Friday, June 8, 2018

Give Everybody Eat!

Last night was the Ontario general election. Much more so than in recent years, the provincial election was given a significant amount of attention in the press due to Doug Ford representing the closest that Canadian politics has come to Trumpism since the latter's election in the United States (this ignores Doug's moran brother's mayoral term). People my age were very scared of a possible Progressive Conservative government, especially with the Liberal party wilting in the dying days of Kathleen Wynne's time as Premier. Young people turned their support in mass to the traditionally tertiary New Democratic Party hoping that a dramatic shift towards a more left wing platform would be enough to strike down the Ford family's latest power grad.

It wasn't. Shit sucks. Here are a few disjointed thoughts:

Do not blame voter turn out for the result of this election. A small amount of radicals does not change the fact that the Conservatives won the popular vote and marched through every riding outside of Toronto and Northern Ontario. A platform such as Ford's should not have nearly this much appeal. That people are either ignorant enough to not recognize the problems in their agenda or bad enough to agree with them is the real problem. Instead of turning around and blaming the people agreeing with you, unite in the face of this move towards your values. More people voting in Toronto does not change the fact that so many ridings in the rest of the province flopped.

The real problem in Canada is liberals. Mid-to-upper class white people outside of the urban core are separated enough from what is affected most by the PCs (social program funding, transit funding, arts funding) that it is of no consequence to them. They infatuated with the idea of Trudeau/Chrétien Liberalism and when the option of going red is taken away from them, the majority would rather vote PC than NDP. This is who is fucking Canada on the whole and who is impeding any progress. Socialism is the logical next step from a capitalist democracy to ensure that not all of society is being dominated by a small upper class which controls all wealth. They are opportunists who jump at any chance to seem progressive when it is presented by an affable white guy with a majority government, but shrink away from responsibility when it actually falls to them. It is disgusting.

Sounding off on social media doesn't do anything. Posting on any of the platforms does not equate to activism. It's an echo chamber where you often releasing your opinions to people that already agree with you. I understand that it is fulfilling to hear others agree with you and the immediate release of typing and posting is tempting (the irony, I know) is hard to resist. Don't allow your posts on Facebook and Twitter and Instagram to occupy all of your political discussion. Do not regurgitate information you read on someone else's status. Read and think critically.

Getting news like last night is defeating. Incorporate resistance into your life is easier ways. Read critical books, even if they aren't political theory. Listen to critical records. Linger on those thoughts, discuss them with those you care about and work them into your life in a regular way. Here a couple of works I've enjoyed recently and find comforting today. Don't get scared by ideas, good or bad. Process them and be logical and critical about them. Then you can come back stronger.

 

 

In a very "Timmy" move, Becks and I were at the Jays game last night. Oddly enough, getting the election news coincided with John Axford turning into a pitching machine. Unlike the Ontario electoral body, The Toronto Blue Jays surged back, scoring 3 in the 9th and 1 in the 10th to win. A come-from-behind, walk-off win does wonders to raise your spirits. Staying at home and brooding over a live ticker doesn't do shit to the results. Go out and do something.


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