• • In My Opinion...

  On Valentine’s Day, Fall in Love with Your Friends

  February 14, 2012 • Meg Pirie

  On Valentine’s Day we are, quite literally, bombarded by a deluge of nonsensical language. For this reason, I hate this superficial, highly choreographed “holiday” that tells us how love should be expressed. Rather than emotional support and having (a) partner(s) who act(s) as (an) ally(ies), love is reduced to an economic transaction. I’m neither the first nor the last person to comment that Valentine’s Day does more harm than good: it polices who we love, how we love and what shape that love takes.

  Not only that, but these directives on love are inextricably intertwined with and reinforce established norms about sexuality and sex: i.e. sexuality and sex are legitimate and sanctioned when they happen between two people who will eventually reproduce and who are heterosexual, able bodied and white. We don’t hear anything about informed, enthusiastic consent. And we definitely don’t hear about reciprocal pleasure.

  Know what else gets silenced in this saccharine tsunami of chocolates and roses? Intimate bonds that aren’t sexual, but are nonetheless fulfilling and deep relationships for all parties involved.

  So, here’s what I wish I’d known when I was in high school as candy grams were passed out: there is no one way to express your sexuality. Shame, blame and guilt—what Jaclyn Friedman calls The Terrible Trio in her amazing book What You Really Really Want—are destructive emotions. Instead of searching for validation through rigid expressions of love and sexuality, first you should fall in love yourself. And then you should fall in love with your friends.

  We live in a culture that devalues friendships. Friendship functions as as a stepping stone between childhood and adulthood, before we meet our mates. From the time we’re children, we’re led to believe that unless we enter into a romantic bond, we have not really experienced intimacy.

  Well, that’s a bunch of crap.

  (more inside…)

• • On The Job

  Taking on the Union Busters

  February 6, 2012 • Meg Pirie

  We live in a time where our rights are on the job have been carved away, bit-by-bit, whether it’s hapless governments or multinationals who benefit from neo-liberal policies. For this reason, participatory mobilization alongside collective bargaining has never been more important. The following video helps illustrate this point.

  Precarious work in its many forms is open to myriad abuses and our experiences with labour intersects with ableism, racism, sexism, colonization, transphobia and homophobia. We need labour laws that continually evolve so as to reflect an inclusive, exemplary society. Dr. Stephanie Ross is right to point out that if current governments refuse to enforce existing labour laws, then they become empty rhetoric with no application.

  But surely, this sort of labour abuse couldn’t happen when you’re unionized, right? The ongoing erosion of collective bargaining rights at the hands of the existing federal government has demonstrated that unionized or not, Canada is open for business.

  (more inside…)

• • Activist Report
  • On The Job

  Tituba’s Revenge: organizing and advocacy for not-for-profit workers

  December 23, 2011 • Meg Pirie

  One of the greatest achievements of neoliberalism is the ways in which the state’s role shifted from caretaker to CFO. This ostensibly seamless transition saw the rise of the not-for-profit/non-profit sector (I use the terms interchangeably in this post), stepping in to provide necessary social services that were once the responsibility of our governments and elected officials. In other words, governments need not-for-profits, and not-for-profits, which might receive some funding form government agencies and need to comply with municipal by-laws, often prop-up governments without tackling the root causes of systemic marginalization. But perhaps the greatest achievement of all is a widespread perception and banal acceptance that this is a relationship between citizens and government that has always ‘been there’ and that no other alternative exists.

  This economic system founded on quantifiable outputs, results, and unfettered accumulation has seen the transformation of many not-for-profits from radical origins to mainstream models that mirror businesses. And while I’m not saying that all not-for-profits are bureaucratic houses of mirrors, they are workplaces and all workplaces are open to labour abuse.

  Moreover, not-for-profits do not exist in isolation; they’re part of a broader system of power and resistance. How these organizations elect to navigate said system varies. Some remain radical; others not so much. Regardless, labour abuses within this sector are relatively overlooked.

  With this in mind, the formation of Tituba’s Revenge earlier this year—a New York City collective comprised of anti-capitalist non-profit for workers who are predominantly queer women of colour—couldn’t be more timely. An ongoing working project, Tituba’s Revenge is dedicated to, in part,

  * dispelling myths about non-profits
  * redressing the current vacuum of analysis devoted to exploitative conditions within this feminized sector
  * highlighting the ways in which many non-profits help to reproduce capitalism
  * facilitating strategies for workplace organizing

  The collective is named after Tituba, a Black Caribbean woman brought to Salem, Massachusetts as a slave and later persecuted during the Salem Witch Trials for her use of African healing rituals. In this way, the act of naming is a powerful one: it gives voice to an individual lived experience and highlights shared histories of resistance.

  Their first pamphlet was just released (PDF link) and in short, it’s amazing. (more inside…)

• • Gender
  • On The Job

  Blurred optics: media visibility, wage discrepancy, and gender binaries

  December 13, 2011 • Meg Pirie

  This January, Shameless will publish its Labour Issue. We’re really excited about this but it’s also useful to think about the ways in which labour intersects with numerous issues. None of us exist in a vacuum—we are all works-in-progress that reflect specific communities and unique experiences—and labour is no different.
  
  Throughout 2011, a pet media issue was income disparity between men and women. The Washington Post, for instance, reported that in 2010 the average starting salary of a woman with a BA was $36,451. Compare that to the average male’s starting salary of $44,159 —17% more.

  This income disparity exists in Canada as well. According to the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC), women in this country earn 70.5 cents for every dollar men make. Moreover, this wage gap exists in retirement: 2008 findings showed that Canadian women 65 years and over, on average, received incomes that were 65% less than their male counterparts. The CLC goes on to say that “In 2004, 7.3% of retired women lived in poverty, more than double the rate of retired men. An astounding 45.6% of single, divorced or widowed elderly women lived in poverty, according to a 2004 study.”

  (more inside…)

• • Activist Report
  • On The Job
  • Shameless Behaviour

  The new must-have for Fall 2011? Unions.

  November 3, 2011 • Meg Pirie

  On October 31, The Toronto Star published a story detailing a successful union drive at H&M in Square One, a large shopping center in Mississauga. The process began in July, when Amy Tran, a member of the United Food and Commercial Union (UFCW), approached Sabrina Butt. Was she interested in a union, Tran inquired? Butt, an H&M employee since 2008, took time to gauge how receptive her full- and part-time colleagues were to this proposition.

  By mid-August, a union membership drive was in full swing. Union cards were signed and information was distributed. Reasons for organizing collectively varied from better training and scheduling, posting job opportunities internally first, clearly defined, fair wages (it was not unheard of for new hires to make more than colleagues with more seniority), and the hope that employees’ suggestions would be implemented.

  On October 6th, the labour board certification vote took place to ratify, or approve, Square One H&M’s decision to join the United Food and Commercial Workers’ union. Workers voted in favour of unionization, 25-13, a clear ‘yes’ mandate.

  (more inside…)

• • Advice
  • In My Opinion...

  A shameless assessment of Ontario election advertisements and some voting tips

  October 5, 2011 • Meg Pirie

  You may have noticed a few things over the last month if you live in Ontario. Yes, there’s a provincial election happening and besides being incredibly important, it’s also been incredibly annoying.
  Phone calls. Incessant attack ads. Flyers crowding your mailbox. OMG don’t you get it Conservatives? We’re just not that into you!

  But seriously, certain ads deserve some attention, if for no other reason than to poke fun at how ridiculous they are. After all, humour can be an incredibly effective tool when it comes to disarming opponents.

  Perhaps the most pervasive attack was THE TAX MAN, authorized by the CFO for the Ontario PC Party.

  You might notice that this ad uses broad language to define its opponent, Dalton McGuinty, and its champion, Tim Hudak. And really, vagueness is the domain of these ads. With just 30 seconds to either sway you or put a bug in your ear, they operate through emotional appeals and repetition. These adverts are also transparently obvious. The image they selected to represent the current Premier, AKA THE TAX MAN, makes him look unfocused and profoundly constipated.

  Hudak, on the other hand, sits at a desk composing a tome on the workers’ plight (or playing Sudoku, you choose), knocking on doors, meeting with Madonna and Child (a great way to make him seem more trustworthy among women, typically not as supportive of Conservative platforms), drinkin’ a double-double with the boys (before they go fishin’ or huntin’), and then finishing with a triumphant shot of Hudak and family in what could be coined Ye Olde Celebration of Heteronormative Family Values.

  While these tactics are not unique to Tim Hudak, truly, this is a masterpiece as far as attack ads go. We know what the Premier is (A TAX MAN), but in a de-personalized, negative manner. Hudak & Co. have established what he represents through imagery, while emphasizing through the script—delivered in the 1st person by Hudak himself—what he will do … which is exactly the opposite of Dalton McGuinty. Even the colour scheme and music become brighter with the appearance of Tim Hudak. It’s sort of like The Wizard of Oz, when Dorothy arrives in Oz. Except I don’t think Hudak would shine in a musical…I might be wrong, though. PM Harper likes John Lennon, after all.

  The big finish? “It’s time for change in Ontario.” What does that actually mean? What kind of change? How will persons living with (dis)abilities, trans, queer, youth, people of colour, Indigenous people, the un- and under-employed, women, and other marginalized groups be represented?

  Stop asking questions, you!

  Of course, for an attack ad, this works. Which is unfortunate. So, so unfortunate. But as far as establishing an identity that people feel connected to and gravitate toward, this ad wears thin. By spending so much time and energy reiterating that he is not Dalton McGuinty, Tim Hudak, the politician, actually dependent on Dalton McGuinty, since his existence is founded on an invented dichotomy between Liberals and Conservatives.

  The other ad that’s been getting quite a bit of attention is provincial NDP leader Andrea Horwath’s “Shoes.”

  (more inside…)

• • Activist Report
  • In My Opinion...
  • Politics

  Neoliberalism, Politics, and Youth

  August 30, 2011 • Meg Pirie

  Like so many Shameless articles I write, my initial intentions and detailed plans get abandoned, only to become fluid starting points for a less-tidy set of observations. So, while I was originally going to offer some commentary after riots erupted in the London, England neighborhood of Tottenham (I still will), I am also going to talk about youth and politics, as we near closer and closer to the provincial election in Ontario.

  First of all, for those who say they simply did not see the outpouring of rage we saw spread across England coming…well, that’s just willful ignorance. The riots that began in Tottenham and spread across London, England (and Birmingham and Manchester) did not magically appear, only to vaporize like some Harry Potter dementor. As far back as 2001,The Guardian reported that the British government was not doing enough to tackle issues surrounding social exclusion. The recent and aggressive erosion of benefits, post-secondary education, and spending on social services has taken a toll on the facets of the population—women, trans people, youth, people with disabilities, the underemployed, the unemployed, and many others—with the smallest room for unanticipated hardships and cutbacks.

  Of paramount importance now is an acknowledgment that violence takes on many forms. Certainly, sending a small business up in flames is violence. But so is systemic racism. So are austerity measures that lead to cuts in social spending, health benefits, youth clubs, and primary education, helping to fuel a generation of disenfranchised youth, ghettoized to housing projects or estates. And guess what? The profiling police in England, Canada, and the United States engage in is incredibly violent, too.

  (more inside…)

• • In My Opinion...
  • Media Savvy
  • On The Job

  Brigette DePape: A Page with Chutzpah

  June 8, 2011 • Meg Pirie

  This past Friday, June 3, a young page stood during the Throne Speech and held up a homemade sign that read ‘Stop Harper.’ After this event, Brigette DePape promptly released a well-written, concise press release (you can read it here), denouncing the Harper Government’s divisive politics as destructive to Canadian youth and contrary to Canadian values.

  Here’s the gist: Brigette DePape is 21 years old and an activist. Originally from Winnipeg, she is a graduate of the University of Ottawa in International Development. She was a participant in the Canadian Senate Page Program and is now banned from Parliament Hill. Following her unprecedented act of civil disobedience, she is the subject of polarized debate.

  There have been claims in mainstream news outlets that this was nothing more than a self-serving stunt; that DePape was looking for fifteen minutes of fame.

  Well, I think that’s garbage. This sort of petty angst speaks more to the media’s own hypocrisy than some purportedly misinformed page. As one Globe & Mail commentator pointed out in this article, nothing was said about the attack ads that Conservatives ran against former Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff. But all of the sudden, when a bright, assertive, left-leaning young woman points out that our electoral system allows for a ‘majority’ government with 40% of the votes, she’s labeled an opportunist. Actually, she is organized, intelligent, and thoughtful. She cares deeply about her community and what will happen to the environment, post-secondary education, and the public sector after an unbridled Conservative tenure.

  (more inside…)

• • Film Reel
  • On The Job

  The Made in Dagenham Method

  June 7, 2011 • Meg Pirie

  When I was trying to figure out how to write about organizing collectively, several issues jumped out at me: 1) I have little experience making broad demands to my employer and 2) I have never had to go on strike. What I can tell you is how to ensure your manager purchases a new kettle for the staff room or making sure you are not shamed into taking 38 minutes for lunch instead of the allotted hour. “But Meg, I want to overthrow the system,” you think.

  Alas, don’t we all? Nevertheless, there are some useful places to start and it took a recent viewing of Made in Dagenham to reveal the ways in which large-scale labour actions and seemingly benign quotidian confrontations are, in fact, interconnected.

  As a brief aside, if you have yet to see this film, you must. Aside from a couple vomit-inducing moments that can only be described as cheez and some minor- to medium-sized historical inaccuracies, Made in Dagenham is enjoyable from start to finish. The film tells the story of the 1968 Ford sewing machinists strike in England. Ultimately successful, the strike leads to the introduction of the Equal Pay Act in 1970 by the then-Labour government. Besides stellar performances from Sally Hawkins and Rosamund Pike, Dagenham balances contagious optimism with realistic observations concerning group dynamics, ruptures between labour policies and gender that are still felt today, and that in spite of a movement’s surface-level coherence, resistance is often fraught with internal schisms. Rating: 3 beehive hairdos out of 5.

  But I digress. (more inside…)

• • In My Opinion...
  • On The Job

  A Challenge of Parliamentary Proportions & Ruth Ellen Brosseau

  May 10, 2011 • Meg Pirie

  Well, originally I was going to write about organizing collectively and ‘watching the clock’ strategies, especially in unstable, low-wage situations with moderate to high degrees of surveillance, but then the Conservatives were re-elected with a majority and, well … I had a big cry.

  Nevertheless, there were some exciting events during this election: the well-organized, enthusiastic, youth-driven vote mobs that sprang up across the country; the highest number of women ever were elected as MPs; and a significant number of youth and first-time MPs won seats and will be headed to Ottawa.

  Change is a wonderful thing, especially when it comes to a Parliament replete with—quite literally—old, white, straight men. That we get to to be part of what is hopefully the beginning of broader political engagement … well, for me, that’s the silver lining to Harpocracy.

  That said, sexism and classism abound, especially where Ruth Ellen Brosseau is concerned.

  Brosseau was elected in the francophone riding of Berthier-Maskinongé, beating Bloc Québecois incumbent Guy André by roughly 6,000 votes. Much of the derision at the hands of mainstream media outlet has honed in on the following: she failed to campaign in this riding leading up to the election; she does not speak French; she took a vacation to Las Vegas in the middle of the campaign; she does not live in her riding; she is an assistant manager at a restaurant; she was accused of electoral fraud; she is 27; she is a single mother.

  (more inside…)

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