I ran against Rob Ford and suffered the consequences

January 20, 2015 5:17 PM

Young Politician Munira Abukar discusses the sexism and racism she faced as a consequence of running against Rob Ford for a councilor position in Toronto
posted by Conspire (18 comments total)

Why is it that every stone in the Rob Ford path, when lifted, reveals a slug?
posted by GenjiandProust at 5:25 PM on January 20, 2015 [7 favorites]

I was extremely dismayed at how little news coverage there was of the almost cartoonish racism levied against both her and Olivia Chow. It got mentioned, yeah, and then totally ignored.
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 5:31 PM on January 20, 2015 [4 favorites]

That's just the trail *left* by a slug, genjiandproust.
posted by spitbull at 5:48 PM on January 20, 2015 [2 favorites]

Then my signs started disappearing. We let the city know, but they said there wasn’t anything they could do. After the election was over, whoever stole the signs placed them back up all over the ­neighbourhood—likely knowing I’d be fined for it. In total, there were 154 put back up, and in ­November I received an invoice from Municipal ­Licensing and Standards for more than $4,000.

I have to admit, that's pretty awesomely evil.
posted by Etrigan at 6:01 PM on January 20, 2015 [7 favorites]

I have to admit, that's pretty awesomely evil.

If it were the first time something like that's happened, it would be awesomely evil. But I'm going to guess this tactic is old hat, so it's more like the crushing inevitability of banal evil.
posted by JauntyFedora at 6:10 PM on January 20, 2015 [4 favorites]

Well, given the Ford family's history in politics, it could totally be old hat and their terrible creation.

Man, they are just bad human beings.
posted by gingerest at 6:19 PM on January 20, 2015 [3 favorites]

See also the disgusting Islamophobic campaign against Asuma Malik which appears to have been orchestrated by one of the other candidates and abetted by Sue-Ann Levy.
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 6:23 PM on January 20, 2015

Tactics like that seem to be part of the playbook in city politics. Didn't surprise me that someone like Ford would use them.
posted by arcticseal at 6:32 PM on January 20, 2015

It's fucking gross but it's hopefully changing. The Fords are gone (well Rob is barely there) and it feels like a bit more sanity has returned. A bit. It's been a pleasure not hearing about them at all recently.
Granted, I'm in a lefty neighbourhood, but Ausma Malik is now our trustee and she won in spite of the nauseating hate campaign. I was happy to vote for her.
posted by chococat at 7:49 PM on January 20, 2015 [2 favorites]

I swear, I have only danced on one person's grave (Adam Smith), but when Mike Harris dies, it's going to look like They Shoot Horses, Don't They? wherever the heck they stick him in the ground.
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 7:59 PM on January 20, 2015 [4 favorites]

...it feels like a bit more sanity has returned. A bit.

I'd feel better if Doug hadn't done so well.
posted by bonobothegreat at 8:39 PM on January 20, 2015

I have only danced on one person's grave (Adam Smith)

I'm okay with dancing in general, but I wouldn't blame the nature of modern capitalism on Adam Smith, he just described what he saw starting to evolve back then.

Mike Harris was an opportunist who took advantage of a shift in the wind to experiment with some Chilean/Chicagoan cynicism, and backed out when he had the chance.

Rob Ford is just a little boy who shat in the well. Now people can't drink from the well anymore.
posted by ovvl at 9:02 PM on January 20, 2015 [2 favorites]

I was extremely dismayed at how little news coverage there was of the almost cartoonish racism levied against both her and Olivia Chow. It got mentioned, yeah, and then totally ignored.

Because Torontonians don't want to talk about how racist our city actually is.
posted by dry white toast at 10:16 PM on January 20, 2015 [5 favorites]

Well I must say, as an American, it's good to see that Canadians are just as racist as us!
HA HA JUST KIDDING THIS IS HORRIFIC.
posted by GoingToShopping at 12:03 AM on January 21, 2015 [3 favorites]

I have only danced on one person's grave (Adam Smith)

Blaming Adam Smith for modern capitalism is like blaming Karl Marx for modern communism. Try not to blame the philosopher for the inevitable bastardization of their philosophy by evil men. Jesus would be the first to tell you that...
posted by any major dude at 5:56 AM on January 21, 2015 [1 favorite]

Too late- already did it.
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 8:02 AM on January 21, 2015

I posed for a picture sitting on Joseph McCarthy's gravestone in Appleton, Wisconsin--that's cool, right?
posted by Halloween Jack at 10:33 AM on January 21, 2015 [1 favorite]

This is part of a larger toronto life feature.
posted by chunking express at 2:11 PM on January 24, 2015 [1 favorite]