprising 1.4% of the country's population (in fact, the current federal Cabinet has more Sikh members than in India, where Sikhism originated.) Sikhs first immigrated to Canada (largely British Columbia) at the turn of the 20th century and many have served in the Indian, Canadian and British militaries. For many Sikh men, the turban and beard are compulsory components of their religious faith.
In 1989, Dhillon appeals to the RCMP Commissioner, who recommends removing the ban on beards and turbans to the federal government. The uniform has undergone changes in the past — most notably in 1974, when skirts and women's heels were introduced – but this proposed change incites acrimony across the country.
Over 90,000 Canadians sign petitions against allowing turbans to be worn in the RCMP. An Albertan entrepreneur sells thousands of calendars satirizing RCMP uniform changes. Other vendors do brisk business selling anti-turban pins.
The newly established Reform Party takes up the RCMP dress code controversy as a cause célèbre in 1989, vigorously campaigning against changes to the uniform.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 5:33 PM on October 12, 2017 [9 favorites]
Raised in Malaysia, Sikh teenager Baltej Singh Dhillon and his family move to British Columbia in 1983. They settle in Surrey. He studies criminology, and though initially interested in practicing law, Dhillon begins to volunteer with the RCMP.
He acts as an interpreter so that the RCMP can communicate with recent Asian immigrants. The use of volunteer translators further highlights the RCMP's need for a more culturally-diverse recruitment pool; cultural homogeneity may hinder investigations.
In 1988, Dhillon decides to formally apply to join the RCMP. Though he meets all the entrance requirements, there's one significant problem: the dress code forbids beards and wearing a turban in place of the uniform hat.
Sikhs have long been one of Canada's largest religious groups, currently comprising 1.4% of the country's population (in fact, the current federal Cabinet has more Sikh members than in India, where Sikhism originated.) Sikhs first immigrated to Canada (largely British Columbia) at the turn of the 20th century and many have served in the Indian, Canadian and British militaries. For many Sikh men, the turban and beard are compulsory components of their religious faith.
In 1989, Dhillon appeals to the RCMP Commissioner, who recommends removing the ban on beards and turbans to the federal government. The uniform has undergone changes in the past — most notably in 1974, when skirts and women's heels were introduced – but this proposed change incites acrimony across the country.
Over 90,000 Canadians sign petitions against allowing turbans to be worn in the RCMP. An Albertan entrepreneur sells thousands of calendars satirizing RCMP uniform changes. Other vendors do brisk business selling anti-turban pins.
The newly established Reform Party takes up the RCMP dress code controversy as a cause célèbre in 1989, vigorously campaigning against changes to the uniform.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 5:33 PM on October 12, 2017 [9 favorites]
So she's Canada's Maureen Dowd?
posted by sjswitzer at 5:35 PM on October 12, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by sjswitzer at 5:35 PM on October 12, 2017 [4 favorites]
Not to say there aren't lots of racist Canadians now openly talking shit - there are - but I get the sense that Wente wants it to be re-institutionalized in the structures of the civil society that it's been pushed out of thanks to people who have stood up and fought it.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 5:36 PM on October 12, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 5:36 PM on October 12, 2017 [4 favorites]
So she's Canada's Maureen Dowd?
When legalization hits in July 2018 and she goes on an ill-advised edibles binge and writes about it, a la Dowd, perhaps. But chances are she'll just copy the Dowd column with a couple of wording changes and swap out Colorado for British Columbia.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 5:40 PM on October 12, 2017 [12 favorites]
When legalization hits in July 2018 and she goes on an ill-advised edibles binge and writes about it, a la Dowd, perhaps. But chances are she'll just copy the Dowd column with a couple of wording changes and swap out Colorado for British Columbia.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 5:40 PM on October 12, 2017 [12 favorites]
Margaret Wente has long been a national embarassment for Canadian journalism.
I've only been in Canada for the past 17 years and she's been garbage for that entire time.
posted by Fizz at 5:44 PM on October 12, 2017 [6 favorites]
I've only been in Canada for the past 17 years and she's been garbage for that entire time.
posted by Fizz at 5:44 PM on October 12, 2017 [6 favorites]
So she's Canada's Maureen Dowd?
The great thing about Canadian journalism is that we have a surfeit of columnists who could be described as Dowdesque.
posted by thecjm at 6:04 PM on October 12, 2017 [3 favorites]
The great thing about Canadian journalism is that we have a surfeit of columnists who could be described as Dowdesque.
posted by thecjm at 6:04 PM on October 12, 2017 [3 favorites]
Oh no, now I NEED the little glass of chardonnay, just for the effect.
posted by Oyéah at 6:12 PM on October 12, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Oyéah at 6:12 PM on October 12, 2017 [1 favorite]
Erotic readings of the newspaper is a Fine Canadian Tradition.
posted by Capt. Renault at 7:26 PM on October 12, 2017 [8 favorites]
posted by Capt. Renault at 7:26 PM on October 12, 2017 [8 favorites]
I just scared my bird laughing. that was great
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 7:36 PM on October 12, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 7:36 PM on October 12, 2017 [2 favorites]
Wente was called to the carpet by the editors of the Globe for being a caught red-handed as a stupid plagiarist. They gave her a stern talking to. Her reply was fuk you dorks, I is the one who moves units here, not you. Their reply to that was oh sorry, you is correkt about that.
It's a shame that the most recognized names in Canadian newspaper editorial commentary today are mostly regressive and often kinda racist. I've liked reading newsprint in Canada, I feel bad about the decline of the newspaper industry, but I'm also frequently appalled by some of the choices that the editors of major Canadian newspapers make.
posted by ovvl at 9:14 PM on October 12, 2017 [8 favorites]
It's a shame that the most recognized names in Canadian newspaper editorial commentary today are mostly regressive and often kinda racist. I've liked reading newsprint in Canada, I feel bad about the decline of the newspaper industry, but I'm also frequently appalled by some of the choices that the editors of major Canadian newspapers make.
posted by ovvl at 9:14 PM on October 12, 2017 [8 favorites]
And! Majumder's appearance in this bit is not without irony: Wente blathered on about Newfoundlanders (Majumder is from Newfoundland) being lazy and shiftless, and then went on this weird apology tour of the province, and people were still convinced that she was being an asshole about it.
Mark Critch is also from Newfoundland, as are all the other current stars of the show. While it's shot in Nova Scotia for some reason, 22 Minutes has always been very much a Newfoundland show, and Newfoundland's loudest voice in the rest of Canada since Codco, whence it sprang.
posted by Sys Rq at 9:19 PM on October 12, 2017 [6 favorites]
Mark Critch is also from Newfoundland, as are all the other current stars of the show. While it's shot in Nova Scotia for some reason, 22 Minutes has always been very much a Newfoundland show, and Newfoundland's loudest voice in the rest of Canada since Codco, whence it sprang.
posted by Sys Rq at 9:19 PM on October 12, 2017 [6 favorites]
It's a shame that the most recognized names in Canadian newspaper editorial commentary today are mostly regressive and often kinda racist.
Why, whatever do you mean?
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 11:50 PM on October 12, 2017 [3 favorites]
Why, whatever do you mean?
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 11:50 PM on October 12, 2017 [3 favorites]
Sometimes you have to get mean to make your point about Canadian legacy media figures.
posted by anthill at 3:52 AM on October 13, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by anthill at 3:52 AM on October 13, 2017 [1 favorite]
Oh, man, thanks for reminding how much I miss getting any Cdn. TV stations OTA, altho I'm still only 45 min. from the border.
SNL should do this with Fox "news" transcripts.
posted by NorthernLite at 1:26 PM on October 13, 2017
SNL should do this with Fox "news" transcripts.
posted by NorthernLite at 1:26 PM on October 13, 2017
love it when he whispers "Scarborough".
posted by chapps at 10:27 AM on October 14, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by chapps at 10:27 AM on October 14, 2017 [1 favorite]
Seriously, what's it take to get fired from The Globe & Mail?
I don’t know—let’s ask Tabatha Southey and Leah McLaren, who were Globe-canned a couple of months ago. I would have pteferred that they stay and Ms. Wente go elsewhere.
Or would Heather Mallick be a fair trade—move her over from the Star? (I enjoy her work. She coined the phrase “virtual emigration” years ago—a way of immersing oneself in the culture and society of another country without actually leaving one’s home country (much easier to do these days thanks to the interwebs—something that she does with the U.K. and I do with Canada!, I might add). As I recall, didn’t she used to write for the Globe years ago? I think Christie Blatchford did at one time, as well... Gone are the days of institutional loyalty (if that ever existed).
posted by kentk at 12:24 AM on October 15, 2017 [1 favorite]
I don’t know—let’s ask Tabatha Southey and Leah McLaren, who were Globe-canned a couple of months ago. I would have pteferred that they stay and Ms. Wente go elsewhere.
Or would Heather Mallick be a fair trade—move her over from the Star? (I enjoy her work. She coined the phrase “virtual emigration” years ago—a way of immersing oneself in the culture and society of another country without actually leaving one’s home country (much easier to do these days thanks to the interwebs—something that she does with the U.K. and I do with Canada!, I might add). As I recall, didn’t she used to write for the Globe years ago? I think Christie Blatchford did at one time, as well... Gone are the days of institutional loyalty (if that ever existed).
posted by kentk at 12:24 AM on October 15, 2017 [1 favorite]
I'm not familiar with Tabatha Southey's work. Leah McLaren's a narcissistic twit who should never have been been given a national column. I gave up reading Heather Mallick a long time ago because her columns were so hit or miss. They ran the gamut from "excellent" to "has promise but needed some editing" to "the incoherent ravings of someone barking mad".
posted by orange swan at 1:08 PM on October 24, 2017
posted by orange swan at 1:08 PM on October 24, 2017
« Older Bowling Architecture & Culture, Old & New | Prototyping Tools Roundup Newer »
This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
Shaun Majumder, shurely?!
Oh, and on a related note: Margaret Wente has long been a national embarassment for Canadian journalism.
posted by spoobnooble II: electric bugaboo at 4:48 PM on October 12, 2017 [9 favorites]