In conversation on Twitter, with Jude MacDonald:
[When we come face to face with our own privilege and the oppression of others] Instead of saying “What can I do,” we say “What about me?” Maybe born of some sort of insecurity driving a need for attn?
I think a lot of people think that if “our” side (whatever that means) can only get into power, then “we” can do good stuff, so we have to do whatever short of actually killing people to get there.
I think they’re wrong.
I think they’re actually really, dangerously wrong.Because the point is not to win. The point is to win for fairness, transparency, and decency.The point is to take better care of each other, and you can’t take care of people if you’re concerned with beating them.
Background, in case you’re not paying attention to NDP nominations in Scarborough-Guildwood:
There are five by-elections happening in Ontario right now, to replace five Liberal MPPs who have resigned. For each political party, the members of the local riding associations get together and vote on who will be their party’s candidate in the by-election. Each party has a Candidate Selection Committee that seeks out and vets potential candidates.
Adam Giambrone was the co-chair of the Candidate Selection Committee for the Ontario NDP. In this capacity, he encouraged a young woman name Amarjeet Kaur Chhabra to run for the nomination. She is an amazing candidate, and decided to go for it. Chhabra won “Toronto Idol” for Scarborough, and ran for City Council for Ward 43. She is a young woman of colour, has a disability, moved to Canada in 1999, and is a labour organizer.
…
The nomination meeting was set for July 7. On July 5, Giambrone resigned as the co-chair of the Candidate Selection Committee. He then called Chhabra, to let her know that he was going to run against her for the nomination. He announced to the media the day before, and then won the nomination by a very very narrow margin yesterday.
2. The Outcry
[W]ho were all his new-found suburban [Giambrone] supporters, whose names didn’t appear on a printed list of members signed up before the 30-day cut-off? Riding stalwarts challenged the unlisted new arrivals, but NDP secretary Darlene Lawson vouched for one of them and waved off all objections.
Twelve names are in dispute. Given that Giambrone won by a mere two-vote margin, the outcome is now in doubt. Chhabra’s lawyer is demanding that the NDP come clean on all those mystery members at the meeting.
…
Over at headquarters, Lawson, the NDP secretary, refused a telephone interview, emailing this cut-and-paste comment: “Our party values the democratic process under which our candidates are chosen. Internal party matters are addressed internally and confidentially as per party policy.
So that’s what I said about that.
That's What She Said 