You Can't Parody This...

Oh hey, I have an overnight sleep study tonight at one of the hospitals. I'll have cathodes and all that attached to my head and whatnot. And I'll sleep on a really crappy hospital bed while I'm at it!

On to the actual subject at hand: The following example, which played out yesterday at a press conference held by the current premiere and his closest confidantes (who play a role in managing the pandemic and the economy), is not the first one to blur the line between real life & parody. Far from it, even. Same goes for it being the last, unfortunately enough. But what can we expect from a government which was only voted in due to rampant cynicism and shitty politics in general. What can we expect from the Conservative party of Canada, which has been doing its level best in at least three provinces to out-stupid the other ones. Kenney, Moe, and Ford have all been vying for some kind of recognition and/or infamy, competing like its a bloodsport. Without the blood, of course, at least not yet.

What happened yesterday in that press conference (all twenty-seven and a half of it) was the stuff of comedy, only it was unintentional I think. Without further ado: Doug Ford, the PM who outlives his drug dealing brother Rob Ford (previous mayor of Toronto), at the end of the conference, plugged not only Tim Horton's (a Brazilian-owned company), but shilled for their "real egg" sandwiches as well. You can't make this shit up if you tried. He actually segued from talking about a Peterborough, ON woman who apparently would hand out $10 gift cards for the (shitty) restaurant brand, even placing them on public benches.

Sure, this isn't a travesty or anything. It's not even despicable or evil or anything like that. It's just complete idiocy is all. And a possible ethics violation if you were to ask me. But I'm not an expert of how laws apply to this instance of shameless corporate shilling, but I'm still sure that there's something that could be done about it. One of the primary subjects brought forward in that presser was that of the province's plan to re-open the economy. Another bit of comedy to come from the presser was that as he was contradicted the safety orders put in place by HIS cabinet, in order to stem the tide of the virus for a bit. Oh and he also took no responsibility for his part in the growing pandemic and just blamed (almost) everyone under the sun.

People are laughing at us right now. They're laugh at Ontarians. They're laughing at Ford. Canada's politics sinks further into a hole and it has left wanting some kind of return to sanity again.  

BlogTO has lots of details on this if you want to read on it: Doug Ford gives weird shoutout to Tim Horton's egg sandwich in press conference

You can see it for yourself, in action, at the following (starts at 26:49):
https://youtu.be/RhqZ1DFC0-I?t=1609

Societal Pressure to "Feel Happy"

We face so much pressure to feel happy. So much so, in fact, that it gets depressing. Because when you can't, you somehow feel like you've made a mistake, or you're not like other people, or something is "wrong with you." When the nuances of your life make it difficult to feel "happy", but people and advertising and entertainment and seemingly everything else tells you that you should think positively or "be happy", it can all get overwhelming. Can't society, and those around us, accept that we're not always going to be happy? Maybe we have barriers to overcome? Maybe we have some other reason or obstacle getting in the way of happiness?

 

"Be happy"

"Happiness is a virtue"

"Let go of your woes and be happy"

"Think positive thoughts!"

"Don't get mad, get glad"

"Positive thoughts attract positive effects"

 

Maybe I just want to feel content, okay? 

 

Oh and go to some war-torn, impoverished country with little to no electricity and genocidal warlords paid by first-world countries and unchecked capitalists running around hurting people. Where people have to hide from virtually everyone else for fear of getting killed. Tell them to "think positive thoughts" and see how far that gets you.

 

Or where people have no food, the environment around them is either polluted beyond repair or seemingly everything is out to at least cause pain, and peoples' children are so malnourished that they get what's called Kwashiorkor, which are bloated bellies from LACK of nutritional intake (read: eating) https://borgenproject.org/malnourished-people-bloated.../. Tell these children and their parents (and some of these children don't, or vice-versa) to "think positively" and see what that does for them.

 

Go and ask people in these adverse situations, among just a few, about 'happiness'. "Why not think happy thoughts? Like attracts like don't you know?!" Compare their everyday struggles to ours, which are enabled by the shit that props us up unfairly at the cost of people living in these nations. We've been allowed cushy lives in comparison because of exploitation, and we often don't realize we feed into it -- myself included. These people have a reason to not be happy; how could they be? But they fight to survive.

 

Depression runs rampant in first-world countries. Why do you think that is? Because they just "can't be happy but they should"? They're ungrateful? 

 

Or maybe our lives have little meaning beyond being enslaved to certain systems that exploit the likes of people who have absolutely no power, and plunder our environment with wastefulness and recklessness, often in these very countries mind you. This adversity applies to many of our own living situations, our countries and states and municipalities. They're often right in our own backyards, too. Don't forget that.

Maybe we deal with health issues, sometimes terminal, often debilitating, or even occasionally those that fall between. 

 

How can I feel happy knowing that I have my own obstacles to overcome in order to get my health back in order? Not only is my obstructive sleep apnea quite extreme (when I was last tested I would stop breathing every minute to two minutes), but because I have a smaller airway than most and that I experience microsleep often during my "sleep" (I'm not convinced I even manage to most of the time), using a CPAP/APAP barely helps. Keep in mind that those machines have a 90%+ success rate in treating sleep apnea. I won the shitty lottery, then. And my surgery, not covered by insurance at all, will require $9,000 or the operation won't even move forward beyond the initial consultation I've already done. If I don't get this treatment then I will be susceptible to stroke, heart attack, sinking further into depression, further weight gain, and other problems. I've already gone through a seizure this past week so it's only a matter of time before other aberrations occur, and I am awash in depression so often that I often feel like I'm in a mind prison.

 

How can this help with the depression that people go through knowing that at least 1-2 billion people around the world are virtually ghosts to the rest of the us? Ask them to be "happy", try it. 

 

--

 

I try sometimes, I do, but I really don't want to see, hear, and feel so much pressure from others about feeling this way. Let me come to this state of mind on my own terms, if ever at all. 

 

This "euphoria" that we're pressured to feel is a form of conditioning that is meant to placate us so that we don't question the system we are part of. It's to keep us docile and comfortable. I don't feel the need to "feel happy" because Wal-Mart features a happy face in their advertising, or because virtually every commercial with people in it have them smiling from ear to ear. Fake crap telling me to feel fake feelings.

 

Be happy because you've earned it, because you actually managed to overcome your 'demons', because you did something good or wholesome or pleasing (not at the expense of others, too). 

 

Not because someone posts memes on social media, telling you to "think positive thoughts" or "happiness is a virtue" or other sappy, emotionally dishonest crap. Not because of rampant commercialism. Not because of the things that we own, which only end up owning us all. And certainly not because some celebrity or two distracts us with their frivolous and enabled lifestyles that are sometimes built on the exploitation of others. If any of these things work for you and make you "happy" then that's your own thing, but it ain't mine. I have stuff to deal with first before I can effectively "feel happy."

If anything, it's okay to feel "okay", if only with how YOUR life is going. Come to a state of neutrality, no highs or lows. That should be a virtue. Shouldn't a sort of "balance" be sought after instead?

/rant

When Not to be Proud: Canada Proud, Canada Strong and Proud, and the Hatred They Stand For

 

One of my mantras in life goes as follows:

 

Any group or person who waves "pride" or "proud" of where they live (such as "NB Proud" or "Ontario Proud" or "Alberta Proud", just to name a few) are not to be trusted. There's always an underbelly of sometimes sinister intent and belief behind these groups. Indeed, looking further into these groups and the networks behind them have revealed some shady shit, which you can find for yourself in the links provided below.

 

I believe in reserving pride for things you've actually accomplished, not for things that were afforded to you by accident of birth (being born Caucasian, born in Canada, born in British Columbia, born with brown hair, born into a wealthy family, etc., are just some things that I think people don't need to feel proud of). Feel glad about these things if you like, but proud? That's a bit much. 

 

One example of acceptable pride: immigrants who go through the process of achieving Canadian citizenship can, however, feel proud because they accomplished citizenship through effort.

What about movements like gay pride and the like? Well, on that specific movement, it's not so much about feeling "proud" of being homosexual but more about standing up to the hate and exclusion that homosexuals have come up against, and continue to face, when dealing with unfair and undeserved opposition from bigoted politicians, as well as religious/social leaders who oppose them. In this case, "proud" could be a stand-in for "strong" and it wouldn't, unlike "Canada Proud", infer a superiority complex and an attitude that is defined by bigotry. After all, gay pride celebrations do not exclude heterosexual participation under any circumstances as far as I am aware. Unless there is harmful intent to any heterosexual participation, then reasonable action is taken to minimize/neutralize the threat they may pose to the activities of the gay pride movement.

 

Anyway...

 

The aforementioned groups, not all connected (there are two somewhat distinct groups; Canada Proud & Canada Strong and Proud, headed by Jeff Ballingall & Chris Russell, respectively), are boosters for the Conservatives (they're not affiliated, though) and are very far-right, pro-business, anti-union, and, in-spite of some of their advertising, bigoted. They get a lot of money from corporations AND they like to canvas on behalf of the Conservative party. Since corporations cannot donate to political parties, this whole scheme of Tory-boosting skirts the line between legality and illegality, especially during election cycles.

 

Primary targets include the current Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau; current leader of the NDP-Ontario party, Andrea Horwath; Jagmeet Singh, leader of the Federal NDP; and former leaders Rachel Notley of the Alberta NDP & Kathleen Wynne of the Ontario Liberals. That's not all of their targets, but they're among the most prominent, with Trudeau so heavily targeted (he's their enemy #1, pretty much) it borders on the murderous & psychotic.

Some links for further reading:

 

• A general look at these far-right "proud" groups and their rise to prominence: https://www.nationalobserver.com/.../explainer-rise...

 

• Jeff Ballingall, the founder of Ontario Proud (and sister groups for other provinces): https://nowtoronto.com/.../2a95fc72-abbc-11e9-a02a.../

 

• A look at who funds "Ontario Proud", with most of them coming from the GTA: https://medium.com/.../who-funds-ontario-proud-76a56ca92de1

 

• The Manning Centre, started by the Reform Party of Canada's first and only leader (thank goodness), provides funding for groups like "Canada Proud" and "Canada Strong and Proud": https://www.cbc.ca/.../pol.../manning-centre-proud-1.5307111

 

• A Twitter thread about some of the more questionable donors to Jeff Ballingall's "Canada Proud" network, and the seedier, sinister implications behind them (the Manning Centre is mentioned): https://twitter.com/TheJasonPugh/status/1086013022273822720

 

It's okay to be happy about where you're from, but being proud is something reserved for achievements, in my opinion. And it's often a veil for hate, exclusion, criminality and deceit of its followers and virtually everyone else. These groups know the power and reach of Social Media and that's how they've grown to be incredible threats to our political process as we know it, by appealing to the "folks" and trying their hardest to appear as astroturf-y as possible. They've crossed the line by getting directly involved in electing members of a certain political affiliation: the Conservative/United Conservative Party. This "Proud" movement must be challenged.