The grounds turned white this week at Falling Downs. The cows are standing around looking forlorn, waiting for the guy who rents our pastures to take them to their home farm for the winter.
We can see them from the kitchen window. A couple of hours ago the Farm Manager suggested we let them in the house, where they could gather round the fireplace to keep warm.
Don't laugh. I remember taking a visit to see some of my father's relations in the former workers' paradise of East Germany. These folks still had the old shtetl-style barn/house combo going on. The cows weren't actually in the living room, but they were right on the other side of the door, in what today we might call the... rec room? Mud room? Milking parlour?...
Another relation lived in Berlin, the eastern part. Had a sweet little house on a large lot. It's largely been lost to the passage of time that there were folks in the commie east who owned their homes. A few years before the wall fell, these folks sold part of their property as a building lot. They got enough to buy a colour TV!
That was the most expensive colour TV of all time. When the wall was finally breached, that building lot became worth a few hundred thousand deutschmarks overnight.
But I digress.
When the ground turns white it's time to face the fact that most of your to-do list for this summer is being deferred to next summer. No matter how you slice it, that's always a bit of a bummer. Especially when you consider that there's stuff on that list that's been deferred and deferred and deferred again.
To avoid letting that reality get me down, I take solace in the Biblical maxim, "sufficient unto each day is the evil thereof." I take that to mean, "don't worry about it."
So I don't. Instead, I've spent the afternoon shopping for antique Cadillacs at Carsonline.
There's something iconic about the Cadillac brand. At some point in time it exemplified the "American Dream." That was when Americans still had dreams.
My father actually had more relations in the US than in Canada when he and Mutti came to the New World in '56. He came to Canada instead. Having grown up in Hitler's Germany, he correctly figured that Canada was less likely to draw his children into stupid wars than was the USA.
He was right, and my siblings and I will forever owe him a debt of gratitude for that.
But back to the Cadillac. While that iconic American brand may have exemplified the American Dream, it also exemplified the "DP makes good" narrative. You get off the boat with nothing, and fifteen years later you're tooling around town in a '71 Sedan DeVille.
That was followed by a '75 Eldorado, butter yellow with a white vinyl roof. If Dad was in a good enough mood he'd occasionally let me borrow the Caddy for an important date.
That could make all the difference...
Then Dad lost his mind; he bought a Subaru.
That was the end of borrowing Dad's car for an important date.
Showing posts with label American dream. Show all posts
Showing posts with label American dream. Show all posts
Saturday, November 9, 2019
Tuesday, July 12, 2016
Six thoughts on the Dallas shooter
First thought; what is accomplished by naming the trigger-men (and they are always men, are they not?) in mass shootings?
Let them be nameless.
That will deny them fame in a fame-obsessed culture. That in itself could pull the plug on more than a few mass shootings.
Second thought; when we view pictures of the shooter's family home, it is obvious that he was not some stereotypical "ghetto nigger." He came from a family that was dialled into the "American Dream" and had to a large extent arrived there.
Third thought; friends and neighbours report that the shooter was "not the same" after his tour in Afghanistan. What do we know about his experience in theatre? Very little, other than he was discharged as a result of sexual harassment issues. What does "not the same" mean? Are we talking about PTSD?
Fourth thought; did he seek treatment for PTSD? Was there treatment for his PTSD? Or did asking for treatment result in nothing more than putting his name on a list at the VA that might result in actual psychiatric care two, three, four or more years down the road?
Fifth thought; while waiting for the psychiatric care that might have been provided him somewhere down the road, when America's budget priorities might provision it, was he short-stopped with anti-depressants, the same anti-depressants that, when we view them advertised on TV, include among their potential side-effects the warning that "if this medication makes you feel like doing harm to yourself or others, contact your doctor immediately?"
Last thought; I'm with Obama when he says America is not nearly as divided as people think. A tragedy on the scale of what happened in Dallas last week gives far too much cred to extremists on all sides.
Let them be nameless.
That will deny them fame in a fame-obsessed culture. That in itself could pull the plug on more than a few mass shootings.
Second thought; when we view pictures of the shooter's family home, it is obvious that he was not some stereotypical "ghetto nigger." He came from a family that was dialled into the "American Dream" and had to a large extent arrived there.
Third thought; friends and neighbours report that the shooter was "not the same" after his tour in Afghanistan. What do we know about his experience in theatre? Very little, other than he was discharged as a result of sexual harassment issues. What does "not the same" mean? Are we talking about PTSD?
Fourth thought; did he seek treatment for PTSD? Was there treatment for his PTSD? Or did asking for treatment result in nothing more than putting his name on a list at the VA that might result in actual psychiatric care two, three, four or more years down the road?
Fifth thought; while waiting for the psychiatric care that might have been provided him somewhere down the road, when America's budget priorities might provision it, was he short-stopped with anti-depressants, the same anti-depressants that, when we view them advertised on TV, include among their potential side-effects the warning that "if this medication makes you feel like doing harm to yourself or others, contact your doctor immediately?"
Last thought; I'm with Obama when he says America is not nearly as divided as people think. A tragedy on the scale of what happened in Dallas last week gives far too much cred to extremists on all sides.
Friday, September 25, 2015
The tyranny of stereotypes
Everybody knows what a native community looks like. Gas-sniffing juveniles, gang-banging teens, drunken adults passed out in public at high noon...
Well, not really.
Most native communities I've ever seen are virtually indistinguishable from their non-native neighbours. But we don't ever hear about them. That's just not news!
No, what we hear about are a few isolated and dysfunctional communities that provide 100% of the bad-news stories about natives.
Which is not to suggest that there isn't much to be done, but the big picture is not nearly as bleak as you might assume after reading a few mainstream stories about our native brothers.
And Mexicans. They'll be the ruin of America, God help us all...
No less an authority than Donald Trump has given Latinophobia a new lease on life. I know for a fact that Mexicans are prized among Canadian employers of Temporary Foreign Workers for their honesty and their work ethic. Could that be because the Darwin effect strands all the unmotivated lazy and shifty ones south of the 49th parallel?
Seems unlikely.
While there's no question that a few bad apples come over in the barrels of both legal and not-so-legal Latinos, you can't deny the contribution they've made to America.
In fact, I've got Mexicans in my very own extended family. Back in the day my dear Uncle Jack and his wife, who were as middle-America as apple pie, after having a couple of kids of their own, adopted a number three from Mexico.
That kid from Mexico had his chance at the American Dream and batted it out of the park. The company he created has been voted one of the best employers in his state.
And we're not talking landscaping; we're talking high-end social services.
He's a success story that's done nothing but contribute to his local community, and every one of the 150 plus professionals who work for him are Americans.
Like Pope Francis said the other day, most of us were foreigners at one time... let's not be so quick to judge foreigners.
That's why I'm a little suspicious of stories like this. Syrian and Iraqi refugees in Finland are allegedly turning up their noses at Finnish hospitality and high-tailing it back to Sweden.
Let's look at the stereotypes being promoted here; Syraqi refugees are fussy ingrates just looking for the best deal on welfare payments etc. We should not rush to judgement on the verity of their refugee claims.
The story appears at Arab News, a news site financed by Saudi Arabia. It is sourced from France 24, the web portal of France's AFP news conglomerate.
Both France, which has been working overtime to dissuade refugees from arriving there, and Saudi Arabia, which has been working overtime at creating refugees in Iraq and Syria, have a vested interest in portraying these refugee throngs as opportunists looking for an easy life in the EU.
And so the stereotype of the Middle East refugee as shifty malingerer takes root, at least among that segment of the population predisposed to think that way in the first place.
I have no doubt that a few shifty malingerers among those refugees will be exposed in the fullness of time. And when they are, they'll get an inordinate amount of attention in our media. But, there were no doubt a few of those shifty malingerers among the European immigrants who flooded into America post WW II.
So the point is, you'll always be able to find a story or two to justify the stereotypes.
But the truth of the matter lies elsewhere.
We need to remember that we were indeed, most of us, foreigners at one time.
And we have to get past the stereotypes.
Well, not really.
Most native communities I've ever seen are virtually indistinguishable from their non-native neighbours. But we don't ever hear about them. That's just not news!
No, what we hear about are a few isolated and dysfunctional communities that provide 100% of the bad-news stories about natives.
Which is not to suggest that there isn't much to be done, but the big picture is not nearly as bleak as you might assume after reading a few mainstream stories about our native brothers.
And Mexicans. They'll be the ruin of America, God help us all...
No less an authority than Donald Trump has given Latinophobia a new lease on life. I know for a fact that Mexicans are prized among Canadian employers of Temporary Foreign Workers for their honesty and their work ethic. Could that be because the Darwin effect strands all the unmotivated lazy and shifty ones south of the 49th parallel?
Seems unlikely.
While there's no question that a few bad apples come over in the barrels of both legal and not-so-legal Latinos, you can't deny the contribution they've made to America.
In fact, I've got Mexicans in my very own extended family. Back in the day my dear Uncle Jack and his wife, who were as middle-America as apple pie, after having a couple of kids of their own, adopted a number three from Mexico.
That kid from Mexico had his chance at the American Dream and batted it out of the park. The company he created has been voted one of the best employers in his state.
And we're not talking landscaping; we're talking high-end social services.
He's a success story that's done nothing but contribute to his local community, and every one of the 150 plus professionals who work for him are Americans.
Like Pope Francis said the other day, most of us were foreigners at one time... let's not be so quick to judge foreigners.
That's why I'm a little suspicious of stories like this. Syrian and Iraqi refugees in Finland are allegedly turning up their noses at Finnish hospitality and high-tailing it back to Sweden.
Let's look at the stereotypes being promoted here; Syraqi refugees are fussy ingrates just looking for the best deal on welfare payments etc. We should not rush to judgement on the verity of their refugee claims.
The story appears at Arab News, a news site financed by Saudi Arabia. It is sourced from France 24, the web portal of France's AFP news conglomerate.
Both France, which has been working overtime to dissuade refugees from arriving there, and Saudi Arabia, which has been working overtime at creating refugees in Iraq and Syria, have a vested interest in portraying these refugee throngs as opportunists looking for an easy life in the EU.
And so the stereotype of the Middle East refugee as shifty malingerer takes root, at least among that segment of the population predisposed to think that way in the first place.
I have no doubt that a few shifty malingerers among those refugees will be exposed in the fullness of time. And when they are, they'll get an inordinate amount of attention in our media. But, there were no doubt a few of those shifty malingerers among the European immigrants who flooded into America post WW II.
So the point is, you'll always be able to find a story or two to justify the stereotypes.
But the truth of the matter lies elsewhere.
We need to remember that we were indeed, most of us, foreigners at one time.
And we have to get past the stereotypes.
Wednesday, August 26, 2015
When everybody has a gun but nobody has a chance
Vester Lee Flanagan.
The American dream.
The second amendment.
What's the right call when everybody has a gun but nobody has a chance at the American dream?
I'm hoping Donald and Jeb and all the rest of them will answer that question in the next few days.
The American dream.
The second amendment.
What's the right call when everybody has a gun but nobody has a chance at the American dream?
I'm hoping Donald and Jeb and all the rest of them will answer that question in the next few days.
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
Chris Borland just destroyed the NFL
...and the American Dream too!
Borland just walked away from many millions of dollars. The American Dream doesn't get any more dreamy than many millions of dollars, does it?
And Borland just turned his back on all that.
Turned his back on the brass ring.
Turned his back on the American Dream.
Why?
He came to the conclusion that his health was more important than any millions of dollars. He'd had issues with concussions.
What will an NFL without concussions look like?
Flag football.
If this idea that your health is more important than your net worth should ever take hold, America as we know it will come to a complete stop.
Borland just walked away from many millions of dollars. The American Dream doesn't get any more dreamy than many millions of dollars, does it?
And Borland just turned his back on all that.
Turned his back on the brass ring.
Turned his back on the American Dream.
Why?
He came to the conclusion that his health was more important than any millions of dollars. He'd had issues with concussions.
What will an NFL without concussions look like?
Flag football.
If this idea that your health is more important than your net worth should ever take hold, America as we know it will come to a complete stop.
Saturday, November 30, 2013
Crackers go wild on Black Friday!
Hell, I can't even see any black folks in this video.
How realistic is that? Even up here in Santastan we see black folks aplenty in Walmart.
Maybe they're smart enough to stay away on Black Friday?
But look at those crazy crackers going after the Black Friday specials...
Yes, the American dream has come to this.
How realistic is that? Even up here in Santastan we see black folks aplenty in Walmart.
Maybe they're smart enough to stay away on Black Friday?
But look at those crazy crackers going after the Black Friday specials...
Yes, the American dream has come to this.
Saturday, November 3, 2012
Free boats
You can get your free boat right here.
You can get a 40 foot Chris Craft for free. But you'll spend thousands of hours and thousands of dollars before you're in the water.
That's why the owners of these boats are giving them away. They no longer have the time or the money.
Before long, you too will realize you don't have the time or the money.
To me the entire concept of "free boats" says something sad about the American Dream.
Back in the dark ages of the mid 20th century, assembly-line workers in Detroit were buying Chris Crafts.
Shop stewards and Foremen and the trades guys had cottages or hunt camps upstate or in Canada. In addition to their Chris Crafts.
They don't anymore.
You can get a 40 foot Chris Craft for free. But you'll spend thousands of hours and thousands of dollars before you're in the water.
That's why the owners of these boats are giving them away. They no longer have the time or the money.
Before long, you too will realize you don't have the time or the money.
To me the entire concept of "free boats" says something sad about the American Dream.
Back in the dark ages of the mid 20th century, assembly-line workers in Detroit were buying Chris Crafts.
Shop stewards and Foremen and the trades guys had cottages or hunt camps upstate or in Canada. In addition to their Chris Crafts.
They don't anymore.
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