Joni Mitchell-The Magdalene Laundries (Live in Japan)

just drawing attention to the horrors of what Church and state condoned is possibly a beginning.
the movie is so hard to watch, being native and catholic and poor and fatherless and growing up on the harsh prairies I can sympathize with the brutality these woman endured but in no way feel the suffering of shame and guilt that was put upon them.
my song is It's to late to apologize" to Canada and all the entitled ones and the powers that be!

I love her accent,

Wow, I didn't realize she had such a strong accent.

What accent??
Everybody from the Canadian Prairies speaks like her. Some with stronger accents, some with slighter, some just like her......but, basically, that's the way everyone here speaks.

As far as I'm aware those Magdalene laundries also existed in Canada, Australia and the UK. Why doesn't she mention that in her intro? Is she afraid to embarrass her own country (Canada)?

If you Wiki Magdalene Laundries, there's not one mention of Canada. I'm not saying they didn't exist here....She has said this song was inspired by a story she read in a magazine she picked up at the supermarket in BC.

Joni is not afraid to criticize Canada. She has done so numerous times. Although, she is becoming a little softer as she gets older.

Ah OK, that makes sense, but I actually agree with Bluesnout - the state (or The Church?) *should* compensate those who were abused by members of the Church.

I'm not sure how having this opinion defines Bluesnout as an atheist, but either way, each to his/her own in my book.

yes i agree but i would think that the state would of already compensated them by now though as i'm sure they were forced too after the truth came out

I'm not so sure that all those who were abused were compensated.

Wiki & its sources suggest that people who were abused as children in Irish Orphanages were compensated after a 2002 inquiry, but for some reason this didn't help those who suffered in the Magdalene Laundries.

Likewise, even if some of the 30,000 women were lucky and perhaps did not suffer sexual, physical or emotional abuse in the Laundries, they should be recompensed for the unpaid work that they were forced to do in these profit-making institutions.

Have you seen Peter Mullan's film? (The Magdalene Laundries) It's very good, but shocking - though several of the survivors argue that the reality was even more brutal.