Just when you thought Alberta radio stations could not become more heinous with their blatant sexist "contests," an Edmonton radio station further lowers the bar. The Bear radio station in Edmonton, Alberta has created a contest to "win" a Russian bride. Yes, the radio station is taking part in blatant human trafficking. The woman involved in this contest clearly has no choice in who her future husband will be since, you know, she is the object being won. Contrary the Bear's perception of females at large (see their "Babe of the Day" section online) a woman is not an object to be "won" by a man through a radio station, or anywhere else for that matter. This is why there is controversy and sheer outrage coming from all over the country. Much outrage is shared amongst those who are currently battling human trafficking, which includes the mail order bride industry. Andrea Burhart, with Alberta's Action Coalition on Human Trafficking asserts her disgust to CBC news, "I cringed when I saw it," she said, "The bottom line is that we don't know how these women are coming into this." Precisely! this contest also further asserts the idea that women are property - they are to be married off to someone they themselves did not choose.
To add to the growing dissent, Employment and Immigration Minister Thomas Lukaszuk told CBC news that he was so offended by the contest that he pulled his ministry's ads from the radio station. Despite the anger directed at them, The Bear radio station, like the Calgary station who ran a sexist contest for breast implants, won't back down under pressure. Why? Probably because we live under a patriarchal capitalist system where humans are considered to be commodities and women are considered to be chattel. If women were considered fully human, we wouldn't be sold off to random dudes who call into shitty radio stations. One such dude, 27 year old Danny Lozchuk, hopes to be the "lucky man" to win a Russian woman to be his wife, "I've been trying in Canada and Edmonton and no luck, so I'll try my luck overseas and see what I can do," he tells CBC news. Danny's statement exposes the sheer abundance of entitlement that many men hold. Entitlement not only to women's bodies, but to their livelihoods as well. Danny seems to feel that since no woman in North America has so far consented to be with him, he figures he'd have a better shot at being with woman who has no choice in the partnership. I mean, what makes for a happier, sexier marriage than a lack of consent from the woman you are marrying?
Danny, or some other dude, will "win" this woman - this human being, by the end of the month of September unless this contest is stopped. If you are as furious, offended, disgusted, and revolted by this contest as I am, tell the Bear. Contact information will be added at the end of this post. Share this blog post and spread the word so that this form of extreme disrespect for the humanity of women does not become so normalized that more radio stations hold similar contests. This contest is completely unacceptable.
To contact the Bear radio station in Edmonton:
| The Bear Address #100 - 18520 Stony Plain Road Edmonton, Alberta T5S 2E2 Main Number: (780) 486-2800 To get a quick response please be sure to send your questions or comments to the correct email address. |
| Stewart Meyers, General Manager | smeyers@astral.com |
| Rob Vavrek, Brand Director | rvavrek@bear.fm |
| Susan Reade, General Sales Manager | sreade@astral.com |
| Karen Paulgaard, Promotions Director | kpaulgaard@astral.com |
For questions and concerns regarding contests, prizing etc.
cjunker@astral.com
To send them a tweet (or several) on Twitter, their tag is @1003TheBear
Notes:
- Quotes and information from CBC news
- Photograph from The Bear radio station
Disgusting.
ReplyDeleteEveryone involved in that contest should get arrested, and those women need to be given an exit. Whoever thinks this is "empowering" for women has got to be fucking nuts. Ugh, I don't know, it's as if Alberta's media outlets are trying to turn the province into Canada's very own Texas in terms of "shock value".
In a male dominate world as ours the idea of empowering women means enabling women to make themselves sexually available to men. Girls are raised to believe that their purpose in life is fulfill male sexual desirers. So the more that they are able to achieve this, the more successful and empowered they feel.
ReplyDeleteFrom a feminist view point we need to up our education so that girls are brought up to realize that they are human beings with rights and not some man’s fuck toy.
We should be pushing to have women’s studies introduced at school level. We need to ensure that young girls grow up knowing who their real enemy is and how they can do something about it.
Well said, Christina, Well said. I agree 100% which is why I never understood how it was "empowering" to be a sex toy instead of a human being.
ReplyDeleteI agree the station in question has no tact or respect but some of your claims are false. Out of curiosity I dug further into the contest and the company supporting it. Winning the contest grants you a 10 day trip to Russia to meet women who have voluntarily applied to a dating/marriage service over there. Again I don't agree with everything they're doing, but I also don't agree with false accusations such as them supporting human trafficking or women being forced into marriage. Its basically "The Bachelor" just set in Russia.
ReplyDeleteWhat i want to know is what kind of "dating company" is hooking up with companies based in North America from Russia. I also want to know what kind of "choice" was really available - the Bachelor involves rich white people meeting other rich white people - this is potentially some dude from Edmonton marrying any woman, of any possible economical background. We have no idea if she is living in poverty and how that may have affected her decision. I read this too, recently, which is why I took out the bit about purchasing the woman, the station that is. Regardless, the contest is rewarding a man with a wife - a man with a woman. Whatever "dating site" it may or may not be legitimate, or even similar...what kind of "contest" occurs via radio over seas? what kind of contest places a man who none of these women have CHOSEN to date overseas to meet a woman who he has never met? Why does the man get to choose a wife, similar to how one shops for a pair of shoes or chooses a prize through a company like airmiles in Canada. Are we redeeming women? This contest is still incredibly sexist and still could possibly be encouraging trafficking. I don't know about you, but when I see "russian wife" my mind immediatley goes to the fact that Russia is the top country for the mail-order bride slave industry (which is human trafficking, plain and simple). When a man from Edmonton is "picking" a wife in Russia through a radio station that has "babes of the day" - I am concerned. I do not think the trafficking accusation is false, because trafficking is often hidden and disclosed. It is often protected by other men. Powerful men.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, thanks for stopping by and adding your two-cents.
I didn't think it was possible to play the race card in this situation since Russia is as white as Canada but to your credit you managed to do so. You know all these companies basically do is introduce people. How is that slavery? You should really get into the habit of providing some evidence for allegations as severe as human trafficking before making them. Maybe if you did some research on it you'd find out that the winner doesn't pick a wife. He goes to Russia to meet women who want to move to Canada. If you want your opinion to mean anything you can get your news from a few sources of different perspectives not just from the ultra left. You based a lot of assumptions just on the wording used to promote the contest. Please prove slavery.
ReplyDeleteGood Maude, it's getting trolly around here.
ReplyDeleteThese companies don't exactly "introduce" people. These women are financially destitute and in great danger from other predators 99% of the time. That's assuming they signed up with this "dating service" or whatever willingly. The point is that as unlikely that scenario may be, IF they signed on willingly, it's because they're under such socio-economical duress that they had little other choice. So, yes, it is slavery. Slavery isn't just chains and whips and cotton fields. It's women who have no other choice but to sell themselves or starve. Or, it's women whose passports and visas are stolen but they can't get help, because men are too busy buying them and not asking if they're okay. THAT'S the kind of slavery that's going on here. And, if a slave is moved from one place to another, either with her original owner, or a new one, then that's trafficking. Plain and simple enough, even for a videogameninja, I would think.
Unfriggingbelievable!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Aren't there laws??? Isn't anyone doing something?
ReplyDeleteThis is so degrading and demeaning. I have sent an email to the Program Manager. Thanks for that info btw. Also, here in Toronto we listen to an Astral Media station. I pointed out to them (at the Bear) that word gets out and people will boycott the company across the country.
ReplyDeleteThank-you for writing this article. I was unaware of this particular contest. I actually have been upset all day by a billboard add that I drove by earlier today. The "Pray for rain" advertisement. I am so appalled. Is any one aware of any pre-existing groups in Edmonton that are organizing against these types of advertising?
ReplyDelete-Just another person in Edmonton who thinks they are all alone.