"Oh noes! Not ANOTHER woman of colour as Governor General!"

[matt_mcl]

So to the extent that people care, the reaction to the appointment of accomplished Quebec journalist and filmmaker Michaëlle Jean as our next Governor General seems to be largely quite positive. There’s been some negative comments, mainly of the ‘what’s with another journalist’ vein, with a smattering of ‘do we really need one anyway’. Fine.

That said, some of the comments people are leaving on CBC.ca and Globeandmail.com are just fricking loopy. Where did these people come from?

So our new governor general is a Haitian, black, Quebec-based, young female journalist with giant frizzy hair.

Ok, so these days we do our best to pander to minority groups at all levels and walks of life.

Do we not have any white Ontarians who are equally as qualified?

Gimme a Break! I remember the governor general as being a distinguished gentlemen or lady.

A Haitian-born journalist? Excuse me, but what was the PM thinking?

can’t wait for the next GG. Hopefully she will be a married lesbian person of colour, and an Inuit speaking hermaphrodite. Then we can all pat ourselves on the back for such progressive views; claim that we personally don’t notice things like that and that she is representative of all Canadians. Finally we can jump all over anyone who suggests that perhaps some white guy from western Canada could also have be considered, because after all, they’re probably racist or at the very least, incredibly intolerant.

A terrible pick - Another Quebecker, woman, minority and worst of all from the CBC where, as far as I can tell, nobody there is qualified for much of anything – I guess we will not see a white male from the west for at least the next hundred years or so - god help us all.

Another woman, another media person, and another who was not born in Canada.

Okay, WTF? What is with these people complaining about – horrors – a SECOND woman of colour in a row as governor general? Were the 117 consecutive years of white males from 1867 to 1984 just not enough? If you’re going to complain about gender/ethnicity balance, I guess we should just have another 110 years of women of colour. With giant frizzy hair.

Seriously, where are these people when somebody becomes the eleven millionth consecutive white dude to be named to some position? I’m so tired of this assumption that if a woman of colour gets appointed, it must be exclusively for this reason and no other. Just because you haven’t heard of her doesn’t mean she’s accomplished. God knows, English Canadians not having heard of French-Canadian cultural figures is hardly unusual. (Yours truly not excepted.) They didn’t just gank the first black woman they saw on the metro.

Yes, her appointment is politically motivated. Everybody knows this. That’s what happens when politicians nominate people. It’s motivated by the desire for a charismatic GG who can effectively promote national unity. (Incidentally, this does not involve her being Francophone. That would have happened anyway, since by tradition, it goes Anglo, Franco, Anglo, Franco.)

At least it’s not politically motivated by banal patronage of bland political allies, like the last several GGs before Ms. Clarkson, as though the position were some glorified Senate seat.

And while we’re at it, what’s with this “always from Quebec/the city” meme? Someone astutely pointed out the origins of the last several GGs:

Port-au-Prince
Hong Kong
Memramcook, New Brunswick
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Prud’homme, Saskatchewan
Beausejour, Manitoba
St-Anicet, Quebec
Lacombe, Alberta
Montreal, Quebec
Toronto, Ontario

Seriously, some people really need the ol’ vice-regal clue-by-four in heavy application. Happily they seem to form the last crusty trailing edge of our polity, otherwise Mme. Jean would have her work even more cut out for her than she will anyway.

(Also, spank you very much to The Gazette for the big headline, “CBC’s Jean our new head of state.” Wow, either the line of succession of the House of Windsor is even more contorted than I thought, or somebody needs a civics lesson before they’re let loose with the banner type again.)

[matt_mcl]

…and speaking of which…

Just because you haven’t heard of her doesn’t mean she’s accomplished.

…should read “…not accomplished.” :smack:

[Elenfair]

I, for one, was quite happy to see her become the new GG.

I mean, come on, it had to be a francophone - tradition and all - and I see nothing wrong with our GGs having a head on their shoulders and being willing to hold their own (so to speak) rather than some middle aged white guy with no real mind of his own.

Heh.

[funeste]

can’t wait for the next GG. Hopefully she will be a married lesbian person of colour, and an Inuit speaking hermaphrodite.

My sentiment exactly.

Seriously, these comments are a little shocking to me; the reaction to her nomination has been overwhelmingly positive around here, not that anyone usually cares about the governor general. Where the hell is this anger coming from?

[Idlewild]

You don’t normally refer to your GG as head of state? The GG in Australia is often referred to thus even though we know he is technically viceroy to ERII. Doesn’t seem to bother anyone. And given that the names of a couple of highly accomplished indigenous Australian women have been bandied about for the top job for a few years, I’d be delighted to see one of them get the job. It’d definitely make a change. Oh dear, I supposed they’d have frizzy hair too. :rolleyes: What an appalling comment!

[Bryan_Ekers]

@Idlewild

You don’t normally refer to your GG as head of state? The GG in Australia is often referred to thus even though we know he is technically viceroy to ERII.

Same here. Offhand, I can’t recall hearing or seeing the GG referred to as Head of State. Even the CIA factbook entry on us calls QE2 the “chief of state represented by” the GG.

I’m hoping Canada will go republic in my lifetime. I figure if the Ozzies do it first, it’ll make our transition easier. How’s that going?
As to the thread subject, I’d’ve preferred Roberta Bondar, but I’m a space geek.

[Bryan_Ekers]

Err, “same here” in the sense that the GG is casually acknowledged to be (on paper, at least) subordinate to the Queen.

[Idlewild]

As far as I can tell the Australian Republican movement is currently stalled out. I’m no longer living in Australia, but I still read the papers ;). Personally I find it ridiculous to have the monarch of another country be our head of state and I am always embarrassed when explaining that to people here in the US. I think even if all we did was just say “fine, GG is now titular head of state, no more reporting to Queenie”, it’d suit me. But I think there have been a lot of ambitious rumblings about overhauling the whole system that may have set things back since no one’s sure just what we’d get if we went republican.

[cowgirl]

The only thing better than a woman of colour for GG, is one who isn’t married to John Ralston Saul.

I love Canada!

[smiling_bandit]

When they say Haitian, do they mean she was born and raised in Haiti and only came to Canada afterward?

[monstro]

In the linked photo, I see no “giant frizzy hair”. I’m disappointed.

[What_Exit]

Hi, Southern neighbor here. What is the real duties and authorities of GG now?
I thought it has been a window dressing position for decades. similar to most of our VP’s without even the “one heartbeat away” .

[Kid_A_1]

There are idiots everywhere. Sometimes even in our own backyards. It might just be a select few voicing these opinions but this is nothing but downright embarassing.

[wolfstu]

@jrfranchi

Hi, Southern neighbor here. What is the real duties and authorities of GG now?
I thought it has been a window dressing position for decades. similar to most of our VP’s without even the “one heartbeat away” .

Read all about it here

Basically, she drinks tea, hosts parties, cuts ribbons, and promotes Canadian things in a official sort of way. Plus she gives “Royal Assent” to legislation passed by the Parliament, though that’s pretty much just a formality.

[wolfstu]

@monstro

In the linked photo, I see no “giant frizzy hair”. I’m disappointed.

CBC Newsworld Bio, complete with photo and frizz.

[What_Exit]

@wolfstu

Read all about it here

Basically, she drinks tea, hosts parties, cuts ribbons, and promotes Canadian things in a official sort of way. Plus she gives “Royal Assent” to legislation passed by the Parliament, though that’s pretty much just a formality.

Pretty much what I thought. Why would anyone get worked up over it?
Oh wait now I am being stupid & naive.
Good luck, she sounds like an excellent choice.

[Dante]

I’m trying to find out if she has a cottage that she needs to use my money to fly to every weekend. I’m all for appointing anyone without a cottage. That’s all I care about. No cottage. Don’t give a flying green turd about her hair, previous employment history, or vagina.

No cottage. Stop wasting my damned money.

@matt_mcl

They didn’t just gank the first black woman they saw on the metro.

Don’t know if you meant “gank” or “yank” there, but I like gank better and I’m stealing it and using it.

[Sunspace]

She seems smart, determined, talented, photogenic–in short, extremely cool–to me.

And I think it’s a great idea to appoint someone outside the political hierarchy for the job. If if you’re going to gank anyone for the job, might as well be a non-wheeler-dealer.

@Some poster quoted by matt_mcl

[Maybe the nect GG] will be a married lesbian person of colour, and an Inuit speaking hermaphrodite.

You say that like it’s a bad thing… Maybe the next one will be James Bartleman (First Nations from Ontario…)

[elfbabe]

@smiling bandit

When they say Haitian, do they mean she was born and raised in Haiti and only came to Canada afterward?

Apparently her family left in 1968. So if she’s 48 now, she would’ve been about 11 then.

[Anaamika]

Wow, I’ve often complained about the Old White Men being in power everywhere you look. Not to imply that they don’t do a good job, at least some of them, but it’s nice to look at positions of power and see non-whites, and horror of horrors, females.

I think this is really cool. Canada rocks!