Scene 1, Take…

I apologize in advance, but I must tell you that announcement of a fore coming election doesn’t ease the cynicism I feel toward the political system, even at the expense of supposed scandal. I have to say that surprise and curiosity, in that order, were my immediate reactions to seeing headlines announcing John Tory’s resignation. Surprise, obvious, it seemed to have come out of nowhere, and curiosity because it seemed strange; a seasoned politician, businessman, part of the city’s elite, so quick to announce the error of his ways to the public. Either way, what’s done, is done, although I don’t believe an individual’s personal life belongs in the public forum for scrutiny.

There might be exceptions, like criminal acts, but for cheating on your partner? That’s as old as humanity. Should people be fired from their workplace for it? Oh, I know, they must be held to a higher standard. I’ve heard that as a defense, but why should they be? They aren’t better, or different than anyone else. And because they’re us, they are going to make the exact same mistakes any human might make. Outside politics, society generally tolerates such deviations, and other than in the individuals’ own lives, the rest of society moves right along, business as usual. I’m in no way defending the man, I don’t care for party politics, but that’s no way to have to bow out, unless it’s also part of some other political plan. What I would like to see is a government actually making a positive, long-term difference for the general public, but I don’t think that’s possible. The system itself doesn’t allow for it. A government knows there is never enough time to change anything in any meaningful way.

Elections are always around the corner and that usually guides their movements. Then there’s corruption, which flourishes at every level of government, all over the world. That in itself keeps policy in the hands of higher interests and thus not the interests of the rest of us. Church and state are separated for good reason, and the same should be directed at business. Even if all intentions are honourable, implementing policies always involves the difficult aligning of various groups, all pulling for their own sides, involving a great deal of discussion and negotiation. Even if an agreement is reached, the implementation is inevitably long term. Log term enough for it to get changed or tweaked, if ever even implemented. In the end, the problem the policy wants to address only gets bigger. It’s a merry-go-round of promises and committees and task forces.

But Toronto must vote, right? Even if it seems like it’s in vain, you still have to exercise your right. Even if nothing changes, at least you can still put someone different up there, allowing for the rush that the promise of improvement or stability brings on. Not to mention what it would be like if we had no vote at all.

No use talking about who to vote for in the upcoming mayoral by-election. Those that are considering tossing their hat in, are eyeing whose names the press and social media are buzzing about. I guess that’s the best thing to do, although it would be helpful to hear some solutions for abolishing the issues that never get resolved. Your choice of vote should be based on the person you feel is good for the role, not on race, gender or cultural background. If possible, try to see beyond the marketing and the image, (who am I kidding). I wouldn’t even be concerned with party affiliation, follow your instincts, it may sound silly, but we have them, they’re in our DNA.
No one person can resolve things. No matter how determined they are, success is not possible without backup. Everyone must be on the same page. A monumental task, because we’re not easy to deal with, but that’s the only way to achieve results, and finally move on to scene 2.
Fiquem bem.

Raul Freitas/MS