Playing in the Mud
Posted on September 17, 2013 under Storytelling with no comments yet
Ah, the good old days when the air was clean and sex was dirty. Those were the days, when having fun for a kid consisted of climbing trees, riding a bike or playing a game of ball in a field. But before all this came the sandbox. This is where we started to learn about socializing, cooperation, and sharing. It is also the place where future bullies learned about throwing sand in other people’s faces. And when the rains came, these kids made mud pies and threw them at others.
And then they grew up and became politicians.
Politics has always been a blood sport and, as the expression goes, “If you can’t take the heat, get out of the kitchen”. I had a fleeting taste of the nectar that is politics, having been elected three times as a municipal councillor. What were the good citizens of Antigonish thinking when they chose an old hippie to lead them on the path of righteousness?
Not very much, I guess!
I remember the very first time I ran for public office. I was a real neophyte so I enlisted the support of a handful of political types to teach me the ropes. Compared to provincial and federal politics, municipal politics is child’s play. I insisted to my team that we play by the rules at all times. A few nights before the election, we held a meeting of my team to go over our Election Day strategy. The polls were open from 8 AM-8PM. After I exhorted everyone to be respectful of the regulations, one member of the team we’ll call J. piped up. “I will play by your rules from 8AM until 6PM. After that we’ll play by my rules.”
At about 6:02 p.m. the first of many people, reeking of beer, showed up at the polling station. They came right up to me and said, “J. sent me”. I think I know where J. had found them.
Pretty innocent stuff.
Following the lead of our dear neighbors to the south, Canadian politics has turned nasty and vile. No longer is it acceptable for a candidate to stand up to say what he or she “would do for their country.” No, now our future leaders want you to go out in the backyard with them and watch as they fling mud balls at each other.
The exception to this rule might be in our riding where the discourse is quite civil.
Are you surprised that voter apathy is at an all-time high and that voter turnout is at an all-time low? Are you surprised that we get the governments we deserve as a result of this apathy?
I’ve been told by many a politician that attack ads work. All they do is compel me to vote for any party but the one behind these contemptible commercials. I’ll support anyone who will walk the high road on this one.
It is time for people to collectively put on their Peter Finch outfits, stand in the middle of the Trans-Canada Highway and yell at the top of their lungs “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take this anymore.”
Where is Tuxedo Stan when you need him?
( Tuxedo Stan was a cat that ran for the Mayor of Halifax. RIP, Stan )
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