Michael Robert Dyet's Blog, page 40

Metaphors of Life Journal: Bread and Circuses - The Aftermath of the Provincial Election

Hmmm, was the most telling aspect of the provincial election the fact that it was a victory of rhetoric over truth?

Now that the dust has settled, we need to take a look at what went down in the election and what we can learn from it.

Lesson 1: Political experience is now detrimental to a candidate’s chances. The public, disenchanted by politician’s behaviours, now favours the common man – untested and unsullied by time in the political trenches.

Doug Ford fit the bill perfectly. He has only one term as a city councillor to his credit. He fell short in the Toronto mayoralty race but regrouped and was the dark horse winner in the Conservative party leadership race. Now the political rookie is Premier.

Lesson: The most powerful tool in an election campaign is a simple, unequivocal message powerfully and repeatedly delivered. Sadly, it does not matter if the data to back up the message is flawed, lacking, or missing altogether.

Lesson: There is a different ethical code – or perhaps a total lack on one – when it comes to election advertising. The gloves were off like never before in this campaign. The bile and vitriol that jumped off our television screens would result in slander charges in any other situation.

Lesson: Increasingly, people cast their votes on the basis of what, or who, they do not want. Election candidates spend more time digging up dirt on their opponents and mud-flinging than on proclaiming what they will do – and regrettably that is rewarded.

Lesson: Voter apathy is at a dangerous level. The numbers of people who do not vote is as worrisome as the numbers who vote against rather than for. This election had the highest voter turnout since 1999 when Mike Harris won a second term. But that high water mark is still only 58% of eligible voters.

Lesson: One person’s decision can affect a party’s future. Liberal Liz Sandals elected not to run this time in her Guelph riding. That decision opened the door for Green Party leader Mike Schreiner who became the first Green Party candidate to hold a seat in parliament.

Considering that the Liberals fell one agonizing seat short of the minimum number required for official party status, Sandal’s decision to step aside could have been the difference-maker in that fall from grace for the Conservatives.

Aside: I would bet my last dollar that Liberal insiders are scrutinizing the riding by riding results looking for a riding where the Liberal candidate finished second by a small margin so they can call for a Hail Mary recount in the hopes of clawing back that one all-important seat.

Have you heard of the bread and circuses metaphor? It refers to the satisfaction of shallow or immediate desires of the populace at the expense of good policy. I fear that is what this election boiled down to in the final analysis. Will we spend the next four years paying the price?

~ Now Available Online from Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites of Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is the author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel which was a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog.

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka Things That Make Me Go Hmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2. Instructions for subscribing are provided in the Subscribe to this Blog: How To instructions page in the right sidebar. If you’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularly to my page for postings once a week.

Bread and Circuses – The Aftermath of the Provincial Election

Hmmm, was the most telling aspect of the provincial election the fact that it was a victory of rhetoric over truth?

Now that the dust has settled, we need to take a look at what went down in the election and what we can learn from it.

Lesson 1: Political experience is now detrimental to a candidate’s chances. The public, disenchanted by politician’s behaviours, now favours the common man – untested and unsullied by time in the political trenches.

Doug Ford fit the bill perfectly. He has only one term as a city councillor to his credit. He fell short in the Toronto mayoralty race but regrouped and was the dark horse winner in the Conservative party leadership race. Now the political rookie is Premier.

Lesson: The most powerful tool in an election campaign is a simple, unequivocal message powerfully and repeatedly delivered. Sadly, it does not matter if the data to back up the message is flawed, lacking, or missing altogether.

Lesson: There is a different ethical code – or perhaps a total lack on one – when it comes to election advertising. The gloves were off like never before in this campaign. The bile and vitriol that jumped off our television screens would result in slander charges in any other situation.

Lesson: Increasingly, people cast their votes on the basis of what, or who, they do not want. Election candidates spend more time digging up dirt on their opponents and mud-flinging than on proclaiming what they will do – and regrettably that is rewarded.

Lesson: Voter apathy is at a dangerous level. The numbers of people who do not vote is as worrisome as the numbers who vote against rather than for. This election had the highest voter turnout since 1999 when Mike Harris won a second term. But that high water mark is still only 58% of eligible voters.

Lesson: One person’s decision can affect a party’s future. Liberal Liz Sandals elected not to run this time in her Guelph riding. That decision opened the door for Green Party leader Mike Schreiner who became the first Green Party candidate to hold a seat in parliament.

Considering that the Liberals fell one agonizing seat short of the minimum number required for official party status, Sandal’s decision to step aside could have been the difference-maker in that fall from grace for the Conservatives.

Aside: I would bet my last dollar that Liberal insiders are scrutinizing the riding by riding results looking for a riding where the Liberal candidate finished second by a small margin so they can call for a Hail Mary recount in the hopes of clawing back that one all-important seat.

Have you heard of the bread and circuses metaphor? It refers to the satisfaction of shallow or immediate desires of the populace at the expense of good policy. I fear that is what this election boiled down to in the final analysis. Will we spend the next four years paying the price?

~  Now Available Online from Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites of Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is the author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel which was a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog .

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka Things That Make Me Go Hmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions for subscribing are provided in the Subscribe to this Blog: How To instructions page in the right sidebar. If you’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularly to my page for postings once a week.

Hunting Muskie Preview: Inside the Mind of Huck Fryman

A glimpse into the mind of Huck Fryman – protagonist in the story |"Incorrigible" in "Hunting Muskie: Rites of Passage". The story itself is narrated in the third person perspective. But here we’ll let Huck speak for himself as the story begins...

Goddamn, worn out hip. Hurts like hell all the time now. They’ve been telling me for years that I need a hip replacement. Not going to happen. You’ll never get me inside one of those godforsaken hospitals. I got by for 80 years and then some with this hip. It’ll do me until they plant me in the ground.

Can’t for the life of me remember what I came out to the barn to get. My memory ain’t worth a pinch of coon shit, these days. It comes and goes on its own damn schedule. Even forgot that I kept my fence pliers in the hollow fencepost back when I was still working the farm. The boys thought it was flat out stupid. But I always knew where to find them.

Goddamn shed door is open! How many times have I told Vera to keep the door closed to keep the coons out? Or is it her who keeps telling me? Hell if I can remember which. Okay, sit down slowly… Jesus, that hurts! … There’s the mouse going for the crackers I leave out for it.

“Huckleberry, I’ve told you a thousand times, you shouldn’t feed the mice.”

“I swear, Vera, you make less noise than a feather in a wind storm. After 60 years you’d think I’d hear you coming.”

“Don’t go changing the subject on me. I’m wise to your wily ways.”

“Ever seen one in the house? No, because they know this is where the food is. There’s a method in my madness. And for the love of Lucifer, for 60 years you’ve called me Huck. Now out of the blessed blue I’m Huckleberry?”

“Time was you’d be tickled pink if I called you that.”

“Well, no more. I’m Huck and leave it at that.”

“You’ll always be Huckleberry to me.”

“Have it your way. I’m not of a mind to argue.”

Why her voice sounds different now, after all these years, I can’t figure out. Kind of hollow-like and faraway. Am I losing my damn hearing now? Probably. Next thing they’ll be after me to get hearing aids. No way I’m putting out good money for something like that.

Everyone thinks I’m weird spending all my time out here – with my motors and all these stacks of newspapers. Crazy old motor man. Couple of bricks short of a load. They don’t understand that this place is my sanctuary. Here everything still makes sense. Anywhere else I feel gloomy and confused like I’ve lost something all-fired important. But I can’t remember what it is I’ve lost.

Want to hear the rest of Huck’s tragic story? Get yourself online and order "Hunting Muskie: Rites of Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet"!

~ Now Available Online from Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: "Hunting Muskie, Rites of Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet"

~ Michael Robert Dyet is the author of "Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel" – double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog.

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka Things That Make Me Go Hmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2. Instructions for subscribing are provided in the “Subscribe to this Blog: How To” instructions page in the right sidebar. If you’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularly to my page for postings once a week.

Hunting Muskie Preview: Inside the Mind of Huck Fryman

Special post: A glimpse into the mind of Huck Fryman – protagonist in the story Incorrigible in Hunting Muskie: Rites of Passage. The story itself is narrated in the third person perspective. But here we’ll let Huck speak for himself as the story begins.

Goddamn, worn out hip. Hurts like hell all the time now. They’ve been telling me for years that I need a hip replacement. Not going to happen. You’ll never get me inside one of those godforsaken hospitals. I got by for 80 years and then some with this hip. It’ll do me until they plant me in the ground.

  Can’t for the life of me remember what I came out to the barn to get. My memory ain’t worth a pinch of coon shit, these days. It comes and goes on its own damn schedule. Even forgot that I kept my fence pliers in the hollow fencepost back when I was still working the farm. The boys thought it was flat out stupid. But I always knew where to find them.

  Goddamn shed door is open! How many times have I told Vera to keep the door closed to keep the coons out? Or is it her who keeps telling me? Hell if I can remember which. Okay, sit down slowly… Jesus, that hurts! … There’s the mouse going for the crackers I leave out for it.

  “Huckleberry, I’ve told you a thousand times, you shouldn’t feed the mice.”

  “I swear, Vera, you make less noise than a feather in a wind storm. After 60 years you’d think I’d hear you coming.”

  “Don’t go changing the subject on me. I’m wise to your wily ways.”

  “Ever seen one in the house? No, because they know this is where the food is. There’s a method in my madness. And for the love of Lucifer, for 60 years you’ve called me Huck. Now out of the blessed blue I’m Huckleberry?”

  “Time was you’d be tickled pink if I called you that.”

  “Well, no more. I’m Huck and leave it at that.”

  “You’ll always be Huckleberry to me.”

  “Have it your way. I’m not of a mind to argue.”

  Why her voice sounds different now, after all these years, I can’t figure out. Kind of hollow-like and faraway. Am I losing my damn hearing now? Probably. Next thing they’ll be after me to get hearing aids. No way I’m putting out good money for something like that.

  Everyone thinks I’m weird spending all my time out here – with my motors and all these stacks of newspapers. Crazy old motor man. Couple of bricks short of a load. They don’t understand that this place is my sanctuary. Here everything still makes sense. Anywhere else I feel gloomy and confused like I’ve lost something all-fired important. But I can’t remember what it is I’ve lost.

Want to hear the rest of Huck’s tragic story? Get yourself online and order Hunting Muskie: Rites of Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet!

~  Now Available Online from Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites of Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is the author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel – double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog .

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka Things That Make Me Go Hmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions for subscribing are provided in the “Subscribe to this Blog: How To” instructions page in the right sidebar. If you’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularly to my page for postings once a week.

Metaphors of Life Journal - The Mathematics of Elections: One Vote Does Matter

Hmmm, is there such a thing as political algebra? Could it be the best motivation for us to cast our vote?

I voted in the advance poll for the provincial election today. I had made up my mind and liked the idea of avoiding the lineups late in the afternoon on Election Day. Nothing any of the candidates can say was going to change my mind.

Honestly, leading up to Election Day I am inclined to avoid the news reports on the latest promises from the candidates. The closer we get to the election, the more elaborate the promises become. Promises made in the stretch run are very often the first ones to be broken.

Now I can sit back and view the remainder of the race dispassionately. I can also permit myself to take a peek now and then at the news reports without rolling my eyes in annoyance.

Right now I am looking at the Ontario Votes 2018 Poll Tracker website. It shows the PCs and the Conservatives in a virtual dead height with 36% support while the Liberals are fading fast and have fallen to 21% support.

So if the election was held today, it would be an exciting race to the wire. Right? Well, apparently not. The top line percentages are an aggregate figure from across all ridings and can be misleading. In fact, they are a rather unprecise indicator. The experts say that the current figures translate to the following outcome and even allow for the possibility of a PC majority:

Between 45 and 81 seats for the PCs
Between 39 and 65 seats for the NDP
Between 3 and 22 seats for the Liberals

Election analysis is, it seems, a rather imprecise science. (I wish I was allowed that degree of right or wrong latitude at work! It would lower my stress level considerably.) But the major factor at play at the moment is that the PCs have a better distribution of support across the province.

So, it is not simply a case of how the pluses and minuses add up. Where the pluses and minuses land geographically has everything to do with the eventual result. Feels like high school algebra all over again… Ah, I may be on to something! Let us explore that connection.

Algebra is defined as the part of mathematics in which letters and other symbols are used to represent numbers and quantities in formulae and equations. I never could get the hang of algebra in high school. Frankly, the definition itself stills give me a headache.

But perhaps there is such a thing as political algebra. The election battle is a complex, algebraic formula which allows for several different scenarios depending on which letters align with which symbols to recalculate the equation. The formula changes more often than we imagine.

My small role in determining the outcome is completed. But those of you who think it really does not matter where your X lands, remember that political algebra means your one vote could change the equation. Your vote does matter and it is worth the effort.

~ Now Available Online from Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites of Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is the author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel which was a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog.

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka Things That Make Me Go Hmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2. Instructions for subscribing are provided in the Subscribe to this Blog: How To instructions page in the right sidebar. If you’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularly to my page for postings once a week.

The Intricate Mathematics of Elections: One Vote Does Matter

Hmmm, is there such a thing as political algebra? Could it be the best motivation for us to cast our vote?

I voted in the advance poll for the provincial election today. I had made up my mind and liked the idea of avoiding the lineups late in the afternoon on Election Day. Nothing any of the candidates can say was going to change my mind.

Honestly, leading up to Election Day I am inclined to avoid the news reports on the latest promises from the candidates. The closer we get to the election, the more elaborate the promises become. Promises made in the stretch run are very often the first ones to be broken.

Now I can sit back and view the remainder of the race dispassionately. I can also permit myself to take a peek now and then at the news reports without rolling my eyes in annoyance.

Right now I am looking at the Ontario Votes 2018 Poll Tracker website. It shows the PCs and the Conservatives in a virtual dead height with 36% support while the Liberals are fading fast and have fallen to 21% support.

So if the election was held today, it would be an exciting race to the wire. Right? Well, apparently not. The top line percentages are an aggregate figure from across all ridings and can be misleading. In fact, they are a rather unprecise indicator. The experts say that the current figures translate to the following outcome and even allow for the possibility of a PC majority:

Between 45 and 81 seats for the PCs

Between 39 and 65 seats for the NDP

Between 3 and 22 seats for the Liberals

Election analysis is, it seems, a rather imprecise science. (I wish I was allowed that degree of right or wrong latitude at work! It would lower my stress level considerably.) But the major factor at play at the moment is that the PCs have a better distribution of support across the province.

So, it is not simply a case of how the pluses and minuses add up. Where the pluses and minuses land geographically has everything to do with the eventual result. Feels like high school algebra all over again… Ah, I may be on to something! Let us explore that connection.

Algebra is defined as the part of mathematics in which letters and other symbols are used to represent numbers and quantities in formulae and equations. I never could get the hang of algebra in high school. Frankly, the definition itself stills give me a headache.

But perhaps there is such a thing as political algebra. The election battle is a complex, algebraic formula which allows for several different scenarios depending on which letters align with which symbols to recalculate the equation. The formula changes more often than we imagine.

My small role in determining the outcome is completed. But those of you who think it really does not matter where your X lands, remember that political algebra means your one vote could change the equation. Your vote does matter and it is worth the effort.

~  Now Available Online from Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites of Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is the author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel which was a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog .

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka Things That Make Me Go Hmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions for subscribing are provided in the Subscribe to this Blog: How To instructions page in the right sidebar. If you’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularly to my page for postings once a week.

Metaphors of Life Journal - Behold: A Rare Gift of Immaculate Tranquility

Hmmm, how many chances do we get in a lifetime to experience perfect peace?

An integral attraction of the hobby of birdwatching is the drive to see how many species you can record in a day, in a season or in a year. But I repeatedly try to convince myself that the experience should not be about numbers. It should be about enjoying being in the embrace of nature and counteracting the maddening pace of modern life.

Regretfully, I do not often achieve that hallowed state of mind. But for a few hours one day this week I found the sweet spot. I was taking a rest day from rising before dawn to catch the migrating birds at their most active time. Confession: At the age of 60, I no longer have the energy to go full bore for a solid week.

It was a picture perfect spring day. Full, unblemished sunshine beneath cerulean skies. Warm but just shy of hot. Breezy but a notch below windy. Much too delightful a day to stay indoors. So at noon I relented, jumped in the car and headed to a nearby conservation area.

It quickly became apparent that it was a slow day in the ebb and flow of the spring migration. And perhaps that was a gift. An inner voice rose up whispering: slow down, breathe deeply, cut loose the weight of expectation.

And for once, I listened. Resisting the urge to cover as much ground as possible in the hopes of a big day count, I strolled along the trails, quieting my mind and becoming one with nature. If I had not done so, I might have missed so much.

The stylish Great-crested Flycatcher, which for some time I heard calling – wheep! wheep! – from afar. It came to rest uncharacteristically on a limb beside the trail. Perching in the exact right pose for me to admire the cinnamon-dusted wings and tail, soft gray breast and burnished yellow belly.

The always arresting Canada Warbler that carefully picked its way through the thicket just off the lakeside trail. Showing off its sun-infused yellow underbelly, the chic necklace of short black stripes and its distinctive yellow spectacles.

The dipped-in-blueberry Indigo Bunting which took up residence for an afternoon in the single flowering tree in a brushy woodland meadow. A flash of emphatic blue flitting about with youthful indulgence amidst the spring leaves and snow-white flowers.

The trio of Ruddy Ducks drifting effortlessly at the narrow end of the lake. Their rusty red, chubby bodies contrasted against the black head caps and audacious white cheek patches. Cocking their spiky tails now and then for effect.

For a couple of hours, I was able to gear down, hush the restlessness and enter into the serenity of the placid lake and the spring woodland. I entered and existed within a metaphorical bubble of immaculate tranquility. A gift so rare and so elusive, I could not decline.

These exquisite moments happen so rarely they must be cherished. For all too soon, they are gone and lost to all but the realm of memory.

~ Now Available Online from Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites of Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is the author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel which was a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog.

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka Things That Make Me Go Hmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2. Instructions for subscribing are provided in the Subscribe to this Blog: How To instructions page in the right sidebar. If you’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularly to my page for postings once a week.

Behold: A Rare Gift of Immaculate Tranquility

Hmmm, how many chances do we get in a lifetime to experience perfect peace?

An integral attraction of the hobby of birdwatching is the drive to see how many species you can record in a day, in a season or in a year. But I repeatedly try to convince myself that the experience should not be about numbers. It should be about enjoying being in the embrace of nature and counteracting the maddening pace of modern life.

Regretfully, I do not often achieve that hallowed state of mind. But for a few hours one day this week I found the sweet spot. I was taking a rest day from rising before dawn to catch the migrating birds at their most active time. Confession: At the age of 60, I no longer have the energy to go full bore for a solid week.

It was a picture perfect spring day. Full, unblemished sunshine beneath cerulean skies. Warm but just shy of hot. Breezy but a notch below windy. Much too delightful a day to stay indoors. So at noon I relented, jumped in the car and headed to a nearby conservation area.

It quickly became apparent that it was a slow day in the ebb and flow of the spring migration. And perhaps that was a gift. An inner voice rose up whispering: slow down, breathe deeply, cut loose the weight of expectation.

And for once, I listened. Resisting the urge to cover as much ground as possible in the hopes of a big day count, I strolled along the trails, quieting my mind and becoming one with nature. If I had not done so, I might have missed so much.

The stylish Great-crested Flycatcher, which for some time I heard calling – wheep! wheep! – from afar. It came to rest uncharacteristically on a limb beside the trail. Perching in the exact right pose for me to admire the cinnamon-dusted wings and tail, soft gray breast and burnished yellow belly.

The always arresting Canada Warbler that carefully picked its way through the thicket just off the lakeside trail. Showing off its sun-infused yellow underbelly, the chic necklace of short black stripes and its distinctive yellow spectacles.

The dipped-in-blueberry Indigo Bunting which took up residence for an afternoon in the single flowering tree in a brushy woodland meadow. A flash of emphatic blue flitting about with youthful indulgence amidst the spring leaves and snow-white flowers.

The trio of Ruddy Ducks drifting effortlessly at the narrow end of the lake. Their rusty red, chubby bodies contrasted against the black head caps and audacious white cheek patches. Cocking their spiky tails now and then for effect.

For a couple of hours, I was able to gear down, hush the restlessness and enter into the serenity of the placid lake and the spring woodland. I entered and existed within a metaphorical bubble of immaculate tranquility. A gift so rare and so elusive, I could not decline.

These exquisite moments happen so rarely they must be cherished. For all too soon, they are gone and lost to all but the realm of memory.

~  Now Available Online from Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites of Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is the author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel which was a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog .

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka Things That Make Me Go Hmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions for subscribing are provided in the Subscribe to this Blog: How To instructions page in the right sidebar. If you’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularly to my page for postings once a week.

Metaphors of Life Journal: Signs, Signs, Everywhere a (Red, Blue or Orange) Sign

Hmmm, can decorum survive the month-long storm of rhetoric that lies ahead?

Here we are again in Ontario in the midst of an election campaign. Candidate signs are popping up like Dandelions on front lawns in my neighbourhood. Like a creeping vine, they quickly migrate to fences and any other structure that will hold them. The primary colours of political parties assault our eyes at every turn.

It calls to mind the lyrics of the popular Five Man Electrical Band song “Signs”:

Signs, signs
Everywhere a sign
Blocking out the scenery
Breaking my mind
Do this, don’t do that
Can’t you read the signs?

Change the last two lines to Vote for me, not for him / Can’t you read my signs? and it becomes the election theme song. It would not surprise me at all if a few people vote purely on the basis of who has the most signs – or perhaps even as arbitrary a criteria as “Which sign did I see last before I entered the polling station?”.

Party leaders are as usual doing their best to polarize our choices. They stake out positions and hammer away at them incessantly right up to election day.

Kathleen Wynn, who only survived the last election because of Tim Hudak’s slash-and-burn platform, is playing the Doug Ford is the Canadian Donald Trump card and ducking for cover whenever her government’s record of scandals is thrown in her face.

Doug Ford is proof that success in politics is more about opportunism and good timing than anything else. With only one term as a city councillor to his credit, he grabbed the Conservative leadership when the sexual harassment tsunami took down Patrick Brown. He is hoping to ride the Common Man, I’m for the Little Guy bandwagon all the way to the provincial legislature.

Andrea Horvath, to no one’s surprise, is playing both ends against the middle and portraying herself as the only reasonable candidate. Her main message seems to be: We need change after Wynn’s reign of shame, but for shame if you vote for Doug Ford.

And poor, Green Party leader Mike Schreiner is struggling to get noticed at all amidst the storm of rhetoric between the big three party leaders. I will admit that I had to do a Google search for “Provincial Green Party Leader” to find his name.

For the next month, we will be locked into the double-edged, sign-of-the-times metaphor as the party leaders duke it out on the political battlefield. Make no mistake about it. It is a war and there will be casualties – most notably the once cherished concept of decorum.

~ Now Available Online from Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites of Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is the author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel which was a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog.

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka Things That Make Me Go Hmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2. Instructions for subscribing are provided in the Subscribe to this Blog: How To instructions page in the right sidebar. If you’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularly to my page for postings once a week.

Signs, Signs, Everywhere a (Red, Blue or Orange) Sign

Hmmm, can decorum survive the month-long storm of rhetoric that lies ahead?

Here we are again in Ontario in the midst of an election campaign. Candidate signs are popping up like Dandelions on front lawns in my neighbourhood. Like a creeping vine, they quickly migrate to fences and any other structure that will hold them. The primary colours of political parties assault our eyes at every turn.

It calls to mind the lyrics of the popular Five Man Electrical Band song “Signs”:

Signs, signs

Everywhere a sign

Blocking out the scenery

Breaking my mind

Do this, don’t do that

Can’t you read the signs?

Change the last two lines to Vote for me, not for him / Can’t you read my signs? and it becomes the election theme song. It would not surprise me at all if a few people vote purely on the basis of who has the most signs – or perhaps even as arbitrary a criteria as “Which sign did I see last before I entered the polling station?”.

Party leaders are as usual doing their best to polarize our choices. They stake out positions and hammer away at them incessantly right up to election day.

Kathleen Wynn, who only survived the last election because of Tim Hudak’s slash-and-burn platform, is playing the Doug Ford is the Canadian Donald Trump card and ducking for cover whenever her government’s record of scandals is thrown in her face.

Doug Ford is proof that success in politics is more about opportunism and good timing than anything else. With only one term as a city councillor to his credit, he grabbed the Conservative leadership when the sexual harassment tsunami took down Patrick Brown. He is hoping to ride the Common Man, I’m for the Little Guy bandwagon all the way to the provincial legislature.

Andrea Horvath, to no one’s surprise, is playing both ends against the middle and portraying herself as the only reasonable candidate. Her main message seems to be: We need change after Wynn’s reign of shame, but for shame if you vote for Doug Ford.

And poor, Green Party leader Mike Schreiner is struggling to get noticed at all amidst the storm of rhetoric between the big three party leaders. I will admit that I had to do a Google search for “Provincial Green Party Leader” to find his name.

For the next month, we will be locked into the double-edged, sign-of-the-times metaphor as the party leaders duke it out on the political battlefield. Make no mistake about it. It is a war and there will be casualties – most notably the once cherished concept of decorum.

~  Now Available Online from Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites of Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is the author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel which was a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog .

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