Vol #2, Col #13: Now That’s Entertainment!

James Dean: Icon. Legend. Tragic. Those were the three main adjectives that came to my mind to describe the “Rebel Without a Cause”, before I had the opportunity to watch his self-titled biopic starring James Franco. After being privy to the film however, it seems my list needs to be amended to also include the term “lucky”.

While there’s no question Dean ensued a great deal of torment in his personal life, in part accountable to his poor relationship with his father, the loss of his mom at a tender nine years of age, not to mention the disallowance to marry the love of his life because of belief differences, if it weren’t for THREE distinct breaks he was handed, I can assure you that at least TWO of the aforementioned terms would have NEVER come to be associated with his namesake…nor would the posthumous Academy Award nominations.

As told by the film, after being disowned and ejected by his pops for dropping out of business school, break numero uno came when Dean set up an informal meeting with broadway-acclaimed actor James Whitmore. Despite having no money to pay for tuition nor formal training beyond appearing in minor roles for his highschool’s drama club, Whitmore, then the headmaster of a prestigious acting academy, took Dean under his wing concluding that those who aspire to be “great” rarely come from fortunate social situations.  

Break two: wishing to pursue in the footsteps of his idol, Marlon Brando, Dean submitted himself for roster consideration to the acting agency famed for representing the former. While the agency’s frontrunner felt that Dean’s unconventional character (ie: he refused to audition for anything other than lead roles) and free-spiritedness (ie: he smoke, drank, and made a habit of street racing) could make him a potential risk to their reputation, the individual granted with “second-in-command” status willingly (AND successfully) took on Dean as a side project, in her spare time, for which she did NOT receive any compensation from the company.      

Finally, and most importantly…When offered the opportunity to audition for a key role in the play, “The Immoralist”, which would prove to be instrumental in both launching him onto the big screen and landing him an exclusive contract with premier movie studio, Warner Brothers, Dean initially showed up unprepared and with broken glasses (due to a drunken haze the night prior) which prevented him from being able to read the script.

Taking an inexplicable liking to Dean, the lead casting director offered him up $10 to have his specs replaced, and instructed him to return later that afternoon for a “do over”. Dean, instead, used the money to eat and memorized the script by running lines with the food vendor. Hours later, Dean waltzed back into the theatre and nailed the part. When asked why his glasses remained cracked, Dean begrudgingly admitted to using the money for grub. As for the casting director’s reaction to the “slap in the face” his generosity had just received? He was nothing more than amused!

Now, I’m reciting this tale to you all in hopes of demonstrating something very important about the entertainment industry: just how much it has changed in the past 60 or so years…and I’m NOT just talking technology (though it plays a major part).

Anyone who has attempted to single-handedly work themselves from the bottom up in this biz is all too acquainted with the reality that you can only get so far, without having an “in.” While this is old news, the expression “no unsolicited materials” is something entirely new, and said expression already is or will become the nemesis of any true contemporary aspiring talent.

Agreed, because of reality T.V., because of Youtube, because of the emphasis on celebrity culture, because of the ever-expanding plethora of social networking sites AND even more largely because of enabling technology, everyone from my neighbour’s grandma to “the crazy cat lady” has somehow convinced themselves they are worthy of their “15 minutes of fame.” While I believe that ALL persons of the world do have something to offer, whether big or small, I do NOT believe that everyone is equipped with the same abilities. In a nutshell, leave “the arts” to those who have proven themselves “artists”.

Given this “over-saturation”, I understand the necessity and desire on the part of industry representatives to choose to exclusively work with fellow companies and individuals who’ve proven themselves in the past. However, as they say, “without risk, there’s no reward”. Don’t kid yourself, economics, anymore, play a major role in this “decision-making process”.

What I’m trying to get at is this: the difference between was happened with Dean (someone unquestionably worthy of his acclaim) and the reality of our current industry can be summated by a simple comparison between his talent/originality and that which is brought to the table by the popstar currently “in vogue” who’s been allotted iconic status who is, in reality, nothing more than a mere amalgamation of the most controversial aspects of Alice Cooper & Madonna…minus the talent. In another nutshell, marketability (and who you’re either sleeping or doing lines with) has come to supersede all else.

Find me contemporary society’s on-screen equivalents of the brooding, yet suave Humphrey Bogart and the sexy without letting it all hang-out Lauren Bacall. Show me a current songwriter who deserves to be recognized among the likes of Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin or Otis Redding. Show me a television program that is able to compel its audiences without having to rely on massive CGI explosions, petty drama, digital enhancements, explicit scenes of “viewer discretion” and the like. Oh wait, you CAN’T…and if you can, I bet my bottom dollar the talents responsible for delivering said real, genuine, and admirable ability likely struggle to get representation.

Vol #2, Col #12: In Defence of P.M.S., a Treatise of the Menstruating Female Mind Intended for the Male Reader

Admittedly, I’m a right bitch one week out of every calendar month. But you know what? I and my fellow females are damn well justified in acting this way.

You try experiencing nausea, cramps, migraines, bloating, sugar cravings, surges in your bodily temperature, and of course, skin breakouts (not to mention the obvious: hormonal changes), and be in a good mood about it!

Worse, even if I have no intentions of ever bearing children, I have the “privilege” of going through this on a monthly basis for a minimum of 40 years...not to mention what comes next (ie: menopause). No word of a lie, there have been times where I’ve been in so much physical pain because of “mother nature”, I’ve been rushed to the emergency room only to have a male physician not understand what I was going through and send me home abruptly without even attempting to entertain my concerns.  

Yes, it’s a fact that women’s pain threshold is much higher than that of men’s (we do have to be able to withstand childbirth you know?), but given that our “monthly friend” makes us weak and fatigued because of the sizable loss of iron from our systems, coupled with the ultra-sensitivity and insecurity that results from our blemished water-retaining appearances, it only makes sense from a psychological perspective that we get depressed, moody and easily stressed out.

If you want a comparable circumstance to which you (ie: my male readers) can even begin to relate, think about what would happen if after a long sweaty trek you got lost in the wilderness with no water or food that would satiate your intense thirst and hunger. You’d start to act a little out of character too! Throw cramps, and everything else unsightly I previously mentioned into the equation, and the pleas of temporary insanity would undoubtedly start being expressed full-force. 

Ah but that’s just it. Men, for the most part, don’t even begin to try and understand what it is women are going through during their periods (YES I SAID IT! OOH WHAT A DIRTY DIRTY WORD!), and therefore are rendered incapable of empathizing. Well fellas, let me let you in on something: if any of you ever intend on getting married in the future, at some juncture you’re going to have to throw away the immature childhood notion that women get “icky”, “gross”, and “bitchy” every 28 or so days, and that you don’t want to hear anything about it, let alone go to the store to pick up feminine supplies or Advil. Fertility (as demonstrated by menarche) is after all vital to carrying on your family’s name, and I have yet to meet a man who craves a “marriage without children”.

The point: in the words of blonde bombshell Marilyn Monroe, “if you can't handle [us] at [our] worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve [us] at [our] best”…see even Marilyn had bad days.

I will give you, however, that most of you are ill-educated when it comes to the subject at hand (the elementary and secondary schools’ educational systems are pathetic, at best, when it comes to explaining this process). So, in order to get a handle on things, this doctor’s recommending a serious heart-to-heart with your sister, best girlfriend, or mother sometime soon. If this doesn’t sound like your cup of tea, well then, leave us the fuck alone for a week’s time and no one will get hurt.  

Sometimes, I really think we’d all be better off if villages still practised the tradition of sending away all of their menstruating women to community huts where they can happily bitch, cry for no reason, and suffer together in peace. Girls weekend anyone?

Vol #2, Col #11: Flying Solo

I never thought that acquiring something that belonged to me in the first place would be so difficult or that further, I would somehow be made to feel at fault for wanting it back.... That was until I flew with Delta. That was until the beginning of December.

With London’s first snowfall of the year, city closures and changes in transportation were understandable. It wasn’t safe as we were underprepared; accordingly, a lot of things, including my flight back home from the US, were cancelled.

All of this I could understand and tolerate (mind you, we have had worst snowfalls in the past, and “state of emergency” statuses certainly weren’t issued. Plus which, we did have four days of warning that the early December “winter wonderland” was headed our way, but I digress). My travel woes, on the other hand, can entirely be attributed to lousy customer service and a lack of attention to detail; something for which no excuse, in my books, is justified. Allow me to explain: 

Because there are no direct flights from NYC to the Forest City, my flight itinerary had me first flying to Boston, then Detroit, and then finally ending up at home. When I arrived in Boston, I was called to the counter by a ticketing agent only to be informed that ALL flights to London for the day had been cancelled. I was given two choices:

1) I could stay overnight in Boston and grab my two connections tomorrow or

2) I could flight to Detroit, stay overnight there, and fly back to London the next day. HOWEVER, and this is a BIG however, I was not given any assurance that my flights home wouldn’t continue to be cancelled for subsequent days thereafter and seeing as I have a job and a life (which most people do) to return to, this wasn’t very comforting.   

At this point, I made inquiry as to where my baggage was considering I had to pay additional monies on top of my flight fare to ensure it was checked all the way through to London. I’d also like to add that I made it abundantly clear, at this precise moment, to the ticketing agent the importance of me staying with my effects as it included, among other things, my very expensive touring guitar.  

The clerk with whom I spoke assured me that my guitar and other possessions were on the flight to Detroit and that it would be a huge hassle to have them removed. With this in mind, he explained to me my best bet was to pursue option number two.  

Despite feeling incredibly ill due to motion sickness (the turbulent flight surely didn’t help) I took him on his word and flew to Detroit. When I got there, guess what? The Detroit representatives informed me that my baggage was NEVER checked onto that plane. 

While in Detroit, the representatives told me I was to phone a customer care number upon arrival at home to find out the status of my stuff and make a claim. You’d think it’d be that easy, but no if I wasn’t already irritated enough (especially considering I had to shell out an additional 350 bucks to a cabbie just to get home that night), I then had to navigate my way through five different phone numbers (all of which were automated) until I could finally speak with a real-life person. She informed me that my belongings would be coming on a flight the next day, and that I had 24 hours to make a formal claim, otherwise the airline could not be held liable for my losses. Of course, claims can ONLY be made in person at airports and London’s airport, as I’ve already explained, was CLOSED! If you can believe it, that next flight that was supposed to be my luggage’s saving grace, too got cancelled...apparently due to “poor weather”;  interestingly, ALL of the other airlines that fly into London had been coming and going just fine.  

I finally conceded and ventured out to London’s airport, only to be encountered by some of the worst and most uncompassionate customer service reps I’ve ever dealt with. After I explained all of the b.s. I’d already been through, they actually threatened to NOT allow me to file a claim because at this point, I was rather irate.  

I don’t know about you, but I’d like to see where it says in the Delta “employee handbook” they’re able to hold people’s personal possessions hostage and refuse to help them, simply because they are justifiably upset? Further, I’d like to see them bursting with fruit flavour had the roles been reversed. I mean, how would they feel if something they valued tremendously on which their professional existences relied got lost and mishandled in such a matter?  

It has been over a month since this whole ordeal began, and while I got my belongings back within that week (mind you I had to spend over a hundred dollars to temporarily replace my toiletries just so I could function in the meantime), I’m STILL waiting for a refund as my request was received, then lost, then re-received.   

Now, I’ve worked in many customer service positions, and accordingly, have dealt with many an angry customer. The difference is that I’ve always understood that their anger has nothing to do with me personally, and that truly, the only way to get such persons to stop yelling in one’s face is to do what your job description details: help them resolve the situation, not hinder them further. Seems like common sense to me. So much for “valuing one’s customers”, let alone the “customer is always right” mentality. 

I’d also like it to be known that I’ve been travelling the world since I was 15 and have NEVER and I mean NEVER had to deal with this kind of ridiculousness in my life. I mean, do I seriously have to buy insurance for everything I take anywhere for fear that no one seems to be able to do their job right?  

Situations such as the one I’ve described above, however, are NOT isolated to Delta or air travel. It seems to me that the bigger and more “faceless” a company grows, the less its employees give a shit about their customers because they figure they’ll never be held liable. The big boss, after all, only comes down for one day every few months. So, as long as they “look” really good during his/her stay (notice I deliberately didn’t say as long as they “work” really hard, they just have to appear that they are doing so), the rest of the time they can get away with murder.  

Further, the movement toward corporate conglomeration is responsible for the eradication of independently-owned Mom & Pop Shoppes that actually value their customers. In a nutshell, the former runs the latter into the ground through sleazy marketing tactics, and by underselling their products/services to such a degree that if the independent stores dared to match prices, they’d go out of business because they wouldn’t be able to afford their overhead. So much for a market-based economy that allows customers choice eh?

The worse of it though is the fact that big businesses are increasingly outsourcing their service centres to places like China and India (for economic reasons again. Slave labour certainly is cheaper!). So, when you have a local problem, NO ONE you phone, even if they wanted to, is able to resolve it for you.   

Let’s face the facts: economics rule supreme these days and have many a time superseded even the power of politics and human rights. But, when this line of thinking results in mismanagement and inefficiency, I wonder how do these companies justify the payoff?  I can’t be the only customer willing to bitch and moan and eventually concede that I’ll never be sending any money their way again. In closing, dear Delta: you suck, and you best believe I’ll be telling all my friends.

Vol #2, Col #10: Breaking Up is Hard to Do…Especially When You Live in a “Wired World”

I don’t know about you, but I’m definitely one who ops for a “clean break,” whenever possible. Regardless of whether we’re talking a business deal gone awry, a messy split with a romantic partner, or a desire to cease communications with someone you’re not quite certain as to how they ended up on your friend’s list in the first place, once the presumed benefit of continuing the relationship has been lost, I frankly don’t see the point, especially if final discussions turn heated or dwindle down to nothing more than juvenile personal attacks. Let’s face it folks, we can’t be friends with everyone and if someone no longer wishes to have us in their lives, we should respect that.

Now, if you just interpreted what I stated as self-serving, don’t kid yourself - ALL relationships are based on some idea of mutual perk, even the seemingly altruistic ones (ie: people participate in charity work yes to help those less fortunate, BUT ALSO because it provides them with positive recognition by others in society, it looks good on the old resume, and because it provides oneself with a sense of purpose, fulfillment, and satisfaction that you are "giving back").

This “alliance strategy”, of course, can be traced back to our evolutionary history: it is and always has been in the best interest of any species to maintain strong ties to its kin in order to ensure protection and survival of its kind. Kin, in the modern sense of this perspective then, can be defined as those with whom you share the SAME values, morals, attitudes, beliefs, passions etc. – these are the individuals with whom you already have and/or wish to make a connection. On the other side of things, there are those with whom you’ve had falling outs, and/or those whose values, morals, attitudes, beliefs, passions etc. are dissonant to yours. From a “survivalism” perspective, this latter group stands in the way of the perpetuation of people like yourself; therefore adding to their “fitness” by expanding their network isn’t in your best interest. Make sense? In other words, you are who you hang with.

So what does all of this have to do with being “old-fashioned?” Well, frankly because we live in such a “wired world”, it’s next to impossible (particularly if you work in the entertainment business, like myself) to maintain any sense of anonymity. Essentially what I’m trying to say is that nowadays even if you block all incoming hate mail on one social networking site from an established antagonist, you can easily find yourself being “cyber-stalked” through another or worse, having your identity “mimicked” without even knowing it, whereas eliminating delinquents from your life at one point was as easy as changing your phone number.

I mean seriously I’ve had ex-bfs from h.s. with whom things ended EXTREMELY unfavourably along with my old h.s. bullies friend request me on Facebook  - are you kidding me? Why the hell would I want anything to do with them? Moreover, why the hell would they want anything to do with me? I’ve still got my battle wounds, and those are not really times I wish to ever revisit. Thanks.

While admittedly, people are far too free-wheeling about the level of personal detail they are willing to put online, I also feel that the idea of privacy is being disregarded to a whole new level because of social networking sites and the “net”.

The other day, for example, a teenaged girl got suspended by her school because someone anonymously sent her principal a photo, stolen from her Facebook page, which demonstrated her participation in underage drinking. Agreed, this is an illegal act that should be sanctioned, but seeing as the drinking did NOT occur on school grounds and that likely the photo was submitted by one of the girl’s adversaries (no doubt because someone stole someone else’s boyfriend), I really don’t feel that the principal was justified in getting involved. If anything, he should have contacted the girl’s parents and allowed them to deal with her as they saw fit.

The points I’m trying to make here are as follows:

1) it is NEVER in proper taste to air one’s dirty laundry publicly.

2) Be respectful of the desire for privacy of others. I mean, considering how easy it is to track people down these days, if they wanted you to be in their lives, you likely already would be.

Finally, 3) If someone has decided they feel it is necessary to “cut you out”, accept it; continuing communications, after all, is only likely to merit you a higher place on their shit list. 

Vol 2, Col 9: “Exper-tease”

I swear, everyone thinks they’re a bloody expert. Well, let me let you in on something folks – just ‘cause you read a single Wikipedia entry, watch a documentary, or peruse a National Geographic article on a given subject does NOT entitle you to a valid opinion. True, when it comes to abstract ideals like love, much of one’s perspective is formulated based on his/her feelings. Therefore, I nor the next person can justifiably tell you that your feelings are wrong as they are governed by the laws of subjectivity. Further, there is NO logic in emotion (ie: oftentimes the way you feel is not rational given the circumstances; something which I’m sure we can all attest is a “truth”). With that said, the problem I have is NOT with peoples’ feelings (who am I to judge that?). No, the issue I seem to keep encountering pertains to the breeding of ignorance and misinformation. Worse, the persons who are doing said “breeding” somehow have convinced themselves that they are worthy spokespeople on subjects in which they have little to no formal training.

Par exemple: just the other day I was watching a news broadcast about the obesity epidemic in the US. No word of a lie, the so-called “expert” they brought in claimed that a good majority of this problem could be attributed to the fact that the foods we are consuming are being cooked in plastic containers.

According to this “expert”, the plastics in which foods are packaged contain chemical compounds he has coined “obesogens” which interfere with the body’s natural homeostasis, therefore detrimentally affecting our metabolic rates (ie: the amount of calories we burn, the amount of food we need to consume to be satiated, and the amount of fat that is stored versus burned off per meal). Now, I would never discount that wrapping our foods (or anything else for that matter) in plastics is highly problematic as yes they do contain many toxins that should NOT be ingested in any capacity. HOWEVER,

 

1) this “expert”’s argument allows obese individuals to entirely skirt the blame for their situation by failing to acknowledge that it may be the ACTUAL QUALITY OF FOOD they are consuming that is at least partly to blame (not the mention their lack of exercising).

 

2) this so-called “expert” (from my reading of his bio) has NO actual qualifications in the domain of health and nutrition. In fact, he is a Professor of Surgery and holds a Masters in Business.

While medical doctors do receive some health and lifestyle training, I have it on good authority that this is a very LIMITED aspect of their seven year foray at school (as the old adage goes, “a little knowledge is a dangerous thing”), not to mention there is a growing proportion of doctors/clinics that have direct ties to pharmaceutical companies (for research funding purposes) making their “health advice”, I should think, at least a little bit partisan.      

If you think that I’m just picking on the media and what they choose to disseminate as “fact” however, you’re wrong. According to a seminar I attended last year put on by accredited mental health care professionals, there is a growing proportion of “average joes” engaging in self-diagnosis practices and diagnoses of their close friends and family. Christ, if we went by what everyone “claims”, we’d all be labeled as suffering from manic depression and/or obsessive compulsive disorder. But I should point out that this phenomenon is NOT exclusive to health concerns – it’s everywhere and in regards to everything, and strangely even manages to make unquestioned leaps of faith (ie: like kids who claim to be proficient and skilled musicians simply because they can rock GuitarHero or businessmen questioning their mechanics because so and so at their work, who works in a completely unrelated field I might add, said that they didn’t need to have their car’s oil changed every 5000 clicks to ensure optimal functioning….right)

Although in some ways, as a lifelong D.I.Y.-er, I find it empowering that “knowledge” is no longer relegated to the rich, super-educated or the clergy, and that we now have collaborative forms of collective experiences being shared globally, this newfound accessibility of knowledge requires the development of new abilities: namely superior b.s.-detecting skills (checking people’s credentials before taking what they say as “fact” might be a good starting place), and the learning of the differences between information, entertainment, and infotainment, especially given that “citizen journalism” has gotten such a grasp over the mainstream, and the mainstream has become corporate controlled.

Now, if you’re thinking, “Hey, wait a minute Ms. RCP, with all of this knowledge talk, you yourself are being a hypocrite,” I’d like to point out that

 

1: I’ve been hired by this fine newspaper of yours to share my OPINIONS based purely on my own observations and experiences

 

2: you are welcome to disagree with me or IGNORE me anytime, and

 

3 MOST IMPORTANTLY, I have NEVER once stated that what I’m saying is “fact” (unless it’s an observation, of course) or that I’m an expert (yes, I have knowledge in an assortment of domains, but I humbly admit there is always far more I can learn). Therefore, in conclusion, what you are reading is MY TRUTH and a truth to which I feel others may be able to relate to; hence why these articles are published in the “editorial” section.

*Little known fact about Wikipedia*: a few years back, there was a young man verging on adolescence who felt entitled to have an opinion. Claiming falsely that he was a post-graduate of several of the most prestigious academic institutes worldwide, he successfully had his incorrect “edits” on a multitude of important subjects accepted by “the free encyclopedia” and averted detection for quite some time. One has to wonder, how many people first off read his information? Worse, how many people accepted his information as “truth”, and then committed actions based on it?  Scary ain’t it?!

Vol #2, Col #8: Gimme Some "Credit"

I once knew a musician who upon receiving his O.S.A.P. cheque in the mail ventured off to his local music store and blew the whole thing on a Pearl drumkit. As for school? Well I guess you could say he equally blew that as well. Now, it goes without saying that musicians typically aren’t the most savvy when it comes to managing their finances (a quick review of MC Hammer’s history will more than demonstrate what I mean). However, this phenomenon of frivolous and irresponsible spending, especially among the student-aged population, is not exclusive to us artistic types. Case and point: I was at the bank the other day meeting with a teller regarding some business concerns, and as she relayed to me, apparently having a bank account containing several thousand bones for someone my age is somewhat of an accomplishment (accordingly it entitles you to a whole slew of benefits from the elimination of bank fees on personal accounts and annual credit cards, to automatic credit approval etc. etc., but I’m not here to advertise my bank’s services).

Realistically-speaking though, a few K is really nothing – I mean maybe a few month’s rent or a really wild party, but after that, I’d be out on my ass in the street if I didn’t manage to bring in an income some way or another. Here in lines the problem: automatic credit approval and credit cards have not only made us completely lose sight of the true value of anything monetarily-speaking, but also have and will continue to lead to economic crisis. But…is it the banks’ fault? I’d argue NOT entirely.

Banks are money-making institutions. They approve you of credit, and the longer you take to pay off your expenses, the better the business is for them. Admittedly, in recent years, several institutions got greedy and handed out credit approvals far too easily. But, look where they are now - it’s not like they didn’t get their just desserts, too. 

On the other side of the equation however, I mean stories such as the one I opened this piece with, or others wherein people change their permanent residences and phone numbers to avoid the repo-men of one institution only to have their slates wiped clean by another, are FAR too common. While in these situations, it’d be easy to blame the banks for approving said individuals in the first place as extensive employment and credit checks are supposed to be run prior to being approved for loans/grants/mortgages etc., you cannot always predict who’s just gonna take a loan and run with it. Further, when you receive advanced monies from a financial institution, you are required to sign legal documents binding you to the responsibility of paying back the monies with interest, within a certain timeframe. Therefore, the people who are taking advantage of the credit system we have in place are not only spitting in the face of the banks, but also in the face of the entire legislative structure we’ve established…not to mention they’re making it increasingly difficult for those who truly need the startup capital (ie: small business owners, students, first time homeowners or car purchasers) to get approved.

Considering that employment opportunities are increasingly being offered on a temporary contractual basis, fewer companies (unless you’re lucky enough to become government employed) are granting their employees extensive benefits packages let alone pensions, and it’s difficult to obtain executive positions without being over-credentialized and paying your dues with a company for quite some time (partly because of the eradication of mandatory retirement), relying on plastic for everything (which by definition means putting off all expenses to a future time when you hope to have more money) is not a smart idea for anyone. Further, buying “toys” with money that could be put away for serious and meaningful expenses in the future (ie: your wedding) might be something you want to consider (even if you don’t believe you’ll ever get married. Fuck I didn’t for sure, and I’ve been made to eat those words!)

I mean this consumerism situation has gotten so out of hand that seeing engaged couples recruiting randoms via Kijiji ads to attend their Stag & Does just so they can raise enough money for their upcoming nuptials has become a regular thing! Really?! I don’t know about you but I frankly am rather uncomfortable with the idea of sharing anything related to my “special day” with strangers, not to mention I question what kind of individual(s) would attend the Stag & Do of a couple they’ve never met just to offer them money. People are generally pretty damn purse-clutching when it comes to their finances (especially these days), and that sort of altruism is rarely seen without some sort of underlying agenda (ie: maybe they need to launder their dollar bills? Just a thought.).

Maybe I’m at an advantage here because my pop’s an insurance advisor, but no matter what bad financial situation I’ve been in for the past several years, I’ve consistently put away $100-150 per month into a retirement savings plan for my future. When we were kids, and our parents bought us piggy banks, we seemed to have the right idea. We’d save, save and save until we had enough to purchase something really valuable to us, or better yet, we put it all into the bank for good. Somehow, as we grew older (and clearly NOT wiser), we decided instead that buying that video game or wasting all of our funds on getting trashed was sufficient for our futures. We could just plastic everything anyway and living in debt – well there’s certainly no longer a stigma attached to that as it’s become the norm.

But here’s the thing: you never know what the hell is going to happen in your life. You know that age-old expression, “even the best laid plans…” I don’t know about you, but I certainly don’t want to spend my entire existence chained to a desk. Perhaps you should all be asking yourselves very seriously, “how much money do I actually have in the bank?” If you’re bargaining on surviving on just a few grand (or less) come hell or high water, you’ve got another thing coming to ya. Start saving now. Start saving while you’re still young. According to recent statistics, the average Canadian is not safe financially (ie: living comfortably with all the amenities I’m sure ma and pa still provide for many of you free of charge) at retirement age unless they’ve got a few million (YES, YOU READ CORRECTLY).    

Vol #2, Col #7: Service with a Smile

I remember even up to just a few years ago, the delight of being able to dock my car at a fuelling station for a fill-up and being greeted ever so politely by the attendants who were more than willing to oblige. The appropriate inquiries were made in regard to my gasoline preferences, and if I were in a rush or feeling particularly lazy, I didn’t even have to exit my vehicle to have my purchase processed and receipt hand-delivered. The best part of this experience was the fact that I knew my money was being well-spent and in said scenario, a gratuity didn’t have to be built right into the purchase for fear that it wouldn’t naturally be merited by the courteous staff.

Nowadays, any visit to a big box store will quickly prove that the so-called “customer service” agents are as ignorant as the general public when it comes to where anything is (or for that matter, whether the store even stocks the items in question). Moreover, by and large, said sales associates are seemingly too busy social networking to even bother to make momentary eye contact, while ringing through one’s purchases. To add insult to injury, if service is even provided (and that’s a big if), there’s a fairly high probability it’ll be with a grimace and sense of bitterness, rather than a wholehearted smile.

The ironic part about all of this, of course, is that as we continue to progress through the “information” age, the importance of maintaining strong relationships and developing interpersonal/communications skills is emphasized, all the while our actual contact with each other becomes increasingly superficial and disconnected (at least in “real” time).

While one is able to trace the roots of the aforementioned described worker-type alienation associated with menial labour back to Marx’s heyday during the time of the Industrial Revolution, there is clearly something more here at play.

I don’t think anyone has ever really had grand delusions that being a lifer at a supermarket or fast-food joint is a part of living the “(North) American Dream”. However, there was a point in recent history during which people were satisfied simply with the idea of having a job that allowed them to get by – that allowed them to pay their bills - and perhaps provided them with a bit of extra spending money so that they could occasionally treat themselves and/or savings money that they could put into an investment for their future retirement. They may not have been pursuing their ultimate passion in life, and several I’m sure quite likely hated the work that they did, but there was a sense of motivation to work hard, to work efficiently, and to work fast. It was understood that money did NOT in fact grow on trees, and the idea of getting oneself tangled up in credit card debt was something to be desired.

Comparatively speaking, the modern employee devotes far more time to gossiping with/about their colleagues and coming up with excuses for taking undeserved breaks, than actually working. Not only are we plagued with unionized workers who go on strike and demand higher wages during times of economic crisis, but further as recently reported in the news, incidents of on-the-job substance abuse are on the rise.

Inflation is definitely a factor. I mean one cannot reasonably deny that the expectations for the modern employee have risen while the benefits and pay-scale, in many cases, have remained stagnant (or worse decreased). The idea of hitting the “glass ceiling”, for young up and comers (BOTH men and women), due to the eradication of mandatory retirement and “seniority rules” has too likely contributed to a lack of motivation (why try so hard if there’s no room for growth?). Further, “credentialism” and accordingly, the amount of employees who are currently in “underemployed” positions (ie: positions for which they are overqualified) undoubtedly can be cited as a source of the development for the modern employees’ poor work ethic and poor attitude. BUT, I also think it’s generational. How else can you explain to me the striking contrast between the pleasantness of the older British woman and the general disinterest of the bubblegum-chewing teenaged girl; both of whom work as cashiers for the same low payrate at the pharmacy just down the road from my house (something too to consider is that the older woman likely has HIGHER expenses just based on demographic factors alone)?

A lot of you will likely hate me for saying this, but I think it comes down to the fact that frankly we’re too privileged. People my age and younger (in rich industrialized nations such as Canada, that is) have never had to worry about being drafted for a war, or developing a fatal condition due to poor sanitation and health regulations on the job. Most of us continue to be spoiled by our parents far past the point (and age) of reasonable. Further, the vast majority of the most undesirable and dangerous jobs have either been outsourced overseas or are completed by illegal migrant workers under the radar. As a consequence of all of this, a sizable portion of the youth population has developed a rather disgusting “sense of entitlement” – like they’re big shit and should be treated accordingly, without ever having to work for said status, and if you call them on this, they’ll go and cry to their employer (literally).

If this sounds like you, listen up and listen well. Barring extenuating circumstances (such as winning the lottery, being born a Hilton, or plainly just selling your soul), we all have to start at the bottom. Some of us are fortunate enough to rise up after years of recognized hard work and networking, while a good majority never get there (unfortunately a lot of this is still based on discriminatory treatment towards selected minority groups. Don’t be fooled by the delusion that we live in a fair meritocracy – we don’t.). But guess what? That latter group, as much as they may bitch and moan about being underappreciated and underpaid, are still thankful they’ve got money to put food on their tables. Perhaps a reality (and attitude) check is in order.

You may not have to worry about everyday expenses such as making sure there’s enough t.p. supply for your living quarters just yet, but when you do, you’ll realize pretty damn quickly that the world’s an expensive place, especially if you want to be able to take in some of the luxuries it has to offer. Maybe therefore, you should be thankful you have any job (and accordingly, thankful to the patrons of the establishment for keeping you employed) – whether you love or hate it. Bottom line: you’re there to work, so work.