Layton’s death turns into a thoroughly public spectacle
Yes, the sexist tweetstream against Blatchford is "horrid," as Don Gardner, purveyor of all things empirically true, tweeted last night, and, yes, it is surprising that anyone reads her columns at all. But couldn't she have waited respectfully at least until after the funeral to do her Christie thing? Inappropriate timing is not a strong enough phrase to characterize the publication of this column.
And is anyone really surprised that Layton was helped to write his final letter and that it was - I'm so shocked - political in character? After all, he was dying, for Christ's sake, and he was - duh! - a politician.
And why is Blatchford surprised by the media's reaction to Layton's death and to the public response? They're merely doing what they always do and what she herself is doing - exploiting the hell out of this newsworthy moment.
And why shouldn't people take an occasion like this to mourn, as we do when one of Blatchford's beloved and fetishized military die? Gawd knows we have a right to mourn collectively in this country with our tarsands helping to destroy the planet, Harper in perverse power, and overtly ideologically driven media outlets like Sun TV and The Post in play. Much of the lamentation is indeed for Layton the man no doubt and deservedly so, but I suspect much more is for what he represents.
Public Invested in What Layton Represents
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