Mar 02
Oh my god, I’m back again…and I’ll do my best to keep the pop culture references to a bare minimum. So much has happened since we last danced, so I’ll try to keep pace with all of this change.
I attended Volunteer Toronto‘s free screening of Us Now, a quaint UK documentary about the effectiveness of the latest iteration of mob rule thru technology – crowd sourcing. Collective decision making and moderation by a community of like-minded individuals are demonstrated to have some measure of success, so naturally, can the same work for government?
I use the word “quaint” because of the inherent failure of documentaries trying to capture the new, fast paced media of online social networking tools. It’s like pre-fab Top 40 pop songs – it has a hook that pulls you in slightly, but you quickly realize that there’s not enough substance, not enough meat to sink your teeth into. Like Heraclitus’ river, things are constantly changing and it’s nigh impossible to adequately capture the zeitgeist of the information age in an antiquated media format.
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Nov 20
I keep leaving the sticky note with some blog post notes in the office – I’ve got some great ideas to share soon enough, but for now…
If you get a chance to see Richie Mehta’s film Amal – do it! Not only will you be supporting great Canadian filmmaking, I guarantee that you’ll have a chance to be transported into the streets of Delhi, get lost in a simple yet touching story, and come out examining your own life, and in particular, the actions that you take to make sure that you’re happy.
I met Richie in my last job – and it’s been fascinating to witness his career take off. He really is an earnest and compelling storyteller, and it’s clear in his work that he’s happy doing what he’s doing. Well done.
Nov 02
I find myself reflecting on one of my favourite seminars at McGill – History and Memory. Unfortunately, I seem to have misplaced my notes, so it’s apt that I’m pulling the cobwebs to remind myself of the power of memory and how it impacts our study and understanding of history. About how our individual and collective recognition of events distorts or perhaps improves the truth. About how we selectively censor specific happenings, or inflate the importance of others.
Remember, remember the fifth of November – the little ditty once used to “celebrate” the failed efforts of home-grown religious-fueled terrorism will have its meaning modified in 2008, where one man could wake up with the satisfaction of changing the legacy of the 43 individuals before him. Will this date be marked in the annals of our own memory? Where we were when Kennedy was shot, when Canada won hockey gold? Will some iconic image resonate so deeply as it did on 9/11, when the Berlin Wall crumbled, at Tiananmen?
And if a specific individual does win, I have the suspicion that the porcelain mask of Fawkes might become more en vogue as a form of protest, especially if people had the notion reenact a certain scene only found in the movie adaptation of V for Vendetta. The parallels drawn between Alan Moore’s original story (itself a reflection of Thatcher’s policies) and today’s world are a stretch at best, but no doubt the sentiment and attraction for anarchy will be sown, especially if this election is suspected of being stolen.
Regardless of who wins, my only hope is for record turnout at the polls come Tuesday. It can’t get any worse than the pathetic showing we had here only a few weeks back! Oh, and the only other thing I wish for is that the winner does not play this as a victory song. Please?
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