Occupy

The United States are fucked. Fucked as in, there are no answers that will please any of them. There really isn't anything they can do, collectively, right now, to fix the horrendous mess they're in.

And it's everyone's fault. Everyone has had a hand in creating this clusterfuck. Call it rights, call it the American Dream, call it whatever you want, it's an unsustainable system that has been moving steadily towards this collapse for years and years with every possible sign post totally ignored. There are enormous amounts of blame that can be dished out to all sides. But some of them are wronger than others.

In terms of regular people - the 99% - it's insane that people spend so much more money than they make. It's ludicrous that people misunderstand their own finances to such outrageous and damaging degrees. 43% of American households over-spend their income. Canadians do that shit, too. I watch Til Debt Do Us Part pretty often, fascinated by the rank surprise on people's faces when they are shown they spend $5000 more a month than they make. When they are shown that in five years, they will be half a million dollars in debt. That their lifestyles are completely and totally unsustainable.

Telling a single couple this, with all the documentation in front them them to prove it, often results in changes. Gail Vaz-Oxlade is surprisingly good at her job. But telling an entire nation this is useless. They have decided what their rights are, and they do not intend to relinquish any of them for the sake of anything (least of all the environment). Everything they see in their waking lives tells them this is how they're meant to live, and they believe it. It is sold to them in huge, super-size portions every single day.

The 1% is looking at that willful irresponsibility and saying, Fuck you. We earned our money. You're an idiot who can't keep yours. Eat a dick. You took on a mortgage you knew you couldn't afford, and now you lost your house.

So, I get that, what richies are saying. Knowingly taking a mortgage you know you can't afford is stupid. Greedy. Willfully irresponsible.

However.

Knowingly GIVING someone a mortgage that you know he can't afford is a sadistic trap. Here we delve into the 'wronger' side of the equation.

This country has built up an entire culture based on having flashy stuff. Flashy cars, flashy women, flashy flash. No one wants to be a celebrity like Robyn in Sweden. She lives in a normal house. She probably rides a bike. Disgusting.

No, the American Dream is to be a celebrity like Kim Kardashian. Over-the-top, ostentatious, ludicrous levels of pomp, diamante wealth. A Marie Antoinette. Utterly shameless. Crying in Bora Bora because you were wearing $75,000 earrings with your bikini on the deck and one fell in the shallow beach water.

Everyone seems to think that taxing these people more is the answer. Fuck them, they can afford it. But America's corporations already have the highest levels of taxation in the world. There may be some truth in their assertion that any more taxes and their businesses will fail.

I read recently that even if 100% of Americans paid 100% of their income towards taxes, they could still not repay the debt that they owe. The country is bankrupt, even if they haven't declared it yet.

And despite their moral outrage over what's happened, the 1% is responsible for it. They are the wronger of the two sides. It's not demonizing success, it's calling a sadistic bastard a sadistic bastard. They created all of this shit. They came up with extended credit limits and unregulated banks and high-risk loans and don't-pay-til-next-year-when-we-repossess-all-your-shit. True, regular people should not pay for their whole untenable, aspirational lives on credit. But if it weren't so fucking easy, if it weren't foisted on them in such an overwhelming way, it wouldn't be so rampantly wide-spread. Television is commercial after commercial cajoling you to spend money you don't have. Mortgaging things you don't own yet. Making sure that you've already spent the equity in anything you might one day own. A masterful system of creating utter slaves with nice things for awhile. Pretty ingenius at the high-points, but clearly it can't survive.

Wall Street did it, too, but it was bailed out. Goldman Sachs gave out huge bonuses, but posted huge losses for the year. Same stupid spending, but somehow forgiven.

There are no bailouts for the 99%. Only criticism.

I don't live on credit. I live on cash. I have to live humbly and things are scary sometimes, but my parents never believed in credit cards and I just grew up that way and have never had one. I don't have a lot of stuff, but I don't have debt. I live on what I've got and if I want something special, I have to make the money before, not after. It's not easy. I can't rent hotel rooms or cars or book things. We've created a system that practically forces people to have credit cards, and then the temptation is terrible. Luckily for me I have a sister who will book things for me if I need it. Things still get paid in cash. Transferred immediately. The favour is the booking, only. Not credit.


I think we should use the occupy movement to better our situations, to stop living in a fantasy world of imagined standards of living and exist in a more modest, but manageable way. But it takes more than lip service and camping out. Canada stands to learn a lot from this. I hope we do.

Dear Cllr. Bailao,
For ten years I have been a part of Ward 18 Davenport, an area of Toronto I am deeply attached to. I have stayed up all night following the council meeting. I am very saddened by the result. I do not own a car, but I wouldn't sweat a vehicle registration tax. It can be a ‘culture tax’ or a ‘service tax’ - I don't care what it's called, but $65 a year is not enough to justify clear cutting our services. What's happening is deeply upsetting, and it's set to drive a core demographic out of Toronto. My friends and I are young professionals in respected jobs, ages 30-35, contributing members of society and starting families. My friends are all talking of moving away now. How will that make Toronto better? Will Ford benefit from exodus? Because that is what is on the horizon.
It was tweeted that you said Toronto wants ‘moderation’. If you mean that we don’t want clear-cut services, but need to find efficiencies, fine. But from all the reports I’ve read, the kind of negligent spending Mayor Ford campaigned on has not been found, hence the problems we’re facing. There are a lot of low-income people in your ward that would be hit terribly hard by service cuts. Please don’t abandon them to buzz words.
I don't want to trade tax cuts for service cuts. I don't. And neither does anyone I speak to, as a very verbal and active member of Toronto's art and fashion scene.
Sincerely,
Breeyn

Homework assignment for all of Toronto

Last week, I observed that the city can pull itself together, and that many of us have a common ideal.

But we have a Goliath of a problem in the way of that ideal.

Yes, I'm talking about Rob Ford.

It’s a question of understanding. I’m trying to understand him, and it’s difficult because of the variables. I keep trying to appeal to the intellectual side of the equation, and that’s obviously not the point. All logical arguments are brushed aside, parried with irrelevant or unconnected statements or simply ignored. And compassion has no place, either. Ford is an angry man. He has all the hallmarks of a man who was bullied and shunned as a kid. We have ample evidence to suggest that those bullied will often become bullies. Ford has so much anger, and he has justified his place in society by everything that he has gone through. He doesn’t see people who disagree with him as just people who have a differing view point. He very seriously sees them as those who are against him – who hate him, who want him to fail, who make fun of him. This is what they are referring to when they use that expression "self-fulfilling prophecy." His behaviour has created all kinds of people who hate him, who want him to fail, who make fun of him. I am one. This vilification is what justifies him to himself. He thrives on it now. He needs it to keep going. He revels in his power because of it, and his position would be way less satisfying for him if he had more agreement. He doesn’t want agreement. He wants to piss people off, because of how he’s been treated.

So how do we approach this? Logic doesn’t work. Anger doesn’t work.

We need to find a way to side-step our anger, our passion, and our need to vilify Ford. We need to do what he can’t. We need to make him not a bully.

How do we make Ford not a bully? This has got to be a team effort, guys. This isn't a project one person can achieve on her lonesome. We gotta find a way to disarm this guy's need to make us hate him. Let's all have a think, please, and reconvene.

An open letter to Christie Blatchford

Hey Blatch!

The reason that Layton's death is so upsetting isn't because he's a celebrity we're fawning over. It's because not all of us are Conservatives. In fact, believe it or not, half of us very strongly disagree with what our current PM's regime is doing. The whole reason the NDP were elected in such unprecedented numbers is because we don't like the Conservatives, and the Liberals weren't doing shit to stop them. Jack - yes, I'll call him Jack - eat it - Jack connected with a demographic that wants to see real change, and recognized him as someone who would stand up to Harper and not shy away from calling bullshit. If you don't rightly recall what I'm referring to, please re-watch the federal debates. The death of Jack Layton is exacerbated by the fear that a very important balance will be gone - that there won't be anyone with the same tenacity to oppose Harper and the terrible things that he is doing to this country. If you are unaware of Canada's reputation going to shit in the eyes of the rest of the world, then read a newspaper, please. I would be happy to send you links to some different titles. We lost our seat in the UN security council, we are on par with America for environmental initiatives, we're deliberately exporting poisonous substances abroad - there are many reasons we're not too popular right now. To pretend not to know this is ludicrous.

I never knew Jack Layton personally. I'm not upset because I've lost a friend. It's a political thing. I am chided by family and friends for being 'too big-picture'. But this death isn't a public spectacle for the fun of making a spectacle. This is actually nothing at all like the death of Lady Di or Amy Winehouse. Their deaths, though tragic for some, had little real impact on the lives of those not close to them. Layton's could. This death is mourned because of the very real fear that comes with it, the loss of one who was a light for the very many who do not agree with Conservative politics. And just because you do agree with them does not mean that our grief is less real, or undeserving of respect. I'm absolutely certain that had someone you respected passed, you would not be thinking about what is an appropriate way to honour him/her. You would feel what you feel, because that's the human thing to do.

My letter to Cllr. Bailao

Dear Cllr. Bailao,

Respectfully, I would like to know your stance on the bike lane issue in the city, and that of the two public health nurses offered by the province. I have heard that you were not present for the votes today; but as I wasn't there myself I do not know if it is factual. I am extremely displeased with both turn outs. Regarding the first, as an avid cycler I work hard to be conscientious on the roads and am a very defensive rider. I am a 33 year old fashion designer who runs my own business. I am a respectable member of society, do not have dreadlocks, am not a hippy, am not a bike messenger. My bicycle is my main mode of transportation and has been since I was 16. I have never had a licence, nor felt I needed one. It is a lifestyle choice, and an environmental choice. This information would not be at all relevant if I didn't feel like I was being marginalized by the council that represents my city. Cyclists are being discriminated against and treated as second class citizens, as are gays, and many others in our city. "Strength in diversity". Rubbish. I know that our mayor does not believe in that motto, but our councillors must. They need to. You have all been elected by diversity. You are not representing rich white men. You are representing Davenport, where I have lived for 10 years. It is a diverse community, and not rich. Getting rid of a few bike lanes is not the problem, it is a symptom of a bigger problem. The bigger picture is that this city is moving towards a radical class separation, and that lower-income citizens are having all of their resources cut. Public housing, child care, public transit and public health are all under attack. Unemployment is rising as the mayor cuts jobs and does nothing to stimulate the economy. He attempts to block anything that doesn't channel revenue into his own pocket. He cares nothing that the parades and public events he despises make enormous differences to the local economies that benefit from them. To use his own ridiculous jargon, he has created a war on the public. This can only end in devastation. To my eyes, it appears that he is trying to drive out what he considers undesirables. Those who protest are told that they are free to leave. Is that the answer? Is that the point? To drive people away? Toronto is a cultural center in what was once a beautiful country. I don't know how Ford is so able to sway so many of you, but please, please stand up for what is right. It can't just be Cllrs. Perks, Vaughan, Wong-Tam and Layton. Your ward elected you for a reason. Your voice needs to be heard so that ours can be heard. 

Best,

Breeyn McCarney

www.breeyn.com

www.anotherwordforpink.com

Open Letter to Cyclists

Hi, kids. You know I love you. I'm one of you. Cycling has been my method of transportation since I was 16, rain or shine, winter or summer. I bike in high heels and formal gowns. I pick up lumber with my bike. It's one of my prized possessions, and in my opinion, one of the very few perfect inventions of humankind.

To say that there is a problem between motorists and cyclists is putting it mildly. There is downright animosity, and each side bristles with self-righteousness and entitlement. On the motorist side, they say roads were built for cars, and some other crap I don't understand. On the bike side, we say cars are ruining everything, and that we all need more exercise, let alone cleaner methods of transportation and traffic relief.

Whatever. It doesn't matter. What does matter is that neither side respects the other, but demands to be respected. It can't work. Our mayor is boldly and unashamedly anti-cycling. If we are going to make any headway at all, we need to make some changes. I'm not keen on the idea of a bunch of laws and shit, though I can see how it makes a certain sense. We might not even need them, though, if we were at least polite.

I just rode home to the west end from downtown. Dundas from Bathurst to Bellwoods is no longer a nightmare - smooth, fresh black asphalt made that part of the ride lovely. I ran into trouble after I passed Ossington, though. Sidewalks and most of the road are ripped up. On the one hand, I could take the sidewalk - something I hate doing even when it's unavoidable. Pedestrians hate bikes on sidewalks even if they're walked - bikes take up a lot of space, it's awkward and it slows everything down. And riding there violates the by-law. On the other was the option of riding on the narrow strip of road between two cars. Even though I would easily have been able to keep up with the flow of traffic at the same 5km pace they were at, I knew the drivers would get upset and angry and hate me for 'holding up traffic'.  Be that as it may, I chose the road, even though I knew I wouldn't feel safe. Being between two cars with streetcar tracks 8 inches from my wheels is not comfortable.

I was mulling this over as I waited at the stop light, when two cyclists blew past me through the red. I sighed. Each time a cyclist does this, motorists notice and hate us a little more - point out our lack of adherence to any rules.

What killed me though, is at the next intersection, it was too busy for the one cyclist to blow through. She was waiting, and the last left-turning car turned after the light had changed red. The cyclist was anticipating the green, so she was already halfway out there. And she screamed at the car, "Nice driving, asshole!"

Really? Really?

I can see it, guys. I can see why people think we're dicks. The only way we're ever going to get any respect on the road is if we all behave with a little modesty and consideration. Be aware of who is around you, like you would in life. Not only will it make you safer in the moment, it will also make us safer and give us a stronger voice in the future.

Introduction - The Ford Series

I am exhausted. When I think of arguing in ignorant, circular arguments about Rob Ford and his policies, I feel a great weight. Be that as it may, there are those who have recently accused me of being closed minded, selfish, and uneducated in my opinions. There are always going to be these kind of people, but I will back up every single one of my opinions here with as much research as I can be bothered to muster the energy for. If you think this gets to the ‘too long, didn’t read’ stage, shut the fuck up forever when it comes to Rob Ford, and stop counting yourself as an informed person. I welcome feedback and opposing views, but you’d better do some homework to support your ideas. I will have to break this up into pieces, as there are a lot of things to cover. I will go topic by topic, explaining why the wider scope of his policies will have a very bad effect on Toronto. It may take several weeks for the full overview. You can leave comments here, or email me personally, breeynmccarney [@] gmail.com 

Todd Reynolds and the helplessness of stupidity.

Yesterday, Todd Reynolds decided that it would be an acceptable idea to tweet his rather narrow thoughts on gay marriage rights. His comments obviously inspired a shit-storm of backlash on twitter and off. Let's set aside for the moment that someone else's marital status can't possibly affect his life. Let's set aside accusations of latent homosexuality, and red-neck sports fan stereotypes. This is a man who very publicly made bigoted comments, refuses to see their bigotry and staunchly stands by them in the face of mass outcry. He believes that he is standing up for his opinion. That he is not afraid to say what he thinks. That he is championing God's vision of what is right. That God is on his side.

There was a guy who attended my high school that we had nick-named The Hawk. The quintessential nerd; this guy was tall, gangley, pimply, with slicked-over hair and thick glasses. One day he wore a t-shirt to my public high school that said, "Let Jesus into your heart" on the front. On the back were a bunch of flames, and it said, "Or you will burn in Hell". I sat behind him in English, so I had forty-five minutes to stare at the back of his shirt and wonder about it. I was fairly timid at 17, no where near as confident in my opinions as I am now, and this guy scared me.  It took til the end of class for me to ask him, "Mark, do you really believe that?"
He gave me a judgemental, withering stare. "Yes, I do."
Forgive the juvenility of my next question. "But what about people in, say, some small town in northern China who could live their whole lives never having heard of him?"
I will never forget his answer, or the utter conviction with which he said it. "If God loves them, he will find a way to reach them."
"And if he doesn't?"
"They will go to Hell."
I was too shocked by this to ask any more questions. I've thought about the Hawk a lot over the years. I'll never forget him. He is the face of fanaticism for me. The face of The Crazy.

I am not a religious person. I'm what you'd call an agnostic. I behave the way I do based on other factors, none of which have anything to do with belief in an afterlife. God has no bearing on what I believe is right and wrong. My gauge is how things affect humans. Therefore, I spend an awful lot of time thinking about humans and their actions. I almost never understand anything anyone does, but not for lack of trying. I'm pretty sure at this point that most people are trying to do the best they can in most situations, and that they would consider themselves 'good' people. Few people are openly malevolent. They find ways of justifying their actions, and they use all sorts of strange things in order to do so. If they fail to do so properly, they will often react with anger and defensiveness. Rarely does a person decide to research further into the question. But maybe it's not their fault.

Education is profoundly important to brain development. The first two stages take us from infant and past toddler to an actual developing person.  We enter concrete operational thought between the ages of 6 and12.  This is when a child begins to form a sense of the world around him or her, based on observation and experience. It is a substantial move up from the infant mammalian brain to a fully human brain, but it is only a foundation on which to continue development. A child or adult who thinks only in concrete operational thought will focus on only one aspect of a situation to the exclusion of other relevant factors. That is to say - no bridges or connections are made between one situation and another. Analogies are lost on them.

Around the late teens, humans are in a position to move into formal operational thought. This is the level of brain development that allows them to think critically - to assess what is before them, process it and form conclusions. In order for a human brain to fully reach potential, that human must be actively engaged in the critical thinking process throughout his or her twenties. This is the real benefit of university, regardless of subject. I studied visual art. It was rubbish, but I learned to think.

Now, here is the part that makes me feel so utterly helpless when it comes to people like Todd Reynolds and The Hawk: only 17% of the population reach formal operational thought. 5% reach the final stages, 2% reach post-formal, and less than 0.01% complete the process.

Less than 0.01% of North American humans are able to think properly.

I want to believe that if someone quite clever sat down with Todd Reynolds and explained to him that he is in fact a bigot, and explained, in a patient and logical way why he is, and how he got that way, and how gay marriage can in no way actually affect him, and how he need not feel the potent wrongness that he does about people who would otherwise have no problem with him at all, that he would be able to see reason. But I can't believe it. Because Todd Reynolds has access to all of that information already, and chooses to ignore it. The truth is, Todd Reynolds is stupid. And as hockey wisdom tells us: you can't teach fast and you can't fix stupid. 

Tonight's Election

Well, it's not perfect. But it's hard to decide a realistic 'perfect' outcome. Our system seems flawed. I heard/read it a lot tonight: It's the left's fault for splitting the vote. Balderdash. There is only one right-wing party and several left. Not all those left parties want the same things. They are different parties for reasons. The Cons pooled together to form the cons we know today, but I genuinely don't believe that we have to create a two party system in order to feel fairly represented. So incredibly far from it. We can clearly see how a two party system does not serve the United States. Why on earth should we emulate their broken examples? There are many that Harper wants to take on, privatizing health care and lying on the news to name only two. I do not mean to offend my American friends. American people are lovely. But facts are facts - truth is not protected or even required on American airwaves, and health care in America is beyond any sane person's very worse horrific night terror.

Forgive me for not wanting that sort of thing in Canada.

We don't ostensibly vote for our Prime Minister, but we still do. We call it strategic voting. We don't vote for people, we vote against them. Over the last seven years, there have been four elections and the popularization of social networking. Our obsession with the internet has led to the development of tools to keep tabs on the other guy. There are websites into which one can type one's postal code to discover if it is a hotly contested riding or not. Whether it is okay to vote with one's heart, or if one should apply one's vote strategically to keep the unwanted candidate out of the PM position. These tools were pushed via Twitter and Facebook, and against Stephen Harper. However, it did occur to me as I perused them that they could just as easily be used to help Harper. There seems to be an assumption that Conservatives are not connected online, and that is patently untrue. Tonight those fears were validated when I read that right-of-centre Libs voted for Harper to keep Layton out. As if anyone really believed he'd get in. I have been an NDP supporter for years, but I freely admit that I have strategically applied my vote against the Cons, and never seriously envisioned a major NDP presence any time soon. I voted for NDP in the last election, because my overwhelmingly Conservative riding was sure to swallow it. I voted NDP this time, because walking around my neighbourhood, I was delighted to observe, based on lawn signs, that Andrew Cash showed a very realistic chance of winning. Not to mention it was low-risk, since the incumbent was Liberal and this riding has voted solidly Liberal for over twenty years.

So, with some consideration, a Conservative majority with a Liberal opposition would be worse than our current situation. It's true that Harper does not respect Canadians, or the law, or Parliament, but Ignatieff aided and abetted him on many occasions. I want to believe that the NDP, and tenacious Elizabeth May will not. They do not like Harper, they stand nothing to gain by abetting him, and they don't believe in his policies. I'm really glad May is in there. I'm sorry to see Duceppe go. I am staunchly anti-separatist. I love Canada in all its diversity - I don't want to lose the French, I want to please them enough for them to be okay hanging out with us. Sounds like an abusive relationship, doesn't it? Be that as it may, Duceppe is smart, a good politician, and the cleverest of all the candidates. I can't explain his fall from popularity, because I can't pretend to understand Quebec. Maybe the French think the NDP will please them enough to keep hanging out with us. Dare to dream.

I still think we all have an individual responsibility to keep the Conservatives in check. They may have a majority of seats, but 60% of Canada did not vote for them. We need to seriously examine electoral reform (something both Layton and May support), we need to keep close watch on Parliament to make sure they are transparent in their dealings, we need to hold both Parliament and the media accountable to us, and we need, more than anything, to take personal responsibility for protecting what makes Canada Canada.

Don't give up.

Glamorous Stephen and the role of MPs.

Stephen Harper is many things. I happen to think most of them are negative, but I will give him one positive: despite his dead eyes, cold smile and lego-man hair, he is glamorous. It's true. He has finally made Canadian politics interesting.

American politics have been interesting from the beginning. Fraught with revolt, passion and drama, things are always happening. Things that get coverage, things that cause scandals, things that make it onto the Daily Show. Canadians are as familiar with the cast of the White House as they are with Jersey Shore. But ask them to name the key players in the House of Commons or Parliament. Betcha they don't know who the House Speaker is. And we laugh at American ignorance. Tsk. C'mon, Canada.

Canadian politics have not had drama in the past. No hookers, no feeling up the migrant maid, no disappearing for days hiking in the Algonquin hills when you're really in South America. Not nearly enough cocaine.

Here comes Steve to the rescue. I've not heard any coke rumours, but I did hear one about him being addicted to a drug I'd never even heard of - ibogaine. I really hope he is. Steve has brought scandal in the form of refusing to tell us what he's up to, appearing very much like an ego-maniacal baby W. Bush with his lust for oil, disregard for the environment and the rest of the world's opinion. I particularly like the story about him having a million pics around the office of himself (check http://shitharperdid.ca.nyud.net/ if you're unfamiliar with it).

I'll be honest - I care more about politics as I get older, because that's what adults do. They look around, realize they are a part of society, and feel a need to participate in that society. But I've never watched a candidates' debate until last night. I thought it would be boring. It wasn't. Any other year, it probably was, but last night was basically an old rich white guy cat-fight. All these guys could do was take shots at each other. No one presented any real information, or any reasonable solutions to our current problems, or  any actual sense of leadership.

And they wonder why people don't know which old white guy to vote for.

The thing is - the amazing thing is - we don't vote for them anyway. Our system is not like the Americans'. We don't vote for our Prime Minister, we vote for our MP. And the parties should really put more emphasis on that. I've no idea why they don't. If the parties want to reach people, the Parliament candidates should communicate with their ridings. Those are the people who will argue for us. Those are the people who's votes we want to make sure represent us. What the fuck is the PM even for? So we have some guy to stand around holding cats and doing contentious photo shoots with 'ethnics'? (Way to be Canadian, dude.) Is it just so we have a guy who gets to go to international parties like the stupid royal wedding? Send the Governor General.

If the Conservatives win, it's because people think that Stephen Harper is the least crap of a bunch of crap guys. Which is totally unfair. There are 308 Members of Parliament. A lot of those people are good people, and I bet a load of them are prettier than Ignatieff, more charming than Jack, have more empathy than Steve and are slightly less maniacal than Duceppe.

Find out who the people are that are running in your riding. Those are who we should be focused on. The people we actually want representing us. If a Conservative MP wins in your riding, this doesn't mean s/he wants to tear down everything green and run a huge deficit. Everything still has to be voted on, and that person can stand up for what his/her constituents want. That's what they're there for. The Prime Minster has taken too much power for himself. Regardless of who gets the post next, we have all the power to stop it.

I need to move off of twitter

It's annoying people. I'm annoying myself.

So I'll hash out my political shit here, and refrain from inflicting it on my long-suffering twitter followers.