Globe and Mail Public Editor: The need to understand the context of words and how they evolve
Last week, TV columnist John Doyle wrote a column criticizing the CBC’s new show Great Canadian Baking Show.
As a TV critic, he was not overly impressed by this re-make of a British show. “If you’re a fan of The Great British Bake Off, you will not feel bamboozled, but you might feel bewildered by the reverential copying.”
In discussing the judges, he wrote: “Both are a tad stiff and nervous and little wonder – at any moment, they know they might be swarmed by the feyness of [co-host Dan] Levy and the tweeness of [co-host Julia] Chan.
In a social media post, Mr. Levy said that while he acknowledges criticism of cultural matters, as a “proud gay man, being criticized for my ‘feyness’ (defined by Merriam-Webster as ‘campy’ and ‘precious’) in today’s Globe and Mail struck me as offensive, irresponsible and homophobic….”
Continue reading this story on the Globe and Mail website, where it first appeared.
Sylvia Stead is the Public Editor of the Globe and Mail.