Thank you. I’m a retired reporter in Canada and at one point, I covered federal politics in Ottawa. Back then there were few women Members of Parliament and the women MPs that were there had to be strong to be heard. One such was Sheila Copps. Just about every time she spoke in Parliament reporters used the word “shrill” to describe her …
Thank you. I’m a retired reporter in Canada and at one point, I covered federal politics in Ottawa. Back then there were few women Members of Parliament and the women MPs that were there had to be strong to be heard. One such was Sheila Copps. Just about every time she spoke in Parliament reporters used the word “shrill” to describe her speech. As there got to be more women MPs and more women reporters, the use of the word declined. It is refreshing to hear the adjectives “shrill” and “shrieking” are no longer applied just to women. They are good descriptive adjectives. Maybe the time has come when they can be reclaimed for universal use no longer associated with misogyny. I’ll take progress where I find it.
Thank you. I’m a retired reporter in Canada and at one point, I covered federal politics in Ottawa. Back then there were few women Members of Parliament and the women MPs that were there had to be strong to be heard. One such was Sheila Copps. Just about every time she spoke in Parliament reporters used the word “shrill” to describe her speech. As there got to be more women MPs and more women reporters, the use of the word declined. It is refreshing to hear the adjectives “shrill” and “shrieking” are no longer applied just to women. They are good descriptive adjectives. Maybe the time has come when they can be reclaimed for universal use no longer associated with misogyny. I’ll take progress where I find it.