Okay, so, I didn’t write a goddamn thing in here while in Ontario. What’s more, I haven’t written a fucking thing since I got back. But you know what? More and more Chinese made products are being found to be made of dangerous materials every day and people are coming up with just about every solution under the sun short of calling a stop to the use of Chinese sweatshops to produce North American goods.
So you’ll forgive me for thinking my lazy pen is maybe the least of our troubles.
You know, it reminds me of a business class I took in high school. They were teaching us this shit about supply and demand and how the economy constantly cycles between recession, depression, prosperity and inflation. “It’s all inevitable,” the teacher said. “Sure, sometimes we skip outright depression and the prosperity portion of the cycle is sometimes short but this is the cycle and this is how it must work.”
I raised my hand and, when called on, I said, “Well, couldn’t we nip inflation in the bud? It seems to me that constantly charging whatever the market will bear is what makes recession inevitable. If producers and retailers just voluntarily lowered their prices now and then couldn’t we avoid the jugfuck of recession and depression altogether?”
The teacher, the look of a fawn caught in a Hummer’s headlights crossing her face, said, “Well, how does one convince a retailer or producer to lower their prices for the common good?”
“Well, assuming that a businessman is less interested in the common good than in profit, couldn’t the government regulate it?” I asked.
“That’s communism,” she said, “and that’s evil.”
So, before you suggest to someone that production of goods be moved back to America or Canada where the government can regulate the process and materials involved or (heaven forbid) suggest that Chinese workers and producers be paid fairly and, in return, expect that the materials used be of the highest quality (or at least demand regular inspections) remember: that’s communism and communism is evil.
As far as my lack of entries goes, I do have some good news.
While I was away, in Ontario and as I drove back across the country, I did take notes. Lots and lots of notes. Oh your God… they’re scribbled in pen on hotel stationary, printed in crayon on the backs of pictures drawn by my niece… they’re fucking everywhere. They detail the origins of little towns in Northern Ontario, they describe the joy of the wedding of a lifetime, they exalt the beauty and simplicity of friendships rediscovered.
I would imagine that somewhere in that mess of scribbles and scrawls I can find a story or two to share. In fact, I’m certain of it. This is a wildly wide country and I’m an obsessive storyteller. The things I’ve seen… they’re worth a keystroke or two.
So!
Apologies for my blogger’s delinquency. I am back and I have time. The stories will come if you’re patient. In fact, the more patient you are, the sooner they’ll come…
…or maybe it’ll just seem that way.
Either way, take heart in the fact that someone is here to tell it.
So you’ll forgive me for thinking my lazy pen is maybe the least of our troubles.
You know, it reminds me of a business class I took in high school. They were teaching us this shit about supply and demand and how the economy constantly cycles between recession, depression, prosperity and inflation. “It’s all inevitable,” the teacher said. “Sure, sometimes we skip outright depression and the prosperity portion of the cycle is sometimes short but this is the cycle and this is how it must work.”
I raised my hand and, when called on, I said, “Well, couldn’t we nip inflation in the bud? It seems to me that constantly charging whatever the market will bear is what makes recession inevitable. If producers and retailers just voluntarily lowered their prices now and then couldn’t we avoid the jugfuck of recession and depression altogether?”
The teacher, the look of a fawn caught in a Hummer’s headlights crossing her face, said, “Well, how does one convince a retailer or producer to lower their prices for the common good?”
“Well, assuming that a businessman is less interested in the common good than in profit, couldn’t the government regulate it?” I asked.
“That’s communism,” she said, “and that’s evil.”
So, before you suggest to someone that production of goods be moved back to America or Canada where the government can regulate the process and materials involved or (heaven forbid) suggest that Chinese workers and producers be paid fairly and, in return, expect that the materials used be of the highest quality (or at least demand regular inspections) remember: that’s communism and communism is evil.
As far as my lack of entries goes, I do have some good news.
While I was away, in Ontario and as I drove back across the country, I did take notes. Lots and lots of notes. Oh your God… they’re scribbled in pen on hotel stationary, printed in crayon on the backs of pictures drawn by my niece… they’re fucking everywhere. They detail the origins of little towns in Northern Ontario, they describe the joy of the wedding of a lifetime, they exalt the beauty and simplicity of friendships rediscovered.
I would imagine that somewhere in that mess of scribbles and scrawls I can find a story or two to share. In fact, I’m certain of it. This is a wildly wide country and I’m an obsessive storyteller. The things I’ve seen… they’re worth a keystroke or two.
So!
Apologies for my blogger’s delinquency. I am back and I have time. The stories will come if you’re patient. In fact, the more patient you are, the sooner they’ll come…
…or maybe it’ll just seem that way.
Either way, take heart in the fact that someone is here to tell it.
No comments:
Post a Comment