Showing posts with label politics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label politics. Show all posts
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Why I love Canadian politics
Went to question period yesterday. The things you learn that aren't on CPAC. Justin Trudeau is a fratboy shitdisturber, Stephen Harper literally cleans his fingernails while the Bloc ask him questions (no joke!), and the second anyone mentions supporting the troops or police officers everyone regardless of party stands and cheers. The Tories played that card three times. Good to see our politicians hard at work.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Robby on the Radio
I will be on the radio tomorrow, March 13th, on Radio Canada International's show 'The Link' (which starts at around 12:30) as part of a roundtable discussion on the recent humanist advertisement campaign that was banned in various cities around Canada.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
2009 can't come sooner!
Looking forward, there are a few amazing things on the horizon that I just can't wait for. As a matter of fact, if I had a choice I'd miss Christmas and New Years altogether just to get my grubby hands on these things even a week earlier.
Flight of the Conchords: Season 2
Battlestar Galactica: Season 4.5
The Watchmen (Movie)
The Boondocks: Season 3
Supposedly coming in January 2009. I couldn't find a video but if this is true, oh man I'm stoked.
Barack Obama's Inauguration
Which I'm going to in DC come hell or high water.
Flight of the Conchords: Season 2
Battlestar Galactica: Season 4.5
The Watchmen (Movie)
The Boondocks: Season 3
Supposedly coming in January 2009. I couldn't find a video but if this is true, oh man I'm stoked.
Barack Obama's Inauguration
Which I'm going to in DC come hell or high water.
Friday, November 28, 2008
Coalition government?!
"In light of the government's failure to recognize the seriousness of Canada's economic situation and its failure in particular to present any credible plan to stimulate the Canadian economy and to help workers and businesses in hard-pressed sectors such as manufacturing, the automotive industry and forestry, this House has lost confidence in this government and is of the opinion that a viable alternative government can be formed within the present House of Commons."
Na na na na, na na na na, hey hey hey, gooooodbbyyeee!!!
Na na na na, na na na na, hey hey hey, gooooodbbyyeee!!!
Friday, November 7, 2008
Some supprt for Sarah Palin
Dear Sarah,
Just incase you decide to run for president in 2012, I figure I'd help you out a bit.
Just incase you decide to run for president in 2012, I figure I'd help you out a bit.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Election Nerd
Well like every other post I've read, I'm totally stoked that Obama won the U.S. election. Is this an indicator to the forthcoming global repudiation of the right? We can only hope, but unlike my dad (who almost literally thinks Obama is the messiah), I'll judge this new president based on his action. And while I'm much more hopeful than ever before, I want to wait and see. As Obama himself said "we've got a lot of work to do."
Moreover, for a elections nerd like me who's followed American politics for the last year (I literally watch pundits for 3 hours a day - thank you Young Turks!) people were really surprised I didn't watch the election. In all fairness, I was working on a new project and had to go to the Polysics concert to get video footage, but either way. However, before everything all the election drama fades, I present you this video. Man. Mixing Star Wars nerds with election nerds has never been this awesome.
Oh and this was a lot of fun too. Man I'm such a dork.
(credit for these go to JimSmash)
Moreover, for a elections nerd like me who's followed American politics for the last year (I literally watch pundits for 3 hours a day - thank you Young Turks!) people were really surprised I didn't watch the election. In all fairness, I was working on a new project and had to go to the Polysics concert to get video footage, but either way. However, before everything all the election drama fades, I present you this video. Man. Mixing Star Wars nerds with election nerds has never been this awesome.
See more funny videos at Funny or Die
Oh and this was a lot of fun too. Man I'm such a dork.
(credit for these go to JimSmash)
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Azeroth is a blue state!
Well, one of my favorite comedians Sandeep Parikh has put together a funny video that mixes several of my interests into a fun little video (comedy, games and politics). Does the fact that 'World of Warcraft' players support Obama it mean anything? Of course not. I'm not even convinced that gamers are progressives as so many Internet folk have a crazy hard-on for Ron Paul. Man...really? Libertarianism? Sigh.
Anyway, funny video...and the elections are two days away! The whole world holds its breath yet again.
Anyway, funny video...and the elections are two days away! The whole world holds its breath yet again.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Partisans, Politics and Poker Games: My Thoughts After my CBC Interview
I’m going to just come out and say it. I’m a fan of partisan media. Even if taken to its logical extreme (Fox News) I’m still a fan of it. As a matter of fact I’m a fan of Fox News. I mean seriously have you ever watched it? Its insane! And in all honesty, its much, much funnier than the Comedy Network. As well, I have no problem with people watching junk like Fox if that’s where they want to go to get their news. Really, it’s a free country. If that’s what they want then who am I to stop them.
Moreover on the flip side of right-wing pundits shows like the O’Reilly Factor, we get liberal-tinged comedy shows like the Daily Show or the Colbert Report or to a much lesser extent CNN or MSNBC (so the right wingnuts say…I happen to think they’re pretty balanced but then again I’m a looney lefty). Nonetheless, all of these shows are American and I recently stopped to scratch my head and wonder why I follow what’s going on in the US more than in what’s going on in Canada. Its pretty sad that I can name more American politicians than Canadian ones (probably close to a scale of 5-to-1).
So what is it about American politics that’s so interesting? It can’t be that their politicians are any more interesting than our own, I mean rather than two parties, we’ve actually got at least 5 parties competing in our upcoming election, and if anything it should be much more gripping. So what’s the problem? My answer is media in Canada is boooooorrrriiinnggg. Fox News, CNN, the Daily Show are all glitz and glam and news is a spectacle down in the states, and man I eat it up readily and willingly. And I have no problems with that and as a matter of fact, if anything else, turning news into a circus show could only attract more people to watch it. Imagine, more people watching the news. It’s the stuff of dreams man.
Moreover, could you imagine if we had a Canadian version of Jon Stewart (and don’t say Rick Mercer, because for this idea to work we need someone funny)? I’m convinced that with a charismatic, funny and most importantly, entertaining news outlet that’s biting and satirical more Canadian youth would actually want to follow Canadian politics. And in my mind that’s the ultimate goal, to get more Canadians interest in their own politics regardless of where they stand politically. And my (albeit simple) answer to this is partisan media.
This idea really hit home for me when I was sitting in the CBC building a few days ago on a panel about undecided voters. The problem with Canadian media is that it’s not okay to take sides or to expose your bias. While we all know that the various Canadian media outlets do lean in one direction or another, its kept much more hush-hush than down South. And this illusion of neutrality tricks people who are unaware about the politics of their media and believe that what they read may indeed be unbiased.
Moreover this illusion of neutrality has convinced many people to remain very reserved about issues of the utmost importance. I’ll give you an example from my experience on the CBC. When talking to the first two people on the panel, each spoke about ‘the parties I’m considering’ or ‘my potential candidate.’ When it came to me I came out and blatantly said ‘I’m thinking about the NDP or the Liberals depending on who I think can fight back a Conservative majority.’ And man, the look on their faces was hilarious. They were shocked and amazed that I had actually said who I was thinking about voting for instead of a vague obscure reference to ‘the parties I’m considering.’ It was like I had exposed my hand after the first round of betting at a poker table. And even after I did dropped the bomb, the two still spoke in veiled jargon because it seemed ‘improper’ to speak frankly about the issues. While yes, I understand some people like to keep that kind of information to themselves (totally fine, it’s a free country), this is a radio show panel and if I come onto a show to do a bit about undecided voters, then it’s important to look at what’s going on in the head of undecided voters. And if we’re looking at what undecided voters are thinking about, then we need to look at their options concretely.
Coming back to my poker analogy, I actually think the news media have the whole thing backwards. Politics and political coverage should not be a hidden poker hand, it should be fully exposed so everyone can see who holds what cards so we, as voters, can make an informed decision. If we cling our cards to our chest then we run the risk of tossing our chips in on a bluff. And while that might be suitable at a poker table, it is NOT the way we should be selecting our political leaders.
Moreover on the flip side of right-wing pundits shows like the O’Reilly Factor, we get liberal-tinged comedy shows like the Daily Show or the Colbert Report or to a much lesser extent CNN or MSNBC (so the right wingnuts say…I happen to think they’re pretty balanced but then again I’m a looney lefty). Nonetheless, all of these shows are American and I recently stopped to scratch my head and wonder why I follow what’s going on in the US more than in what’s going on in Canada. Its pretty sad that I can name more American politicians than Canadian ones (probably close to a scale of 5-to-1).
So what is it about American politics that’s so interesting? It can’t be that their politicians are any more interesting than our own, I mean rather than two parties, we’ve actually got at least 5 parties competing in our upcoming election, and if anything it should be much more gripping. So what’s the problem? My answer is media in Canada is boooooorrrriiinnggg. Fox News, CNN, the Daily Show are all glitz and glam and news is a spectacle down in the states, and man I eat it up readily and willingly. And I have no problems with that and as a matter of fact, if anything else, turning news into a circus show could only attract more people to watch it. Imagine, more people watching the news. It’s the stuff of dreams man.
Moreover, could you imagine if we had a Canadian version of Jon Stewart (and don’t say Rick Mercer, because for this idea to work we need someone funny)? I’m convinced that with a charismatic, funny and most importantly, entertaining news outlet that’s biting and satirical more Canadian youth would actually want to follow Canadian politics. And in my mind that’s the ultimate goal, to get more Canadians interest in their own politics regardless of where they stand politically. And my (albeit simple) answer to this is partisan media.
This idea really hit home for me when I was sitting in the CBC building a few days ago on a panel about undecided voters. The problem with Canadian media is that it’s not okay to take sides or to expose your bias. While we all know that the various Canadian media outlets do lean in one direction or another, its kept much more hush-hush than down South. And this illusion of neutrality tricks people who are unaware about the politics of their media and believe that what they read may indeed be unbiased.
Moreover this illusion of neutrality has convinced many people to remain very reserved about issues of the utmost importance. I’ll give you an example from my experience on the CBC. When talking to the first two people on the panel, each spoke about ‘the parties I’m considering’ or ‘my potential candidate.’ When it came to me I came out and blatantly said ‘I’m thinking about the NDP or the Liberals depending on who I think can fight back a Conservative majority.’ And man, the look on their faces was hilarious. They were shocked and amazed that I had actually said who I was thinking about voting for instead of a vague obscure reference to ‘the parties I’m considering.’ It was like I had exposed my hand after the first round of betting at a poker table. And even after I did dropped the bomb, the two still spoke in veiled jargon because it seemed ‘improper’ to speak frankly about the issues. While yes, I understand some people like to keep that kind of information to themselves (totally fine, it’s a free country), this is a radio show panel and if I come onto a show to do a bit about undecided voters, then it’s important to look at what’s going on in the head of undecided voters. And if we’re looking at what undecided voters are thinking about, then we need to look at their options concretely.
Coming back to my poker analogy, I actually think the news media have the whole thing backwards. Politics and political coverage should not be a hidden poker hand, it should be fully exposed so everyone can see who holds what cards so we, as voters, can make an informed decision. If we cling our cards to our chest then we run the risk of tossing our chips in on a bluff. And while that might be suitable at a poker table, it is NOT the way we should be selecting our political leaders.
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