Taking the RIGHT Stand

With the Olympics in town, the potential subject matter choices are innumerable - and all very tempting. However, given the overall tone of what's going on, I have one group in particular that have raised my ire:

"Protesters" (and please, note the quotations).

Note: I should say that this particular blog is specific to CANADA - in other countries, some of what I say here doesn't apply because their government or their society has forced them to work outside of the normal rules and laws.

To be clear, I think that some of these protest groups (though perhaps a minority) actually have valid concerns - truly. The problem is that those that do are getting lost because of the media hungry imbeciles that actually are really just a bunch of rich and spoiled children searching for a cause to give their lives a purpose. It seems that every week, there's a new group of people complaining about something else in what is generally one of the best countries in the world to live. Now, I know it's not perfect, and by no means do I think we should sit passively back and allow ourselves to be told what to do with no sense of accountability or participation. Nor do I think people should keep their mouths shut if they have a legitimate concern or want to enact social change - but there's a right way and a wrong way to go about it.

So, in the interest of seeing our society continue to move forward, rather than get stuck in a hamster wheel of bureaucracy and moronic behaviour, I offer the following five rules that every group should follow in order to prevent the destruction of your credibility in the eyes of other sociey:

5) There's no need to interfere with the normal flow of your city to make your point known - it's laziest thing way to make your point. That being said, if you delay me from getting to work, or getting home at the end of the day. Firstly, it will only piss me off, and secondly - once I'm pissed off, I don't give a rat's ass what your protesting.

4) Make it clear what your protesting. I don't want to have to try and figure it out.

3) Property destruction is not protest. It's a crime, and it takes away any degree of credibility you may have started out with.

2) If you really believe in your cause so much, you shouldn't be hiding behind a mask, nor should you have the "Comments" section of your useless blog turned off. Stop being a coward.

1) Finally, no matter what else you do - actually understand the issues that you're supposedly standing for/against - because if challenge you on your position and the best you can do is recite back the exact same drivel that's plastered on your sign and nothing more... then you've pretty much given up your right to an opinion on anything.

~Guy