There is something a bit unnerving about the way the world is churning these days … Some radio media guy that used to be in a shitty indie band is bragging to the world about his sexual proclivities. He is essentially dragging the subculture of kink through the mud as a scapegoat for his vicious behavior. People’s differing definitions of consent is the issue. He says consent was given. Multiple women say they never consented to be violently assaulted. While I agree that people’s private lives are their own business, realize that the CBC is not the entity that brought this to light. It was that individual and then the media who did. Now it is public fodder. I hope the BDSM community, who are very careful about their people’s safety, come out of this scandal unscathed.
Meanwhile in Vancouver some deranged madman dragged a woman into a car, then stabbed and sexually assaulted her. The entertainment world glamorizes this type of violence, thus mainstreaming it in peoples psyches. In the dark ages, the art of war included raping and pillaging. A lot of death metal lyrics touched on these horrific actions. Remember the P.M.R.C.? The damning the punk and metal subculture’s content for being explicit. Where are they now that it’s part of society’s daily life. Most popular TV shows, movies, and video games embrace this violent crime model and the public eats it up.
The country is again on the world stage for tragic violence, but not from terrorism, which seems to be the buzzword of the decade. Hopefully, this won’t be an excuse for the Man to increase public scrutiny because it’s actually homegrown terror. As Canadians, we are throwing mentally ill homeless drug addicts under the bus. This Parliament Hill shooter was a product of Vancouver’s downtown east side. He was arrested for trying to rob a McDonalds with a stick while jonesing to be high as fuck. He was then released back into society with a slap on the wrist to carry on.
I’ll never understand why the political hot potato of addiction is never dealt with. Every level of government seems to act like a haughty nimby . To paraphrase Judge Judy “I don’t understand why everything these days is about people not being accountable. No one wants to take responsibility for their actions. It’s always someone elses fault. Pass the buck.”
I really wonder what is going on with society’s mindset these days. Toronto just re-elected crack smoking liar Rob Ford to their City Council for fuck sakes. I chose not to run in politics this time as I’m just fed up. Simple solutions are overlooked and the poverty pimping business is raking in record profits. Yet, the same quagmire exists day in, day out. Why are there not detox beds instead of jail cells for criminal addicts? Why are mentally ill people that obviously need supervision and medication out on the streets self medicating with street drugs? Sure, society can keep providing the bustling sketchy hotel S.R.O.’s for them, along with the free meals from excessively funded, duplicate under-agencies of both the non-profit and religious ilk, but that just creates the endless circle of enabling. Detox facilities are what is needed. Period. Having a wait list for that essential service is inexcusable.
Sorry for the current events diatribe. It always rears its ugly head just in time for my column deadline.
Music in Vancouver. Lots of bands. Lots of venues. Lots of shows. Maybe too many these days considering all the general comments I’ve seen on any given night about lack of turnout. You really have to wonder about people that bitch about nothing to do in this city. We have a thriving local scene!
SUBCULTURE 