Being pissed off means you're paying attention
Welcome new and returning students of the socially conscious persuasion. I hope Mother Nature's summer treated you well. Did you barbecue your poor skin to an unhealthy and unattractive crispy brown under the exposed yellow heat lamp we call the sun? Did you know that one in five of you will go on to have skin cancer in your lifetime?
Last year I warned you that our recklessness had finally damaged our fragile ecosystem beyond the point of no return. As I write, the chances of this planet continuing to sustain life at this level, is in steady decline. So I ask again, how was your summer, too hot? Is your obsession with climate control sending our climate out of control? Absolutely. Luckily, we're going to discuss these issues together, right here in this column.
Have you been paying attention to the news? Probably not, right? Well that's all got to change. It's time again for us to initiate cultural and political change, by “tuning in” like Timothy Leary suggested 40 years ago. How did we end up with a Prime Minister that considers the issues surrounding the AIDS pandemic in Africa as too “politicized” to be bothered showing up at the International AIDS conference in Toronto? Oh yes now I remember, we voted him in - or at least somebody did. Not me, and probably not most of you, as the statistics tell us that most young people are politically apathetic and don't bother voting at all.
Are you interested in the arts? Do you feel as if art has prevailed as a commodity for the stuffy and exclusive upper crust for the past 60 years? You need not look any further for a more inclusive art movement then the underground primordial stew of “Pop Surrealism” and “Lowbrow” art. We can discuss the works of Robert Williams, Marion Peck, and Chris White to mention just a few. These people are helping to change the face of art, and we're still hung up on melting clocks and missing ears.
We live in a culture where the majority of people are still naïve enough to ignore the fact that the American government's “official report” on 9/11 has more holes then last week's Swiss cheese. You're all students of higher education right? It's time to start acting like it! Take a stand, grab life by the ballots, show them that even if you don't care about the state of the nation, at least you care about yourself, your unfortunate offspring, and your unfortunate offspring's offspring.
You're probably thinking, what the hell does this guy know right? Well I couldn't agree more! That's why this column will be interactive. So send me your arguments and your threats. And remember: if you're not pissed off, you're not paying attention.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
Last year I warned you that our recklessness had finally damaged our fragile ecosystem beyond the point of no return. As I write, the chances of this planet continuing to sustain life at this level, is in steady decline. So I ask again, how was your summer, too hot? Is your obsession with climate control sending our climate out of control? Absolutely. Luckily, we're going to discuss these issues together, right here in this column.
Have you been paying attention to the news? Probably not, right? Well that's all got to change. It's time again for us to initiate cultural and political change, by “tuning in” like Timothy Leary suggested 40 years ago. How did we end up with a Prime Minister that considers the issues surrounding the AIDS pandemic in Africa as too “politicized” to be bothered showing up at the International AIDS conference in Toronto? Oh yes now I remember, we voted him in - or at least somebody did. Not me, and probably not most of you, as the statistics tell us that most young people are politically apathetic and don't bother voting at all.
Are you interested in the arts? Do you feel as if art has prevailed as a commodity for the stuffy and exclusive upper crust for the past 60 years? You need not look any further for a more inclusive art movement then the underground primordial stew of “Pop Surrealism” and “Lowbrow” art. We can discuss the works of Robert Williams, Marion Peck, and Chris White to mention just a few. These people are helping to change the face of art, and we're still hung up on melting clocks and missing ears.
We live in a culture where the majority of people are still naïve enough to ignore the fact that the American government's “official report” on 9/11 has more holes then last week's Swiss cheese. You're all students of higher education right? It's time to start acting like it! Take a stand, grab life by the ballots, show them that even if you don't care about the state of the nation, at least you care about yourself, your unfortunate offspring, and your unfortunate offspring's offspring.
You're probably thinking, what the hell does this guy know right? Well I couldn't agree more! That's why this column will be interactive. So send me your arguments and your threats. And remember: if you're not pissed off, you're not paying attention.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
