Raise the Hammer

God, where do I begin?

The 'doers'.

Well, if they're 'doers', then this implies a certain level of capability and competency. So frankly, what I say shouldn't matter. You'd think. Really; if you're such a 'doer', filled with resolve and determination and your own sense of purpose, what possible value should you be attaching to someone who annoys you so much? Secondly, there's an assumption in that label, one of perspicacity. You know, 'understanding'. And this means that they've actually spent time reading what I've produced over the past two years beyond my comments here to understand the entirety of my beliefs. Finally, yes I do believe many of the methods continually marched out are 'wrong'. They don't work. The evidence is right in front of us as we continue to prove Einstein's definition of 'insanity'. Too blunt for you? Tough.

'We've never seen him do anything himself.'

Right. Putting the regular stream of Spec op-eds over the past year aside... An initial site ('My Stoney Creek') that focused on civic matters and applied solutions. 'Town Halls Hamilton' that resulted in the evening almost a year ago at City Hall with Ward 2 Councillor Farr. And just this summer, the start-up of 'This is Our Hamilton', a community-based site that sought to highlight the good things going on in our city in an effort to eventually get to a better state of engagement and actual participation in our own local governance. So I suppose through your lenses, I haven't done 'anything myself'. Fascinating perspective, but not any surprise, given the thrust of your response. As the Brits are wont to say, 'Good luck with that.'

'But he doesn't want to tell us what it is...'

Codswallop. If you could get past your inarguable dislike for what I say and the way in which I say it, a dislike that is based on far more than content and delivery, and you'd actually read what I've published, you wouldn't be making such a supercilious comment. The basis of my beliefs is all there. My manifesto, the progression of proposed cause-and-effects towards actually taking our place at the governance table? All there. That you are disinclined towards either asking me directly or taking the initiative to delve into the stuff I refer to in my clearly-corrosive-to-you-and-yours is not my concern, though it saddens me. (I'll get over it.) It might come down to difference of opinion (I somehow doubt it's this simple) or insecurity or just plain old bloody-mindedness. Again, not my concern. But if you'd ever like to have a coffee and discuss it, I'm always amenable. (The truth is that at the core, you either disagree entirely with my beliefs, or their notions scare you because they're much more a challenge than the ones you cleave to. You know, the praying for the 'saviour candidate', the entrenchment of the 'Us' vs 'Them' paradigm, and the such.)

As for your last notion... Childishness. Immaturity. A self-indulgent resolve to continue the 'echo-chamber/endless-loop', the cacophony of zealotry and the concomitant happy-clapping of the like-minded. Which frankly, most people outside this site, and most people outside your clique(s) are either unaware of (the respective numbers of 'you' and 'them' are at opposite ends of the spectrum) or dismissive of.

I get that you're tired of what I have to say. I get that you feel slighted and disrespected on various levels. And I certainly respect that you have every right to your opinion. Keeping all of this in mind, the fact that instead of engaging me...either here, or in an email or in-person...that you're in effect, contributing to a passive muzzling (tuning me out) is, ironically, reflective of the overall state of affairs in Hamilton.

It's clear at this point that for specific reasons, some connected to execution of efforts, some connected to personal circumstances, that it's very doubtful that I'm going to be able to make happen what I had intended. But to quote that great dancing sage, 'Nobody puts Baby in the corner.'

Comment edited by ThisIsOurHamilton on 2012-10-31 06:47:59