appalled
--------------------
The fruit machine is a jocular term for a device developed in Canada that was supposed to be able to identify homosexuals. The subjects were made to view pornography, and the device measured the pupils of the eyes, perspiration, and pulse for a supposed erotic response. The chair was like that in a dentist office. It had a pulley with a camera going towards the pupils. There was a black box in front of it that showed pictures. The pictures ranged from the mundane to sexually explicit photos of men and women. People were told the machine was to rate stress. After knowledge of its real purpose became widespread, few people volunteered for it.
The machine was employed in Canada in the 1950s and 1960s during a campaign to eliminate all homosexuals from the civil service, the RCMP, and the military. A substantial number of workers did lose their jobs. Although funding for the "fruit machine" project was cut off in the late 1960s, the investigations continued, and the RCMP collected files on over 9,000 suspected homosexuals.
--------------------
but while times and policies may have changed since, it would be naive of us to think that discrimination has ceased to exist altogether... i stumbled on this little factoid while listening to a CBC report discussing some of the less heroic aspects of Canada's military history... while we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the coming-into-effect of the equality guarantee of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the 60th anniversary of the end of the Second World War -- and with it, supposedly the victory over injustice and tyranny -- let us not forget that the fight to protect human rights, equality, and justice continues today...
--------------------
The fruit machine is a jocular term for a device developed in Canada that was supposed to be able to identify homosexuals. The subjects were made to view pornography, and the device measured the pupils of the eyes, perspiration, and pulse for a supposed erotic response. The chair was like that in a dentist office. It had a pulley with a camera going towards the pupils. There was a black box in front of it that showed pictures. The pictures ranged from the mundane to sexually explicit photos of men and women. People were told the machine was to rate stress. After knowledge of its real purpose became widespread, few people volunteered for it.
The machine was employed in Canada in the 1950s and 1960s during a campaign to eliminate all homosexuals from the civil service, the RCMP, and the military. A substantial number of workers did lose their jobs. Although funding for the "fruit machine" project was cut off in the late 1960s, the investigations continued, and the RCMP collected files on over 9,000 suspected homosexuals.
--------------------
but while times and policies may have changed since, it would be naive of us to think that discrimination has ceased to exist altogether... i stumbled on this little factoid while listening to a CBC report discussing some of the less heroic aspects of Canada's military history... while we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the coming-into-effect of the equality guarantee of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the 60th anniversary of the end of the Second World War -- and with it, supposedly the victory over injustice and tyranny -- let us not forget that the fight to protect human rights, equality, and justice continues today...
--------------------
posted by þΛųL jØŋαŦhΛŋ @ 09:15
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home