Bad review

Dear Republic:

I'm very disappointed at Junius' review of Good Night and Good Luck (Republic issue 126). Perhaps Junius is a smoker and took the smoking in the movie personally. I can't think of any other logical reason his or her take on Good Night and Good Luck is so very odd. I began working in offices in the 1950s. The very first non-smoking office I ever worked in was in 1987, and it was only non-smoking because the owner didn't smoke and did not like cigarette smoke. I don't smoke. As a result of a cigarette-smoke filled world—my husband smoked in our house—I learned to breathe shallowly and have never really unlearned shallow breathing, even though in 1988 I got cancer and my husband began smoking outside instead of inside.

I saw Good Night and Good Luck, having lived those years—a young woman completely and unknowingly dominated by male culture in the workplace—and I was enthralled by the accuracy of the movie's depiction of that period. You don't make a movie about a particular era and change the way life used to be just to satisfy the thinking of people who either didn't live through those times or saw those times through different eyes. If Junius had been really listening, he or she would have heard Murrow refer to being at odds with Senator McCarthy over the years previously. Junius would have understood that just as after September 11, 2001, just as in the 1930s in Germany, people and the media were very afraid to make waves for fear of losing their jobs, being made scapegoats. It may have taken Murrow—an employee dependent on his employer's good will—four years to take a public stand against McCarthy's bullying, but he did it. I thought he came through with integrity and honour, that McCarthy convicted himself—his bullying lying self—out of his own mouth.

I'm disappointed. I generally rock with The Republic.

- Charlotte Inglis Gottschau

Tech and us

Dear Republic:

You are right to assume that our problem is a serious addiction to consumerism. (“Winding down” by Dan Crawford, Issue 115).

Consumerism is in itself addictive, but is really only a delivery mechanism. Just as smoking can effectively deliver all manner of drugs, consumerism delivers the “American Dream.” This fantasy is marketed with every product and service. It leads to believing in technology as a solution to life. Proper technology can be creatively applied to enhance our lives. The inspiration for this techno-miracle will come from the practicing converted environmentalists.

There can only be a paradigm shift in society if each of us on an individual level wakes up and tests every assumption of the “American Dream” and works carefully through its logic. Only then, when we see the lies, will we see it for the nightmare that it really is. You seemed to be hoping for “wonderful refinements in technology.” I say that the technology will flow from new stimulation caused by the shift in mental attitude as we wake up to the lie; that happiness is directly linked to material wealth.

Take for instance the need for a personal vehicle, which is tied to more than transportation. Once a person decides to experience the pleasures of bike commuting, the luxury of driving becomes dubious. When you consider the freedom from having to earn the upkeep for that vehicle and all the associated expenses, the equation becomes highly unbalanced. I take that time and dabble in my art free from any traffic related stress. What can you do with such a bonus?

It pays me a dividend in that I don’t have to spend money and extra time to exercise for health. I know my neighbours and greet fellow citizens with a smile. I’m in full comfort whatever the weather and confident in my immune system’s ability to withstand any survivable disease. My reactions and mental processes are in constant demand. There is pleasure in feeling the climate as it impacts you directly. Yes, even a cold drenching rain will reward you with a more robust constitution while priming you to enjoy a warm cup of coco in a comfortable recliner when you finally get home.

The freedom from my addiction to gasoline is hard to convey to a population which is 96% addicted. Every fibre of our society has its specific commitment to the car. The elderly are so afraid of this liberty that they see their lives ending with the loss of their license. The magic solution lies in a shift in thinking, not technology.

- Klaus Kaczor, Vancouver

Boycott work!

Dear Republic:

I would like to take this opportunity to ask my fellow Canadians just how long we are supposed to go on taking the crap that our elected government, key word being elected, is force feeding us. People that we really need like our teachers and health care people, have to fight tooth and nail for minimal pay raises. They are ignored for years on end and then told that there is not enough money to grant them fair wage increases. But when it comes to elected and appointed government pay raises of 15% to 47% there is no question of there not being enough money available. It takes less that three hours to approve that one. These people are elected, they are supposed to work for us. We, the people of this once great country of ours never had a chance to express our views at any time.

There are a lot of people out here trying to make a living on minimum wage, trying to raise families and put food on the table. How do they justify this? What would happen if all of us insignificant people in the province were to take a couple of sick days off work at the same time? Every truck driver, waitress, janitor, gas jockey, everybody that works below management positions. One week without us might be interesting.

I would like to hear from other working class Canadians on this subject.

- J Kennedy and D Brdigman, Tumbler Ridge, BC

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