Soapbox 2008

I've not stuck to my self-promised "write when the mood strikes" mantra, mostly for reasons involving partying. There, I've admitted it. All Grand Proclamations aside, I have simply chosen to make time in my life for an activity not really part of my routing during the last 2 years. Will not complain about the opportunities and challenges of living in Italy, and rather say: Bergamo has taken 6 full weeks to loosen its grip on my system, and I've just recently embraced the splendour that is Vancouver. Now that I've reached a mature 31, it's time to reflect on where I'm at.

Well, first of all, have you checked your February horoscope on Astrology Zone? Do you think the link is in the left margin for pure decoration? Click that sucker and see how the stars are lined up for you in 2008; mine's a great read. I have high hopes for this month and year to come, and am especially encouraged that everything applies to Filippo as well...

But, back to the subject at hand, I found an article which provoked many a thought today, and ended up posting it to Facebook. I hope for a reaction from the people who do choose to read it --my own is this: I agree with Ms. Mallick's proclamation ("an epidemic of cowardice is infecting the globe"), and am wondering why and how I no longer call myself an activist.

Let's take a moment to consider a few of her words:

In a recent case of cravenness here, Prime Minister Stephen Harper declared "there will be no nuclear accident," and restarted the Chalk River nuclear reactor, despite the advice of its management, who told him the risk of a nuclear accident was one in 1,000. The international standard is one in a million.

Harper, who is not a nuclear scientist, seems to despise highly trained people, especially if employed by the federal government. The Chalk River incident puts political point-making ahead of the public good.

Anyone in the region was endangered by the decision. But I took it personally, and I don't understand why no one else appeared to react in the same way.

No Canadians rioted. I thought the government should have fallen, but it did not. Not a newspaper went ballistic. Peter Mansbridge read the news as slowly as usual. No mainstream public forum reflected the disgust many Canadians felt when they realized that scientific warnings and human safety were trumped in a showdown between a prime minister with rage issues and a female scientist who had made him look bad.

So, why didn't this whip all Canadians into a frenzy? I once complained to my friend Jamie Moore that Canadians (esp. those my age) are too apathetic for my liking --he replied:"if they're quiet, they're happy."

Are we happy? Do we care? If yes, what the hell is going on here?? Is the sense of impotence so overwhelming that we stew in our juices and try to make the best of things?

If no, why the hell not?? Is it another spin on the impotence thing, or is it just too hard to look outside of our own tight little box? Is our routine too precious to examine? (I'd rather call it a life than a routine, but I'm not sure that anything unexamined merits the label.)

I used to be that girl who majored in poli sci and minored in women's studies; you can imagine what kind of fun I was at parties. And I did lead a double life that never quite felt authentic (hiding my Bitch magazines from the poli bunch and Vogue from the feminists), but when did I give up being an activist? The passion is in there, but is released only in the presence of people who've known me more than a few years... Maybe a natural habit arising from changing countries every 2 years? Knowing that I'm likely making a single-serving friend and don't have any stake in opening up.

This has been on my mind in recent days because I have the privilege of working with a passionate activist at my new workplace, and she reminded me of two things:

1. jumping into a fast-flowing river = the feeling created when speaking from my heart
2. speaking from one's heart draws on guts, enthusiasm, sensitivity and bravery
   

And this is where my favourite quote seems to fit nicely:

Here in Canada, we have a government at war with its own bureaucracy, "equality" for women is officially no longer sought, the CBC is running criminally short of money, our infrastructure is cratering, we have no plan to cope with, much less reduce, global warming, Parliament's question period sounds like peasants fighting with cudgels and pikestaffs, and the government plays fast and loose with the desire of Canadians not to be irradiated.

And no one is demonstrating. No one is orating, or even shouting. We'll get what's coming to us. It's what happens to people who don't defend their rights.

It's as if she wrote this just for me. Her words not accusatory, but exhausted; straightening up after a long speech, leaning away from the table and settling into her chair. How am I supposed to react? Well, I'll start small:

My posts often seem pretty frivolous, but I do put quite a lot of thought into layering them; click on a link or two in the text, take a chance and maybe learn something new. Likewise, slinkingly (in the left margin) is not just for decor; do take a sec to follow a few from the list, and maybe tell me about some new ones?