The Brussels Post, 1979-07-04, Page 2ONTARIO
WEDNESDAY, JULY 4, 1979
Serving. Brussels and the surrounding community,
Published each Wednesday afternoon at Brussels, Ontario
By McLean Bros. Publishers Limited
Evelyn Kennedy - Editor Pat Langlois - Advertising
Member Canadian Community Newspaper Association and
Ontario Weekly Newspaper Association
Subscriptions (in advance) Canada $10,00 a Year.
Others $20.00 a Year. Single Copies 25 cents each.
,401.10f ita.11%tr.
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Behind the scenes
Brussels Post
Invisible handicaps
In public school, little children are taught to help a blind person
across the street. The average taxpayer does not mind seeing his taxes
go towards programs designed for the aged, the disabled, children or
single parents.
These groups of the disadvantaged members of society are highly
visible. A person in a wheelchair stands out in the crowd. The public
will take the time to assist him in any way possible.
Today, the mood of the taxpayer is that of rebellion in reaards to
supporting young able-bodied men or women via social assistance
programs.
However, what happens when a young person is medically
unemployable? He or she may look as healthy as the normal young
adult but nevertheless has a medical condition which prevents this
person from working. Although this group can get Gains benefits,
society often labels them among the welfare burns.
A young woman has a kidney condition which prevents her from
being employed. Fortunately, she was able to get an Ontario Housing
Corporaton apartment in the same building as a young man called
`Peter.'
"Peter," she said, "You're lucky in a way . .because everybody
knows that you're handicapped. Looking at me, nobody can see my
handicap."
She can't get the full Gains pension and her case worker has no
suggestions as to how she can earn more.
Today, social workers must often get discouraged. The Worth Ethic
seems to have disappeared: 'society owes me a living' is a popular
notion which seems to have taken its place. But society will support
those unable to cope by themselves (to support themselves). The
challenge facing groups helping the "invisible" handicapped (groups)
is to educate the governmental agencies about the special needs of this
population. Since we cannot see them, we are apt to forget
them. But they are there'. We must be aware of this "disadvantaged"
group within our community!
(The United Church)
by Keith. Roulston
One of the saddest manifestations of
Canadians preoccupations with their own
supposed economic woes has been our
turning our back on the rest of the world,
places where there really is misery and
hardship.
During the election campaign we heard
the demand (and it's being heard in the
U.S. as a new election approaches) that our
foreign aid be curtailed because of the
current economic problems. We just can't
afford to help others when we're in so
much trouble, the critics say. How patheti-
cally sad. How selfishly sick.
Canada (and the. United States) is a
word that has brought a smile of hope to
the faces of troubled people for nearly two
centuries. When religious persecution was
strong in Europe, North America became
a place where people could practice their
religion in peace. When the Scottish
crofters were driven off the land, they
found land of their own in Canada and the
US. When the potato famines brought
starvation to Ireland, there was a refuge
across the ocean in the new lands. It was a
hard life, but it offered an escape from the
problems of the old world.
Canada has become home to Irish, Scots,
Ukranian. French, German, Italian and
nearly every nationality in the world at one
side or the other. Once in a while
something comes along like the current
Blyth Summer Festival play This Foreign
Land that shows us how welcome a refuge
Canada has been for people from other
lands. So often we take for granted what
we have and can't imagine what it is to be
without our standard of living, our open
spaces, our ability to eat well and own a bit
of land of our own.
Yet whenever things are going as well as
we'd like, we turn our backs on the rest of
the world. We begin to feel sorry for
ourselves as if there was something really
to be sorry for. We pull back our help to the
underprivileged of other lands and tighten
our borders so more poor people can't
come in and supposedly take the jobs of
those who are here.
We have one of those periodic incidents
of inhumanity going on today in Southeast
Asia. Hundreds of thousands of people
who either cant live under the new regime
in Vietnam and Cambodia or are being
callously driven out by the government are
seeking new homes. They make their way
to the nearest safe piece of land in leaky
boats, some of which never make it to land.
They must pay to leave their old country
and if they do make it to "Freedom" in
Hong Kong or Malaysia or Indonesia find
anything but a warm welcome waiting for
them. These countries, already poor,
already crowded, can't stand, the added
pressure of hundreds of thousands of more
people to feed, Some are shoved back into
the oceans to seek new places of refuge or
die trying. Others if they do stay on land,
stay in refugee camps under horrible
conditions.
It's a tremendous human problem, one
that seems to need drastic solutions. It is
this kind of tragedy that in the past Canada
would have provided a solution. But the
tragedy has come at a time when
Canadians are so preoccupied by their own
miniscule problems that they don't seem to
be able to react to the problem. We shake
our heads and say how sad, but that's
about all. Our government has offered to
increase the number of people to be
accepted from 5,000 to 8,000 but that's a
mere drop in the bucket in terms of the
entire problem.
Sure, it shouldn't be entirely our
problem. Sure the Communist government
caused the problem and so Russia and
other Communist leading countries should
help to solve every problem of this nature
that ever comes along. But we are also
human beings who must react to the
suffereing of other human beings. We are
a wealthy country that has a duty to do
good with that wealth. We have space. We
have opportunities for people to live a good
life. We must act.
But it all seems so far away. It all seems
so hopeless for the individual to do
anything. But individuals and groups have
been doing things. Through sponsorships
of refugees these people have been doing
their small bit to help the problem.
Imagine, for instance, if every town and
village in Canada sponsored just one family
what it would mean to the situation in
Southeast Asia. Surely, working together
we could easily come up with the money to
support one family in each town until it
could get on its feet.
And Canada needs new blood. As This
Foreign Land shows, as history shows, it is
the immigrants who come with little but
dream of a good, rich life, who give a drive
to our country that keeps it moving. People
who have lived here all their lives take
things for granted. They want to play it'
safe, to keep life comfortable. It is the
people who have suffered who put the most
back into the country.
Canadians, by reacting to the current
tragedy in Southeast Asia can prove that
they really are caring human beings. In
doing so they can help the boat people and
they can help our own country. What more
could we hope for?
Ignoring the misery
Sugar and spice The years go by By Bill Smiley
Egad: man and aonale has a way of
marking off the years, With some it's
birthdays. With farmers it's getting the
crops in. With fishermen it's itaiding out
the old tub for the winter. after- the last
catch. With goiters getting in one final
round before the snow flies. And so on.
With teachers, it's struegling. through to
the end of June without going around the
bend. I've just made it for the nineteenth
time, and, at the time of \'‘ iting. still have
most of ma marbles. though I can't say the
same for some of my colleagues. They get
queerer and queerer every year.
But it is only with the silliest and most
sentimental that the end of the school year
brings tears. a feeling of loss. a pang of
sorrow. Most of us walk out at the end of
June and never really care whether we ever
re-enter the old sausage factory.
At approximately the same ri=ve many
mothers are giving a great sigh of
resignation. looking fearfully at the sum-
mer ahead, when they'll have to cope with
their kids twenty-four hours a day. ...most,
teachers are tilling a mighty sigh of relief
"because they don't have to cope with those
same kida at all far rao entire months.
It's not that feathers kids.
Perhaps a few of them do. but they useal.
wind up in the lceney-bin. or slaSh;t1E thia
s in *he bathtub.
Ott the taant-ary. most tea hers have a
bask liking of young peep.le and &hoar
them, &Pen. more toteraece and under-
standing t-I•an the "Eds.' own c..ereres do.
berA ewe: ha,..A-wards to listen to
problems. suggest solutions and ne.- to
motivate the youngsters.
But there comes a point. a sort of
stiaking point. where even the most
benea olent of teachers runs across a kid
who woutd drive his own mother screaming
up the wan. And often does.
One of anY younger coneagaes is still
nursing a cracked rib incurrea, after
breaking up a fight in the cafeteria and
chasing one of the boys involved half a mile
to the local park. adt in the fine o duty. He
does not love and cherish that kid.
A/ most every a ear, when a teacher is in
daily contact with an rely laSel
teenagers. with 4 heirs sexual repeessicas,
their hang-ups. their brekea homes. their
deprier.s. there are three er four kids he
or she can barely tolerate.
These few bad anptees are what make
teacang a er ard'.:ZCS prefes—sion. They
are a daily ofherel.aeien with thefr
bad lanamage. bad habiLa an bad man-
Br: `eve:71.th. has .20 Catt
aleis Aztrte IL" 4. few totem kids'.
You s a get a job, Where yea:. have
et :ten less era nett. „te..&aemeet.. oat rotten
read tezenly
where tee
something like rearee''-e.
and verbal vieerace.
net c• ieraeredt, - e-he-ela. weL fa-4 e
_masses c.f Foca'. kids fee= beckeen
and it- gm:1f kids -
er.flererat culture and -age. 'a=
from suburban middle-class schools whose
students are over-privileged, also come
from broken homes, have too much money,
and are extremely materialistic. They look
on teachers as something like an orange, to
be sucked dry and thrown away, like the
peer.
Not for me. I couldn't hack that. I'd quit.
I'm no dedicated martyr. I don't want a
punch-up with three druggies forty years
younger. I don't want my tires slashed or
my female staff assaulted. I am basically a
peaceable coward.
Our school is not, like that. and I guess
that's, why I've hung in here so long, When
I started. I had offers to teach journalism at
a community college. to do public relations
work. to teach at a university. But I began
To the editor;
Recently on a visit to Brussels, my brother
Rees-old and. I, with our wives, wanted to see
Brasses. Mortis Grey Community
t
he: day bebg a Saturday and in June, ttti
acre was at the centre, which at the time Was
dcsede A blo± away we e tl C011 toed Jack
bo 7 --ediately told us to Nturo tO
ue ani wait. Within 5 minutes he
aith Wayne 'Lowe and both
en oreeduczed us On a lelaittely, tact
of the beautiful edifices. It is tr
to grow too fond of the teenagers and
backed away from these offers. I'm not
sorry.
I'm no Mr. Chips. I'm not a great
teacher. But I do enjoy teenagers, with
their curiosity, their sensitivity, their sense
of humour, their developing selves, even
their flashes of anger, and always their
honesty.
End of term comes, and even the little
turkeys in Grade 9 who bedevilled you with
their giggling or their yapping or their
giddiness all year become lovable because
you know they're gone for two months.
And you got a nice tie from one shy little
girl, and a tike card thrust through your
letter-slot by another who has walked eight
(Continued on Page 12;
maryetiotts addition to the historic backlog
Of litataaela and a floe tribute to a generation
of past4(911.; who took pride and respect in
their cotthottaity
Jack Iltyttas and Waytie Lowe are
0000014 iti that Spirit by biking time out
from their 001140litil alTalts of the day in
00'0001.4 us On the itifetatiatiVe Witte Many
thalikal
Yours sincerely
Sam tie! Yolleck
A terrific tour