McKenna has right to return barbs
Re ‘Climate Barbie’ and the art of the insult, DiManno, Nov. 8 It was sad to read Rosie DiManno’s column about Environment Minister Catherine McKenna. It is hard to understand why a female journalist would criticize another woman for standing her ground against an insensitive, chauvinistic male. We need many more McKennas in this still-paternalistic society. Calling McKenna a “snowflake” was the final insult to a brilliant, accomplished woman. Ruth MacLean, Richmond Hill Rosie DiManno takes aim at Environment Minister Catherine McKenna for calling out a Rebel reporter for referring to her as “Climate Barbie.” DiManno says politics is a “rough and tumble business” and argues against “powerful, accomplished women” who “present themselves as delicate flowers who should be protected from mean men.”
All right, yes, she probably doesn’t need that kind of protection. But isn’t she allowed to criticize back? Mike Allen, Burlington What I understood from Rosie DiManno’s column is that women should not take name calling personally and should “suck it up” and make return jokes. The reference to Catherine McKenna being a Climate Barbie sends the message to all of us that she is a Barbie doll airhead and should not be taken seriously. This in- cludes all women. I don’t believe there is anything wrong with her defending herself rather than accepting the idea that her brain works like that of a sexy, plastic toy model. Hurray for Catherine, I am on her side.
(I am no Barbie!), Toronto Hooray for Rosie and yet another brilliant and entertaining article — this time encouraging common sense, practicality and realism. There are too many journalists who seem to only see the dark side of everything we say and do. Thank you, Rosie. You made my day. Maurice Sacco, Toronto Rosie is one of the best journalistic wordsmiths in the business and I usually grasp the meaning of some rarely used words by the context of the writing. But today, when she used “pestiferous flibbertigibbet,” I had to run to my computer. Keep writing, Rosie. Bill Marsh, Burlington