I think we’re now beginning to see why Harper is trying to maintain a muzzle on his Cabinet ministers and MP’s. They risk putting their feet in their mouths constantly, as Stockwell Day has aptly demonstrated in his constituency piece here, where he goes and uses the term “spear-chucker”, which as others have pointed out, is defined as a racial epithet.
Whether he meant to use this term is besides the point. Just what exactly is this man doing in the Cabinet? The only reason I can think he’s being kept around is that he’s Harper’s modern day version of the court jester. These folks were given unprecedented freedom to insult people or question things that in other circumstances would normally get other people into big big trouble. Maybe Harper’s assigned Stock that unofficial role.
OR, as others have pointed out, it is not a racist epithet. See Macleans for the full roundup: Even GWB was referred to as a ’spear-chucker’ once. And yes it does matter whether he meant to use the term as a racist one or not.
For example, if he really meant it as a racist term I would be first in line demanding his head on a platter (rather like what happened to John the Baptist). But I highly doubt he did.
This kind of ‘gotcha’ politics really disgusts me though. Whether it be Reg Alcock and his ‘gene pool’ gaffe or otherwise, it lowers the level of discussion and prevents actual points from being raised. And if you read the next paragraph Day points this out exactly.