As always, hat-tip to Will for the “The One …” post titles.
And in honour of The Unseen One, whose blog of late has been driving the most traffic to my site, I have decided to respond, in blog post form, to his post about Chicken Pot Pies.
Now just for the record, I do NOT fit the physical description of a Chicken Pot Pie. Just check this stock photo of myself, while inebriated…
However, it is the other elements of the description I would like to address. I do support (in case you don’t actually read this blog regularly) the concepts supported by the left, with the core focus being equality and the progress of humanity, not just the human race. I don’t know if I quite fit the characteristics the Unseen One uses to describe these bald men named after meat filled pastries, but here comes a rough blow by blow.
They drive older, small cars (if they own a car at all), have leftist and anti-Christian bumper stickers on them, and they usually work in the arts or service industry (record store clerks, waiters, gas station attendents), and they invariably smell. They will often also be seen wringing their hands, worrying about how they suffer so much and are so poor, yet have cellphones, ipods, and a stereo system that costs more than my first car.
MY CAR
Well, my car is older (a 2001 Chevrolet Cavalier), though I did purchase it brand spanking new. The only bumper sticker I have actually strikes a stronger cord with Spanner Boy Stephen Harper’s Conservatives, which boldly proclaims “I Support Canadian Beef”. It’s too dark for a picture, but if you’re good, maybe tomorrow.
MY JOB
I am a lighting technician through IATSE 891, working in the film and television industry here in ever sunny Vancouver, British Columbia. Since I am still very wet behind the ears as a filmmaker, the frequency of days I get to work on shows is best described as few and far between. And being on call virtually 24/7 (though dispatch really only occurs up to 10:30 PM), I can’t really take a 9-5 day job. Yet another reason why Best Buy was not the wisest of off-season work choices. Meh. Live and learn. But as such, I do temp work (to which until current consists of labour mostly), and am getting my flagging and first aid, so when film dies down in the late autumn, I will have the opportunity to live more comfortably (and actually ski) over the slow winter months.
As to the water cooler conversations I have at work, yes we slammed Best Buy on a consistent basis, though the concern was more to the point they are paying more than several mature adults a wage that is completely unliveable (based on Vancouver’s current minimum cost of living). What really startled me was that working at KFC, which invariably requires far less skill than sales at Best Buy, actually pays MORE than the big blue box. Though mind you, more of my water cooler convo revolves around convincing my workmates that football is a game played with a round ball and feet, not an oval ball and your hands, while wearing more armour than a knight of the round table.
PORTABLE ELECTRONICS
I only have a mobile phone of those listed. It’s a pay and talk variety from Telus, which I only use when I actually need it.
The post then continued on to a variety of conspiracy theories that those same bald, meat filled pastry monikered people hold true to their hearts. On a blow by blow…
There is no Al Qaeda, just Bush trying to make it seem like there is in order to make his oil buddies richer.
Well, those who think there is no Al Qaeda have officially had their head in the sand since before 9-11. However, having said that, I do find a couple of things odd.
First, how the search for the man responsible for this act of war got “deprioritized” as the focus became shifted toward Iraq. Imagine if we caught bin Laden with the same persistence we used to catch Hussein. Maybe no London bombings. Maybe no attempted terrorist action on the flights leaving the UK to the US within the last month. But of course hindsight is 20/20.
Secondly, how the line dividing terrorist and muslim seemed to blur as tensions began to rise. I had a friend in Texas during 9-11 (he’s not there now, and I’m not in touch anymore) who, days later, while fueling his car, saw an arab man walking along the sidewalk and a pickup speed up beside him, and the driver and passenger jumped out of the vehicle and pummelled him to an inch of his life, for no other reason than that he was an obvious muslim. Any argument contrary is just a denial that the line has blurred.
Tying in that the oil industry has been making a killing, I think it’s safe to say that once this situation comes to a resolution, many facets should come under serious investigation, as the facts and truth have become very blurred.
Doctors could cure people, but it is more profitable to keep them sick.
This would be blowing my perception of health care right out of perspective. And being Canadian, with the best health care on the planet (which still doesn’t cut it :P), it’s an issue dear to my heart. Doctors do cure people. No argument whatsoever. But in saying that, therin lies the problem. All the focus is in treatment, with little in prevention. And the best way to initiate prevention? Educate and empower people to live healthier lifestyles. I do not blame the government on this one so much as I place the blame on corporations like the evil golden arches.
The car companies could make cars that get 100 miles to the gallon, but they won’t market them because of their long standing relationship with the oil companies.
Well, 100 miles to the gallon may be taking the piss, but I’m sure the manufacturers could push the envelope better. One cannot ignore a simple fact that stares us in the face about cars. They are made to break down eventually. The industry is not focused on making efficient automobiles so much as they are designing a repeat customer environment. As for oil consumption, instead of whinging at the auto and oil industries, I rather just support alternatives to automotive transit. Public transit, bicycling, hell, even walking. No, we won’t save the environment by walking to 7-11 as opposed to driving the 1.2 km, but in the long run we may save a few bucks (which would be much better spent on lift tickets as opposed to oil companies 
).
Religion was made up in the middle ages in order to control people.
Well, the Liberals (and a great many they are) that I know are actually VERY WELL EDUCATED. As such, I look at this one and just LAUGH. We are fully aware religion was not “made up” in the middle ages. Though to ignore the controlling influence of religious doctrine on the masses is contrived of pure ignorance. I remember it being suggested that Jewish Kosher Laws had an alterior motive… to engage people in healthy food choice, storage and preperation process. And to assume Christianity had no alterior motives implies the same ignorance, nay naivity. Just over five hundred years ago, Christian leaders convinced us, and the sharp end of a sword, that the world must be flat. When that was disproved, they convinced us that the sun revolved around the earth. Now they are trying to convince us that same sex relationships are the stairway to hell? It’s obvious this is not the core message of peace and understanding Jesus intended 2000 years back.
The Democrats are too conservative.
Well, with a spirited debate with The Unseen One, I have come to realize that Canada and the US’s viewpoint of where left and right stand are two different ones. In the Canadian viewpoint, the Democrats would appear to be a little further right than they seem to think. Bear in mind though, in Canada there are four official political parties (based on number of seats held in the House of Commons), to which three hold strong, leftist principles (though the Bloc Quebecois does hold the immeasurable quality of also wanting to seceed from Canada). As such, I do think most Canadians hold more leftist values to heart than the typical American.
Anyhow, I think that will make up for the “few” days I’ve been offline.
That is all.
