Democracy Gone Astray

Democracy, being a human construct, needs to be thought of as directionality rather than an object. As such, to understand it requires not so much a description of existing structures and/or other related phenomena but a declaration of intentionality.
This blog aims at creating labeled lists of published infringements of such intentionality, of points in time where democracy strays from its intended directionality. In addition to outright infringements, this blog also collects important contemporary information and/or discussions that impact our socio-political landscape.

All the posts here were published in the electronic media – main-stream as well as fringe, and maintain links to the original texts.

[NOTE: Due to changes I haven't caught on time in the blogging software, all of the 'Original Article' links were nullified between September 11, 2012 and December 11, 2012. My apologies.]

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Porter: Do we want private sponsors for public playgrounds?

Little R. V. Burgess Park finally got its playground.

Remember R.V. Burgess Park? It’s the scrap of grass penned in between buildings at the centre of Thorncliffe Park — the city’s playpen. There are more kids here than anywhere else in the city. A 700-student kindergarten school is going up next door.

For five years, all those kids had nothing to play with here but swings and gravel. Then last month a second-hand jungle gym arrived from nearby Leaside Park, which got a brand-new structure.

Beggers can’t be choosers, and most of the people who live in those crowded towers surrounding R.V. Burgess are flat broke.

“It wasn’t my first choice,” says Amy Sutherland, a member of the Thorncliffe Park Women’s Committee, watching her 3-year-old son, Caleb, digging in the dirt nearby. “But you’ve got to take whatever you can get.”

Here’s the thing: our public parks system is already broken. The Brothers Ford have that much right.

But is asking big companies like McDonald’s to sponsor our parks the answer?

I listened to Doug Ford on CBC Radio Wednesday morning. He said people in his “riding” — it’s actually a ward — would be happy with a “Flagstaff Park sponsored by Kraft” if it meant replacing their 30-year-old park equipment.

They probably would just continue calling it Flagstaff Park, as people still refer to the Rogers Centre as the SkyDome. But I hate it.

I hate the endless commercials before movies. I hate the flat-screen televisions in my dermatologist’s office and hair salon, flashing a monotonous loop of clear complexions and silky tresses that roll so relentlessly, I feel seasick. I hate the condom ads on the back of the toilet stalls. Remember the days when the only entertainment a girl could get while peeing was reading “John is a Jerk” and “I love John?”

Full Article
Source: Toronto Star 

No comments:

Post a Comment