HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1976-12-08, Page 16Sugar and Spice
by Bill Smiley
It's time we spoke up
Most Canadians „are, pretty long-suffer-
ing. We seldom take to the barricades, set
fire to the flat, or hurl bricks at the police.
Canadian men put up with nagging
wives for years, and accept it, on the whole
with meekness. Nowadays wives not only
nag, but they are, many of them, the
crudest of materialists and the most'
militant of women's libbers. The husbands
still go along without much more than an
occasional snarled, "All right, then. You
can. put the bloody garbage out."
Canadian women put up with undemon-.
strative, insensitive louts of husbands for
years, chaps who were knowledgeable
about beer and hockey and poker,- but, wary
of emotion and callous about' the finer
things in life. Nowadays, most husbands
are still louts, but quite a few have escaped
into the esoteric world of macrame,.
needlepoint, going to the ballet, ,and
having their hair "done" every two weeks.
And the wives haven't complained much,
except for the occasional venoumous, "I
rememb er when you were always trying to
drag me into the, bedroom."
In fact, we are such non-complainers
that everybody walks all over, us, We
shudder and whimper under a punitive tax
system, but there's nary a bomb for the tax
collector.
We get royally and regularly screwed by.
everybody from mechanics to merchants,
from • supermarkets to Surgeons, from
restaurants to repairmen, and we grumble •
a bit, but almost enjoy it; as Confucius
advised about rape, when it seems
inevitable.
We put up with dumb insolence from
postal clerks, and stupidity front sales
clerks, and bad manners from beer
sli ngers and lip from- hotel flunkies. And
we pay up, mutter a bit, and fade into the
woodwork.
We accept shoddy workmanship from
Canadian manufacturer% and go back for
more. We eat fifth-rate meals in highway
restaurants, vow we'll n ever go back, and ,
stop at the, same place next time, hoping
for a miracle, only thin served the greasy,
badly-cooked food and •watery coffee we
got last ttrite. ,
We are humble and contrite when some
jumped-up pipsqueak of a civil servant, or.
some ulcerous creature in an employment'
office, tells us we haven't filled 'out •the
form properly.
Maybe we deserve it. Maybe it's time we
reared up on our hind legs and started
bitching about all the second-rate goods
and third-rate service that are shOved at
us.
Maybe it's time we started yelling, and
causing public scenes, and demanding
proper service, and shouting for the
general manager or the head waiter, and
complaining bitterly and heatedly when we
encounter stupidity and insolence and
slipshoddiness.
We weren't always like this, you know.
A couple of generations ago, Canadians
weren't such patsies for the greedy. My
mother was on good terms with the local
merchants. But they had to produce, and
they had to, compete, and if they didn't,
they were in trouble.
She trusted people about as far as she
could throw them up in the air, and she
was five feet two. She had a se t of scales ,
in the house, and she weighed every sack
of flour or Sugar that came in. If it was
underweight, she'd skin the supplier alive,
with her tongue. .
And I wasn't always such a dumb„
complaisant member of the flock myself. I
remember one incident. It w as about two
years after the war. I had spent a year in a
sanatorium, and was on pension, but I was
going to school, and working a t hard labor
during vacations, to support a wife and kid.
I had quite a lot of visits to the
Department of -Veterans' Affairs. There I
was treated, by one guy, a civil servant,
like something that had crawled out from
under a stone. Th is guy would say, "Take
' a Seat," and ignore you for one, two , three
• hours. He had lost an arm in the' War, and
. flaunted it, with his sleeve neatly •pinned
up. To him , I guess, secure with 'his
pension, and his forever job doing nothing,
we were scum, whose only purpose was to
irritate him, and force him to do a little
paperwork.
One day, myo flashpoint occurred. I'd
taken an afternoon off work, lost half a
day's precious pay, to see a senior official
at DVA concerning grants for advanced
studies. One-Arm waved me to a seat, and
stood around shooting the b reeze and
drinking coffee for an hour- and hour and a
half. I blew.
Listen, you one-armed bastard! I've got
one lung, and I think I've seen as much
service as you have. If I don't get to see
--Mr. X in five minutes, I'm coming over the
counter!"
He could have cleaned me, even with his
'one arm, but he turned pale, bustled
about, and in three minutes I was talking to
the boss. It was that old civil servant's
panic about getting, a bad report.
It was cruel, but I've never regretted it.
, That jerk needed straightening out.
Isn't it time we started straightening out
all the jerks? If •anybody treats me civilly,
I'll respond in kind.. But from now on, if he
doesn't I'll •holler. Who's with me?
•
W
ily of Cranbroo
e and. Hank Eva
ck Cassidy
ttient in Wingha
spital after suffe
hip on Mond
accident ocean
Al, where Mr. an
were waiting
slipped and fell t
was removed t
Julance.
Brocklebank
;rit in Victori
Jay
e parade
)once
8
.m.
•••••#•••
IIIIIIIIIIIIIII
I
Police
ore busy
During , the weeic, november
29, December 5, OPPofficers at
Wingham Detachment, conducted
twenty -seven. investigations.
Eleven charges were laid under'
the highway traffic act and seven
warnings were issued.
Seven charges were laid under -
the.Liquor Licence Act.
One charge was laid under the
• Criminal Code. •
During the week, there were
five Motor Vehicle Collisions
which caused an estimated
$10,000.00 in property damage
and injuries to one person.
On Wednesday, December 1,
1976, Johanna G. Van Ness of
R.R.1, Ripley was injured in a
single car accident when the
vehicle she was driving went off
the north edge of Highway 86,
west of E. Jct. Road to Bluevale
and went into the north
NSAPPA,671 ktortleigt, *PIM*
The Children's Aid Society
REQUESTS YOUR SUPPORT
for its,
Christmas Bureau
Gifts, new and nearly-new toys and clothing
May be left pt
WINGHAM SALVATION ARMY CITADEL
DECEMBER /6 to 10
REMEMBER TEEN-AGERS TOO I
Income Tax Re Ceipts Issued For All Financial Donations (REG. NO.
.0184102-01-15) ,
Children's Aid Society, 46 Gloucester Terrace Goderich, Ontario
THE BRUSSELS POST; DECEMBER-Si 1976' it
Skaters pass tests
partner Blaine Moore of
Wingham placed fourth in pairs
and they have been chosen as
part of the Western Ont ario
team to compete in North. Bay at
Ontario Winter Games in
February and at Divisionals in
Guelph in January.
Carol also is part of the team
for single free skate at Ontario
Winter Games.
Chris Cossitt was successful in
passsing his 3rd figure and Cindy
Evans in passing her 2nd figure at
' a test day held in Lucknow on
Sunday, Nov. 28th.
Carol Wheeler skated on Dec.
2nd, 3rd & 4th in St. Catharines
at the Western Ontario
Sectionals and was 1st in figures
and 7th in free skate. She and her
S F
Ken Bird 37 19 75
Ernie Back 27 20 67
Frank Workman 23 16 55
Russ Hall 19 15 49
Adam Smith 19' 14 47
Jack McWhirter • 17 15 47
Ross Nicholson 28 9 46
Murray Gordon . 17 • 14 45
Alvin. McLellan 26 22 44
Carl McLellan , 17 12 41
Don Nolan 23 8' 39
Ted Elliott 19 8 35
Dale Breckenridge 17 9 35
Clen McLellan • 20 7 34
Barry Adams 20 7 34
Harry Hall - 17 8 33
Bill Pullan 22 5 • 32
Ken Josling • 10 10 30
Jack Pipe 15 5 25
Ray McNichol 11 6 ' 23
Sam Workman 5 9 23
Ron Gordon 14 4 22
Noe McNichol 11 5 21
Ross Duncan 15 2 19,
Murray Johnston .11 4 19
• Al Breckenridge . 8 3 14
Fred Miers 7 2 11
Bill Thamer 4 3 10
Bill McArter 7
1
9
Jan Van Vliet
9
0 9
High Score 3 Dar ts
Moe McNichol 124
High Score
Don Nolan 154
Winners at the Brussels Legion
Bingo December 3 were:
MIS. Allen Webb; Wayne
Lowe; Robbie Glew; Mrs. Cliff
Bray.
Special - Vera Scoler, Mrs.
Dave Jamieson; Dianne Bray,,
Mrs. Cliff Bray; Ada Britton.
Special Jean Mason, Kim
Stephenson.
Rita Halloway; Rick Elliott; -
Kay Bridge.
Share the Wealth was won by
Mrs. Allen Webb, Mrs. Mick.
Conaboy and . Mrs. George
Hislop.
Other winners were: Carl
McLellan, Betty Pennington,
Dianne Hallaway, Special, Mrs.
Watson Sholdice; Mrs. Elizabeth
Sholdice
63
53
37
35
33
31
Door Prize - Mrs. Dennis
Beirman.
More than 16 per cent of the total
number of tuberculosis cases in
Canada in 1974 are indigenous
Canadians that is, 616 of the
3,770 total. Christmas Seals fight
TB and other lung diseases.
Correction
It is regreted that an error
occurred in last week's list of
donors to the arena fund.
Three of the 'Contributions
should have read it
Anonymous $20.
Edna McDonald . 25.
Donald McDonald 500.
Dart Standings
P TEAM, STANDINGS.
Sam's Gang
8th Line
5th Line
6th Line
ARchers
Morris Bank
Win at Legion bingo
Saturday's Santa ClanS.patade
was one of the topics of diSCUS'SiOn
when the Brussels Business
Assocaition met, at the Olympia:
Restaurant last Wednesday
Two barids will be featured on Santa's big day in Brussels; the
iltussela Legion Pipe Band and
!1i6 Yinghatil bebtitants, Candies
1,thalloOn8 will be thrown to the -
ovvdsfrom the BBA
ftiOibett decided.
Nominations for a. new BBA
executive will be held at the next
P;e6tilig at the Tejtaii
January 5. Members' Warit to get.
lore new peel* interested in the
Association. • "The inetribetS who
6 glib* rip put a lot of hatd 'work Ito this but more members are
deeded to keep the'1113A going,"
1,, • irierfibet Said,
BBA president_ Ken, Webster'
will get in touch with a. TV
advertising repres entative about
rates for advertising the village.
BrUsSelS hasn't been advertised
on radio or TV: "You hear •all the•
other towns and Brussels is being
left behind," 'Was a comment
Made. •
Plans are underway for the
February 12 dinner and dance fot
members and their staffs. A'
committee will sell tiCketS and See
if they can collect donated prizes
for spot dances.
Brussels stores will be closed
Monday, December 27, after,
Christmas and will remain eloed
on Mondays theteaftet .ag usual,
BBA members decided.
The ttiA. wants mote people at
their January 8 meeting, '"PleaSe
come out and support your town
and 'help' put Brussels of the
trap,'" the executive "said. • .
BBA discusses Santa
aus . pOcide