Black men who date white women
Thank you for putting the important issue of interracial marriage in the spotlight (NOW, November 10-16).
I would, however, like to flag the fact that Black women were excluded from this piece. The only mention of them was by “JJ,” the white woman in a relationship with a Black man who is quoted as saying that, in Toronto “A certain demographic [young women of colour] give me a little stink eye, and another demographic [young white men] give it to JJ.”
Really? So your piece read by thousands of people chose to frame Black women as bitter and envious of Black men who date white women? I can tell you as a young Black woman that Black men who date white women aren’t my problem.
Susan G, Toronto
Turban ban dishonoured Sikh vets
Re Why Today’s Veterans Avoid The Legion, by Robert Smol (NOW, November 10-16). My whole family served this country since before it was a country. My grandfather was instrumental in the creation of the Temagami Legion after World War I. When I was a kid, I read about the fall of Singapore in World War II and saw a series of photos of blindfolded Sikhs, Hindus and Muslims captured after Singapore fell.
Apparently, these soldiers refused to join the Japanese and were executed. Years later, the Legion refused to allow Sikh vets because they wore turbans. That was it for me.
Steve Turner, From nowtoronto.com
Trump’s big wink to his followers
Re Jews And Muslims Face Whitelash, by Bernie M. Farber (NOW, November 17-23). As the old expression goes, “A nod is as good as a wink.” So when Donald Trump got called out on CBS’s 60 Minutes over the rise in harassment against minorities since the U.S. election and he stared into the camera and told his supporters to “Stop it!,” he didn’t need to punctuate that with a big wink. Trump’s nod the same day to the notorious Stephen Bannon of the extreme-right Breitbart News to be his White House chief strategist had already spoken volumes to his followers.
Robert McBride, Thornhill
America wasn’t ready for a woman president
I think both Gary Freeman and Norm Wilner missed a huge point regarding the U.S. election: almost 10 million fewer people voted for Clinton than did for Obama in 2008. Republican vote totals in both 2008 and 2012 were almost identical.
Trump didn’t increase the number of Republican voters at all Clinton simply didn’t inspire Democrats to come out to support her (or anyone else, apparently). And while voter suppression in the South may have slightly contributed to that, I honestly think middle America just wasn’t ready to have a woman on top.
Gord MacKay, Toronto
New cop cars send wrong message
Nobody, including a number of officers I have spoken to, feel the look of the new gray police cars (NOW, November 17-23) fit the force’s “to serve and protect” motto. “Hide and entrap” is more like it. Better white and bright than “grey and prey.”
Nicholas Brooks, Toronto
Discovering Leonard Cohen a little too late
I just want to add my voice to the avalanche of others telling you that Jeff Buckley did not cover Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah in 1984’s Various Positions (NOW, November 17-23). Jeff Buckley covered John Cale’s version, and it’s quite different.
Asking someone who “discovered” Cohen in 1988 to write his obit might have been a mistake.
Deb Matheson, Toronto