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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2014-05-21, Page 44 Huron Expositor • Wednesday, May 21, 2014 www.seaforthhuronexpositor.com Ilion Expositor PUBLISHED WEEKLY — EST. 1860 P.O. Box 69, 8 Main Street Seaforth Ontario NOK phone: 519-527-0240 fax: 519-527-2858 www.seaforthhuronexpositor SUN MEDIA A Quebecor Media Company NEIL CLIFFORD Publisher neil.clifford@sunmedia.ca MAXWELL BICKFORD Advertising Rep. max.bickford@sunmedia.ca DIANNE MCGRATH Front Office seaforth.classifieds@sunmedia.ca WHITNEY SOUTH Multimedia Journalist seaforth.news@sunmedia.ca SUBSCRIPTION RATES 1 YEAR $50.00 (47.62+2.38 GST) 2 YEAR $95.00 (90.48+4.52 GST) SENIORS 60 WEEKS $50.00 (47.62+2.38 GST) 120 WEEKS $95.00 (90.48+4.52 OST) Publications Mail Agreement No. 40064683 RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT P.O. Box 69 Seaforth ON NOK For any non -deliveries or delivery concerns: phone: 519-527-0240 Advertising is accepted on condition that in the event of a typographical error, the advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. In the event of a typographical error, advertising goods or services at a wrong price, goods or services may not be sold. Advertising is merely an offer to sell and may be withdrawn at any time. The Huron Expositor is not responsible for the loss or damage of unsolicited manuscripts, photos or other materials used for reproduction purposes. We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canadian Periodical Fund (CPF) for our publishing activities. CanadW editorial Devaluing people, increasing the bottom line Economy is the number one concern for Canadi- ans these days. But what is the economy? Is it jobs? Is it profit? Is it a healthy workforce? I was fortunate (or unfortunate) enough to be working in Huron County when Volvo closed, as it really opened my eyes to a few things. Firstly - labour is drastically undervalued and under- mined globally, and more and more internally. Workers in countries like Canada - where people generally receive a decent wage for the jobs they do - are being punished by big multinationals because they are paid fairly. But why does business have to be like this? The government response to these types of situations is push for lower corporate taxes and offer incentives for big business to set up shop in Canada. Sadly in some cases, government is being bullied into rewarding disloy- alty and poor performance and the punishment, so to speak, is passed on solely to the labourers in the form of lower wages, no benefits and job insecurity. Years of successive smear campaigns have left most people with a poor impression of unions. Organizations designed to protect workers' rights are being demonized as greedy, bloated and mismanaged. That same description applies to the governments attempting to spread these untruths on behalf of corpo- rations looking to cut costs at the expense of workers' health and rights. So what is economy? Undercut, underpay, and bank the difference. Incomes are dropping and profits are being falsely inflated as a result. Rather than improve a service or product, cutting jobs and wages is seen as the easier alternative. It's like cancer - it affects everyone. In fact, it is a cancer, eating away at quality of life. The end result is you and I are worth less. We become pariahs for expecting decent treatment. We become lia- bilities if we need any assistance from the government as a result of human devaluation policies. In this battle from the bottom, you just can't win. Meanwhile, products that are mined, drilled and extracted in Canada are sent elsewhere for processing. Meanwhile, the fleeting installation jobs created by the green energy boon will dry up as soon as the last turbine is installed. Meanwhile, the people on Main Street can't afford to raise their wages because they are being under- cut every step of the way by corporate hegemony. And the government's response to all of this is to keep offering concessions to make the cost of doing business cheaper for all the wrong people and all the wrong reasons. We're headed down a slippery slope, but as long as we're beholden to the hand that feeds, we feel powerless to do anything. But we aren't. And it's time we make that known. -GC Send me no flours ere's been a certain rr minority group catch- ing a lot of slack lately on social media, and it's not who you may think. With sites like Facebook and Twitter often used as platforms for venting and unso- licited rants, rather than friendly sites used to connect with our fellow man, more and more folks are spending their time posting derogatory and often bias essays meant to mock or ridi- cule the choices of others. And this time it's all about what we do or do not eat. Yes, I'm tallcing about that dreaded buzzword, gluten. As someone who has suf- fered from stomach problems most of her life, I've gone to great extents in order to just feel better. I've been through a multi- tude of tests, some not very pleasant. I've given up every- thing doctors have suggested; strawberries, chocolate, caf- feine, spicy food, dairy. Even trying life as a vegetarian on the suggestion of a friend. I'll tell ya, it was tough. So when a coworker of mine with Celiac disease mentioned a couple years ago I try giving up gluten, I was willing to give it a shot. After all, what did I really have to lose? Beginning life as someone giving up wheat flour and all of its wonderfulness is hard. Pretty much everything has wheat in it. Trust me, even licorice. As much as a doubted my issues could be fixed with just one change, I was astonished at how much better I felt. Even things I didn't think could be associated with my daily food intake were affected. I wasn't as tired anymore. I no longer suffered from weekly migraines. Basically, it was great. Granted, I wasn't able to enjoy most of my favorite things but it was worth it. I just felt better. But it turns out choosing to not eat gluten isn't all sunshine and roses. In fact, it appears to make a lot of people really angry. An open letter to customers from an irritated waitress, a segment on Jimmy Kimmel asking peo- ple if they even Column Whitney Huron Ex South positor knewwhat gluten was, everyday I see one thing or another mocking the fact people are giving up eating wheat. And honestly, I just don't get it. Whether they're doing it as a fad diet, or legitimately suffer from an affliction, what does it matter? Last time I checked, we lived in a free country where folks have the choice to lead their own lives, regardless of what may be popular and regardless of whether someone else approves of those choices. Would you chastise someone who decided they no longer wanted to eat broccoli? I'm not sure whether it's the influence of reality TV, or if we're all just really nosey, but I've always felt what others do with their lives is up to them. It's almost like society can't help it. Debating everything from religion to sexuality, politics to science, many seem to feel the need, or compulsion, to make the lives of others reflective of their own. And in this world of so many important and thought-pro- voking debates, why do we choose to concern ourselves with what someone else chooses to eat or not eat? Really, it's just sad. So to those out there who feel the need to voice their opinion on the diets of others, I say: My name is Whitney, I do not have Celiac Disease but I choose not to eat things con- taining gluten because it makes me feel better. And honestly, it's none of your business.