Why does society work the way it does? Why is there such a disconnect between the common people and politics. Jonathan Cook examines the power structures in our society and how they work. “Rather than thinking in terms of individuals, power is better visualised as the deep waters of
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THE FIFTH COLUMN: Happy New Year – We Are All Going to Die
Yes, we are all going to die and that’s it, the end. Except for the Christians, of course, they get to go to an afterlife of either heaven or hell. There seem to be two schools of thought on who goes where. One seems to believe good people go to
Continue readingTHE FIFTH COLUMN: On Inequality, Democracy and Taxing the Rich – A Modest Proposal
No doubt many raised in our capitalist society, where inequality rules and excessive incomes and wealth are seen as a right (and where even the NDP only proposes a measly 1% tax on excessive wealth), will consider this proposal to be radical but it is actually quit a modest proposal.
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: The Tyranny of the Toilet Queue – When Equal isn’t Fair
The term gender-neutral is a misleading term. It is because gender neutral spaces almost always become male spaces due to the previously existing imbalance in society. Because many women still rightly fear men in restricted spaces, many women avoid gender-neutral spaces because those spaces give males access to them. These
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: Guns and Mass Murder in the United States – Choices Made…
The US has made the choice, with regards to their gun laws, of prioritizing personal freedom over the value of collective security. Is the choice correct? From the view of those outside the US, probably not but it is a path that most American’s seem content to continue to
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: On Free Speech.
Free speech, or the ability to speak one’s mind in public without physical/material consequences, is one of the hallmarks of democratic society. Now if everyone was nice, and peace ruled the world, I think the concept of free speech would be less problematic. I’d like to talk about three ideas
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: The Red Thread of OCD – Elizabeth Svoboda
Claiming to be having an OCD moment seems quite common, but what is OCD and how has evolution selected for this particular trait? Ms.Svoboda answers the question and provides a great deal of background information on OCD defining it through her own struggles with the psychological feature. “In people with
Continue readingTHE FIFTH COLUMN: Primitive vs Civilized Societies
As someone born in 1950 and raised and educated in a Eurocentric culture I learned early that civilized societies are intellectually, socially, and technologically superior to primitive societies. This despite the fact that the indigenous peoples of this land I was born on have for centuries had their own distinct
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: How Men and Women Write About Injustice
http://aeroposter.tumblr.com/post/175327798685/there-is-a-way-that-men-write-about-injustice
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: The University Process – A Moral Purpose?
My undergraduate University days were nothing like what is routinely described as the ‘University Experience’. It was a much more utilitarian experience – go to class, take notes, and then rinse and repeat the next day. Add review said notes and study as test time rolled around. The social aspect
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: Loneliness and extremism
The need for social connection and community support for the people of our society has never been greater. Being alone, atomized, and unable to relate to the rest of society and those inhabit it opens people up to harmful ideologies and an movemet toward totalitarian thoughts and impulses. Nabeelah Jaffer has
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: On Girlhood.
http://dont-eat-the-apple.tumblr.com/post/172021001671/why-is-girlhood-as-an-experience-such-an-object
Continue readingWe Pivot: “Defend Lives, Reform Laws.”
We need artists, geniuses, radicals and random brilliance to disarm society and its pathologies. Normal doesn’t work anymore. “Some of the negative comments claim what we did was insensitive, but if you think that this is crossing the line and … [Read more]
Continue readingWe Pivot: Inevitable Race Conversation Mistakes, Oluo Day 4/18
I love chapter 3 of Ijeoma Oluo’s So You Want to Talk About Race. It reminds us that our human/race arrogance is a deep impediment to making a difference in the world. Francesca Ramsey, whose voice is spreading more widely … [Read more]
Continue readingWe Pivot: The Racism-Power Intersection, Day 3/18
Let’s get into chapter 2 of Ijeoma Oluo’s So You Want to Talk About Race! It’s been hard in recent year to talk about reverse racism, which I don’t believe exists. Racism is prejudice based on race, but there’s always … [Read more]
Continue readingWe Pivot: Oluo, Race, Class and Priorities: Day 2/18
Chapter 1 of Ijeoma Oluo’s So You Want to Talk About Race is called “Is It Really About Race?” In the debrief of the 2016 election, many folks have concluded that if we paid more attention to poor white people … [Read more]
Continue readingWe Pivot: Horgan Insults Delgamuukw with the Site C Debacle
20 years ago yesterday came the Supreme Court’s Delgamuukw ruling, ensuring that this “Canada” recognizes pre-existing aboriginal sovereignty, especially in BC where virtually none of the land was ever ceded to the British Crown. This is a pathetic day for … [Read more]
Continue readingWe Pivot: Louis C.K.’s “Victims” Didn’t Put Vancouver Animators Out of Work
We need more from the CBC. And the Canadian Press. “Sexual Misconduct Claims Against Louis C.K. put Vancouver Animators Out of Work” was the initial headline of a Canadian Press wire piece that the CBC ran, which has since been … [Read more]
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: Autonomous Vehicles
The dour feminist in me would like to point out that women are still struggling toward full autonomy in society after some 2000 years of ‘civilization’ ( :/ ), but the hot topic of self driving vehicles has crossed my desk and merits a comment or two with
Continue readingWe Pivot: Vancouver Will Now Segregate the Children of the Rich from the Poor
Vancouver is increasingly moving towards a financial caste system. It’s not like it hasn’t been going on for generations, but now it’s becoming entrenched in civic development policy. Instead of an intentional, well-led civic discussion about housing, justice, poverty, inclusion … [Read more]
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