Sexist Canadian Columnist Dishonors Fallen Soldier

Michael Coren wrote a column in the Edmonton Sun about the death of Corporal Karine Blais that is breathtaking in its sexist twaddle and infantile sexual fantasies.

Coren says, "Look at the photograph of this beautiful girl. Look at the innocence, the gentleness, the grace. All of them precious aspects to the human character. So when I say that she was ‘dressed up as a soldier’ I mean it as a compliment."

So, can I say that he’s a sexist asshat and mean it as a compliment too? Blais was assigned to the 12e Regiment Blinde’ du Canada and the Royal 22e Regiment, the most famous Francophone organization of the Canadian Forces. These are crack regiments, not marching bands.

Can we really imagine for a moment that if a group of Taliban tribesmen rushed a trench or encampment this poor young woman could fight them off, could deal with the thrusts of their long knives and heavy clubs? Do we seriously think that the men in the unit would not risk their own lives to protect a pretty young girl who was inevitably being beaten to the ground by salivating killers?

Someone’s salivating here, Coren, but it ain’t the Taliban. Nice use of phallic imagery there. And don’t Canadian soldiers have…guns? They tend to even the playing field a bit. Btw, he doesn’t mention how Corporal Blais died. She was killed by a bomb, not a Taliban fighter, but he leaves that out because bombs don’t care what gender a soldier is.

We rightly condemn Islamic extremists in Afghanistan because they treat women so badly. Then we allow one of our own to give her life so we can congratulate ourselves on how liberal and egalitarian we are, lie about how gender differences don’t matter and then encourage our generals and politicians to obscure the truth on television about soldiers and causes.

What hypocrites we have become. Poor, poor Karine–this is not the way it should have been.

You and your country deserved better.

michael.coren@sunmedia.ca

Deserved better than what? The opportunity to volunteer to fight for the principles her country upholds? Lemme get this straight–the Taliban treat women differently than men, so they’re detestable. The Canadian military doesn’t treat women differently than men, so they’re also detestable? Corporal Blais wasn’t drafted–she chose to join up, she had the determination and willpower to make it through training, to be deployed–she didn’t just happen to have a set of camos handed to her so she would be a pretty ornament to the regiment.

Mr. Coren, Karine Blais absolutely did deserve better–better than this pile of steaming condescension and fetishization you were paid to write that trivialized and demeaned the truth of her too-short life and service.

Disclaimer: This post was written by a Feministing Community user and does not necessarily reflect the views of any Feministing columnist, editor, or executive director.

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