Olympic Spirit, Olympic Shame
Hey there. My name’s Jordan. I just started highschool this year in my hometown, Fort McMurray. But I’m not there right now. My family and I—that’s me, my parents and my little brother Mikey—are off to the Vancouver Olympics! It’s really exciting. In school we’ve been talking about supporting our athletes and cheering for Canada—I get to do it all live! And my family’s even more connected to all of it than lots of people, because my dad works for Petro Canada, and my mom works for RBC. They’re both supporting the Olympics. Cool, eh? The drive only takes two days!
Freedom to Discover the Limits of Freedom?
I won’t claim first discovery of the limit of free speech in Canada, just as colonialists should stop claiming Columbus was the first to discover what is now known as the amerikas. No, my discovery was one of the personal kind which solidified my recently affirmed notions which were gained through observation, discussion, and having a MP sneak out the back-door of his office instead speaking with his constituents.
A Giant Cause
This was a possible one-way adventure, I knew that. I knew the dangers I would pass and the challenges I would be faced with would possibly be of epic proportions. The slide into the determined hopelessness of a suicidal yet necessarily successful task was familiar – Frodo’s feelings as he carried the ring through the dead forest of Ephel Duath on his way to exploit the energy found through the crack of doom. One of the smallest of the bi-pedal sapiens undertaking the species’ most important task.
It’s a Harsh World
It’s not that I want it to happen but the natural evolution of systems will lead us to it. Catastrophe and panarchy cannot be avoided while upholding today’s status quo. The system must fail and unfortunately, violence will highlight its collapse.
Action at the Edge
I stand at a threshold between two worlds. It is a boundary that used to be celebrated but is now dangerous. With massive cuts to university research funding by the government and the corporatization of the classroom – where research grants are becoming increasingly tied to transnational corporate giants, academic activism has largely disappeared.
Building Blocks
A lot of a little bit is still a lot.
In the game of Jenga, you take a block from the bottom of a well ordered tower and try to place it on top of the pile without upsetting the tower’s delicate balance. The game only ends once the pile topples over when one of the players choses a piece which upsets the balance of the tower system.
