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The Goderich Signal-Star, 1985-04-03, Page 42PAGE 4—GODERKfi SIGNAL .STAR. WEDNESDAY, Aj' DAVE SYKES 10, 1985 rp A recent Gallup Poll ,Suggests that as many as two in ,ten Canadians, given the choice, would live elsewhere. Gasp! What sacrilege. Is there a better place to stand and grow and freeze? Has the land of the true north strong and free lost the frost off its edges. The evidence, albeit skimpy, would sug- gest that is the case. Those who are more likely to leave the country are under the age of 50, have a university or college education and live in a city with a population in excess of 100,000. While the younger generation of Canadian may express a desire to live elsewhere, anywhere, older Canadians are content, or too battle weary, to leave. But what is so tempting beyond our teritorial waters to lure the young and educated? Is it money? In light of the fact that so many coun- trymen are willing to pack up and leave, it at least inspires one to take stalk of the situation. Is there really life beyong our borders? Does the world not end at the 49th? Apparently not. But for those of us who will stick it out up here, life in Canada means: _ Having to scrape your car windshield halfway through the month of Apra. Being holed up for days with the friend of your choice during it &bl]nding snowstorms of January. Realizing, after reading of impending threats of a mail strike, that there has ac- tually been mail delivery. That the affairs of Harold Ballard get as much ink as that well-dressed gu' who runs the country. That a small boy cannot dream of growing up to be president. That our television programming will be automatically inferior. That winter is not officially over until an American hockey team lays claim to Lord Stanley's coveted drinking cup. That given a modest measure of af- fluence, Canadians are obliged to spend up to six months in warmer climes. Degree of affluence to dictate length of stay. That The National News could appear on three different time zones but not necessari- ly on the same day in Newfoundland. Watching golden sunsets over clear blue lakes. That the old work ethic addage of another day, another dollar does not remotely apply. That a beer strike could inspire normally sedentary uidivlduals to ►real physical exertion in Sarre o quenching beverage. I That two young men could make a lucrative career by portraying typical Canadians as moronic, back -bacon, beer, swilling addicts with a penchant for ending ev¢ry sentence with eh. That it is sometimes difficult to differen- tiate between the four seasons of the calen- dar year. That rove pretend to notice a difference between the four seasons and further sug- gest we like it. That every young boy can dream of grow- ing up and making hundreds of thousands of dollars for spitting, swearing and propelling a black, hard disc at prohibitive speeds with a stick made out of Norway Maple. That a young man who is most proficient at a boy's game would come to be called The Great One. That snow shovelling is second on the country's list of national sports. And finally, being Canadian means that while we may appear to be a rather dull, boring and non-deacript species to much of the world, we tend to have a good time doing it. THE NEWS PORT FOR GODERICH & DISTRICT SINCE I S Pounded in 1O43 and puhliehad every ISNednoaday at Dederick, Ontario. Member of the CCIIIA and OCr A. Emboeriptione payable h advance '20.05, (Senior Citizens'17.05 privilege card number ',esquires") in Canada, '35. to ,8.8.(11., '33. to all other countries, Single copies 3O¢. Display, (National and Cloeuifled advertioing rates available on request. Please ask for at Card Slo. 13 afflictive October 1, 19(14. Advertising is accepted on the condition that in the avant of • typographical error, the advertioing apace occupied by the erroneous item, together with reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for but that haleness of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. in the event of a typographical error advertising goods or services at e wrong price, goods or services may not he sold. Advertising is merely en offer to sell, and may be withdrawn et any time. The Signal -Star is not responsible for the loss or damage of unsolicited manuscripts, photos or other materials used for reproducing purposes. PUBLISHED BY: SIGNAL -STAR PUBLISHING LIMITED • ROBERT G. SHRIEK - President and Publisher DON HUBICK - Advertising Manager 'DAVE SYKES - Editor P.O. sox leo HUCKINB ST. INDUSTRIAL PARK GODERICH, ONT. N7A 41313 Member: eNA the )a Second class mail registration number 0716 FOR BUSINESS OR EDITORIAL OFFICES..,plesea phone [619)524-2614 Campaign predictability While the province may be in the midst of an election campaign, it shows all the usual vital signs of 'another non-descrlipt battle.., There are some genuine issues for the that main party leaders toget caught up in, but the most notable to surface is Premier Frank Miller's reluctance to debate. More than a reluctance, Miller has refused to a three -leader debate. His decision comes as no real surprise and may not have any great bearing on the public's perception of the acting premier; - Miller is steering on a straight course in the election campaign to the point where it ap- pears no different in looks to any other Conservative campaign in the last three or four decades. He is taking a low-key approach and banking on the conservative tradition of 42 ,years to provide the impetus. Ostensibly, according to recent polls and surveys, and drawing from tradition, Miller. and -the conservatives are a safe bet to form the next government, One of the worst reaeorts for doing something is because 'it has always been, done thatway'. but the 1985 provincial election may smack of that traditional sameness. The election is unique in that all three major party leaders have not led their respec- tive legions through an election. This is new stuff for these guys. And to date both Liberal leader David Peterson and New Democratic Party leader Bob Rae have had to be content with conservative bashing. Miller won't let them get the gloves out for a debate and its obvious that it can only hurt, rather than enhance his im- age. Miller would have more to lose in a debate while both Rae and Peterson would be look- ing to make substantial impacts. and gains in the public opinion market. Open and full debate is healthy, especially during a campaign, but Miller doesn't need the political ag- gravation. Unfortuneately, his position appears to be relatively secure in the hands of tradition. One has to wonder if over 40 years of rule by the same political party is a healthy situa- tion in a democratic process. What it seems to have done in this election is created identi- ty problems for the other leaders and left Miller to carry on with the Conservative middle-of=theroad approach: Job creation, a major preoccupation, will be the issue of this election. Miller has pro- mised over $1 billion through a program entitled Enterprise Ontario which brings back memories of Davis' BILD program. — Both Hae and Paterson have cuwitered-with—ve,-sisns--of:mnployment a.,d creation programs with great predictability. The \Liberals have countered with tax credits to create new jobs and the NDP said they would create a multi-million dollar --..-.—_..— eommtmiyawnPrship.fund.tateep productive plants from closing. An open debate would help deflate theepredictability of the election_ ca`margn and un- — doubtedly help voters make a more responsible decision. A day in the1.swamp By Todd Mowatt POSTSCRIPT SUSAN HUNDERTMARK I'm often accused of not having a sense of humor particularly when I've remained" stone -faced after hearing a "joke" that revolves, around the gender or the ethnic background of the main characters. After I cry "sexist" or "racist", I'm told I'm a kill- joy, I'm too sensitive or I don't know humor when I hear it. But, although I laugh more than most people, I've never seen the humor in jokes which degrade people solely because of their gender or background. I've usually found that people who relish the racist joke claim they'll laugh at ,anything including themselves. They're not prejudiced; they hate everyone equally. But, what they may or may not realize is that they perpetuate the . stereotype and legitimize the hatred .about . Newfies, Pakistanis, blacks, women or whatever group they're laughing at. There's often a fine line between humor and. insults which comedians walk. Sometimes they misstep and fall over into the side of insults and bad taste. Comedian Eddie Murphy recently found himself a eictim of his own humor during a conceit in Florida. After perforirung-Tile usual stable of characters including Buckwheat and Mr. Robinson, the Mister _139gers-parodying emu er, he invited members of the audience up on s age to their own jokes.. He was shocked to hear one boy tell a trio '- ribly offensive joke which started, "What's black and bubbly?" and then look to Murphy for approval: Instead of being amused, Mur- phy was offended. But, as a reviewer of the . concert pointed out, the.boy assumed he was enjoying the same kind of humoras Murphy did when he performed the servile Buckwheat • and the black criminal, Mr. Robinson. Though Murphy thought he was satirizing the stereotypes about blacks, he has unwit- tingly perpetuated them. - There's a small distinction between a harmless joke and an accepted attitude. A statement that is "just a joke" can quickly become a racial slur which can contravene the Ontario Human Rights Code if said directly to p person. Racist humor that is not directed at anyone in particular is not against the law but is undoubtedly tasteless and stupid. ° Laws included in the Human Rights Code are necessary to protect those who are vic- tims of discrimination. They give teeth to the attitude that prejudice is wrong. But, while I'm one of the first to protest if T"rtz bite -d- tS sha i e "irr such- -"-humor' question if sueing a "joker" is always the best way to combat racism. More effective, I think, is re-education telt (though I must admit tl at a stiff -fine -is a pretty clear message that your words or ac- tions are wrong.) • For the first time I came close to being impressed by "our Brian", who usually leaves me cold with his fluffy rhetoric and buffo'nery, so convincingly short of, statesmanlike substance. The occasion was the recent two-day constitutional conference on self- government for Canadian aboriginal peoples, the first"such conference under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Mulroney. When federal -provincial and similar major conferences are televised, I always arrange my daily affairs sa.that I can stay with the entire "show", as I find the dramatic developments totally fascinating and the individual performances absorbing. On the scale of historic importance the recent meeting was even more than ordinarily filled with genuine suspense, as the participants responded to the on -camera and behind the ssi,c1enes pressures which caused such ups and downs that not even experienced 'political commentators could predict the final outce ne until it happened. One could sense that Mr. Mulroney, who started with the customary self -adoring flourish, went all out in a desperate attempt to succeed where former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau had failed twice to create a consensus on native rights and powers during similar conferences. Mr. Mulroney's desire to claim this victory was so obvious and intense that one almost started to fi admire his tenacity and to wish tum success, despite the gradual realization that at the end there was nobody left to really speak for Canada when regional and special interests needed to be accommodated. Do you understand what the proposed entrenchment of native self-government is about and what place it would take in the reality of our Confederation? Aware of my ignorance on the subject,.l was keen to Warn from the discussions what is at stake for all concerned when there are self-governing "nations" within a nation. The conference left me more thoughtful, but not necessarily better informed in any real sense. There was a predictable emphasis on such things as dignity and equality, noble sentiments easy to express as .generalities, but when there were attempts to define self- government and to identity its possible components and consequences in realistic terms within the communities, the answers just were not there and one was left with the impression of witnessing the proverbial cart before the horse. It is common sense that negotiations should first define and identify the substance and the form of what the provinces are asked to sign into Canadian Constitution. "What is meant by the statement that "aboriginal peoples have an inherent right to self-government"? Is it sovereignty? Is it another level of Roverement similar to municipalities? • We have to admit that racist humor is only funny because it makes us feel superior to the group we're laughing at. We have to make sure our children know we're laughing at and not with Archie Bunker because his attitudes are unacceptable. We have to learn to think of all people as basically the same instead of blowing the small differences out of proportion in a negative way. Education is probably the answer to the recent debate raging in Toronto over whether or not the book Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain should be banned from the school °curriculum because of the frequent ger use o£Jinnracist." terms when referring to "Nig- I can empathize with the discomfort black students must feel when studying the book especially if they are in the minority in their classrooms. But, Huckleberry Finn por- trays and satirizes that particular period of American history. With an accompanying study of slavery in the U.S., the book can help to illustrate how low mankind can sink when attitudes allow- . _. otirish-.Itean be _ a catalyst for discussion examining racism and injustice in today's society or even in the classroom. —"---The'book-ean-help-students-to- understand. how a "harmless joke" can perpetuate the way of thinking that made slavery possible. Does self-government include the power to pass laws'' How would the laws apply in mixed communities? Are different Canadians going to live under separate laws? How far does it go towards racial segregation? The word "apartheid" was fleetingly mentioned. Self-government is presumably not self- supporting. Would aboriginal individuals be covered by Canadian unemployment insurance, pensions, welfare and other programs? Would transfer payments make the system workable and what sort of accountability would be intended? Particularly Western premiers with large aboriginal areas and mixed cities and towns were seeking answers, and rightly so. The truly astonishing element was that they could have been expected to commit their provinces otherwise, since even the aboriginal groups (there are over five hundred of them) are split over the issues, as it was derfronstrated at the conference. It is to be hoped that with more homework done before the next conference, the native leaders' proud preoccupation with exclusively constitutional requirements will make room for reasonable negotiations with all parties who can* contribute towards native self-improvement, without splitting the country's systems even further. It is to be hoped that someone will speak for Canada. t, 0 4•"n`t • ELSA HAYDON Y