The radical right in the US is making their democracy dysfunctional and threatening the very rights entrenched in their constitution. Reason and respect are being pummeled daily in media passing themselves off as legitimate. The USA is on the verge of another civil war but this one is psychlogical. The end result will be the same, destruction of institutions and traditions, corruption of unifying, fundamental values. Their precious democracy will be consumed from within and a religious oligarchy will assume control. The enemy to the US lifestyle will not crash the gates because it is already inside. I had hoped Obama would be able to harness the remaining democratic energy to overcome the cynicism, fear and religious fanaticism afoot in the country. But the forces of negativity are well organized and ruthless. They have captured middle America's innate racism and are using it to divide and conquer. There is little we in Canada can do but watch. It's not our country nor our battle.
When it comes to our own country, however, we can work now to prevent these divisive ideas and organizers from making inroads into our system of democracy. We have traditionally been political moderates with our own traditions, system of governance and institutions. We have been influenced by popular US culture, but in the crunch we do things our way.
The biggest danger to our way of life and our sense of fair play exists with the media today. Too few people own too much of the media. They promote their own narrow perspectives by promulgating schism where none exists. One such communications empire is Quebecor-Sun Media. Their basic philosophy is to make the most money with the least journalistic integrity possible. They walk in lock step with big business and the conservative establishment. Just as in the US, this wealthy minority seeks to command by closing down debate and balanced opinion. They too rail against the educated elite (Starbuckers) and the liberal left (silk underwear socialists).
Hence Sun Media purchased community newspapers and instituted an editorial policy that publishes all personal opinion pieces from the centre. Local papers no longer speak with
their communities' voices. They all speak with the same corporate voice espousing values that have little to do with the views in the local population. The letter that follows is my response to a particularly blatant barrage of neo-conservative hectoring. The Peterborough Examiner today bears no resemblance to the paper that was once edited by Robertson Davies and I am writing to remind them of that. It won't help, but at least I felt better. If a few people rouse themselves to respond we can remind Sun Media that some people still respect independent thought.
Peterborough Examiner
Re: The Comment Page
(formerly the editorial page when the local editor was allowed to have an opinion).
Dear Editors:
I must express my profound distaste with the tone of the Comment page and my regret at losing our Peterborough voice. The Peterborough Examiner has had a proud history in Canadian small daily newspaper publication. Over the years, even when I have not agreed with an editorial position, I could rely on a balanced perspective. We are not a homogeneous collection of like-minds in Peterborough. We have broad ranging beliefs and values, but one we commonly share is a belief in fairness and respect. This has been eroding since Sun Media has commandeered local editorial policy.
I almost didn't renew my subscription until you gave us some fine, in depth reporting on our Peterborough Transit System, and our health care delivery. This encouraged me to renew my subscription. Peterborough is my community and I love it. I really respect our citizens' common sense and open hearts and I look to our only daily newspaper to reflect those values. The tone of this recent editorial page doesn't represent me or my neighbours at all.
First Jim Merriam's extremely biased column against unions. A spectacularly one-sided perspective that is insulting to every honest hard-working union member in our community. The recession has seen huge concessions from unions to help save manufacturing industries on the brink. Local union members are active participants and donors in the United Way, Heart and Stroke, Cancer and myriad other fundraising campaigns. They are "us".
Then Michael Den Tandt's insulting and condescending piece about the people who are not conservative Rob Ford fans - he calls them "Starbuck Nation" and "silk underwear socialists". Wouldn't life be easy if people could so easily be categorized into Starbuckers or No Frillers. This is an insidious form of snobbery intended to create division where none exists. Most of the people I know, shop at several stores from The Superstore to No Frills because they go where it's convenient and where there are sales. I also meet my neighbours and friends in places like Starbucks, Tim Horten's and in local businesses such as Natas or Dreams of Beans. We switch around according to inclination and location. In Peterborough we are not so polarized that we won't have a cup of coffee together.
He goes on to lump CBC's Ken Finkleman, Jian Ghomeshi and David Suzuki together (in silk underwear at Starbucks), as emblems of the satanic liberal left. The first two are popular with a younger demographic who are not politically entrenched but David Suzuki is indeed popular with, among others, the liberal left. Sun Media never misses an opportunity to demonize the CBC even when it's not relevant. CBC fans are also "us"
Finally we get Christina Blizzard' oblique piece about union and Liberal support for a very boring and ineffective commercial that bought time on Oscar night. Special Interests work both ways so I won't even glorify this column with further discussion.
They are entitled to their points of view and space in any publication. But not all three, side by side, in my community newspaper at the same time. It's bad editorial policy. Where is the balance and how does this come close to our community values? This is extreme political bias passing itself off as serious discussion. It's brain washing and an insult to the Examiner's readers and to Peterborough's tradition of fair play.
Sincerely,
CH
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About Me
- kingmisha
- I'm bigger than a pile of breadboxes, but smaller than a Sherman tank. I'm overeducated, underpaid but very content with my life. I have loved infrequently but intensely. I dated a poet, divorced a Dean, had an affair with a jazz pianist, was engaged to a diplomat, and widowed by my child's father. The men in my life were all very special. Not all grand passions but much loved in their time: Leonard Cohen, Alfred Pinsky, Billy Horn, Wendell Goodin, and Elliot Hirschman. Thanks for the memories... I'm a lapsed artist which doesn't really trouble me because I'm a very successful parent. I lacked the requisite conceit to persevere as an artist. I just couldn't make myself believe that my art came before my child. The world really doesn't need another sculptor (even a good one), but it does need another good human being. It can use all the good human beings we can turn out. I present Mambolica as my evidence so judge for yourselves.