After spending my evening watching non-stop CBC action, I feel like I need to rant a bit about some issues that were brought up tonight on various shows and documentaries. (I've already had a couple good cries tonight over the state of the planet, so why not let out some frustration, I figure.) Now some are more important than others, and this is all my own opinion, and who knows, I just may have my head up my ass on some things, or cross a line somewhere, ( that wouldn't be a surprise to me ), but please bear with me ( or not, whatever floats your boat ), because I think I just might make a good point here and there.
First. This gay marriage "issue" should not be an issue at all. Stephen Harper is all up in arms about this not getting put to a national vote, and thinks that if it did, that it would never be legalized. Well, Mr. Harper, you are probably right. There are alot of close-minded, prejudiced people out there, and they can't handle the thought of 2 men boning each other. ( Mind you, most of them are all for some good ol' girl-on-girl action, if you ask them). This is NOT about sex. It's about living in a so-called progressive, democratic country, where everyone deserves the same rights and freedoms as everyone else. I think that people who happen to be gay, should have the right to get married just like the rest of us. They should have the option of spending a ridiculous amount of money on a wedding, moving to the 'burbs, having children, and in the end, joining 50% of the hetersexual couples, and go through a long, drawn out, messy divorce. Really, it's only fair.
Second. Now don't get me wrong. I realize how devastating the earthquake/tsunami was, and how hard it will be to rebuild. It was the worst natural disaster we have ever had. What I have issue with is....How in the hell did the world raise that amount of money? If we could have raised money like that for the people of Africa, and other regions, who have been suffering from an AIDS pandemic for years, maybe we would be a bit further ahead in educating, and healing these people. Where were the benefit concerts for the people of Rwanda, Romania, Yugoslavia, Bosnia, etc.? I think I missed them. Not to say that there aren't civilians, doctors, churches, volunteers, celebrities, and the like doing their best to help people in these countries, but not since Bob Geldof's BandAid or the Beastie Boys Tibeten Freedom concert, have I seen so much advertising for a cause on Much Music or MTV. And Bob, the Beasties and Bono had to bring the issue up on their own. When will the problems in our world be seen for what they actually are, and dealt with? When will they be more than just a reason to have a benefit concert and put out a compilation album of Top 40 artists???
Third. Smoking in enclosed public places will be illegal everywhere in the world in a few years. It's bad for you. It's bad for people around you. Yes, the government should just make it illegal if you can't do it in public. Yes, smokers have rights too. But it's just the way the world is going, so shut up about it. I probably smoke more than you, and I have no problem with it. "Live in the now", as Wayne and Garth would say.
Fourth. Iraq. I could go on and talk about why they shouldn't have gone there in the first place, and how GW has made a horrible, irreversable mistake. But we've all heard enough about that. You must admit though, it was a good idea in theory, to force Iraq into democracy. But now, they are on the verge of their first democratic election, where everyone has the right to vote, and nobody wants to. They are terrified of going to the polling stations and practicing their democratic right. I wait in curiousity and fear, to see what happens in that country in the coming weeks. It's not going to be good.
Fifth. "The Passionate Eye" aired a documentary called "Indecently Exposed" tonight. They followed 22 people to a workshop with the infamous "blue eyes/brown eyes" anti-racism advocate Jane Elliot. I do not deny racism in Canada, let alone Saskatchewan, where they conducted the experiment. I have been prejudiced in my life-time just like everyone else, sometimes not even realizing that I was. And tonight, watching this doc, which didn't surprise me at all in it's content, did strike a cord after listening to my old friend Wilson, (who was in the doc as a blue eye), talk about how he dealt with racist remarks at work and growing up, and I realized, that if he could feel embarrased about his inaction, and want to change the way he deals with racism, everyone can. He's from a small town just like most of Saskatchewanians, where racism is the most prevalent, and it's hard to stand up and say 'shut up' sometimes. Especially to your friends. So if you get a chance, try and catch it on NewsWorld in repeats this week....so you'll know what I'm talking about. I did have one issue with the film though, and it's because of where I grew up. Small Town is pretty equal in the population of whites and aboriginals, due to having 3 reserves not far from town. Growing up, I never really noticed any racism coming from people my age, unless it came from their parents or other adults first. I myself never uttered a racial slur, thanks to my father, who would have smacked me upside the head if I did. I dated aboriginal boys, which was never an issue. My family and friends all had native friends. Because when you grow up in a small town, you can't really discriminate, otherwise you could run the risk of having no friends at all. And I learned in this documentary that me saying that makes me a racist. Dammit, I thought I was an OK person. I have so many things to say about aboriginals in Saskatchewan, some theories, some worries, and comments on some opportunities that I am jealous of that are available to them, that aren't available to me. But I don't want to run the risk of making anyone upset or angry, or having some racist whitey taking what I say to another level for what it's not intentioned. It's not my job to start controversy, even though sometimes it seems like it would be fun. But unfortunatly,(well thankfully) I don't know how someone completely dis-advantaged feels, because I am only a white, Ukranian/Czech/English/Irish gal that hasn't had it so bad.
Tell me what you think.
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