First, let’s talk Christmas. News flash: it’s not here yet. Universe, please stop sending me flyers. Give me a few more minutes to get past Hallowe’en, and for dang sure give me a moment to pause and reflect and give thanks on Remembrance Day before Santa starts putting his nose all up in my bizness.
Charities, stop sending me address labels, calendars, Christmas cards, envelope seal stickers and the like. You’re still welcome to send me pictures of sick and malnourished children with puppy dog eyes and pictures of sick and malnourished puppies with sad infant eyes, but please, stop wasting your money on goodies and gimmies. Yes, I have donated to a number of you. No, I didn’t expect any percentage of my donation would come back to me in the form of a gift bag and ballpoint pen. Please give my money to those kids with puppy dog eyes. I’ll buy a calendar from you if I feel like it.
Next, let’s talk Occupy. If you don’t know what that is, then I can only presume you live in a cave on Mars under a rock with your fingers in your ears and your eyes squeezed shut. I support the right to demonstrate, to exercise free speech and make your opinions known. What I don’t appreciate, however, is talking a lunch hour walk through my local Occupy site and being given the third degree on “what corporation do I work for?” and “what am I doing here?” questions from belligerent protesters who seem to think that they now own the city-owned, public-use land on which they are encamped. Yes, that happened yesterday. Colour me unimpressed. You want people to take you seriously? Stop talking to me like that and, absolutely and unequivocally, stop biting police. Stick to your key messages, work with authorities to make your valid right to protest go smoothly, and “stick it to the man” for as long as you like.
I won’t get into the irony about the way-more-than-half-a-million-dollars that has been spent on the local protest, at the expense of the 99 per cent whom you are trying to represent. As a last comment on this, I hope cooler heads prevail if a Court injunction ordering your removal gets approved and another riot doesn’t get sparked. Did I mention back in June how stupid I thought the Stanley Cup riot was? Bah.
Alright, that’s enough griping for now! I’ll be cheery once the Christmas spirit sets in. Not to worry—just have to get past November 11th first, Lest We Forget.
2 comments:
Oh yeah, right on, Stu!
Both of these things drive me nuts. The Occupiers are my biggest irritant at the moment. I have a really hard time feeling sorry for people who can afford to spend all day occupying an art gallery while the rest of us go to jobs and work all day. I know that there are people in Canada who have been born into very difficult situations but 99% of people in Canada have the opportunity to have any life that they want if they work for it. I can't help but feel that these protesters are full of self pity and a huge sense of entitlement. I'm sorry that you can't have a private jet, or even a brand new TV. I am also sorry that the 99% willingly took advantage of highly flawed borrowing system, set up by the greedy banks and corporations, by living outside of their means. Mostly I am sorry that we have lost sight of how damn good we have it in this country. If you really want to make a difference take the money that you would spend of consumer goods and put it towards programs that help those most in need. That way you will actually be making a difference and sticking it to the man at the same time.
That's my two cents.
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