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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2016-06-02, Page 5THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JUNE 2, 2016. PAGE 5. Other Views I read the news today, oh boy About two years ago I read a story about Canadian politics in the British newspaper The Guardian when a throwaway line caught my eye. It said that Stephen Harper's days were numbered and that Justin Trudeau would defeat him soundly in the next election. Say what? I was reading these words in 2014. At the same time my Canadian newspapers confidently assured me that Fortress Harper was impregnable and `Trudeau Junior' was a callow flash in the pan, soon to be an also-ran. None of the Canadian papers I regularly read gave Trudeau any chance whatsoever of forming the next government. Indeed, as the federal election in 2015 approached almost of all of those newspapers lined up behind the Conservatives, churning out editorials and op-ed pieces listing all the reasons Canadians should vote Big Blue. Postmedia which, conveniently owns more than 50 per cent of the daily papers in English Canada, went so far as ordering all its editors to replace their front pages with a Tory ad pretending to be an official notice from Elections Canada. Outrageous enough if it happened in some fly -blown banana republic — it happened in the True North Strong and (Sorta) Free. The Globe 0140Arthur Black and Mail disgraced itself even more egregiously. On the eve of the federal election the Globe urged all its readers to vote Conservative — but suggested the party should replace Harper once they were re- elected. Canadian pollsters called it correctly — a Liberal majority for Trudeau. But Canada's dailies marched like lock -stepping lemmings right off the oracular cliff. What's even more interesting than the fact that the Canadian newspapers got it wrong is the fact that nobody cared. Readers ignored the papers' voting advice en masse. Used to be that people looked to their daily newspaper for sober reasoned judgement. Now they look to it for inexpensive, absorbent birdcage lining. If they look to it at all. Canada's major newspapers aren't just coming up short on the predictions front, they're in trouble financially too. Canada's biggest daily, The Toronto Star, lost 75,000 readers in the first six months of last year. In August of 2015, Postmedia red -inked a $263 million loss. So how do they stay in business? Loans. Postmedia is currently in hock to a U.S. hedge fund that specializes in keeping floundering companies on life-support by means of high -interest loans. Postmedia currently sends $60 million a year south —just in interest payments. How long can it play that game? Personally, I don't think there's anything intrinsically wrong with the major dailies that can't be fixed. The people that own those newspapers? That's a different story. I know, I know, I'm a bit like the big dailies myself — an old fart out of touch with sophisticated new technologies. Why get your news from a flappy, cumbersome armful of pages when you can download it at warp speed on a hand-held device? Because I love it, that's why. Reading a newspaper isn't just about absorbing data by the megapixel — it's an event. A celebration. Marshall McLuhan said it best. "You don't read a newspaper" the philosopher opined, "you get into it, like a bath." Exactly. Now could you pass me that washcloth? Realisation of a childhood dream Jn my time, I've let some opportunities fly past me because I didn't think taking a risk or spending money was going to be worthwhile. I've missed out on great opportunities because I thought the money could be better spent elsewhere or because I thought that the time could be better allocated. It's left me with a few regrets in my life. Chief among those regrets is the fact that I limited myself to Ontario post -secondary schools — unlike my young sister Marissa who is currently studying in a maritime province, I felt that staying in Ontario was the best way to get an education and I have to wonder what I missed out on with that decision hearing her tales of this (almost) foreign land she is in. I don't regret the school I chose because it led me to meet my wife and making some of the best friends I have, but I have to wonder what kind of experiences I would've had if I pursued an education out east or west. Alongside those big `what -if' questions are a lot of smaller ones, like what if, years ago, I had gone to see the artist Meat Loaf of whom, if you're an avid reader of my columns, you will know I'm a big fan. A lot of people like to say things like, "don't dwell on the past" or "live in the now" but, to be honest, I find that kind of living pretty irresponsible. Dwelling on the past is what makes us realize we may have made a mistake and it can help us harden our resolves to not make that same mistake again. Living with an eye to the future, an ear to the lessons of the past and one foot in the now makes sure we're not making decisions without the context of history and a thought as to how it will affect the future. In summation, you can't live your life without thinking about what mistakes you've made or opportunities you've missed because you will keep making those same mistakes and missing those same opportunities if you don't learn. You also won't be able to try and pass on your wisdom to future generations if you don't earn it by realizing what you could or should have done. One small, but poignant example, is me missing one of my favourite artists live. Meat Loaf was on tour a few years back and, because I couldn't find anyone to go with me and I couldn't convince my wife to come (despite the fact that I sat through a Josh Groban concert for her — don't get me started on that though) I decided the time and money would be better spent elsewhere. I suppose I also decided that I didn't want to be that guy sitting alone at a concert because it has a slightly weird connotation. I'm not really much of a concert -goer to be honest. My wife will be the first to tell you that I can be a wet blanket at events like that because I'm a creature of comfort. I like sitting and enjoying a show which is often at direct odds with the kind of music I like to listen to. Country music festivals are usually a standing - room event (and sometimes only standing - room as Ashleigh and I found at Sarnia Bayfest several years ago). Sure, I've seen some great shows, but usually it's from the bleachers or the chairs because being elbow -to -elbow and butt -to -gut isn't my idea of a fun way to take in some music. However, my wife made me realize that shows don't have to be about that. You can stand a bit further back, or even sit if you find a high enough vantage point and enjoy the show without that sardine -can feeling. It seems, however, I forgot that lesson when I heard that I had a chance to remedy my Meat Loaf problem — he is once again on tour and, provided everything went well — I had another chance to take in his show live. If you're wondering about the tense of verb there, it's because Keith, Shawn and I have to write our columns a few days before the paper comes out so, between now, Monday morning, and Thursday morning when the paper comes out, there could be a drastic change in what we're writing about. Wednesday evening I am supposed to be in London seeing Meat Loaf. However, getting to the show has turned out to be another exercise in being reminded that you have to jump on opportunities because they may not come up again. When the show first came up (and thanks to both Shawn and some friends from Toronto for making sure I knew about it) I started falling back into old habits. First I said I likely couldn't find anyone to go with, then I said the tickets were too expensive and finally I said it's a Wednesday night — I'll probably have to work that night anyway. I once again took the stand I did several years ago, saying I'm sure the next time I have the opportunity it will work out better. It took Shawn and Ashleigh reminding me that opportunities like this won't always come around again to convince me that it was worth incurring a little bit of debt to see the show. Whether the show is a hit or a miss won't matter, what will matter is I will finally get to experience a live show by an artist that I have listened to since before the advent of compact discs. I will have taken a step out of my comfort zone to do something that I've wished I could for a good chunk of my life. Of course I hope the show is a hit. I hope the rock ballads of my youth sound just as good live as they did on my portable cassette player and my boombox. I hope that I have a story I want to share about the show, however, regardless of whether it's a memorable experience or not, taking that chance and buying tickets to the show will always be a tale I can tell myself to remind myself that sometimes the money and time is worth it, even if it's just to cross an item off my bucket list. Final Thought There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle. — Albert Einstein 1 Shawn Loughlin Shawn's Sense Shawn's Sense No easy day Many jobs in this world aren't paid in accordance with the tasks required, or the amount of work completed, but for the responsibility they carry. There are many jobs worked by locals that involve life -or -death consequences. These people have decisions to make on a daily basis that very often have life or death implications, for them or for others. We have seen lately the increased scrutiny under which police officers find themselves. If a police officer feels threatened, or if he feels that an innocent person's life is in danger, there is often a split-second decision to be made that could be the difference between a safe resolution to a situation, or tragedy. This was on full display with the 2013 shooting of Sammy Yatim, a man armed with a knife on a TTC streetcar. While Yatim was armed with a knife, had attacked a passenger, threatened others and exposed himself during the incident, released footage sparked outrage in Canada, leading to some feeling that when police officer James Forcillo shot and killed Yatim, he acted improperly. Forcillo would be charged with second- degree murder and attempted murder. He was found not -guilty of murder, but guilty of attempted murder. While I'm far from an expert on the situation, and there does appear to be reporting that states many of the shots were fired once Yatim was already subdued, to me, this is one of those situations when a person is left with impossible odds on each side. It's simply a decision I'd never want to have to make. If Forcillo tried harder to work with Yatim and a passenger was injured or killed as a result, the officer would be chastised for doing nothing while yet another person was attacked, but on the other end, he's accused of being trigger-happy and eager to kill. Although a much different situation without the stakes being so high (with all apologies to animal lovers, of which I am one), officials were faced with another impossible decision last week when a four-year-old boy fell into the Cincinnati Zoo's gorilla enclosure. The boy was at the mercy of a 450 -pound gorilla named Harambe, who was killed in order to protect the safety of the boy. The incident has sparked outrage on a number of fronts. Many people believe the child's parents should be held responsible for the 17 -year-old gorilla's death, suggesting they were negligent. In video readily available on the internes, the gorilla can be seen dragging the boy around the habitat before being shot and killed. While it's certainly true that the gorilla did nothing to deserve death, again, it's just an impossibly difficult decision to make when you can't please everyone. With the strength of a gorilla, there's no doubt the animal could have killed the boy in seconds. However, there's no telling if that's what Harambe intended to do. Some say the gorilla was protecting the boy, while wildlife expert Jack Hanna says the gorilla would have killed the boy if no one had intervened. If those involved waited for the situation to develop further, and the gorilla killed the boy, his blood would be on their hands — and no doubt the public would blame them for the death of an innocent boy. But they erred on the other side, and they were still wrong, say some. These are tough decisions to make. So when people in high-profile positions get paid the big bucks, it may not always coincide with hours worked, or the effort exerted, but with the decisions they may have to make one day.