Michaëlle Jean and Redemption
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Wednesday March 22, 2006
Globe: In lush BC, Jean shares painful secret
In her own words: "... I also saw part of my own story. I was once a little girl who saw her father strike her mother. My younger sister and I lived with the anguish that all children feel when their family unit breaks down. ... For years, we lived in a small basement apartment in Montreal that had just 1½ rooms. Despite the uncertainty that comes with working odd jobs, my mother held her head high, her pride and dignity never wavering. ... My father, who suffered the brutality of torture, is now free from the hell of violent behaviour. This is the story of a family that happens to be my family. ... The more you put a human face on those situations, especially from my position now as Governor-General, it helps others who are totally isolated to do the same. ... It's something I feel very free and open to share with other people. ... It was not a shame. It happens to so many families. ... We have to realize that being silenced about it is not a good thing to do. I think part of the solution is to speak out and make it known. ... I think he is an example to many men by showing that it is possible to overcome this kind of behaviour. He has done that and I am very proud of him. ... The numbers of women and their children who continue to be affected by violence and misogyny are staggering, and we all bear the costs. ..."
Quite a story, quite a woman.
It is a very uncommon story because it leaves neither herself nor her father Roger as a victim - it is a story that ends with the redemption of both. This is nothing short of miraculous. I do not know if she is aware of this distinction, nor if she intended to make such a complete story. Yet even if it was mere unconcious sensibility, she has accomplished something that none of the left-lib hand wringers could accomplish for all their government grants, and I applaud her.
Of course I applaud her. Are we not blessed to have such a person as our Head of State? Neither plummy condescension nor strident ideological rhetoric - my God, what a relief! She does not stoop to conquer, no.
Tags: Michaëlle Jean.
Wednesday March 22, 2006Globe: In lush BC, Jean shares painful secret
In her own words: "... I also saw part of my own story. I was once a little girl who saw her father strike her mother. My younger sister and I lived with the anguish that all children feel when their family unit breaks down. ... For years, we lived in a small basement apartment in Montreal that had just 1½ rooms. Despite the uncertainty that comes with working odd jobs, my mother held her head high, her pride and dignity never wavering. ... My father, who suffered the brutality of torture, is now free from the hell of violent behaviour. This is the story of a family that happens to be my family. ... The more you put a human face on those situations, especially from my position now as Governor-General, it helps others who are totally isolated to do the same. ... It's something I feel very free and open to share with other people. ... It was not a shame. It happens to so many families. ... We have to realize that being silenced about it is not a good thing to do. I think part of the solution is to speak out and make it known. ... I think he is an example to many men by showing that it is possible to overcome this kind of behaviour. He has done that and I am very proud of him. ... The numbers of women and their children who continue to be affected by violence and misogyny are staggering, and we all bear the costs. ..."
Quite a story, quite a woman.It is a very uncommon story because it leaves neither herself nor her father Roger as a victim - it is a story that ends with the redemption of both. This is nothing short of miraculous. I do not know if she is aware of this distinction, nor if she intended to make such a complete story. Yet even if it was mere unconcious sensibility, she has accomplished something that none of the left-lib hand wringers could accomplish for all their government grants, and I applaud her.
Of course I applaud her. Are we not blessed to have such a person as our Head of State? Neither plummy condescension nor strident ideological rhetoric - my God, what a relief! She does not stoop to conquer, no.
Tags: Michaëlle Jean.
