I had my list of purchases that I needed to make for the day: film, toothpaste, a small towel and ibuprofeno (Buscapina gave me an allergic reaction last time).
I forgot that it was Sunday in San Telmo, as I often tend to forget what day it is, but today was definitely Sunday as the streets were packed for the fair. Vendors and artists lined the streets which meant that most businesses would be closed. I couldn´t buy film or a towel. I found toothpaste at the supermarket, but, for some reason, the supermarket did not carry ibuprofene. I went to a kiosco to buy some pain-killers and the guy told me it didn´t sell them anymore. That was fine, so I went to another kiosco that I knew sold them because I had bought them there before.
I went into the kiosco and asked for 10 capsules, the worker waited for the other customers to pay and leave. Once it was just the two of use, he shuffled behind the counter and presented my with a tiny, brown-paper baggy with 10 pills inside. Confused and a little nervous, I asked why the pain-killers were so hard to find. He could sense that I didn´t know yet. He looked around and explained that a law had been passed 2 weeks ago that disallowed the sale of ibuprofeno. I wanted to ask if the law applied to every business including pharmacies. However, some customers came in to buy some pop and water. The worker wished me a good day with an edge in his manner and I took that as a sign to get my contraband drugs out of the dealer´s backyard as quickly as possible.
Strange to think that a North American staple, for headache and cramp sufferers, could become the next item of prohibition. What are all the hungover porteños going to do?
Sunday, February 14, 2010
theory of relativity
I´m not exactly knowledgable about this theory but I do want to use it in a general point. Einstein´s theory, that had something to do with equal gravitational forces on different points of something that was a result of space and time and math, can be applied to all aspects of life, including politics.
Not unlike physics, politics reflects the social, emotive phenomena of relativity. Yesterday, whilst nibbling on miga, sitting under a shady tree in a park in Buenos Aires, my friend and I tried to compare political structures. He, a native of Buenos Aires, tried to argue that the Argentine government is the worst government in the world (a lot of Argentines tell me this all the time). I told him, being a Canadian, and thus, neighbour with the US, that America had the worst government in the world. After arguing back and forth, pros and cons, English an dSpanish, we settled on the American government being the second worst in the world right behind Argentina.
The reason was this: America´s middle-class is bigger which means more people can afford a step-above necessities. However, I pointed out that the gap between the rich and poor in America was larger in the US where there exist bajillionaires (a term he didn´t understand) and pervasive poverty issues. When asked how much a poor person would make, I shrugged my shoulders and guessed $10,000 to $15,000 per year. My friend laughed and said that is ow much the clase medio makes per year in Buenos Aires.
I tried explaining that the cost of living is so much more expensive and that people could barely eat on that, let alone pay rent. However, it did make me curious on whether someone from Argentina, if he saw the cities and the ¨ghettos¨, would persistenly claim that America is better off. If he sawNew Orleans, post-Katrina, or the Harlem-side of Central Park at night, Compton of Mexican-border towns, would he be so quick in his generalizations?
What is portayed in the media to the world is a glamourous fabulousness of middle-class life contentment, where most of our problems consist of whether we feel actualized or skinny or lazy or heartbroken. Unfortunately, this is not the case for some in America who are, instead, concerned of where to live of how to eat.
My friend continued to tell me that poverty, la pobreza, is not the same in America as it is here, in Bs. As. He said, ¨we have villas (slums and shanty-towns) and people without homes, people sleeping on the streets under overhangs with only a mattress and some basic belongings. You don´t have that in America.¨
Although I am not American, I have seen some of its cities and believe that Canadian cities are much the same. I explained to my friend that there are homeless people and they don´t even have mattresses, just cardboard, if they are ¨lucky¨. I added that violence in a Toronto or New York ¨ghetto¨ seems to be more ruthless. Guns, knives, drugs, gangs, theft, murder are everyday realities that we have, too.
Even on the news here, La Plata, one of the more violent villas, experiences robbaries and kidnappings regularly, but more on the side of neighbourhood and family disputes. A guy will kidnap his kids from his in-laws but he hangs out with them at his own house until the polic show up. A man in a wheelchair slams into someone else and steals her bag, wheeling away. There are also moments that seem, to me, markers of a higher community standard as opposed to the way ghettos are portrayed back home. For example, a man in La Plata was molesting local children. Once a few neighbours found out, they rallied, pulled him out of his house, beat the shit out of him and launched rocks through his windows, sending a message to him and any other pervs thinking about touching little children. Recently, I was told that a villa in La Boca, close to where we live now, acts more like a commune. Everyone chips in their earnings to purchase food and basic necessities for the community. Now, I do know that Toronto´s Regent Park has a weekend market where residents can sell food or crafts, but I don´t know if they share the profits.
With all of this information backing up my points, my friend still looked at me a bit sideways with a twinkle of doubt in his eyes. I told him that if he ever goes to Toronto I would show him our version of villas, just to understand it better.
I guess he has to see it to believe it.
Not unlike physics, politics reflects the social, emotive phenomena of relativity. Yesterday, whilst nibbling on miga, sitting under a shady tree in a park in Buenos Aires, my friend and I tried to compare political structures. He, a native of Buenos Aires, tried to argue that the Argentine government is the worst government in the world (a lot of Argentines tell me this all the time). I told him, being a Canadian, and thus, neighbour with the US, that America had the worst government in the world. After arguing back and forth, pros and cons, English an dSpanish, we settled on the American government being the second worst in the world right behind Argentina.
The reason was this: America´s middle-class is bigger which means more people can afford a step-above necessities. However, I pointed out that the gap between the rich and poor in America was larger in the US where there exist bajillionaires (a term he didn´t understand) and pervasive poverty issues. When asked how much a poor person would make, I shrugged my shoulders and guessed $10,000 to $15,000 per year. My friend laughed and said that is ow much the clase medio makes per year in Buenos Aires.
I tried explaining that the cost of living is so much more expensive and that people could barely eat on that, let alone pay rent. However, it did make me curious on whether someone from Argentina, if he saw the cities and the ¨ghettos¨, would persistenly claim that America is better off. If he sawNew Orleans, post-Katrina, or the Harlem-side of Central Park at night, Compton of Mexican-border towns, would he be so quick in his generalizations?
What is portayed in the media to the world is a glamourous fabulousness of middle-class life contentment, where most of our problems consist of whether we feel actualized or skinny or lazy or heartbroken. Unfortunately, this is not the case for some in America who are, instead, concerned of where to live of how to eat.
My friend continued to tell me that poverty, la pobreza, is not the same in America as it is here, in Bs. As. He said, ¨we have villas (slums and shanty-towns) and people without homes, people sleeping on the streets under overhangs with only a mattress and some basic belongings. You don´t have that in America.¨
Although I am not American, I have seen some of its cities and believe that Canadian cities are much the same. I explained to my friend that there are homeless people and they don´t even have mattresses, just cardboard, if they are ¨lucky¨. I added that violence in a Toronto or New York ¨ghetto¨ seems to be more ruthless. Guns, knives, drugs, gangs, theft, murder are everyday realities that we have, too.
Even on the news here, La Plata, one of the more violent villas, experiences robbaries and kidnappings regularly, but more on the side of neighbourhood and family disputes. A guy will kidnap his kids from his in-laws but he hangs out with them at his own house until the polic show up. A man in a wheelchair slams into someone else and steals her bag, wheeling away. There are also moments that seem, to me, markers of a higher community standard as opposed to the way ghettos are portrayed back home. For example, a man in La Plata was molesting local children. Once a few neighbours found out, they rallied, pulled him out of his house, beat the shit out of him and launched rocks through his windows, sending a message to him and any other pervs thinking about touching little children. Recently, I was told that a villa in La Boca, close to where we live now, acts more like a commune. Everyone chips in their earnings to purchase food and basic necessities for the community. Now, I do know that Toronto´s Regent Park has a weekend market where residents can sell food or crafts, but I don´t know if they share the profits.
With all of this information backing up my points, my friend still looked at me a bit sideways with a twinkle of doubt in his eyes. I told him that if he ever goes to Toronto I would show him our version of villas, just to understand it better.
I guess he has to see it to believe it.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
why argentines are not getting into bar brawls
Last weekend, the comrades and I headed out to 'interview' an Irish pub in Buenos Aires. We need to check out all the candidates before St. Patty's day falls upon us. We must be ready.
We decided to check out The Shamrock, relatively closeby, about 10 blocks or 1 kilometre away. We left FOR the bar at 2. In the the morning.
When we arrived the bar was pretty full and people were casually standing around sipping on Imperial or Quilmes. A lot of people were foreigners, like us, just wanting to have a decent pub at hand. I guess it might have been the amount of time we have been here, or maybe it's the overall Argentine vibe, but nothing felt out of the ordinary. People, even the Irish, were calmly drinking and chatting to one another. Comrade to comrade.
The 4 of us sat down at a table and decided to chat amongst ourselves. The entire time, or at least until 5:30AM when we decided to leave, the bar was steady and there was no ruckus. Why?
We finished off the night with some pizza for dinner, eating amongst the working-men, having their morning coffee before they went to their jobs. We watched the sunrise over some grapefruit pop and cheese pizza, grande. Still, no ruckus. I don't even know how to spell ruckus.
Why?
Well, we discussed the answer the following day: because no one needs to make a ruckus. They are not forced to get wasted before a certain time, thus, proceeding to the bar to order round after round of shots. There is no need to have a good time fast because you want to go all night. No need for last call. No need to cut people off. No need for unnecessary police force to keep the peace. Just people, living, having a good time, doing what they want to do without imposing on anyone else. Always thought it was a possibility. Never thought I would live to see it.
Well, I lived to see it, had a good time, did what I wanted to do without imposing on anyone else.
We decided to check out The Shamrock, relatively closeby, about 10 blocks or 1 kilometre away. We left FOR the bar at 2. In the the morning.
When we arrived the bar was pretty full and people were casually standing around sipping on Imperial or Quilmes. A lot of people were foreigners, like us, just wanting to have a decent pub at hand. I guess it might have been the amount of time we have been here, or maybe it's the overall Argentine vibe, but nothing felt out of the ordinary. People, even the Irish, were calmly drinking and chatting to one another. Comrade to comrade.
The 4 of us sat down at a table and decided to chat amongst ourselves. The entire time, or at least until 5:30AM when we decided to leave, the bar was steady and there was no ruckus. Why?
We finished off the night with some pizza for dinner, eating amongst the working-men, having their morning coffee before they went to their jobs. We watched the sunrise over some grapefruit pop and cheese pizza, grande. Still, no ruckus. I don't even know how to spell ruckus.
Why?
Well, we discussed the answer the following day: because no one needs to make a ruckus. They are not forced to get wasted before a certain time, thus, proceeding to the bar to order round after round of shots. There is no need to have a good time fast because you want to go all night. No need for last call. No need to cut people off. No need for unnecessary police force to keep the peace. Just people, living, having a good time, doing what they want to do without imposing on anyone else. Always thought it was a possibility. Never thought I would live to see it.
Well, I lived to see it, had a good time, did what I wanted to do without imposing on anyone else.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
so what do you do?
The battle, the struggle, is for the many. On the student-debt note, I would like to share some tips of how to live of the radar. In the end, even if you don't want to live off the radar, it can truly save a lot of calls from collection agencies, and, therefore, a lot of headaches.
There is a credit card that you can get from Money Mart that acts like an American debit account. So, you put money on it, and whenever you use your Visa, it just takes the money off the balance. By doing this, you alleviate any falsely-created debt. Wouldn't it be liberating to know that you don't have to pay a credit card bill every month, but you get all the "luxuries" of having a credit card. You can book plane tickets, hotel rooms, or if you don't have the cash on you, buy a new piece of techmology.
Some may find this hard to pursue as they don't have the funds to put anything onto the "credit card" anyways. My thoughts are, why wouldn't you try to? There is instant freedom when you do not have to pay another bill. One thing I learned, here in Argentina, is that North Americans are obsessed with debt. It's the "buy now, pay later" effect that is encouraged, not only when buying a house, or a car, but furniture and even clothing. I think you have to be able to step out of that box, eliminate your debt, and live the free life. Once you discover the innerworkings of the system, I won't say it is easy, but it is a relief to step away from.
A very close comrade of mine has set-up a MetaWealth website where you can go and figure out some help on how we look at money. I, myself, am a recovering money-oholic. I am still trying to take the baby steps to expand my obsessive-compulsive, North-American, hoarding and consuming syndrome (OCNAHCS). The website is a forum in which to expand one's thoughts about the ebb and flow of energy in the form of money. It may just open one's sleepy eyes a little, or it may be the very spark one needs to ignite a change.
There is a credit card that you can get from Money Mart that acts like an American debit account. So, you put money on it, and whenever you use your Visa, it just takes the money off the balance. By doing this, you alleviate any falsely-created debt. Wouldn't it be liberating to know that you don't have to pay a credit card bill every month, but you get all the "luxuries" of having a credit card. You can book plane tickets, hotel rooms, or if you don't have the cash on you, buy a new piece of techmology.
Some may find this hard to pursue as they don't have the funds to put anything onto the "credit card" anyways. My thoughts are, why wouldn't you try to? There is instant freedom when you do not have to pay another bill. One thing I learned, here in Argentina, is that North Americans are obsessed with debt. It's the "buy now, pay later" effect that is encouraged, not only when buying a house, or a car, but furniture and even clothing. I think you have to be able to step out of that box, eliminate your debt, and live the free life. Once you discover the innerworkings of the system, I won't say it is easy, but it is a relief to step away from.
A very close comrade of mine has set-up a MetaWealth website where you can go and figure out some help on how we look at money. I, myself, am a recovering money-oholic. I am still trying to take the baby steps to expand my obsessive-compulsive, North-American, hoarding and consuming syndrome (OCNAHCS). The website is a forum in which to expand one's thoughts about the ebb and flow of energy in the form of money. It may just open one's sleepy eyes a little, or it may be the very spark one needs to ignite a change.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
baby steps
Today has been a eyes-wide opener. When you realize that some of the most important people around are making those steps toward a complete paradigm shift, you can't help but glow a little. Recently, I read my friend's blog about the steps she and her husband are taking to ensure that their child does not grow up in the same world we are living in. She is expecting in a few months, and the steps she has taken on her research of products is inspiring. She has truly bloomed into a grounded, educated, soon-to-be-mama.
The big issue was diapers. She and her husband have just put a deposit on a diaper-cleaning service so that they do not have to use disposable ones. What a savvy pair. They found that, although the downpayment is a lot up front, the total money saved, in the long term, outweighed the current cost. Cost included the diapers and the environmental factors. Apparently, as she wrote, it takes 250+ years for disposable diapers to break down. Not so good for this fragile planet of ours. They took it upon temselves to do the necessary research and penny-saving in order to benefit their child, not to mention their grandchildren down the line.
I am always fascinated and moved when people close to me choose to take the path that may be right, but a little more difficult. Of course, buying Pampers would be easier in the short term, just a quick step away to your nearest cornerstore for some diapers, but these two actually researched their options and made the decision to do it differently. Well, differently to modern standards as even I grew up on cloth diapers.
We can change things, the course of the world, if we all took these baby steps. Little by little, things can change I have friends that boycott Nestle based on the company's unethical practice of bottling a town's water, running the town dry, then selling them bottles of their own natural water. Whatever we can all do to help in this slow, but sure, process of change.
Kudos to all those that may not be ready to make a whole life change, but are taking the necessary steps in educating themselves in hopes for a brighter future.
The big issue was diapers. She and her husband have just put a deposit on a diaper-cleaning service so that they do not have to use disposable ones. What a savvy pair. They found that, although the downpayment is a lot up front, the total money saved, in the long term, outweighed the current cost. Cost included the diapers and the environmental factors. Apparently, as she wrote, it takes 250+ years for disposable diapers to break down. Not so good for this fragile planet of ours. They took it upon temselves to do the necessary research and penny-saving in order to benefit their child, not to mention their grandchildren down the line.
I am always fascinated and moved when people close to me choose to take the path that may be right, but a little more difficult. Of course, buying Pampers would be easier in the short term, just a quick step away to your nearest cornerstore for some diapers, but these two actually researched their options and made the decision to do it differently. Well, differently to modern standards as even I grew up on cloth diapers.
We can change things, the course of the world, if we all took these baby steps. Little by little, things can change I have friends that boycott Nestle based on the company's unethical practice of bottling a town's water, running the town dry, then selling them bottles of their own natural water. Whatever we can all do to help in this slow, but sure, process of change.
Kudos to all those that may not be ready to make a whole life change, but are taking the necessary steps in educating themselves in hopes for a brighter future.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
these people do exist
One of the common questions I get asked is: if this is an option, why don't more people know about it? The answer is that many people already know about it and live it. The person who passed you on the street, or who sold you your last used-book, or the Minsiter of Finance himself, already all know about it. However, like any good working machine, it tries to get rid of the jam in the wheel.
Now, I'm not talking about secret, covert operations where they whisk you away to some forlorn interogation cell. There would be an uproar and the media would/could be all over it. But, in addition to the above answer is: just because you don't hear about it doesn't mean it's not happening. Remember, secrets happen aall over the world and throughout history. All that matters is what's written in the books. I never thought I would say this, but thanks to the internet, the victors can be your everyday man, woman, even child.
My thoughts are to get online and start looking. Start to become aware of what is really going on. There are some key words you can look into like Admiral Law, Occupied Territories, Economic Apartheid. The list is truly endless. I'm not saying that you have to do anything or accept what some of these theories throw out there. However, I believe upon reading anything, even if you don't agree with it, provides some useful, intellectual ammunition.
There are people who live in Canada, mostly on the West coast, those hippies, who have been living as free-, natural-persons for some time. They now take the time to share the information they have discovered on this fascinating forum the internet.
So, when people wonder why they haven't heard anything about this stuff all I have to say is: you weren't listening. It would be like people denying that apartheid or racism doesn't exist, or that people are unlawfully evicted from their homelands in order to create naval bases. People in the 1930s and 40s didn't believe that millions of people were being sent to gas chambers. Boy, were they wrong.
I think we are coming upon an age where the people are getting educated and, as a result, getting restless. They are tired of putting up with the same crap the State has not offered and the Corporation has taken away. I think the most recent financial crisis is a key marker in these two bodies trying to hold onto what power they have left.
They are beginning to realize that "we are the many, they are the few".
Now, I'm not talking about secret, covert operations where they whisk you away to some forlorn interogation cell. There would be an uproar and the media would/could be all over it. But, in addition to the above answer is: just because you don't hear about it doesn't mean it's not happening. Remember, secrets happen aall over the world and throughout history. All that matters is what's written in the books. I never thought I would say this, but thanks to the internet, the victors can be your everyday man, woman, even child.
My thoughts are to get online and start looking. Start to become aware of what is really going on. There are some key words you can look into like Admiral Law, Occupied Territories, Economic Apartheid. The list is truly endless. I'm not saying that you have to do anything or accept what some of these theories throw out there. However, I believe upon reading anything, even if you don't agree with it, provides some useful, intellectual ammunition.
There are people who live in Canada, mostly on the West coast, those hippies, who have been living as free-, natural-persons for some time. They now take the time to share the information they have discovered on this fascinating forum the internet.
So, when people wonder why they haven't heard anything about this stuff all I have to say is: you weren't listening. It would be like people denying that apartheid or racism doesn't exist, or that people are unlawfully evicted from their homelands in order to create naval bases. People in the 1930s and 40s didn't believe that millions of people were being sent to gas chambers. Boy, were they wrong.
I think we are coming upon an age where the people are getting educated and, as a result, getting restless. They are tired of putting up with the same crap the State has not offered and the Corporation has taken away. I think the most recent financial crisis is a key marker in these two bodies trying to hold onto what power they have left.
They are beginning to realize that "we are the many, they are the few".
Sunday, January 17, 2010
fight it
As promised, I have reserved this space as an outlet, functioning forum, for the free trade of thought on how to fight the man. As an endentured slave of the State, through high tuition costs and student loans, I have been doing a little research on the topic. You must be forewarned that the following information is not for everyone, it is merely an introduction to the things I have come across in a butt-ton of reading. I still have a butt-ton more to read.
As I have already stated, the man is trying to keep me (and others) down by making them into cogs of a complex, hierarchical wheel. Even though most of us believe that we are a part of a middle class, I would beg to differ. We think we have medicare, welfare, and minimum wages when in reality all we have is complacency. We are taught from a very young age to work hard to get to university or college and then work hard to pay off our loans and then work hard to contribute as much as possible to consuming or accumulating. This is the lifeline which we tacitly subscribed to. Therefore, what I am about to write is for those who don't want to follow a formula, but to live without the shackles of the oppressor. It is completely your choice to do what is right or what is easy.
When a student has $40,000 of student loan debt, what is he or she supposed to do? I was told many times not to worry and that everyone has debt. This is false. People all over the world may not live in half-a-million dollar houses, they may not have brand-name clothing, but they get by, save their money, and buy the things they need. Some people I have met in Buenos Aires are absolutely shocked that people take out hundreds of thousands of dollars just to buy houses or cars or to pay off even more debt. I tried to explain to them that it's because everything is so expensive (comparatively) and that some everyday things just cost too much. What is interesting is that they were also shocked that North Americans work 40+ hours per week and that they don't really get to enjoy the things that they bought. I kept wondering how on Earth can people work only 25 hours a week, doing things they love like painting, interior design, drawing, teaching yoga, and still be able to afford multiple apartments and cars? I guess the answer is relativity.
Living in Argentina, in the 10th largest city in the world, has put some things into perspective. It's true it is hard for a foreigner to find work here, but if you can find a job that is portable - like art, writing, music, design - you could comfortably live here on the equivalent of minimum wage back home. So, why is Canada so expensive?
Well, like all governments, including the Argentine government, they have linked up with the Corporation to borrow money from the population without any intention of ever giving it back. Despite what it says, the government is stinking rich. The problem is that it has a hoarding problem. For generations, Canadians have paid taxes on everything in order for the State to pay off its own debt. It should be giving back to its people, right? Herein lies the problem: it doesn't give back, not proportionately anyways. It creates the population's debt, puts people into near poverty, to try and put itself back in the black. The thing is, it never will, and, as a result, Canadians have to endure some humbling experiences. This is not the way a government is supposed to work. Civil servants are supposed to do everything in their power to serve the people. It should not be a glamorous life with designer suits, 23-chamber mansions, and multiple estates, but one of altruistic selflessness.
Let's use the example of student debt to see the crumbling corruption. In 1967, Canada signed and ratified the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, entry into force as of January 3rd, 1976. In it, Article 13 specifically stipulates that primary education is a right and should be provided free of charge. That we have, although sometimes the ethical nature of the educational institution can be called into question. Thank whatever-it-is that there are some good teachers out there. Article 13 also stipulates that secondary education - in this case university, college and trade schools - should be subsidized, which we also have. However, it also says that the government will ensure that fees for secondary education will eventually be reduced to nothing. That, the State has not done. Instead, it has increased tuition by 1000%. It explains that the hike is to cover inflation. If inflation was this exponential, the cost of bread should be, approximately, $250.
As tuition increased, student loans increased, not only in monetary significance, but in dispension. Some people attest that the increase in loans was due to the growing middle class. In fact, it was the working class that was growing. People were ripped from convocation to be thrown into the immediate pit of the workforce, made to work their loans off as quickly as possible. I have felt the tension and apprehension when in the classroom. Students in their last year of school are terrified of graduation because they may not get a good enough job to pay back their loans. Usually, these people were the ones who were unable to volunteer at career-oriented placements to improve their resume or able to wholly focus on academics because they needed a part-time job just to survive. The fear ends up making us animals: we will grab any opportunity we can no matter what happens or who gets hurt. It's the fear of surviving.
So, the State increased tuition. What are we supposed to do about it? Well, we fight it. There is a process of writing letters to your MP, MPP, Minister of Finance, the head of the National Student Loans... the list is endless, to raise awareness of this issue. It's a lot of work. It's overwhelming at times. Again, it's your choice to continue. If you want more information, I suggest that you look some stuff up first. For example, an impertinent thing to read, although tedious and tiresome, is The Canada Student Financial Assistance Act. Article 16.1 explicitly states that there is a limitation period of 6 years to which, at the end of the 6 years, the State may not go after you for your student loans. There is an unknown catch: the 6 year limitation period 'resets' itself everytime you contact the student loan services, even if you call them to tell them you cannot make payments. That's why they call you all the time, to keep resetting the clock, hoping, in the end, that you will pay the loan back, plus years of accumulated interest. It's a pretty sound investment for them and absolutely debilitating for us.
So, now, you have to think about whether it is worth it. To flee, fight, or fall on your knees and beg for mercy. What they don't tell you is that the choice is yours. You may not end up living the 'normal' life, but I think that a life of working a thousand hours at a thankless job, the stress of even more debt, the shere misery of being considered a powerless subject is no life at all.
If the idea of living an abnormal life freaks anyone out, I understand. I had/have those moments all the time. But, if you truly think about the consequences to not doing something, not enacting some sort of change, then you not only relinquish your power as a human being with the right to live, you perpetuate the machine, you roll the wheel into the future where it ruins the lives of our children and grandchildren.
It most definitely will not be easy, but I wouldn't mind devoting myself to a life worth fighting for. The question is: would you?
As I have already stated, the man is trying to keep me (and others) down by making them into cogs of a complex, hierarchical wheel. Even though most of us believe that we are a part of a middle class, I would beg to differ. We think we have medicare, welfare, and minimum wages when in reality all we have is complacency. We are taught from a very young age to work hard to get to university or college and then work hard to pay off our loans and then work hard to contribute as much as possible to consuming or accumulating. This is the lifeline which we tacitly subscribed to. Therefore, what I am about to write is for those who don't want to follow a formula, but to live without the shackles of the oppressor. It is completely your choice to do what is right or what is easy.
When a student has $40,000 of student loan debt, what is he or she supposed to do? I was told many times not to worry and that everyone has debt. This is false. People all over the world may not live in half-a-million dollar houses, they may not have brand-name clothing, but they get by, save their money, and buy the things they need. Some people I have met in Buenos Aires are absolutely shocked that people take out hundreds of thousands of dollars just to buy houses or cars or to pay off even more debt. I tried to explain to them that it's because everything is so expensive (comparatively) and that some everyday things just cost too much. What is interesting is that they were also shocked that North Americans work 40+ hours per week and that they don't really get to enjoy the things that they bought. I kept wondering how on Earth can people work only 25 hours a week, doing things they love like painting, interior design, drawing, teaching yoga, and still be able to afford multiple apartments and cars? I guess the answer is relativity.
Living in Argentina, in the 10th largest city in the world, has put some things into perspective. It's true it is hard for a foreigner to find work here, but if you can find a job that is portable - like art, writing, music, design - you could comfortably live here on the equivalent of minimum wage back home. So, why is Canada so expensive?
Well, like all governments, including the Argentine government, they have linked up with the Corporation to borrow money from the population without any intention of ever giving it back. Despite what it says, the government is stinking rich. The problem is that it has a hoarding problem. For generations, Canadians have paid taxes on everything in order for the State to pay off its own debt. It should be giving back to its people, right? Herein lies the problem: it doesn't give back, not proportionately anyways. It creates the population's debt, puts people into near poverty, to try and put itself back in the black. The thing is, it never will, and, as a result, Canadians have to endure some humbling experiences. This is not the way a government is supposed to work. Civil servants are supposed to do everything in their power to serve the people. It should not be a glamorous life with designer suits, 23-chamber mansions, and multiple estates, but one of altruistic selflessness.
Let's use the example of student debt to see the crumbling corruption. In 1967, Canada signed and ratified the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, entry into force as of January 3rd, 1976. In it, Article 13 specifically stipulates that primary education is a right and should be provided free of charge. That we have, although sometimes the ethical nature of the educational institution can be called into question. Thank whatever-it-is that there are some good teachers out there. Article 13 also stipulates that secondary education - in this case university, college and trade schools - should be subsidized, which we also have. However, it also says that the government will ensure that fees for secondary education will eventually be reduced to nothing. That, the State has not done. Instead, it has increased tuition by 1000%. It explains that the hike is to cover inflation. If inflation was this exponential, the cost of bread should be, approximately, $250.
As tuition increased, student loans increased, not only in monetary significance, but in dispension. Some people attest that the increase in loans was due to the growing middle class. In fact, it was the working class that was growing. People were ripped from convocation to be thrown into the immediate pit of the workforce, made to work their loans off as quickly as possible. I have felt the tension and apprehension when in the classroom. Students in their last year of school are terrified of graduation because they may not get a good enough job to pay back their loans. Usually, these people were the ones who were unable to volunteer at career-oriented placements to improve their resume or able to wholly focus on academics because they needed a part-time job just to survive. The fear ends up making us animals: we will grab any opportunity we can no matter what happens or who gets hurt. It's the fear of surviving.
So, the State increased tuition. What are we supposed to do about it? Well, we fight it. There is a process of writing letters to your MP, MPP, Minister of Finance, the head of the National Student Loans... the list is endless, to raise awareness of this issue. It's a lot of work. It's overwhelming at times. Again, it's your choice to continue. If you want more information, I suggest that you look some stuff up first. For example, an impertinent thing to read, although tedious and tiresome, is The Canada Student Financial Assistance Act. Article 16.1 explicitly states that there is a limitation period of 6 years to which, at the end of the 6 years, the State may not go after you for your student loans. There is an unknown catch: the 6 year limitation period 'resets' itself everytime you contact the student loan services, even if you call them to tell them you cannot make payments. That's why they call you all the time, to keep resetting the clock, hoping, in the end, that you will pay the loan back, plus years of accumulated interest. It's a pretty sound investment for them and absolutely debilitating for us.
So, now, you have to think about whether it is worth it. To flee, fight, or fall on your knees and beg for mercy. What they don't tell you is that the choice is yours. You may not end up living the 'normal' life, but I think that a life of working a thousand hours at a thankless job, the stress of even more debt, the shere misery of being considered a powerless subject is no life at all.
If the idea of living an abnormal life freaks anyone out, I understand. I had/have those moments all the time. But, if you truly think about the consequences to not doing something, not enacting some sort of change, then you not only relinquish your power as a human being with the right to live, you perpetuate the machine, you roll the wheel into the future where it ruins the lives of our children and grandchildren.
It most definitely will not be easy, but I wouldn't mind devoting myself to a life worth fighting for. The question is: would you?
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