Article content continued

I'm trying to not get cynical about what is a totally devastating tragedy but the maleness, the youthfulness and the whiteness of the victims are, of course, playing a significant role. — Nora Loreto (@NoLore) April 9, 2018

Where everyone knows everyone else and people take care of one another, celebrating their successes and grieving their losses, together.

You would be hard-pressed to find a kid that grew up in the prairies who didn’t travel by bus, van or car from small town to small town, for a hockey, ringette or curling tournament. I did.

Everyone supports their local teams, no matter the caliber of play, and they do so with pride.

The depth of Humboldt’s loss has touched the hearts of people around the world.

A GoFundMe campaign has already raised over $7 million (and climbing) to support the victims’ families.

So it’s difficult to imagine someone finding this to be somehow dark and nefarious. Difficult, but not impossible.

A freelance writer, self-described activist and “happy socialist,” Nora Loreto, whose work has appeared in the Globe and Mail and Maclean’s, took to her Twitter account to lament: “I’m trying to not get cynical about what is a totally devastating tragedy, but the maleness, the youthfulness and the whiteness of the victims play a significant role.”

She goes on to suggest in subsequent tweets that her point was, “I want justice and more for so many other grieving parents and communities.”

What a sad and senseless way to draw attention to other legitimate causes.

Loreto, and many others on the extreme left, apparently feel they get a pass on saying vicious and hurtful things because they claim to represent oppressed minorities.