Comment 33722

By adrian (registered) | Posted September 16, 2009 at 19:49:44

Reg,

I understand your perspective, but there is a tone to this debate that I think is really unhelpful. It's typified by this line in your article: "I can live with a few skanks kicking around here and there." That attitude and that language kills it for me.

I'm really torn on this: I agree with the basic premise that downtown Hamilton needs to improve, and it's obvious that the only way this is going to happen is if we get a mix of people downtown - and to achieve that mix, it's clear that what we need is more affluent people. But, although you tempered your article with your own claims to being a member of the "working poor", there is derision towards poor people in your article and among many of the comments I've seen on this issue.

This derision is making it difficult for progressive people like me, and others (I think the commenter "grassroots are the way forward") to get behind opposition to this plan. I simply can't sign a petition initiated by someone who calls women "skanks".

This is not PC sensitivity. Language matters. It cheapens the debate and makes it sound a lot uglier than it needs to.

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