Category: politics

Re: Con

My 97 year old special mom is reading some of the classics of English literature through her audiobook player. Last up on her list was Great Expectations, a story of a boy who helps an escaped convict. My mother-in-law is not always ready to say good things (perhaps because she fears someone may misuse her statement of conviction), so it was pleasing to me when she showed she had gained knowledge of the plights of others. She translated the Dickensian fiction into the inequalities of modern day U.S.A. by asking, “Has Trump done anything for the poor?”

That got me thinking about what might be called the greatest cons of capitalism. Baby formula was the first that came to mind: The corrupt advertising that went into selling this product as better than breast milk constitutes a distortion of human nature. Likewise the marketing of bottled water shows a disregard for the value of fresh water at the same time as promoting the overuse of plastics, furthering the pollution of our planet. I find it hard to stop this tirade, so I will also mention diamonds. Males of marrying age were conned to believe that it was appropriate to give their bride-to-be, a costly token of their esteem to the tune of 3 months wages. Talk about blood from a stone! Tipping is a con, lottery buying is a con, the requirement to drink 8 litres of water a day is a con. We are told by corporations that our life will be better if we just purchase this product or another. Somehow the prevailing culture buys-in to these promotions. Peer pressure takes over. There is usually nothing Pro about these societal manipulations, only Con.

It strikes me as ironic that the biggest con artist right now, might someday be a con. At least that’s what many hope for. The Donald has so far avoided incarceration in spite of being convicted of numerous offences (34 convictions and counting). Many American citizens were conned into believing that a vote for POTUS 45or47 would bring them prosperity in a ‘trickle-down’ fashion (another con). Election time is rife with promises that are really cons in disguise. The ad/con game has always been about teaching others what to think, how to feel, who to vote for, and how to spend. 

Wisdom is sometimes found in Elders, but not always. My special mom’s first response to my writing about the word Con was, “I knew someone who went to prison.” When I asked who that might be, she said she had forgotten but he was definitely a bad man. Prejudice thrives when we hold too tightly to notions that were taught to us. Parents don’t know everything, neither do CEOs, our neighbours, nor those we elect to, hopefully, do the right thing. Pip, from that novel by Dickens, learned much from his charity to Magwitch. Examining the good/bad of things is the first step toward understanding the wider world.

Re: Lobby

I walked through a swanky hotel lobby today. I was passing through to make a reservation at their guest restaurant for my 97 year old special mom’s birthday surprise. Lobbies are among my favourite places because they are usually decorated in a welcoming fashion. This makes me feel chill, and when I’m actually staying in a hotel I need to feel soothed from my travel anxieties. 

The comforting old word vestibule comes to mind as getting close to the feeling I get while in a lobby. These gathering places can be found in railway stations, libraries, theatres, legislative buildings, and even court houses. When I’m standing in grand, high-ceilinged vestibules I want to whisper, for fear of waking any traveller-spirit who might have come through this portal before I arrived on the scene. One of my favourite spots is Union Station in Toronto. Even if I don’t have a ticket to go somewhere, I have often sat on a bench in that building filling myself with the many stories swirling ethereal all around me. 

Years ago, my wife and I managed a condo building with a simple, yet elegant lobby. She took on the task of keeping it spotless, while I did the less-noticed backroom stuff. The building had security cameras located there so comings & goings were recorded. One early morning while mopping the slate floors, she witnessed a bold robbery of a Federal Postal Key. She challenged the thief, he tried to smooth talk his way out of the whole affair, eventually leaving. The entire moment was caught on tape, and eventually so was the perpetrator. My wife was a prime witness in court. It was a big deal! I remember the government lawyer (referring to the crook as the Lobby Lothario) telling my bride that she was made of tough stuff. Indeed she is.

Speaking of scenes on film, that song, “Let’s all go to the lobby…” is lodged in my childhood brain from numerous trips to the drive-in on a summer’s night. I wouldn’t call the soda fountain type, confection-stocked area, that is really a small shack in a parking lot, a lobby. But there we go playing around with words and muddling their meaning! Really!

Some people call themselves Lobbyists, which sounds more akin to an historical military division. While I think of it, there is a combat-style approach taken when lobbying the government for favours. Behind the glad-handing and off-side bribery there is a desire by Lobby Groups to circumvent the democratic process and seek special compensations for all manner of shady operations. The National Rifle Association is one of the darker operatives spending millions each year to persuade elected government officials to see things their way. Amidst all the swirling official papers, memoranda, and protocols the highly valued 2nd Amendment of their flawed Constitution lives on, thanks to the Gun Lobby. Meanwhile, the stories of many are lost to fixable violence (2025 statistics record over 40,000 deaths). 

This type of lobby is murderous and is going to require tougher stuff to bring justice.

Re: Refuge

My uncle is aghast that in his country, refugees who travel across the English Channel are “put up in hotels”. I’ve long since given up on his rants about the injustices of the immigration system. The reality of finding a place of refuge for millions throughout the world is a reminder of global inequity. Privileged folks, like my relative in the UK, just don’t see past their own need to protect their borders with walls or fences.

Poets like Robert Frost would disagree. From Mending Walls: “Before I built a wall I’d ask to know/What I was walling in or walling out/ And to whom I was like to give offense.” Perhaps artists are the first to lend sympathy to those forced from their home environments by war, persecution, climate change, or lack of employment opportunities. No one who wasn’t suffering hardship of any sort would make a choice to go to a foreign land. When I read of refugee camps, I consider my mustard seed of related experience and feel great empathy for these wandering nomads.

“Are there no workhouses…” is a line spoken by the miserly fictional character Ebenezer Scrooge, as he brushes off a plea for Christmas charity. Those humans who seek refuge from the pains of the world are of no concern to this wealthy man. The billionaires continue to profit from playing with their money while the 99% struggle on with the results of bottom-line focussed corporations and ostrich politicians. Mother Nature has no voice yet the signs of her woe are everywhere.

We had a storm in our spot by the sea yesterday. Trees swayed in the gusts and heavy autumn rain fell. I revelled today as I looked up to see flocks of birds appear out of some mysterious hidden location further up our street. I walked gingerly, stepping over branches and mounds of leaves, and wondered where they had found a place of refuge. Reading the newspaper later I discovered ferries had been cancelled, power lines downed, and op/eds were shrieking over the lack of attention being paid to climate change.

Where is refuge to be found from the onslaught of depressing news. From my perspective as a media consumer, I often feel myself to be a refugee trying to stay balanced in this modern era of deliberately manufactured discord. I feel history will look back on the 2020s as an equivalent to the horrors of the two previous world wars. The idea of a current definition of WWIII would include; cyber insecurity, polarization of states, economic irregularity, resource misuse, widespread inequity, global human migration, climate instability, religious intolerance, military expansion, and pandemic unpreparedness. The list reads like the side-effects, in fine print, found on the package for the latest cure-all medication.

Some sort of prescription is certainly needed if humanity is to make it out of this century alive. Veterans of past wars sought shelter where they could and helped their neighbour when they could. Time for us to do the same.

Re: Sport

My youngest son thinks that Sport is everything. I can relate to his enthusiasm because I feel the same way when it comes to Art. Our world would be a shabby place were it not for the creative opportunities found in either of these two activities. He’s very knowledgeable when it comes to team stats and athlete’s profiles. When it comes to participating in a sport he is the epitome of good sportsmanship.

Canada has just been through another serious sort-of sport: Electing a new Parliament. Politics and sport don’t mix, you say? But I think they are a lot alike. The parties all have their colours like the teams you will root for in the stadium. There are some players to watch while assessing goals or penalties depending on your judgement of the candidate. The final result produces a collection of tired bodies, frayed nerves, and speeches to media. The losing performer usually says something like he had a great team behind him, and it was an honour to participate, and yes we can live to fight another day. The winning representative is aglow with victory, praising her supporters for knocking on all those doors, as she assures everyone that once she is on the hill she won’t forget how she got there. In Canada we have a tradition of being good sports when it comes to our election night announcements.

My sporting life consisted of the usual experimentation within individual and team arenas. Unlike many in my home nation, I never played hockey (unless you count the street version where the shout ‘Car!’ is part of the activity). In my youth, I was into soccer, baseball, football, and volleyball. By nature, I preferred solitary sports like golfing, fishing, tennis, and archery. Some of these activities might be considered Games or even Past-times by those who are more particular. Friends of mine consider the goal of any physical activity, organized or not, is to keep fit. At my age I’m considering adding cheering for the Blue Jays to be very sporting of me, especially if they lose, again.

That youngest son of mine recently waxed poetic about the latest winner of the coveted Green Jacket of the Masters Golf Tournament. He spent time explaining to his 96 year old grandmother how Rory McIlroy had wanted this win so badly, thinking it was out of reach because he had come so close before, and now in victory he sank to his knees on the final green, letting all that emotion out for all the spectators to witness. Such a victory in sport is often called a crowning achievement. In the Olympics they hand out gold coins to signify the status of being first in your field.

Sport is really a story, and we love stories. Athletes are central characters in their quest for glory. Their parents and coaches have urged them on to create themselves while learning the skills for excellence. We watch excitedly when their joy in doing is evident in their faces. Being a witness keeps my mind fit.

Re: Doctor

“Is there a doctor in the house!” Now that’s a phrase I’ve heard might be called out in a medical emergency by someone in a theatre. I’ve never witnessed that happening in the many plays I’ve attended. I’ve never been involved in a doctor intervention while being a passenger of an airplane either. This is another high drama location, that probably requires a mid-flight turn to get a patient to a hospital. Doctors to the rescue!

Canada is thought by many to be the home of ‘free’ health care. It is comforting to know that in a crisis situation citizens have access to hospital care without the added stress on their personal bank account. However for those of us without a Family Doctor our view of the tax funded, government sponsored/administered health system is not as seamless as it would appear to outsiders. Doctors retire. They move. Medical Centres close. Patients who have seen their doctor as just a phone call away may suddenly find themselves building confidence with a new physician at best, or stuck playing musical chairs in a clinic at worst.

Recently all these things have happened to me. To complicate things I had to spend an extended period of time away from my home province. To complicate things even further I had a heart incident that required intervention and follow-up treatment. Since health care is a provincial responsibility my health card was questioned. I had prescription drug needs that kept everything ticking (literally). Without my records I had to relate familiar stories about my medical history way too many times. When I returned home I joined thousands of others without a GP or Primary Care Physician and therefore have had slower than normal access to the specialists I need for my condition.

“What’s up Doc?” is a question that comes to mind in my lighter moments of feeling. I don’t want to skip the line for appropriate care. Sometimes I just want to know where I am in the line. I’ve questioned the notion of the word Care. I don’t like to point fingers in blame. Every doctor who has ever looked after me has done just that. In an emergency and over time, when I’ve come in need the questions have been answered in full. I would wish the same for everyone. Trouble is, there aren’t enough doctors for everyone in Canada right now.

I counted eight professionals around my bed when I was admitted to the emergency ward for my rapid heart arrhythmia. That’s a healthy amount of care for sure. Doctors are all about saving a life. It’s in their Hippocratic Oath. I count doctors, nurses and teachers as being the most important professionals in an advanced society. I fully recognize as an educated adult that I am primarily responsible for my health. I’m also smart enough to know that I can’t meet all of my own health needs. A solid health care system must make ease of access a key component for all in Canada and around the world.

Re: MAGA

Make America Great Again. As acronyms go, this one will certainly go down in history. I imagine the famous Pearl Harbour speech by FDR, paraphrased in my head; “This policy slogan will live in infamy!” The directive MAGA, in reality, may also win a prize for best example of irony as the USA’s reputation as a great compassionate country is in tatters across the globe and its people have never been more divided in purpose.

The acronym will always be associated with that single term US President, Donald J. Trump. MAGA was borrowed from his predecessor Ronald Reagan whose phrase was less demanding and more invitational in tone, “Let’s MAGA!” Both of these jingoisms are representations of the idea that the ‘good old days’ were better than what we have now and ‘by golly by gum we’re gunna make them happen agin, dagnabbit!’ In fact, the thought went that if you were not in favour of getting back to the way we were, then you were un-American.

Trouble is the present day flows by like that River Zen, where you can’t possibly sample the same water once it has passed you by. As that theory continues; You aren’t even the same person! But try telling that to someone who thinks everything is turning out all wrong. At this point I’m wondering where all the visionaries have gone. Maybe I’m not facing in the right direction. I need a hat!

Campaign slogans aside, the wearing of baseball caps can be an identifier; of a favourite team, a philosophy of life or just a cheeky observance. I don’t have a head for hats but I would wear a cap with YOLO on it if I was invited to a Wear a Cap party. Since I don’t believe in an afterlife it’s important that I observe a ‘you only live once’ philosophy. I don’t have FOMO because I am one of the lucky ones while the majority of the world’s people are, in fact, missing out on a lot of basic things.

In our family, my sister and I were expected to act in a certain way every December 25th. It was a Make Christmas Great Again effort so that our mom could ‘get that feeling’. The stress was intense. Every detail had to be acted out. I have mixed emotions when I watch the film Christmas Vacation because of the prescribed nature of the holiday. It scarred us as kids. I believe it was a factor in my sister’s untimely death.

Personal memory plays a big part in our belief that life was better before: Before cars, before computers, before contraception, before electricity, before appliances, before feminism, before guns, before stand-up comedy, before plastic, before welfare cheques, before oil. We filter out what interferes with our conception of the facts. Sometimes the filter is so fine only a few things stay relevant and our point of reference gets permanently clogged.

Psychologists may do well to advise us to get a filter change every two years or 10,000 thoughts.

Re: Kid

While binge watching the television series The Office I had an awakening: The entire cast act as kids! The writers/creators show humans doing adult jobs, in an adult business, all trying to be adults but they are all just children playing in a sandbox. I kid you not, watching the show with this lens of kid-ness, gave me insight and joy in equal measure. Each actor shows their unique childish pleasure-seeking side: Michael wants attention, Dwight is a warrior knight, Kevin wants to eat, Creed steals, Andy sneaks, Jim teases. And, like kids, they all want to become. We are the camera, watching, judging, cringing at all the examples of how rude, obnoxious, hilarious and immature the characters are behaving. Sometimes I caught myself from wanting to discipline Michael, “Stop kidding around, that’s not how adults are supposed to behave! Be serious. You are supposed to be the Boss!” No wonder when any of the cast stops being selfish for a moment and acts like an adult, we are mystified: Where did that maturity come from?

This masterful work of television offers a chance to put all kidding aside for a moment so that you can recognize aspects of human nature. I don’t think we ever completely outgrow our kid stage. In my family both my dad, mom and sister all followed Peter Pan out the window. I was left to look after the house. I sensed the adult void and assumed the role. I lost out on some parts of being a kid because I had to come to the conclusion, as Wendy did, that we all have to take responsibility for our actions.

Perhaps we are not too different from some insects. We have a larval stage when we eat constantly. We pupate as adolescents going through fundamental chemical changes. Some of us come out of our chrysalides as adults, fully operational. Yet we all know folks who are just barely adults; those with low tolerance levels, still behaving in excess/access mode or perpetually afraid. That immaturity can make us an easy target for manipulation. The wolf in sheep’s clothing could just as easily be the parent poser in a cozy sweater.

As a kid we are used to following instructions as long as we get a treat. As a kid it’s natural to point to the other saying, “He/She did it!” I’m not kidding around if I suggest that maybe a dictator appeals to the kid in us. We expect leaders to show us a safer place. Dictators take care of things. Despots come up with easy answers that don’t need to involve us kids. A despot as a sibling can tempt us to do irresponsible things. Trump may have been an example of a dictator who failed because he was too much like a kid. The adult part of us finally caught on to his disguise. The fun stopped. Perhaps we finally grow up when we realize that truth is fundamental. I hope I’m not kidding myself.

Re: Amuse

I was musing over U.S. election news telling me how a new ‘soulful’ White House might respond to the crises of our time. Blessedly, without The Donald in charge, there will be less amusement.  Much of the world was certainly not amused by Trump’s selfish antics. He was a president who’s only muse was power. He showed no sign of comprehending the Arts as described in Greek Mythology. That ancient culture appointed nine Muses to watch over artistic pursuits: Three styles of poetry were inspired by Calliope, Erato and Polyhymnia, In theatre Melpomene and Thalia teamed up, Euterpe brought music when Terpsichore danced, and Clio kept a record of it all (hopefully an accurate one) for posterity’s sake. 

I feel that government’s responsibility is not to entertain the masses. Those we elect are not there for our amusement. By voting we have entered into a contract with our representatives to do good by all. This is so different from what you expect when you purchase an amusement park ticket. You step right up for the greatest show on earth. You come along for the ride. You strap yourself in. You are entertained by the unexpected extravagances. You will be thrilled. You choose to be thrilled! I have fond boyhood memories of going to Toronto’s C.N.E. at the end of every summer. Another more permanent amusement park nearby is called Canada’s Wonderland, once boasting the longest roller coaster in the land while promising to lift all of your adventures to ‘new heights’!

If life is like a circus, relationships can offer these kinds of random experiences too. We may try out a different personality, against our ‘type’. I did that once, anticipating an adventure. Turned out it was not the ride I had imagined. She felt that way too. When your situation is no longer amusing it is time to look elsewhere, maybe try something or someone, who is tamer, more your speed. No shame in choosing a roller coaster or some such gravity defying device that makes us dizzy, it’s how we learn. Just be realistic to the truth that what goes up will at some point come down. It’s inevitable. When we get to the end of the attraction we can choose to move on to something else or ‘go round again’. I’m not a thrill seeker so you’ll find me at the Bumper Cars or maybe if I’m really brave, The Fun House. I’m not entertained by captive animals either. If I want a wild experience I’ll go for a hike in nature.

How we amuse or entertain ourselves can make a difference to our well being. I’ve enjoyed the cotton candy of a carnival yet I prefer to be edified through the study of Art and Science. I’m so lucky since my food, housing and relationship needs are all being met during these Pandemic times. I am sheltering in place with someone whom I refer to as my muse. We currently work on jigsaw puzzles while inspiring each other to know.