It
      was
      a
      partly
      sunny
      Friday,
      February
      21,
      1992,
      when
     
    

    
     
      _
      Lopened
      my
      copy
      of
      the
      X-PRESS
      and
      found
      Dawn
     
    

    
     
      _
      Ambler’s
      letter
      regarding
      the
      Backiash,
      wherein
      she
     
    

    
     
      repeatedly
      claims
      to
      be
      telling
      **the
      plain
      and
      simple
     
    

    
     
      _
      truth’’.
      Instead,
      Ms.
      Ambler
      who
      has
      in
      the
      past
     
    

    
     
      ;
      _
      gained
      my
      approval
      for
      her
      mature,
      reasoned
      letters
      in
     
    

    
     
      _
      the
      past
      has
      now
      provoked
      my
      disgust
      with
      this
     
    

    
     
      _
      emotional,
      bombastic,
      and
      contradiction-laden
      epistle.
     
    

    
     
      -
      To
      begin
      with,
      the
      comments!
      deemto
      be
      misrepre-
      —
     
    

    
     
      _
      sentations:
      Ms.
      Ambler
      claims
      that,
      ‘‘plain
      and
      sim-
     
    

    
     
      _ple’’,
      the
      X-Press
      is
      promoting
      ‘‘homophobia
      and
     
     
      racism’’
      and
      “‘the
      systematic
      bashing
      of
      womyn’’
      by
     
    

    
     
      _
      printing
      The
      Backlash.
      The
      reference
      to
      homophobia
     
     
      and
      racism
      is
      completely
      unfounded,
      as
      these
      issues
     
    

    
     
      _
      have
      never
      entered
      the
      debate
      here.
      |
      will
      the
      author
     
    

    
     
      _
      the
      benefit
      of
      the
      doubt,
      and
      assume
      she
      was
      planning
     
    

    
     
      _acommentary
      on
      some
      other
      issue
      at
      the
      same
      time,
     
    

    
     
      _
      parts
      of
      which
      found
      their
      way
      into
      her
      published
     
    

    
     
      _
      letter.
      The
      woman-bashing
      accusation,
      however,
      has
     
    

    
     
      _reared
      its
      ugly
      head
      in
      many
      other
      letters
      to
      the
      edi-
     
    

    
     
      tor,
      and
      I
      feel
      it’s
      about
      time
      that
      it
      was
      put
      to
      rest.
     
    

    
     
      Criticism
      is
      not
      bashing,
      and
      pointing
      out
      thatsome
     
    

    
     
      _
      programmes
      run
      the
      risk
      of
      being
      implemented
      with-
     
    

    
     
      out
      thorough
      consideration
      because
      of
      the
      protective
     
    

    
     
      umbrella
      of
      the
      women’s
      movement
      is
      neither
      unfair
     
    

    
     
      _orchauvinistic.
      The
      women’s
      movement
      holds
      many
     
    

    
     
      honourable
      and
      sensible
      ideas
      and
      it
      has
      done
      a
      great
     
    

    
     
      deal
      of
      good
      in
      society,
      but
      that
      doesn’t
      mean
      that
     
    

    
     
      every
      issue
      that
      is
      labelled
      a
      women’s
      issue
      necessar-
     
    

    
     
      ‘ily
      has
      a
      sensible
      basis.
      To
      the
      same
      effect,
      we
      all
     
    

    
     
      want
      to
      help
      the
      environment,
      but
      we
      also
      know
     
    

    
     
      enough
      not
      to
      believe
      that
      ‘‘green’’
      battery
      acid
      is
      an
     
    

    
     
      environmentally
      friendly
      product.
      Some
      people
      would
     
    

    
     
      he
      that
      women
      should
      be
      able
      to
      freely
      implement
     
     
      programmes
      in
      their
      interest
      now
      that
      they
      have
     
    

    
     
      noved
      out
      of
      the
      secondary
      place
      in
      society
      they
      once
     
    

    
     
      inhabited,
      and
      that
      widespread
      debate
      will
      only
      lead
      to
     
    

    
     
      en
      saying
      ‘Okay,
      that’s
      a
      good
      girl,
      you’ve
      had
     
    

    
     
      ‘your
      little
      say,
      now
      sit
      down
      and
      be
      quiet’’;
      in
      other
     
    

    
     
      ords,
      trying
      to
      subjugate
      women
      again.
      But
      however
     
    

    
     
      ‘much
      we
      may
      deplore
      the
      position
      in
      society
      which
     
    

    
     
      Women
      were
      held
      in
      previous
      generations,
      the
      redress
     
    

    
     
      of
      this
      cannot
      be
      the
      main
      impetus
      behind
      modern
     
    

    
     
      Policy-making.
      To
      put
      itin
      another
      light:
      however
     
    

    
     
      nuch
      we
      deplore
      the
      tragic
      events
      of
      the
      Nazi
      Holo-
     
    

    
     
      aust
      and
      regret
      the
      injustices
      the
      Jewish
      peoples
      have
     
    

    
     
      uffered
      over
      the
      centuries,
      does
      that
      really
      mean
      we
     
    

    
     
      I
      ould
      then
      condone
      the
      Israeli
      action
      of
      entering
      a
     
    

    
     
      [
      ighbouring
      country
      and
      strafing
      refugee
      camps
      asa
     
    

    
     
      ecessary
      exercise
      of
      sovereignty?
      I
      think
      not!
      The
     
    

    
     
      pe
      ant
      of
      allof
      this
      commentary
      is
      to
      illustrate
      that
     
    

    
     
      s€
      a
      programme
      or
      principle
      is
      being
      touted
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ret
      X-P
      RESS
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
     
     
         
     
     
        
     
     
          
     
     
        
     
     
         
     
     
          
     
     
         
     
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      March
      5,
      1992
     
    
   
   
    
     
      In
      favour
      of
      women
      or
      minority
      groups
      does
      not
     
    
   
   
    
     
      necessarily
      mean
      that
      it
      is
      right.
      The
      label
      ‘‘minor-.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ‘ity’’
      isno
      more
      a
      guarantee
      of
      righteousness
      than
      is
     
    
   
   
    
     
      the
      label
      ‘‘green’’.
      Remember,
      the
      white
      supremacists
     
     
      also
      consider
      themselves
      a
      minority
      group!
     
    

    
     
      Ms.
      Amblersays
      ‘‘If
      youcan’tsay
      something
      nice,
      ©
     
     
      then
      don’t
      say
      anything
      at
      all.’’
      Well,
      I’msorry,
      Ms.
     
     
      Ambler,
      but
      debate
      is
      not
      where
      we
      should
      be
      ‘‘nice.”’
     
     
      It
      is
      important
      that
      common
      civility
      be
      maintained
      to
     
     
      prevent
      an
      exchange
      of
      opinions
      from
      degenerating
     
     
      into
      achildish
      name-calling
      match,
      but
      being
      ‘‘nice’’
     
     
      means
      not
      differing
      from
      established
      opinion,
      in
      order
     
     
      to
      avoid
      hurting
      feelings.
      I
      would
      hope
      that
      the
      audi-
     
     
      ence
      to
      which
      this
      debate
      is
      directed
      is
      mature
      enough
     
     
      to
      analyze
      the
      facts
      and
      opinions
      being
      presented
     
     
      without
      running
      home
      to
      their
      mothers
      if
      someone
     
     
      opposes
      their
      stance
      on
      an
      issue.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Ms.
      Ambler
      also
      states
      that
      Messrs.
      Hanus
      and
     
     
      Murphy
      are
      hitting
      ‘‘where
      hitting
      is
      not
      part
      of
      the
     
     
      rules.’’
      I
      would
      most
      fervently
      hope
      that
      this
      com-
     
     
      ment
      was
      not
      intended
      to
      mean
      that
      the
      editors
      should
     
     
      not
      be
      speaking
      out
      on
      these
      issues.
      Are
      these
     
     
      ‘*rules’’
      part
      of
      the
      ‘‘nice’’
      little
      game
      of
      maintaining
     
     
      the
      new
      status
      quo?
      Dear
      me!
      Howvery
      much
      that
     
     
      would
      sound
      like
      the
      arguments
      directed
      against
      the
     
     
      early
      suffragettes-Don’t
      rock
      the
      boat!
      Be
      nice!
      Be
     
     
      ladylike!
      It
      might
      be
      rather
      complicated
      to
      ask
      Joe
     
     
      and
      Peter
      to
      stop
      writing
      these
      articles
      and
      go
      quietly
     
     
      back
      home
      and
      have
      babies
      instead,
      but
      maybe
      they
     
     
      should
      forgo
      their
      right
      to
      a
      university
      education
      (yes,
     
     
      it
      really
      isn’t
      proper
      for
      unchaperoned
      young
      men
      to
     
     
      be
      out
      filling
      their
      heads
      with
      all
      this
      higher
      educa-
     
     
      tion
      nonsense)
      and
      go
      home
      and
      earn
      a
      nice,
      polite
     
    
   
   
    
     
      (Continues
      next
      page)
     
    
   
   
    
     
      tat
     
    
   
   
    
     
      \
     
    
   
   
    
     
      CONFEDERATION
      CENTRE
     
     
      BPM
      ©
      RESERVED
      TICHETS
      AT
      BOX
      OFFICE
     
     
      OR
      CALL
      SO6-1267
      TO
      CHARGE
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Page
      5