Just a thought… Old age is an excellent time for outrage. My goal is to say or do at least one outrageous thing every week. [Maggie Kuhn]
It’s 7-7 – Ringo Starr’s 85th birthday. Now that is old age – not you or I, my friend! In honour of one of the last two remaining Beatles, Ringo is asking that at noon today – wherever you are – you just raise your fingers in the peace sign, and say, “Peace and Love.” Why not, right? I mean, these days, can it hurt?
I don’t know how much help I’ve been in making our world a little better – at least here on Vancouver Island – but I’ve had my fighting pants on during the past week. Okay, maybe not pants as such, more like shorts. It’s nice and comfortable here with 20C days (sorry if you’re sweltering as you read this) and my rants aren’t long. So shorts seem appropriate.
I first pulled them on when we got an email with the local grocery chain’s specials for the week starting July 2. Fresh off a spectacular red, white and maple syrup-flavoured celebration of this wonderful country of ours, it felt like a slap in the face to see this:
Peaches or nectarines, product of California. I wrote to their website through their “contact us” link and expressed my disdain to see fruit from the country that is threatening to erase our sovereignty promoted in their flyer. Calling themselves “Proudly Canadian,” Thrifty’s is a chain exclusive to Vancouver Island (which most decidedly does not live up to its money-saving moniker) but they’re ours. And this is what they’re putting on sale!
I’m not naïve and realize that as shoppers we have the choice of not buying their US produce, regardless of whether the sneaky little signs say “US or Mexico.” Because, yeah, it’s usually US. I also know that people on a tight budget will buy what they can afford to feed their family well, and I won’t look in someone’s cart and judge them. I DO, however, judge Thrifty Foods for choosing to highlight products from the USA in their sale flyer.
Their response? A cut-and-paste email that said they offer all produce, blah blah blah. I’m doubtful any human eyes even saw my note. But if their produce is as soft and rotten as their morals, I’ll pass, thanks. Keep your stupid peaches. We have the Okanagan.
Then there’s the flag flap in our bucolic little tourist town of Sidney, BC. Since the summer season began, there have been stars and stripes flying aside the flags of Canada and BC along our pristine and perfect waterfront, and at certain hotels. It was a decision taken after a 4-3 vote at town council, which was influenced by the number of Americans who own businesses here. Gotta keep them happy, right? They also say it’s in the interests of tourism. Well, having been fortunate to travel many countries of the world, I never once checked to see if our maple leaf was flying there before I felt welcome. It’s just a flag – until it’s someone else’s. Can’t imagine the Russian flag flies in many places in Ukraine, can you?
It’s infuriating to see that flag anywhere near our own. It does not belong here. Being literal minutes from the US border, we welcome our share of American tourists here. Yesterday I saw a woman wearing a Memphis t-shirt; a man in an Ohio State pullover was at a table adjacent to us on Saturday evening. On Canada Day I saw tone-deaf Brooklyn, NY and Palm Springs Ts being worn. Wear what you want (except for that red hat, an anagram of “hatred” that might as well be a swastika at this point). But the American flag should not be flying over our town.
I wrote to town council Friday and am awaiting a response. I told them that it’s only the first week of July and it’s not too late to replace that symbol of greed, injustice and anything but freedom with a Pride flag or an Indigenous Canadian flag (which is what we’ve hung from our balcony this month). If I get anything but a namby pamby “there there” from our mayor and his council, I’ll share it with you next week.
Maybe our Queenager years are when we step into our loud voices; when we are the change we want to see in the world. When muttering under our breath or tapping angrily online becomes writing, and even attending marches and protests. Logistical difficulties prevented Rob and me from marching in Victoria’s Pride parade yesterday under the Liberal party banner, but I had already tried to figure out how to combine red with rainbows. Next year!
Call me woke if you want – I wear that badge proudly. Just don’t ask me to approve of the flag of a country that is still lying about us (claiming yesterday that we steal their fish?????? WHAT?????) and stirring up ill feelings about a land so many of their people never even paid attention to unless it was to add an unhumorous “eh?” to their posts about hockey, baseball or whatever.
I’m done sitting quietly. Raging Grannies, Unite! And bring your guys with you. Somebody has to speak up and I’m fed up with “Boomer” being used online in an attempt to insult us. We put up with a lot of misogynistic BS and inequity in our careers and lives and fought quietly for rights (“not too loud, now, or you’ll upset the apple cart!”).
Well that cart – that ship – has sailed. We’re going to continue to fight.
You know, maybe if we stop throwing names and start calling out, we’ll get farther – together. Who’s with me?