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Excerpts From a Stormtrooper Textbook
27 Thursday Mar 2014
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27 Thursday Mar 2014
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inI was recently watching television, and came across a commercial for Dawn kitchen soap. It begins with shots of penguins covered with oil, and tells the tale of how Dawn soap has been used to clean up wildlife impacted by oil spills. The commercial shows a penguin being cleaned, while the voice over explains Dawn cuts through grease, but is gentle. The payoff are shots of penguins, ducks and seals being released back into the water, and concludes with the statement (also branded on the product label) “Dawn Saves Wildlife”.
If you are like me, you have become sceptical of the green washing large corporations have used in marketing their products over the past few years. We are a generation raised on environmentalism. Something which seemed fringe in the 1970s has grown as science and communication have allowed the message to be heard- our world is not sustainable. We are damaging ourselves, and our planet. In the past, marketing of products like soap and cleaners could really only boast one thing- they cleaned. Because of this, companies offered the idea of their products being “new” and “improved”. Suddenly, their products could clean “20% more”, or they could get out the worst of stains.
This marketing model has changed. Now we are told their products are “safe” and “green”. We are led to believe there is no damage done to ourselves, or the environment by using these products, and we are made to feel good about using them. In fact, a giant leap in how we think is “I am doing something good for the world by using this product”, a thinking akin to “I am eating healthy by only eating six of these donuts, instead of the full dozen”.
I decided to find out how environmental Dawn, and the corporation which owns it, Procter & Gamble, actually are.
Beginning with Dawn, their website offers some great information about how Dawn is giving back, boasting “For over 30 years, Dawn dishwashing liquid has been an important part of rescuing and releasing more than 75,000 animals affected by oil pollution”. They have also affiliated themselves with two environmental organizations- The Marine Mammal Center and International Bird Rescue. On top of this, Dawn is donating $1m to these organizations over the next year. Both are recognized groups, doing a great deal of work with animals in the U.S.
Of course, once the curtain is pulled back… we all know what happens, right?
Well, sort of.
P&G, the corporation Dawn exists under, earned a net profit of $84.2B worldwide, according to their 2013 annual report. With a massive world market share in beauty, grooming, health care, fabric and home care, and baby and family care, P&G are the top dogs not just in North America, but the world. From Bounty towels and Gillette razors, to Pampers, Duracell batteries, Febreze, Crest, Iams… even Vicks cough and cold products… if you are using day to day items (and let’s be frank, who isn’t?), you are probably using a P&G product.
Procter & Gamble are well aware of how environmentalist view them. In the past, P&G has been pointed at as one of the worst abusers of animals in testing their products. They have recognized this, and have insisted their animal testing is a thing of the past- though there are others who suggest otherwise. Part of the issue is around P&G selling products like Olay and Head and Shoulders in China. Chinese law states in order for products like these to be sold in their country, they must be tested by their government. This testing is done using rabbits, which includes dropping the test product into the eyes of these animals, and can lead to killing as part of the testing (as claimed by UK based Cruelty-Free International). According to their own financial report, 30% of P&G’s profits come from emerging markets, this includes India, and China. Procter & Gamble are well aware of the required animal testing, but are clearly willing to ignore this in order to maintain and grow their profits. That being said, a lot of companies are doing the same thing- Unilever, which makes Axe and Dove soap declared 60% of their earnings coming from the same emerging markets. Apparently, animal testing is the cost of doing business, and remaining competitive.
The difference, however, is P&G’s claim to be environmentally focused. There is a great deal of focus made about their sustainability initiatives, and overall environmental message- something the latest Dawn campaign fits perfectly into. In fact, P&G has been lauded for their sustainability and environmental initiatives by news and information sources including KPMG, Forbes and “green” sources like GreenBiz.
In fact, one of the statements made by A.G. Lafley, the Chairman of the Board, President and CEO of P&G in their 2013 Sustainability report was “Reaching our vision of 100% renewable energy and zero waste
going to landfill is not going to happen overnight, but we have set short-term and intermediate goals to ensure we make steady progress, which we are doing.”
And how are they making steady progress? According to their 2013 Financial Report, P&G stated “In March 2013, the Republic of Turkey Ministry of Environmental and Urban Planning notified the Company that it was imposing a fine on the Company based on alleged waste management violations at a Wella facility in Turkey. The Company paid the fine ($790,000) and the matter is currently on appeal.”
But the most damning information about P&G’s environmental and sustainability approach came to light at the end of February, this year. Greenpeace released information about P&G’s sourcing of palm oil, and the effects this has had on the endangered orangutan habitat in Indonesia.
Palm oil is used in about 50% of all packaged good, from cleaning products to cookies, body lotion, lip stick… In fact, the Dawn website (which is where we started at, a long time ago) shows two items in the product’s ingredients Sodium Laureth Sulphate and Sodium Lauryl Sulphates- which are other names for palm oil. Though both sulphates can be sourced from other oils, there is not substantiated proof Dawn is using these other sources.
The problem is, the Indonesian rain forest is being destroyed to collect this palm oil. According to the Greenpeace report, the rain forest is disappearing “at a rate of more than nine Olympic swimming pools each minute, with palm oil being the biggest driver of forest destruction”.
But this isn’t the only problem. Because of this deforestation, the Sumatran tiger is now classed as “critically-endangered”, while both native species of Orangutan are “endangered”. BW Plantation Group, a company which owns the land used for this cultivation is connected to P&G’s supply chain. An investigation by Greenpeace discovered orangutan skeletons on the land, near Tanjung Puting National Park, an area in which orangutans are protected.
While other corporations, like the aforementioned Unilever have made efforts to pull out of Indonesia, and sought out other solutions to the palm oil dilemma, P&G has not.
On March 4, this year, Greenpeace activists were charged with burglary and vandalism, after unfurling giant banners from the two towers making up the head offices of P&G in Cincinnati. While Greenpeace continues its campaign to make the world aware of the dangers deforestation is causing in Indonesia, P&G has done nothing to deny, nor defend their position in this controversy- meanwhile maintaining their environmental message.
So, as Dawn campaigns to save the environment, and P&G boasts an environmental and sustainable message, the creation of their products is doing the complete opposite. Sadly, in the case of Dawn and P&G, the adage “corporations can not be trusted” remains.
20 Thursday Mar 2014
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Seething thoughts and fires searing, i had a name
A giant’s stance and fists of power, i had a name
Eyes like ice and tongue so fierce, i had a name
Flames engulf this arch i built,
Upon my shores fleets wasted and strewn,
Walls once stood where detritus now lie
i had a name
Cowering voices whispered my name
Hearts riven, fractured by my name
Thoughts unsought replete by my name
Phantom legions have departed
Unattended, left to this remote deposit
Unconditionally, I surrender
my name
Through darkness shrieks- what is my name?
Clawing, despondent- what is my name?
Pleading, abandoning- what is my name?
Grace’s feature and prize,
Washes me in rains, purging the silt
Freeing me from these nescient shackles
what is my name?
Undeserving i perish, gone is my name
No longer a captive, gone is my name
Brilliance pierces my twilight, gone is my name
Compassion undeserving bestowed upon me
New garments replace armour felled
Anointed by sacrifice in my heart and mind
gone is my name
Through phoenix’s blaze, i plead for a new name
I will wrestle an angel to receive a new name
Seamlessly new i implore a new name
For all of this, a new name.
19 Wednesday Mar 2014
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in18 Tuesday Mar 2014
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in17 Monday Mar 2014
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in1. I just don’t get what BuzzFeed is. Is it news? Is it entertainment? Newsertainment? Thus, we get a site with massive popularity which includes headlines like “U.S. Slaps Cold War Sanctions On Russia For Ukraine”, followed immediately by “A N.Y. Comic Came Home To Find His Airbnb Renters Hosting A “XXX Freak Fest”
2. Which BuzzFeed reader are you? Augh! The quizzes! Littering my Facebook feed, making me spend three minutes to find out (and this is true) “Which Possible Illuminati Member” I am- I got Tupac Shakur, BTW.
3. I truly believe this is what taking heroin is like. I have never taken heroin, but if television, movies and literature are being accurate, the hours I spend not moving, staring blankly, retaining none of the information my brain is processing seems pretty close. Added to that is the rush, followed by complete blankness in my head. I know I have missed out on opportunities because I have spent hours viewing articles like “23 Photos of Jonathan Taylor Thomas Holding Things” (which, seriously, is on the site).
4. The absolutely useless information. “Is Anything More 1999 Than This S Club 7 Video?” Enough said.
5. This cannot be helping the world. Remember about ten years ago, when everyone was talking about Wikipedia? We all used to get caught in these information vines- learning about past cultures, people and events. We discovered aspects of science and geography we never knew before, all while bouncing from page to page. Now I know “Which Romantic Comedy Best Describes Your Actual Love Life”, and that Wayne Knight, Newman from Seinfeld, is not dead.
6. I will never admit to reading BuzzFeed. When it comes to discussions with friends about- well, anything, I have never (and probably will never) site BuzzFeed as a source of information. It is akin to saying “I learned history from a Hagar the Horrible cartoon”.
7. The lists! Why are they all random numbers? My favourite- “57 Reasons to Try Veganism” includes “So you’ll have something to talk about with Natalie Portman”. Nowhere does it mention “So all your friends can roll their eyes when you are in a restaurant, and you loudly complain about the fact there are no vegan options- instead of your friends thinking you are a hero for your life choice”.
8. I don’t want to know about celebrities, but I can’t help it. I never watched Veronica Mars. I do not plan to see the movie. I admit, the crowdfunding aspect of the movie being made is slightly intriguing to me, but there was also a petition on Whitehouse.gov to extradite Justin Beiber back to Canada- getting a bunch of like-minded people together seems pretty easy these days. That being said, I read an entire article about the show, then followed it up with “21 Reasons Why Steve Carell Would Make The Perfect Road Trip Companion”.
9. The only thing I feel after reading BuzzFeed is guilty. Why did I just spend an hour reading this drekk? Why do I keep doing this? I have to stop, but first I want to read about how wonderful Jennifer Lawrence is.
10. Seriously, why can’t I close this site? Wait, I just want to read this thing about Britney Spears songs.
11. There is only so much pop culture one person can take. Well, maybe, but this Britney Spears article is interesting. Wait, interesting isn’t the right word… mind-numbing is (see #3 for more).
12. In the spirit of BuzzFeed, I can’t finish on this number, because it is too common. Also, in the spirit of BuzzFeed, the two positions above this are sort of a waste.
13. I fear this is where the world is going. Did you read about that new app that allows you to read a book in 90 minutes? I got an email from a friend, but I didn’t have time to read it. I know the excuse; “there is SO much information on the internet, we need services to narrow it down for us”, and I agree with that. I write because of that. But honestly, the time I waste on lists and quizzes could be used actually finding important, relevant information pertaining to me, and the world I live in. Hey- there’s nothing wrong with a bit of entertainment, right? Come on, you have to kick back and relax every once in a while. That’s true- but in a time when we are so conscious of proper eating and health (which BuzzFeed targets- with articles about vegetarianism, veganism), then why do we fill our heads with absolute junk food. Sites like BuzzFeed, to me are like mental binging on a bucket of KFC.
Now, news sites are following the BuzzFeed success. Huffington Post looks nothing like it did a year ago. The news is still there, at the top tier of the page, but as soon as you drop down a few spots, you are welcomed to a world of side-boob and best dresses from awards shows.
As we continue to accept popular culture over substance, and fluff over news, we will have no one to blame but ourselves when those who already control the strings are able to do it with very little recourse- as we ponder “15 Signs ‘LOST’ Changed Your Life”, instead of demanding accountability from those in power.
11 Tuesday Mar 2014
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Looking to purchase Bitcoins? Maybe the money from that African prince who emailed you might be able to help out.
Bitcoin has everything that appeals to me. A mysterious inventor, who may actually be Bruce Wayne, considering how well he has hidden his identity (or simply refused to take ownership of it- Satoshi Nakamoto). An online currency exchange built on a website created to trade Magic: The Gathering cards. The same site being shut down after hackers (… well, someone…) stole around $473 million, causing the website to apply for bankruptcy protection. Flexcoin Inc., a bitcoin bank in Edmonton shut down their site after losing $670,000 to hackers. Bitcoin has been linked by the FBI to an online black market of drug dealers, with the agency seizing millions of dollars in the digital currency. Exchange CEO Autumn Radke was found dead, apparently taking her own life days after the theft at Mt Gox was revealed.
Whoever writes the first book about all of this is going to make a whole lot of Bitcoins.
In a world that appears to be getting stranger and stranger every day (Ukraine, Syria… whatever Justin Beiber was trying to prove in his deposition), the beleaguered currency exchange has had minimal coverage by the media, and is strangely still greatly supported by its own community.
Because we are all witnessing what appears to be a real time Martin Scorcese film unfold, I decided to find out what exactly Bitcoin is, and more importantly, why?
I decided to visit Bitcoin.org to learn more about the currency. Here I learned from a cartoon video Bitcoin is the “first decentralized digital currency”. I can send my digital coins through the internet, and apparently, there are six advantages to this. Luckily, these advantages are shown to me through stylish minimalist cartoons (because, you know, when you think financial risk-taking, you’re going to want to trust in a cartoon. It’s the same reason I am trying to invest $200,000 into ACME- I saw this cartoon where this coyote spent a TON of money on product from this company, and apparently, ACME has better delivery times than Amazon). So, the first point is this- Bitcoins are transferred person to person, via the ‘net. There are some advantages to this (which are, of course, pointed out to us)- low to no transfer fees, Bitcoins can be transferred in any country, your account cannot be frozen… this all seems to make sense (thank you cartoon with xylophone sound effects).
Unfortunately, this is when the wheels start coming off the train for me. Even the cartoon doesn’t seem to help. In the next part- how they work, apparently, there is something called Bitcoin mining. I have no idea what any of it means. I watched the cartoon of a pick-axe mining a rock, and a coin coming out- but there was what appeared to be the oldest hard drive in existence to the side of the rock, that appeared to be about to blow up. The result is that apparently, Bitcoins are created at a predictable and limited rate. Next, I have a digital wallet, where my money is stored. When I transfer, Bitcoin miners verify the transaction, and my information is anonymously stored on the internet.
Now that we know how it works (I still don’t know how it works, but it seems to be sort of like file sharing? With money?), the introduction video tells me all the code is open source, and I get samples of all of the things I can purchase with, and how it is going to change the world.
Having viewed an under two minute video to explain such a complicated system, I feel confident I am ready to buy me some digital coins. My choice of smartphone was made pretty much the same way- all I need is 2 minutes and moving pictures.
But why would I buy them? Who buys them?
It appears there are three camps of Bitcoin investors. These camps offer a great deal of overlap, so some may fit into more than one category.
Techno-hipsters. Come on! It’s the currency of the future! We live in a digital age, and we will continue to live this way for quite some time. This renaissance of technology has changed how we communicate, how we process information, how we learn, and how we acquire.
Speaking at SXSW on Friday, Nico Sell, CEO of the app Wickr said “These currencies are 100 percent of the future but we are in the beginning of figuring this all out, but crypto-currency is stronger than paper, but we are early on in the process.”
Though Sell used more buts than a Sir-Mix-A-Lot song, it makes sense there should be a future currency. I, of course, would be happy with the more generic term “credits” which appears in numerous science fiction movies and television programs, or “space monies”, the emphasis being on the plural.
Anti-Banking Types. As long as there have been banks, there have been people who don’t trust them. Banks have done a pretty decent job of ensuring the lack of trust is justified. Ideas like Bitcoin offer citizens of the world the opportunity to bypass banks- to not be controlled by service charges, or the dollar rate of any specific country, and most importantly, to not be burdened by regulations. One of the immediate successes in Bitcoin history was the fact money could be moved around without a paper trail, offering online black markets the perfect opportunity to succeed, without threat of discovery. Silk Road, an online black market was shut down by the FBI in October, closing the door to money laundering, and drug and weapons sales through the site. In total, the FBI seized $3.5 million in Bitcoins, with another $2.7 million being stolen through hacking, once the site attempted to revive the site. So, you know, there’s that part, if you are interested.
There are some recognizable benefits to the average user in the case of a currency like Bitcoin. There is no conversion between currencies, which allows those in countries with strong economies to get more value out of their Bitcoins. At the same time, those with a weaker currency are able to purchase at par. For those well above my lifestyle (anyone who owns a suit, or a couple of suits, or a store that sells suits), money invested in Bitcoins are untraceable, allowing the taxman a greater challenge to track you down (especially if all those suits you are buying, or selling, are being purchased using Bitcoins- deals made under the virtual table, if you will).
Those Looking for the Big Payout. If there is one thing this technological revolution has taught is, it is that there is money to be made, and if you do it right, you can make a LOT of it!
I believe pretty much the majority of my generation wishes they had invested in Apple fifteen years ago, and people like Mark Zuckerberg are heroes to those dreaming of making huge money in the digital world. WhatsApp, the messaging service app was recently purchased by Facebook for $19 billion. To give this a bit of perspective, on the first day of trading when Facebook went public, the company raised $16 billion, and that was less than two years ago.
We painfully live in a world where the have-nots are suffering, while a small percentage of individuals hold the majority of the wealth. Sure, people want to dig themselves out from the bottom. Sadly, we also live in a time where many would prefer to simply accumulate wealth, without putting the effort in. Bitcoins seem like a sure thing- the value is based (partially) on the demand, so investing in them when they are at a low price assures when more and more go into circulation, your original Bitcoins will be worth a great deal more. In 2011, you could purchase a single Bitcoin for US$0.30. The current bid price, at the time of this writing, on the website itbit.com is $608.55.
Well, now that we know what Bitcoins are (sort of), and we know why we are buying them (oh yeah, you can purchase stuff with them, as well, but it doesn’t seem like you have many options- want to fly into space? Virgin Galactic is accepting them. WordPress, where my blog presides, started accepting them in 2012. Want to support illegal downloading- sorry, file sharing? Pirate Bay will gladly use your Bitcoins to fight for internet freedom. Don’t plan to buy anything on Amazon, iTunes or pay for your Netflix subscription using Bitcoins, though). So, let’s get rich!
And there’s the rub.
Based on the history of this currency, you may stand a better chance of getting a good return from collecting soda cans. The number of times Bitcoin has been hacked, and large quantities of money have been stolen are staggering. A brief look includes Bitcoin Savings and Trust ($1.8 million), MyBitcoin Theft ($1.1 million), Allinvain Theft ($502,750)- plus the latest theft at Mt Gox ($475 million). These are not the only hacks- between 2011 and 2013, there were around 30 major hacks, with thefts going from $1000 to the aforementioned Bitcoin Savings and Trust.
Even worse, there have been some very questionable security issues beyond hacking-Stefan Thomas, an early developer of Bitcoin lost $128,000 when all three copies of his digital wallet were wiped out. In July 2011, Bitomat.pl lost $236,000 after a server restart wiped out their wallet (though in this case, Bitcoin bailed out the site, and no customers lost money).When an upgrade to the BTCGuild mining pool forced all Bitcoins into one wallet, the wallet was stolen. June 2013 saw users passwords hacked, and their money stolen.
Even Bitcoin’s website points to the risk involved. On their “Some Things You Need to Know” page, they point out Bitcoin pricing is volatile, payments are not reversible, instant transactions are less secure, and Bitcoin is “still experimental”.
There is also the matter of how legitimate the system is. The Huffington Post (one of many news sites) has looked into the idea Bitcoin is a Ponzi scheme. Whereas a country’s currency is regulated based on financial factors, the health of the country’s economy, and how it trades, the price of a Bitcoin is set by Bitcoin. By increasing the price of the coins, it attracts more investors, as these individuals look to earn a greater return. By manipulating the price, Bitcoin allows itself to be more attractive to investors.
Lastly, there is the confusion about who actually created the currency. This controversy seems to be centred around who created the original code- A gentleman by the name of Satoshi Nakamoto is credited as writing the original proposal in 2008, and the code the next year. When Newsweek tracked down Satoshi Nakamoto, and published an article last week as to the location of the alleged creator, the media leapt at the opportunity to expose the man behind the digital currency’s curtain. Nakamoto, after literally being cornered by the press, claimed he was not the founder, and has continued denying the fact, including having a two hour interview with The Associated Press to insist he is not responsible. I always find it odd when people who insist they are innocent spend a great deal of time insisting they are not. A two hour interview? How many “reallys” did he use? “I really, really, really, really, really… am not the creator of Bitcoin.”
A couple of years ago, we all had our in-boxes filled with passionate pleas from African princes. For most of us, we figured it out, and we created in our heads our own rules about these sorts of things: Easy money doesn’t work that way. Investing money, no matter how sweet the return requires trust, due diligence, and security.
So what happened to those rules? Surely the individuals who have invested in Bitcoin are not the same people who fell for the African princes of the internet. So, why is it, when everything within the Bitcoin system suggests it is a really, really bad idea, there are still so many supporters?
Part of this has to do with people truly believing in the product. Still seeing it in its infancy, Stephanie Wargo, the vice-president of BitPay told The Huffington Post “The tipping point for Bitcoin will be when consumers stop thinking of it as a thing they can buy, and more as a currency that can be used to buy things.”
There is some truth about growing pains. Often, when a new system is in place, there are setbacks, as well as advances. Is it possible for Bitcoin to move past this, and become the future of currency, as its investors believe? The problem for the future of Bitcoin has everything to do with their selling points- non-regulation means anything can happen. Open sourced coding means people are able to know how to infiltrate your system. A decentralized currency means no accountability- even though banks are barely punished for their questionable conduct- at least they are, on paper, made accountable. A system which offers instant transactions is based on very little bookkeeping. It is more akin to trading, well, Magic the Gathering cards. With the lack of bookkeeping, clients continue to lose money, with no paper trail to ensure security.
Offering a currency enveloped in security, and promising users accountability would be a wonderful thing for Bitcoin. Creating a transparent market value would be even better. Already, the digital currency is slowly starting to grow with retailers, with these three things in place, I am sure many more retailers would feel more comfortable with the risk, and would be interested in doing business.
In the end, it is your money, and you are free to do with it what you want. If you are willing to give up your savings in the belief an African prince is going to return the favour by showering you with millions of dollars, you are free to make that investment. Alternatively, if you believe in Bitcoin, and the potential return to you in the future, best of luck.
06 Thursday Mar 2014
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04 Tuesday Mar 2014
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Embattled Mayor Rob Ford made his late night debut on Jimmy Kimmel Live last night, and while he claimed he was there to promote travel and tourism, as well as the film industry in Toronto, it seemed there were at least two other reasons for his appearance.
Ford attempted to use the time to campaign to an audience not even on the same side of the continent, but also in the wrong country. Jimmy Kimmel used the time to hand out a litany of Ford blunders, gaffs and goofs, and sat giddy watching, as Ford stammered, laughed uncomfortably, and sweated (including a moment in which Kimmel, after wiping sweat off Ford’s forehead said “… I am going to take the DNA from this tissue, we’re going to clone you and we’re going to have a whole army of you in L.A.”).
What we ended up with, instead of any of these reasons holding their own, was an awkward, humiliating, and bizarre haze of reality, wrapped up in an hour which included a small child in a bathtub reciting Matthew McConaughey’s speech from The Wolf of Wall Street, and an in-depth interview with Gonzo, from The Muppets. An already disturbing evening of viewing became even more alarming when a puppet from my childhood became defensive in what should have been a fluff piece about the new Muppet movie, asking “why do I feel like Rob Ford right now?”
For readers outside of Toronto, it may be worth a moment to explain what it is like here. Toronto is a beautiful city, and one I am proud to call home. It is diverse, and vibrant- filled with culture, sensitivity and pride. It is a city for artists, and for families. There is crime here, but it is rarely in the forefront of our minds. As a city, we have suffered through difficult periods- from SARS to the massive blackouts this winter which left large swaths of Toronto without power for days, and for some, weeks. We are a trusting people- when Conan O’Brien brought Late Night to Toronto in 1994, he did a piece about walking into people’s homes, because no one locks their doors in Toronto. Twenty years later, we are probably more jaded, probably a little less trusting, but I still know people who keep their doors unlocked.
Rob Ford was not the first of Toronto’s “colourful” mayors. Our very first mayor, William Lyon Mackenzie ran an ineffective council. He is known for shunning his opposition while in power, doing nothing to improve public works, and spent a great deal of time arguing within council (some things never change…). Torontonians were so unimpressed, a year later, Mackenzie was replaced as mayor.
More recently, our first female mayor, June Rowlands banned pop band “The Barenaked Ladies” from performing outside city hall, believing their name suggested they were sexist. The move, in 1991, offered the easy listening band all the free promotion they needed to become popular not only in Canada, but the world.
Mel Lastman is probably the template for crazy Toronto mayors. The first mayor after amalgamation saw the suburban areas around Toronto consumed into the Greater Toronto Area, Lastman’s time as mayor included building a square in North York, and naming it after himself, ensuring privilege to his constituents in North York (for years after Lastman retired, North York had enjoyed city snow shovelling of sidewalks, while the rest of the city was responsible for this task on their own), and well, just acting crazy. Some of his “best of” reel included Lastman chumming it up with bikers, and donning a Hell’s Angels jacket (then stating he was unaware biker gangs were involved with selling drugs), announcing his fear of a trip to Africa ending up with him being boiled in a pot by the natives, and when Toronto was in the grips of the SARS epidemic, Lastman appeared on CNN insisting the World Health Organization didn’t know what they were talking about, and stating he did not even know who, or what the organization was.
This history is no way a defense for Ford’s behaviour. He is an embarrassment and a sore spot for most Torontonians. His antics are not appreciated, and for many, Rob Ford does not represent the people, or the spirit of the city. It does illuminate a theory Rob Ford truly holds- as far as mayors of Toronto go, it is their actions on the job, not their personality that appears to matter. Sadly, Ford does not realize his actions are now forever wrapped around his personality, and the more he acts in the way he has been acting for the past few months, the more his actions mean absolutely nothing. This was made clear to everyone, except the Fords, when Rob Ford’s powers as mayor were stripped away, so he was left with nothing but his personality.
Returning to Rob Ford’s appearance on Kimmel last night, probably the greatest example of Toronto’s tolerance was on display for the world last night, and in a way, he did what he originally claimed- he promoted Toronto. Unfortunately, it would take a Rosetta stone to understand how.
During the interview, Kimmel told Ford he was concerned when Ford had challenged Police Chief Bill Blair to charge him- fearing Ford would have ended up in jail, as the agreement had already been made for Ford to be on the show. Ford made this comment about Blair on February 27- which means he was aware of this Kimmel interview at least a week ago. Strangely, representatives of both travel and tourism in Toronto, and of the movie industry seemed completely unaware of Ford’s trip to promote Toronto. His efforts to promote films being shot in Toronto was limited to handing out business cards at an after party hosted by Jimmy Kimmel after the Oscars.
Both Doug and Rob Ford have voiced their disappointment about not being able to promote the city more during the extended interview time Rob Ford received. A look at how Rob Ford attempted to promote Toronto includes him throwing out Toronto Blue Jay shirts to the audience- no wait. They were Ford Nation t-shirts. Ford told Kimmel about the growth and opportunities Toronto has to offer (I believe this was when he stated Toronto had 150 cranes in the sky- a claim, which has consistently been debated as being incorrect, and another example- like building a subway extension, of Ford taking ownership of projects, even though these have been in the plans for years, well beyond the time he has been mayor). Strangely, his claims seemed more about him, than the city. In fact, any time Ford was allowed to speak for more than a brief answer, he seemed to talk about himself.
So, did Rob Ford fail at bringing travel and tourism to Kimmel’s show?
Yes and no.
As mentioned above, Toronto has suffered through some pretty difficult times in the past. As a Torontonian, whether it was SARS, or the ice storm, I have always been amazed by the love and support our neighbours and strangers have poured on us. Conan O’Brien came to Toronto to support after the SARS outbreak, as did artists like metal band AC/DC, offering Torontonians a free concert to show their love for the city. I do not believe people outside of Toronto dislike our city because of Rob Ford. I think they see it as another example of how Toronto is forced to plow through difficult times. I hope they see it this way. For a large portion of Toronto, not unlike the challenges we have faced in the past, we are waiting it out, getting through it, and hoping things will get better.
I truly believe Toronto is not being judged by its ineffective mayor. Just as shamed politicians in the past have been the focal point of ridicule, not where they represent, Ford is considered the problem.
This, however, can only go so far.
If the error was voting Rob Ford in as mayor, and people see that, then how will their perceptions of Toronto change, should Ford be re-elected? I believe it possible people might have more of an attitude of “you did it to yourself this time”. How confident will business be coming into a city that believes a side-show is acceptable instead of integrity? Will people want to visit a city, which one councillor claimed is “becoming Gotham City”?
Rob Ford continues to use the talking point “don’t judge me on my personality, judge me on my actions”, and as the history of Toronto goes, there might be some validity to those words. At the same time, the city needs to consider the exact same thing. Come October, will Toronto vote based on its personality, or will it seek action?