Oct. 29, 2016 "Politics, powerful women and hunting witches in a new age of superstition": Today I cut out this article by Paula Simons in the Edmonton Journal. It is about women and politics, social media, and mass hysteria:
The witch.
She haunts our cultural imagination, and not just in the Halloween season.
The consort of Satan, the powerful, dangerous woman who can make crops fail and turn men impotent. In 2016, she should be the stuff of fairy tales and ghost stories.
Instead, she still seems to be terrifying grown men.
When Australian politician Tony Abbott was leader of the opposition, he chose to stand in front of a sign that read “Ditch the Witch” as he berated then-prime minister Julia Gillard for introducing a carbon tax.
When Christy Clark was leader of the opposition in British Columbia, an NDP cabinet minister sneered in the house, suggesting her choice of transportation was a broom-stick.
Kathleen Wynne in Ontario and Rachel Notley put up with a steady stream of bloggers and social media commenters who call them witches — mostly metaphorically, but sometimes not.
When Christy Clark was leader of the opposition in British Columbia, an NDP cabinet minister sneered in the house, suggesting her choice of transportation was a broom-stick.
Kathleen Wynne in Ontario and Rachel Notley put up with a steady stream of bloggers and social media commenters who call them witches — mostly metaphorically, but sometimes not.
And then, of course, there’s Alex Jones, the American broadcaster, conspiracy nut, and fervent Donald Trump supporter. Jones took to the airwaves earlier this month to insist that Hillary Clinton was quite literally possessed by demons.
Multiple witnesses, he affirmed, had reported that Clinton and Barack Obama both stink of sulphur and brimstone. Flies land on them, when they land on no one else.
It would be easy to laugh off, if Jones were a random kook. But Trump has been a regular guest on his talk show, and a reliable parrot and amplifier of many of Jones’ more loopy theories.
Why this enduring fascination with the witch? And what exactly are people conjuring when they invoke the witch in their political discourse?
As luck would have it, Edmonton is blessed with more than its fair share of experts in the social psychology and cultural history of witch trials.
• Stacy Schiff is a Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer and historian, who divides her time between her homes in New York and Edmonton. Her latest acclaimed book, The Witches: Salem, 1692 has just been released in paperback.
• Andrew Gow is a professor of history at the University of Alberta, who specializes in medieval and Reformation religion and social culture. Together with his fellow U of A scholars, Robert Desjardins and Francois Pageau, Gow is the editor of The Arras Witch Treatises, the first English-language translation of a witch-hunter’s manual, written by cleric Johannes Tinctor.
The book was Tinctor’s lurid account of Europe’s first major witch trial, which took place in Arras, between 1459 and 1460. It was also the book that drew together the first descriptions of witches flying on brooms, having sex with Satan, and manipulating the weather to spoil crops.
This month, the U of A puled together its expertise and artifacts and launched a new online museum exhibit called Imagining “Witchcraft”: A Book of Horrors, which explores the Arras witch trials as well as Tinctor’s guide to identifying witches — a guide whose resonance was felt right up until Salem.
Two books.
Two bookends.
Arras was one of the first big public witch trials, the first to be covered by the mass media of its day. Salem was one of the last big public witch trials. Together, they mark the beginning and the end of the witch craze that gripped western Europe and American colonies for a little more than 200 years.
We often think of witch trials as medieval, but the U of A’s Andrew Gow says they were really a product of the Renaissance and the Protestant Reformation — in other words, a response to the social disruptions of early modernity.
Witch trials were a reactions to upheavals in the social order.
So how much do Alex Jones’ descriptions of Hillary Clinton align with the traditional iconography of witches and demonic possession?
“Only entirely,” says Schiff, via email. “Those accusations hark back to the biblical witch, the kind who roamed about Salem.”
“The witch is a constant in our nightmares, political and religious structures aside. The traditional witch manages to bring together those things that unsettle the most: wild beasts and devious, scheming, unabashed women.”
Gow agrees. The language he sees in the American campaign, he says, strongly echoes the kind of language you’d find in Tinctor’s witch-hunting guide.
“There’s no question in my mind that some very old and very nasty stereotypes about women are being articulated by Trump and his allies,” says Gow.
“Alex Jones is a type of Inquisitor. He’s cast himself in that role and he’s using the same kind of magical thinking we see in Salem and Arras. He’s using that religious language to literally demonize his opponents. It’s all about belief, about supernatural belief, versus empirical proof.”
Gow notes that, in the case of Hillary Clinton, “it’s impossible to ignore the fact that she’s a woman.
“And among the alt-right — and by that, I don’t mean thoughtful principled conservatives — the thought of a female president is at least as distressing as the thought of a black president.”
But both Schiff and Gow agree there’s more going on here than straightforward misogyny, more than just using the handy old label “witch” as an all-purpose put-down for a powerful and polarizing female politician.
“What you have developing in the United States right now is a new post-factual era, where belief counts for more than evidence and facts,” says Gow.
“In the post-factual world view, you twist whatever meagre evidence you have to conform to your beliefs, not the other way around.”
Jones’ fulminations, says Gow, are just a subset of a larger group of conspiracy theories, about everything from vaccines to vote-rigging. And they are, in turn, all a part of a larger, historic trend, he argues, toward what historians have dubbed “the paranoid style in American politics,” something that may well have its roots in Salem.
The appeal of conspiracy theories is that they offer simple, black-and-white, explanations in a complex world.
At a moment in history where distrust of central authorities and conventional information sources is rampant, at a time when the social order is going through an upheaval not unlike the Renaissance and Reformation, the appeal of conspiracy theories crosses all kinds of political and social lines, embraced — to varying degrees — by people on the left and the right, and from every social class.
No wonder worried householders see killer clowns hiding behind every pumpkin.
And the problem isn’t just that some people are making misogynist comments about strong female politicians such as Clinton or Notley.
It’s that in a fetid atmosphere of paranoia, where imagination can run wild, modern-day witch hunts become a real and present danger — as we project our fears onto those who unnerve or unsettle us, on those who are “different” or “other” or “outsiders” — whomever it is that we happen to distrust at the given cultural moment.
“I think we were headed straight in that direction, given the conspiratorial fantasies, the rabid xenophobia, the talk about alien invaders,” says Schiff.
“Fear is eminently contagious, especially at unsettled times. When you read the Salem testimony you see again and again how suggestible we are, how reluctantly we dissent, how easily we all admire the emperor’s new clothes.
Time and again someone points to an imaginary figure — ‘Look, a woman perched in the meeting-house beams!’ — and others claim they see her, too. No one cares to seem ignorant, or difficult, or to step out of line, especially when the price of doing so is a witchcraft accusation.”
Time and again someone points to an imaginary figure — ‘Look, a woman perched in the meeting-house beams!’ — and others claim they see her, too. No one cares to seem ignorant, or difficult, or to step out of line, especially when the price of doing so is a witchcraft accusation.”
“A common enemy moreover,” she adds, “bestows the gift of solidarity, as we know even from gossiping with our friends.”
Schiff sees other troubling parallels, in the world of social media and the way it can feed rumour and whip up mob righteousness.
“I began work on the book in part because of the remarkable parallels between oral and Internet cultures. Neither has any regard for truth; both effectively sow mass hysteria. Both invite pile-ons and public shaming. And both lead to indelible accusations.
“No one could entirely escape the suspicion of earlier witchcraft accusations; there’s a terrible story of a woman, acquitted of witchcraft charges, who took to drinking from puddles because no one allowed her to draw water from the public well. Salem reignited those kinds of lingering doubts; it made it possible to cart off many of the undesirables.”
True, we are hundreds of years away, in time and in world-view, from 15th century Arras or 17th century Salem. Despite the frenzy of fearmongering unleashed by Trump and his acolytes, we aren’t likely to start burning people at the stake any time soon.
And yet, if Andrew Gow is right and this is a new age of superstition, we shouldn’t forget the lessons of history — how easy it is to demonize a political opponent, to scapegoat an undesirable or an outsider, to whip up a mob.
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Sept. 26, 2019 "Can a bot fight back against sexist online attacks on female politicians? Paritybot hopes so": Today I found this article by Kashmala Fida in the Star Metro:
EDMONTON—Twitter bots are often annoying trolls that pose as real people and spam your timeline with unnecessary tweets.
ParityBOT does not claim to be human, but it will restore your faith in humanity.
Created by Edmontonian Lana Cuthbertson, past chair of ParityYEG, an initiative created to support and inspire more women to enter politics, the bot detects abusive tweets directed at female candidates running in elections, then sends out a positive tweet on its account.
Although the tweet is not directed to a candidate — as in it does not name the candidate or appear under the offensive tweet posted due to spamming concerns and Twitter rules — Cuthbertson hopes candidates will see the tweets either by following the account or by having their followers retweet the messages.
The idea is to counterbalance the toxic energy on the platform as a whole with the mere presence of positive and uplifting tweets like “You are stronger than you know!” “Keep fighting!” or inspirational quotes from famous personalities.
Marge, Selma, and Patty knock on Flanders door.
Flanders: Who is it?
Marge, Selma, Patty: Witches.
Flanders: C'mon in, and take a look at this.
Flanders hold the cross in a scary way.
Selma: Get out of my way.
Maude then offers them candy.
Marge: Let's scare people to give us candy.
Canada's federal election: It's really between the Liberals or the Conservatives to win. I don't see the NDP or the Green Party winning.
My mom says she doesn't like Justin Trudeau because he legalized marijuana.
This reminds me of The Simpsons. Sideshow Bob runs for mayor.
Homer: I don't like that Sideshow Bob tried to kill Bart, but I did like that he tried to kill Aunt Selma.
My opinion: I don't like that Justin Trudeau and his blackface (which he apologized for), but I did like that he legalized marijuana.
By legalizing marijuana, he did create more jobs because more of those stores are opening.
Sept. 26, 2019: Now I'm thinking about my friend Angela who commented on Justin Berry doing sexual things on webcam.
Angela: Are people really this dumb? By the time you get to this age (13), don't you know what's right and wrong and by then? I think he knew what he was doing was kind of wrong so I don't see him as 100% victim.
My opinion: Justin Trudeau and his blackface was when he was 30. Does he know what's right and wrong by then? I guess at that time he didn't see that it was racist and offensive.
I know there's an article on my blog somewhere about a woman who threw an African party. She dressed up like Cleopatra and some of the guys there did black face. They looked like they were in the 20s and 30s.
Sept. 27, 2019 "St. Albert fire chief suspended for 2 weeks without pay over blackface": Today I found this article by Omar Mosleh in the Star Metro. The fire chief dressed up like Lenny Kravitz for Halloween because he is a fan of his. There was a good intention because he is a fan, and not doing this to be mean.
https://www.thestar.com/edmonton/2019/09/26/st-albert-fire-chief-suspended-for-two-weeks-over-blackface-incident.html
Key and Peele in white face: I saw the last bit of this sketch. Keegan Michael Key and Jordan Peele put white powder on their faces to pretend to be white to avoid being killed.
I didn't think it was funny or offensive.
Oct. 4, 2019 Good intentions, bad results: Justin Trudeau and the fire chief dressed up for a costume party or Halloween costume for fun. That's a good intention.
The bad result is they come off as racist and offends people.
That kind of reminds me of the time I accidentally offended my friend because I made a light joke about an interest of hers. I had apologized to her a few times in my emails.
I can't be all things to all people, but with my weekly emails/ blog posts, I can avoid not offending people.
Norquest College: I have been researching college programs.
Careers in Cannabis Training
Training at NorQuest college gives you the theoretical and practical skills needed to start a successful, high growth career in the cannabis industry. Through online theory and in-person skills training courses, you will be taught by innovative and experienced professionals, including cultivators, quality assurance professionals, entrepreneurs, and company founders.
Who Should Take This Course?
Legal cannabis production is evolving and there is so much more to it than just growing and trimming plants. Licensed producers grow million dollar crops that are at risk of failure if production workers do not understand the plant and Health Canada protocols! The Cannabis Trimming & Production course covers not only the practical skills of cannabis production, but the knowledge you need to start a successful, fast growing career such as: the history of prohibition, sanitation and security protocols, the science behind the plant, medicinal use of cannabis, and much more!
Once cannabis legalization 2.0 occurs later this year, there will be even more employment opportunities for candidates who already have these skills. The last module of the course includes career highlight interviews from a licensed producer to help learners understand just how big this opportunity is, and how many different people it applies to! The digital learner manual has tips and information on how to successfully apply for a job in the cannabis industry.https://store.norquest.ca/catalog?pagename=careers-in-cannabis-training
My week:
Mon. Sept. 30, 2019 "More deaths as job losses rises": Today I found this article by Claire Theobald in the Star Metro:
"For every once percent increase in Alberta's unemployment rate, 16 more people will die by suicide, according to a new report from the University of Calgary's School of Public Policy."
https://www.thestar.com/edmonton/2019/09/27/sixteen-more-albertans-die-by-suicide-for-every-one-per-cent-increase-in-unemployment-report-finds.html
Tues. Oct. 1, 2019 "Thousands of Indigenous children die in residential schools": Today I found this article by Kevin Maimann and Brennan Doherty in the Star Metro:
https://www.thestar.com/edmonton/2019/09/30/thousands-of-indigenous-children-died-in-canadian-residential-schools-now-we-know-some-of-their-names.html
Forever 21 to close all 44 stores in Canada:
https://www.thestar.com/edmonton/2019/09/30/thousands-of-indigenous-children-died-in-canadian-residential-schools-now-we-know-some-of-their-names.html
Forever 21 to close all 44 stores in Canada:
Fashion retailer Forever 21 plans to close all 44 of its stores in Canada along with 168 of 534 stores in the U.S. as the chain undergoes bankruptcy proceedings.
"Forever 21 has made the difficult decision to discontinue further financial and operational support for Forever 21 Canada as we reposition the brand and global business to adapt to the current retail environment," the chain said.
"All 44 Forever 21 Canada stores in Canada will close before the end of the year, and we have plans to liquidate our store inventory in the near term."
https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/forever-21-retail-bankruptcy-1.5302554?cmp=rss
Wed. Oct. 2, 2019 Read In: I found this ad in the Star Metro: This is on Oct. 7-11.
The READ IN Week initiative began when UNESCO declared 1990 The Year of Literacy. Representatives from Edmonton Catholic Schools, Edmonton Public Schools and Norquest (then) AVC, decided to join together to raise awareness for the importance of literacy. It was determined that the significance of literacy must begin with young children Kindergarten – Grade 12 and carry on to adults in the form of life-long learning. Various partners have been involved in READ IN Week, from schools including the Francophone district to post-secondary institutions, the City of Edmonton and various media outlets. The focus of this initiative has been to instill the love of reading in all Edmontonians.
http://readin.ca/pages/history/
Oct. 3, 2019 "'Is this OK?' Former policewoman who shot dead black neighbour is hugged by victim's brother as she's jailed":
https://ca.yahoo.com/news/former-police-officer-amber-guyger-jail-10-years-shooting-black-neighbour-080244325.html
My opinion: It was sad and bittersweet. Brandt Jean is able to forgive her. Amber Guyger did go to jail for 10 yrs.
Phone survey: Last night someone phoned me for a survey about the federal election. It was 5 min. long. I used to do that job of calling people to do surveys. They mainly asked about the Liberals and Conservatives. It's really between these two who are going to win. I don't see the NDP or the Green party winning.
Mon. Sept. 30, 2019 Job interview: I attended one at Call Centre #4.
Tues. Oct. 1, 2019 Clinical study: I attended this and got paid $25 for 1 hr. It was for blood pressure.
Fall 2019 TV season:
God Friended Me: I saw the season 2 premiere. It was average.
The Rookie: I saw the season season 2 premiere. It was good.
Almost Family: I saw the pilot and it was average. I probably won't watch it again. Here's a drama about people not killing each other.
"A woman who grew up as an only child discovers that her dad fathered many other children as a sperm donor."
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9165444/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1
Sat. Oct. 5, 2019 Job fair: This morning I went to an interview at a clothing store.
Forever 21: I then went to this store to shop.
Marble Slab Creamery: I went to the one in West Ed mall. I bought a milkshake made of birthday cake ice cream and chocolate chips in it. I had a $5 coupon. The reg. price is $6.99. The food counter attendant was a black teen boy. He was nice when I asked for marshmallows, and he said you can't mix it in the blender, but he did put a few on top of it after it was blended.
Wed. Oct. 2, 2019 Read In: I found this ad in the Star Metro: This is on Oct. 7-11.
The READ IN Week initiative began when UNESCO declared 1990 The Year of Literacy. Representatives from Edmonton Catholic Schools, Edmonton Public Schools and Norquest (then) AVC, decided to join together to raise awareness for the importance of literacy. It was determined that the significance of literacy must begin with young children Kindergarten – Grade 12 and carry on to adults in the form of life-long learning. Various partners have been involved in READ IN Week, from schools including the Francophone district to post-secondary institutions, the City of Edmonton and various media outlets. The focus of this initiative has been to instill the love of reading in all Edmontonians.
http://readin.ca/pages/history/
Oct. 3, 2019 "'Is this OK?' Former policewoman who shot dead black neighbour is hugged by victim's brother as she's jailed":
A former police officer who shot dead her black neighbour in his apartment was embraced by his brother as she was jailed for 10 years for his murder.
Amber Guyger said she thought she was in her own apartment when she shot Botham Jean in his living room as he ate a bowl of ice cream in September 2018.
The former Dallas police officer had got back from a night shift and parked on the wrong floor, mistaking Mr Jean’s apartment for her own - which was directly below.
As 31-year-old Guyger was jailed for 10 years after being found guilty of murder, Mr Jean’s brother Brandt Jean addressed her from the witness stand, saying: “I love you as a person. I don’t wish anything bad on you,” adding, “I don’t know if this is possible, but can I give her a hug?”
The pair embraced before Guyger was led from the courtroom.
Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson issued a statement saying he was “deeply moved” and would “never, ever forget the incredible examples of love, faith and strength personified by Botham, Brandt and the entire Jean family”.
Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot called Brandt Jean’s embrace of Guyger an “an amazing act of healing and forgiveness that is rare in today’s society … especially for manyHe said if 18-year-old Brandt Jean “can heal and express healing in that fashion, in his words and in his deeds, I would hope that the greater community, not just Dallas but all of Texas and all of the United States, could gain a message from that”. of our leaders”.
- Reggie 3 hrs ago
https://ca.yahoo.com/news/former-police-officer-amber-guyger-jail-10-years-shooting-black-neighbour-080244325.html
My opinion: It was sad and bittersweet. Brandt Jean is able to forgive her. Amber Guyger did go to jail for 10 yrs.
Phone survey: Last night someone phoned me for a survey about the federal election. It was 5 min. long. I used to do that job of calling people to do surveys. They mainly asked about the Liberals and Conservatives. It's really between these two who are going to win. I don't see the NDP or the Green party winning.
Mon. Sept. 30, 2019 Job interview: I attended one at Call Centre #4.
Tues. Oct. 1, 2019 Clinical study: I attended this and got paid $25 for 1 hr. It was for blood pressure.
Fall 2019 TV season:
God Friended Me: I saw the season 2 premiere. It was average.
The Rookie: I saw the season season 2 premiere. It was good.
Almost Family: I saw the pilot and it was average. I probably won't watch it again. Here's a drama about people not killing each other.
"A woman who grew up as an only child discovers that her dad fathered many other children as a sperm donor."
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9165444/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1
Sat. Oct. 5, 2019 Job fair: This morning I went to an interview at a clothing store.
Forever 21: I then went to this store to shop.
Marble Slab Creamery: I went to the one in West Ed mall. I bought a milkshake made of birthday cake ice cream and chocolate chips in it. I had a $5 coupon. The reg. price is $6.99. The food counter attendant was a black teen boy. He was nice when I asked for marshmallows, and he said you can't mix it in the blender, but he did put a few on top of it after it was blended.
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