Choosing sides in the activist community
Last month I attended a pro-coalition rally to see why so many people in the activist community had put so much effort into propping the Liberals into power. The only response I got was that it was the lesser of two evils. But how much less evil is this coalition? Is there any actual changes being proposed or is this Canada's version of Obama fever; False hope. Fake change.
Don't get me wrong, I, like some of you, hate Stephen Harper and want him out. If that's how the rally was billed I could be supportive. But rather than a Harper-out rally, the coalition rally was a Liberals-in rally. Although I originally came out with cautious support for my allies, this demonstration made me feel very uncomfortable for numerous reasons.
First off the rally reeked of nationalism and patriotism. Colonial occupation flags (maple leafs) were flying everywhere. There were people talking on the microphone about this coalition restoring Canada's reputation as the number one country in the world. Number one at what? Covering up our genocide of indigenous peoples? Or are we number one at serving Imperialist superpowers as they rape and pillage the majority world? Or maybe we're number one in terms of raping the earth through mining.
Other than the Canadian flags flying everywhere, the rally could have easily been confused with an Obama rally. There was this feeling in the air that change could come from within the institution that perpetuates the status quo. Obama was actually mentioned in positive ways throughout the rally, and there were incessant chants of ‘Yes We Can!'
Yes we can what?
Settle for nothing we're working for just to replace one douche-bag politician with another ‘less evil' douche-bag politician? I want new targets too, but I will not compromise my soul and my beliefs to prop up my enemy. I will not settle for supporting a government that has a platform that I disagree with on EVERY POINT.
MORE WAR!
I thought we were anti-war activists? How come everybody is cheering a coalition government that plans on changing nothing in terms of our involvement in Afghanistan? The coalition platform on Afghanistan is identical to the Conservative party. So are you anti-war? Or anti-conservative? Because right now it looks like everybody is fine with endless war as long as the NDP has a few cabinet seats.
So what if we have to compromise and support war, just look at the positive things this coalition represents:
Stimulate the capitalist economy and restore consumer confidence?
The confidence of consumers is problematic in many ways. First off it automatically labels us as consumers rather than citizens. Secondly, if consumers are confident they consume MORE! Are we really trying to promote unsustainable consumerism? I for one don't want people to feel confident as consumers. I want them to be confident as people.
Save capitalism with taxpayer bailout of corrupt monetary and industrial institutions?
Do we really want to let our government pump our tax money into the corrupt thieves in the monetary and industrial institutions that created this crisis in the first place? It's their system, let them crash and burn with it.
Save cars and car culture by bailing out the greedy dirty auto companies?
Why are environmentalists trying to save one of the single worst catastrophes for the environment? We really want to keep on producing more cars!? Aren't there enough of those death-machines out there already? Should we keep building new roads too, and keep the tar sands pumping to fuel it all? The oil age is ending, and so is the age of the automobile, there's no point in keeping this industry on life support. Let it die.
Capitalists capitalizing on climate change: cap and trade and carbon taxing:
Capitalism got us into this mess and capitalism sure as hell isn't going to get us out. The idea that people with money can pay their way around the crimes they commit against the earth is despicable. The earth is priceless. Rich people do not have the right to destroy our planet with their blood money.
I find it extremely sad that my allies are willing to settle for this. You should be angry that they think they can pull this shit on us. How are we ever going to make any real changes if we're willing to sacrifice so much of our own principles for so little in return.
This coalition will do nothing for Indigenous people, or the environment, or to stop the war. This coalition will do nothing to end world poverty, the racism that perpetuates it, the capitalist domination of the planet, and the continued raping and pillaging of the global south. This coalition will do nothing for us. So we shouldn't do anything for it either.
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.
Don't get me wrong, I, like some of you, hate Stephen Harper and want him out. If that's how the rally was billed I could be supportive. But rather than a Harper-out rally, the coalition rally was a Liberals-in rally. Although I originally came out with cautious support for my allies, this demonstration made me feel very uncomfortable for numerous reasons.
First off the rally reeked of nationalism and patriotism. Colonial occupation flags (maple leafs) were flying everywhere. There were people talking on the microphone about this coalition restoring Canada's reputation as the number one country in the world. Number one at what? Covering up our genocide of indigenous peoples? Or are we number one at serving Imperialist superpowers as they rape and pillage the majority world? Or maybe we're number one in terms of raping the earth through mining.
Other than the Canadian flags flying everywhere, the rally could have easily been confused with an Obama rally. There was this feeling in the air that change could come from within the institution that perpetuates the status quo. Obama was actually mentioned in positive ways throughout the rally, and there were incessant chants of ‘Yes We Can!'
Yes we can what?
Settle for nothing we're working for just to replace one douche-bag politician with another ‘less evil' douche-bag politician? I want new targets too, but I will not compromise my soul and my beliefs to prop up my enemy. I will not settle for supporting a government that has a platform that I disagree with on EVERY POINT.
MORE WAR!
I thought we were anti-war activists? How come everybody is cheering a coalition government that plans on changing nothing in terms of our involvement in Afghanistan? The coalition platform on Afghanistan is identical to the Conservative party. So are you anti-war? Or anti-conservative? Because right now it looks like everybody is fine with endless war as long as the NDP has a few cabinet seats.
So what if we have to compromise and support war, just look at the positive things this coalition represents:
Stimulate the capitalist economy and restore consumer confidence?
The confidence of consumers is problematic in many ways. First off it automatically labels us as consumers rather than citizens. Secondly, if consumers are confident they consume MORE! Are we really trying to promote unsustainable consumerism? I for one don't want people to feel confident as consumers. I want them to be confident as people.
Save capitalism with taxpayer bailout of corrupt monetary and industrial institutions?
Do we really want to let our government pump our tax money into the corrupt thieves in the monetary and industrial institutions that created this crisis in the first place? It's their system, let them crash and burn with it.
Save cars and car culture by bailing out the greedy dirty auto companies?
Why are environmentalists trying to save one of the single worst catastrophes for the environment? We really want to keep on producing more cars!? Aren't there enough of those death-machines out there already? Should we keep building new roads too, and keep the tar sands pumping to fuel it all? The oil age is ending, and so is the age of the automobile, there's no point in keeping this industry on life support. Let it die.
Capitalists capitalizing on climate change: cap and trade and carbon taxing:
Capitalism got us into this mess and capitalism sure as hell isn't going to get us out. The idea that people with money can pay their way around the crimes they commit against the earth is despicable. The earth is priceless. Rich people do not have the right to destroy our planet with their blood money.
I find it extremely sad that my allies are willing to settle for this. You should be angry that they think they can pull this shit on us. How are we ever going to make any real changes if we're willing to sacrifice so much of our own principles for so little in return.
This coalition will do nothing for Indigenous people, or the environment, or to stop the war. This coalition will do nothing to end world poverty, the racism that perpetuates it, the capitalist domination of the planet, and the continued raping and pillaging of the global south. This coalition will do nothing for us. So we shouldn't do anything for it either.
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.
