I'm Not Gonna Take It

Has the Age of Moderation Disappeared?

Every time I open the paper or get onto a website, I am inundated with extremists of every shape, size and colour. Whatever happened to common sense, logic, thinking before speaking, and moderation? Have they all disappeared?

I have to stop reading the news. Every single time I do, I manage to find more than enough stories and peeks into the human psyche to make me wish I could live out the rest of my life as a dog or something. Anything to give as little indication as possible that an association exists between me and the crazies out there that call themselves human beings.
It never used to be this way. As a child and as a teenager, I hated reading or watching the news. It was boring as hell, and I wanted to watch my sit-coms, gripping dramas and cartoons, read my Enid Blyton mystery stories and David Copperfield, and generally enjoy that small portion of life that came into my experience. I had a sweet, rose-coloured, naive outlook on the world. Sure, there were irritating people that I would love to rant about for days. And yes, there were people that hurt me. But all these were due to personality differences that you had to put up with day to day. If people had opinions, you knew why they had them, and so did they.
That all changed with University, my grand introduction to the World Wide Web, and the appearance of my boyfriend. He sends me news clippings all the time. Thanks to him, I started reading the Globe and Mail (Canada's definitive national newspaper, IMO), and surfing the web more. Now, I am severely embittered and disgusted at some of the things we as people say and do.
First, there's our friends, the overly extreme fundamentalist Christians, in the Bahbul Belt. I don't think there's anything they haven't done to prove that when it comes to God, there is no brain, logic or even a hint of common sense existing amongst them. Evolution? Bah! That's just a theory. You shouldn't be teaching kids about something that is unproven, and that many people doubt ever occurred, no matter how much documentation there is. Take it out of the school curriculum! We'll teach the kids Creationism instead which is unproven, and many people doubt it occurred, but dammit, it's in the Bible, and it involves God, so it must be undoubtable, indisputable, unquestionable TRUTH. And don't get me started on their belief that "everyone who isn't Christian and/or who doesn't agree with us is from the Devil, and we must SAVE THEIR SOULS or condemn them to hell, whichever is easier." That could be a topic of a whole other rant.
Another group that gets my goat when I read the news(groups) would be those vegetarians I often refer to as Veggie Fascists International (VFI). VFI is made up of all those vegetarians who not only boycott meat because they think the trade associated with it is evil (which, btw, in itself is *not* the offensive part), but who feel that the whole world should follow their shining and glorious example, even if they have to badger everyone to death to make it happen. Billboards, websites and newspaper ads all over the continent blare out such half truths as "Meat Causes Impotence", "Meat Causes Multiple Sclerosis", etc.
Those I have come in contact with on the net and in person are arrogant, self-righteous, and very vocal when I plunk down a big greasy plate of sloppy joes in the cafeteria at lunchtime. They proceed to tell me exactly what diseases I "will" (i.e., can) get if I continue life as a "meat-eater" (implying, it seems, that I don't eat fruits and vegetables at all), how my (non-existent) sex life won't be as great, how I'm condoning animal abuses and environmental destruction.
They inundate me with statistics on how much land, water and agricultural food is wasted and destroyed to tend to the animals that supply my daily supplement. If I still continue munching away, they describe in gory detail all the horrible things they do to the animals in "all" (i.e. the worst) of the factory farms. If they manage to get that far without convincing me, or without my hurling bloody pork meat at them, they appeal to my health. Meat makes you fat. Meat fills your arteries with cholestoral, and you'll be prone to heart disease. Meat causes Multiple Sclerosis (an unproven fact, by the way). Meat causes cancer. Meat causes your organs to shut down, one by one. Ad. Nauseum.
If I ask them to shut up, they tell me that I'm just trying to hide from the truth. Well, the truth is that I'm listening to the rantings of a girl who isn't a Biology major or a medical student, but who regurgitates to me facts that she gleaned from the website/brochures of the various VFI groups out there (some of whose claims are exagerated or as yet unsubstantiated). Nor can she do vegetarian meals right. She looks anaemic, is too thin, and has really bad skin. Sometimes, it turns out her cholestoral level is higher than mine because she's not eating right, and she's always out of breath because she doesn't exercise. If I'm lucky, she's wearing leather sandals in which case I have a field day. If not, well, that's alright. Because I know she brushes her teeth, and toothpaste contains all sorts of ground-up animal bones in it. When she stops brushing her teeth, I will consider (and only consider) being a vegetarian.
The latest group that has put the sugar in the icing of my cake of discontent was introduced to me recently. I remember the day well, August 18, 1999. If any of you are Canadians or Americans that keep up with Canadian news, you will probably know what I'm talking about. For those who have no clue, here's the basic background. The week before the previously mentioned date, a Korean boat sailed into Canadian waters, smuggling 131 illegal migrants from China. 43 of these were children aged 11 to 17 who came from China unaccompanied by parents or relatives. I might add that this is the second of such boats in the past few weeks. When they got within swimming distance of the Queen Charlotte Islands off Vancouver Island, they dumped the migrants in the water and took off as fast as they could to avoid being arrested. I don't mean they lowered them in lifeboats. I don't mean that they handed out lifejackets. They just dumped them in the water. Period. Of course, their attempt to leave failed, and they are all in custody now awaiting charges. The migrants were rescued from the water and from the shore which most of them managed to reach and were taken to a place of shelter (I forget which).
As more news flooded in, I found that the inhumanity of the Korean smugglers was not the only shocker in store for me. Some of the more vocal Canadians phoned in to radio shows saying that these migrants were wrong to come this way, and that they should go back where they came from. Some even said that it was because of immigrants (not just illegal migrants) that the social fabric of our fair country is being torn to shreds, and cited this event as a prime example. Some Vancouver Island citizens stood on the beach holding signs that said, "Go home!" A local newspaper printed the same thing in its front page headlines.
Now, I'm not really sure where I stand on this issue. I don't think it was right for people to enter Canada the way these migrants have done. At the same time, I can imagine that it took a great deal of trouble to get as far as they have, and to be sent back to China after all they've been through would not be a happy thought. What I do know for sure, though, is that those smugglers should be dealt with very, very harshly.
The part that really gets me, however, is based on the article I read yesterday in the Globe and Mail. Apparently, a dog, part Labrador retriever, was found aboard the smugglers' ship. She had an eye infection, was treated by a vet, and has been taken in by the SPCA. As soon as the news went out about this dog having nowhere to go, Canadians from as far away as Toronto inundated the SPCA with calls offering to take the dog in. The same people who have been telling fellow humans trying to claim refugee status in Victoria to get the hell out of their country, are practically falling over each other to take this "poor widdle doggie" home with them. In the words of Lynn West of the SPCA, "They...are worried she might be sent back." [Globe and Mail, Aug. 18/99, p A2]
I might add that according to the director of the Immigrant and Refugee centre, no one has called asking how they could help the children or any of the other migrants. Nor does anyone seem to really care that officials are intensifying a search for one of the migrants who hasn't been seen since he was dumped from the boat. I guess people are more concerned about that dog which may or may not be infected with something foreign to our soil, and may or may not have behavioural problems that could be a danger to neighbours and children.
Of course, I realize that not every human being is like this. I have read enough newsgroup posts to realize that there are some sane Christians in the Bible Belt. They just don't say very much because they have to live the hell and brimstone speech if they do. I have a few healthy vegetarian friends who leave me to my meat indulgences in peace and who don't force chick peas on me. And I did read that there have been come Canadians who have been donating clothing, toys and candy to the children, and donating their time to helping the other migrants as interpreters among other things.
Why, oh, why is it then, that all the people who don't think, the ones who believe that "common sense" is a perfume for lower income consumers and that "reason" is a little dried up grape to give kids as recess snacks, are always the ones in the spotlight? Why don't the moderates and intellectuals ever speak up and make themselves heard? Why can't I ever read an article in the newspaper or in a newsgroup and say, "YES! Here is a person who has thought this through, who has sympathy, who can see the issue from both sides and understands the implications of both arguments." I guess the reason is that moderates just don't consider a lot of the issues that cause extremists to take up arms and yell as being all that important. And when I think about it, maybe that's a good thing.

Sept. 28, 1999

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