Abandoned Stuff by Saskboy

The Carillon newspaper was excellent this week. I was surprised to learn that the Sasktel ad featuring the Hanson brothers was pulled because people complained about its homophobic comedic value.

“Sasktel spokeswoman Darcee MadFarlane said that any homophobic undertones [of the ad] were completely accidental, and that the ad was a creative treatement, “meant to be comedic.”

Hmm, that would make sense, if the “joke” in it wasn’t that two guys hugged to celebrate a hockey goal, and then got glared at by the Hansons for acting in a “homosexual way” ie. by hugging. Yeah, that wasn’t homophobic humour in the slightest.

==

More disturbing, is the story of Cassandra Opikokew, who is working on a career in journalism, and told of the “apple syndrome”. She frames it as something that affects First Nations people who go to university to be educated, and come home and don’t fit in. “Why are you selling out, and why are you up there?”, is a question she has had to justify many times. “What being called an apple is, it means ‘red on the outside, white on the inside.’”

It’s a problem that I don’t think is unique to modern Native culture, as it exists in many societies within North America alone. I’m whiter than bleached bread, but even I’ve experienced ostracizing because I’ve always enjoyed education. There are people of all cultures that don’t treat educated people nicely, and make a point of making them feel bad for being good at something. It’s a common human condition.

Thoughts on why humans are like this would be interesting to hear. And is it a “Native issue” or a “people issue” for us to solve?

Another university newspaper article from the Manitoban asks if professors are catering to the masses of students that are underachievers and who are lazy. I think unquestionably they are to a large degree.

==

Pamela Wallin says we should make more of an effort as Canadians to communicate and listen to Americans. She has a point, if her stat that “1 in 5 Canadians believe that the US government was responsible for the attacks on the WTC, and that Al Qaida was not involved.” 20%??? No way, maybe 5% of Canadians are that crazy, but if it’s more we have a serious problem to address here. Still, it’s worth noting that a large number of Americans still think that the 9/11 terrorists came THROUGH Canada. Thanks Newt, for that lie.

==

In other random newsbits, CJTR radio is 5 years old. There’s a movie named Bobby I want to see, about RFK. Matthew Blackwell wrote a two page feature about “super intelligent bread that talks” and its life from seed to burn toast. Dan MacRae called people like me who cheer for Canadian hockey teams in the playoffs, “one of those assholes”, but otherwise wrote a funny piece on sports team loyalty on the prairies, and how geographically we have to cheer for the Riders.

And someone in the university administration was working a 60 hour work week on a regular basis the last 5 years, so is going on leave now. No kidding eh?

==

And my blog has been plugged by Diane’s Stuff [ no relation to Abandoned Stuff ] for the Canadian Blog Awards.