Debating right to bare arms
Re Premier’s call to bare arms Feb. 15 As a 71-year-old Liberal woman who has lived a long life in the public eye, including service as an elected representative, I am mortified by many of Premier Kathleen Wynne’s public choices.
As the mother of five liberated and successful daughters who have always “exercised their right to choose, and two successful sons who respect themselves and the women in their lives, I am profoundly disappointed at Wynne’s lack of intelligent leadership.
Sadly, as she has worked to promote her personal agendas, she has often done so in a strident, immature and foolish manner.
The purpose of appropriate and elegant business attire has always been to promote sound business practices among men and women.
Timeless wisdom dictates that people engaged in business activities should dress in a manner that does not draw attention away from the business at hand.
Logic would dictate that her quote, “I often exercise my right to bare arms,” should apply to men as well. Should we now accept our elected male representatives’ right to bare their arms at parliamentary functions?
Shall we look the other way if they choose to conduct the business of the province of Ontario in sleeveless undershirts instead of business suits?
Maybe I’m just too old to know. Let’s ask our children what they think. Carol Mason, Etobicoke Reverse psychology is a sneaky obedience technique used as a last resort for parents who have obstinate kids. It looks like Kim Campbell found a way to use it on Kathleen Wynne. Why else would Ms. Wynne be wearing a sleeveless dress in the middle of the winter?
I imagine if the former prime minister were to next state that it is inadvisable for women to wear bathing suits at business meetings, the next thing we would see is the premier of Ontario at a press conference in a bikini. Miriam Snowbell, Thornhill If a woman decides to go sleeveless in a professional environment, that is her prerogative.
But equality is a two-way street — any professional man should have the same option available to him without fear of repercussion. Tanya Kuzmanovic, Oakville It looks like the human species is suffering from a fatal flaw: seeing first the differences that separate us before the commonalities that unite us.
If instead of checking dresses and looks, people were actually listening to what was being said, we would not have these rather stupid commentaries on bare arms.
More generally, if when meeting others we were seeing first our common humanity rather than our differences, racism and its subset, misogyny, would not make sense and we would live in a much saner, happier world. Jean-Dominique Sellier, Toronto
“The purpose of appropriate and elegant business attire has always been to promote sound business practices among men and women.” CAROL MASON ETOBICOKE