"I'll be the pennies on your eyes"

[sabotabby]

I just came back from seeing The Black Rider at Tarragon Theatre. I am somewhat incoherent with joy and squee. It's my favourite musical (I mean, Tom Waits and William S. Burroughs—how completely awesome can you get?) and the cast and director did an utterly perfect job of it. I imagine that it's a fairly hard production to mount, and they did it splendidly. And it looked like they were having a blast. I am tempted to go see it again, and if you're in Toronto, you should go see it too.


Evil is hot.

---

My bio-grandmother just sent me this piece of drivel. Why do they let old people use HTML-coded e-mail?



This needs the biggest, widest distribution
that we are capable of giving.
It is NOT racist.
It is FACTUAL.

SPEAK UP FOR YOUR COUNTRY CANADIANS!

Bruce Allen not out of hot water yet.

VANCOUVER/CKNW(AM980) - Despite being given a show of support by Vancouver 2010 organizers, embattled music manager and CKNW editorialist, Bruce Allen is not out of hot water just yet as the fallout continues from his recent commentary indicating immigrants to Canada should 'fit in,' or 'go home.'

Richmond Liberal MP, Raymond Chan, is set to file an official complaint with the CRTC (Canadian Radio & Television Commission) about Allen's recent 'reality check' alleging the piece was discriminatory. Chan is also demanding an official apology and a retraction of the comments.

It's time we all get behind Bruce Allen, and scrap this Political Correctness business. His comments were anything but racist, but there are far too many overly-sensitive 'New Canadians' that are trying to change everything we hold dear.

For example, our National Anthem: Don't know what your opinions are, but I certainly agree. --- I'm sorry, but after hearing they want to sing the National Anthem in Hindi - enough is enough. Nowhere or at no other time in our nation's history, did they sing it in Italian, Japanese, Polish, Irish (Celtic), German, Portuguese, Greek, or any other language because of immigration. It was written in English, and should be sung word for word the way it was written. The news broadcasts even gave the translation -- not even close.

I am not sorry if this offends anyone, this is MY COUNTRY - IF IT IS YOUR COUNTRY SPEAK UP ---- please pass this along.... I am not against immigration .. just come through like everyone else... Get a sponsor; get a place to lay your head; get a job; pay your taxes; live by the rules ...AND... LEARN THE LANGUAGE


as all other immigrants have in the past .


and LONG LIVE CANADA! []

PART OF THE PROBLEM? Think about this: If you don't want to forward this for fear of offending someone ----- YOU'RE PART OF THE PROBLEM !!!!

Will we still be the Country of Choice and still be CANADA if we continue to make the changes forced on us by the people from other countries who have come to live in CANADA because it is the Country of Choice??????

Think about it! IMMIGRANTS, NOT CANADIAN'S, MUST ADAPT.

It is Time for CANADA to Speak up.

If you agree - pass This along.

So I'm sending her back:

Actually, it *is* racist. (And it's grammatically atrocious. People who tell others to learn a language ought to learn it themselves first.)

Descendants of European invaders who plundered this country ought to be ashamed of themselves for believing in the claptrap of Mr. Allen and his ilk. Did *his* ancestors bother learning the language of the people from whom they stole this land?

Feel free to pass my comments along if you agree!

Comments

[sabotabby]

Yeah, I should have added something about that in my response. But honestly, the coding made the e-mail practically unreadable, so I sort of skimmed, saw "Political Correctness," "immigrants," "learn English," and "Canadian's" and hammered out a response without reading the rest.

[captainmushroom.livejournal.com]

That was the part that grabbed me, too. For the same reason. Funny, I'm anglo-canadian, and even I don't know the whole song in English. French, sure, but English? Nope.

[outcastspice.livejournal.com]

wow that email is scary!!!

the musical sounds wonderful, we're looking into going :)

[sabotabby]

Do not look into—just go. This is the last ever run and it's like having an orgasm for 100 minutes straight. (Well, if you have the same reaction to Tom Waits' music and people in face paint that most people I do.)

[outcastspice.livejournal.com]

wow, that is so exciting! :)

[northbard.livejournal.com]

we're in..you guys wanna make a night of it?

I'm thinking Nov 6

[outcastspice.livejournal.com]

i emailed what i think is your yahoo account, did you get it?

[northbard.livejournal.com]

fraid not.

send it to planning at dotdot . ca

[outcastspice.livejournal.com]

sent!

[ironed_orchid]

Your reply is wonderful.

[sabotabby]

Why thank you!

[shelestel.livejournal.com]

My grandmother compiled a Russian lit school textbook by the name "A Kind World". Perhaps a little naive, but, you know, she was raised under Stalin after all. Your grandmother... well, never mind.

[sabotabby]

There's a reason we're estranged. It's partially because, although she's otherwise in good health, she's never quite remembered who I was, but also because she's a douchebag.

[marnanel.livejournal.com]

Irish (Celtic)

The what now?

It was written in English, and should be sung word for word the way it was written.

O Canada! Terre de nos aïeux, ton front est ceint de fleurons glorieux. Car ton bras sait porter l'épée, il sait porter la croix. Ton histoire est une épopée, des plus brillants exploits, et ta valeur, de foi trempée, protégera nos foyers et nos droits.

ou non?

scrap this Political Correctness business

Dear right wing: Everyone except you has scrapped this Political Correctness business. The rest of us are busy enough with simply paying respect to people.

oh, should have said:
Did *his* ancestors bother learning the language of the people from whom they stole this land?

WIN.

[sabotabby]

Yes, yes, and yes.

[skywardprodigal.livejournal.com]

Terre de nos aïeux, ton front est ceint de fleurons glorieux. Car ton bras sait porter l'épée, il sait porter la croix. Ton histoire est une épopée, des plus brillants exploits, et ta valeur, de foi trempée, protégera nos foyers et nos droits.

C'est ça.

[eyelidlessness.livejournal.com]

This makes me want to sing the Canadian national anthem in Pig Latin.

[sabotabby]

I'm of the opinion that the Canadian national anthem is to be avoided on any language. And eventually replaced with the Internationale.

[marnanel.livejournal.com]

Hasten the day! Though at least you have an anthem that's about the country and not just about one person who lives in it (and didn't once include lines about crushing rebellious Quebecois or something).

[sabotabby]

This is true. But it is still theocratic and patriarchal, and I object to it on artistic grounds alone.

[marnanel.livejournal.com]

Three very good reasons to drop it (which also apply to almost every other anthem out there, with the notable exception of your suggestion).

[eyelidlessness.livejournal.com]

Sure, but singing it in Pig Latin would be way more annoying to these folks than to either of us.

[terry-terrible.livejournal.com]

live by the rules ...AND... LEARN THE LANGUAGE

Which one? L'anglais ou Français?

[sabotabby]

That's the problem when you cut n' paste your right-wing vitriol from American sources.

[northbard.livejournal.com]

mmmm...farm fresh hatred, jut the way Mom used to serve it.

[northbard.livejournal.com]

Huh..I dunno if it's even coherent enough to be racist.

It might just be stupid.

..

Yup.

Just stupid.

Wait..no..sorry.

$t00p1d

As the kids say these days...

Hey, we should TOTALLY hook up your old, hateful jewish gramma with my old hateful jewish grandpa,

Think of the fun at high holidays!

[sabotabby]

That would be awesome. As long as your old hateful Jewish grandpa doesn't have an old hateful Jewish grandma who minds losing him to mine. Because she pretty much shags everyone she comes across.

[marnanel.livejournal.com]

I am imagining a site called OKHatefulRightWingJewishElderlyCupid.com.

[ilipodscrill.livejournal.com]

you may be on to something!!

[gordonzola.livejournal.com]

I thought you were saying the Black Rider was racist. That'll teach me not to clicky clicky too fast.

[sabotabby]

What, no. It's a thing of beauty. Unlike e-mail forwards.

[cyborg-kitty100.livejournal.com]

Holy shit, and Robert Wilson too? Does this musical want me to have it's babies or WHAT?

[sabotabby]

Yes, yes it does.

[punctum-punctum.livejournal.com]

The Injuns didn't have a language tho, they just telepathize and shit.

[sabotabby]

With their spirit animals. Also, smoke signals.

[simienwolf.livejournal.com]

English was good enough for Jesus, and it's good enough for me.

[sabotabby]

The worst is that she's a Jew. :)

[ilipodscrill.livejournal.com]

i got to see the Black Rider in San Francisco a couple years ago with Marianne Faithfull as the devil. i ended up seeing it again with the understudy--it was interesting to compare the Marianne devil to the other performance. totally with you, wish i could see it again in Toronto.

[sabotabby]

Marianne Faithfull as the devil

That must have been awesome.

[ilipodscrill.livejournal.com]

yes, incredible.

[jk-fabiani.livejournal.com]

Well said. My country is nuts with it.

[sabotabby]

Mine is too, if you read the comments section to the Star online. I don't think it's the majority of the country, but they're certainly vocal about it.

[plexq.livejournal.com]

How un-Canadien of him to fail to provide the discourse in French also as is required for all official signage as last time I checked the official languages of Canada were French and English, not just English.

I'm generally of the opinion that all the people living in a given country should try to have a language in common as it makes writing laws and policing effectively much easier. It would be kind of a bummer to make every cop learn 6 languages just to be able to do their job. And how do you decide which language's version of a law to pick apart and apply technical semantics to get around if you are a lawyer or a judge?

I'm generally of the opinion that any country that wants to grow it's economy should desire immigration so it has a larger workforce, but then I'm no economist. It might make your GDP/cap go down, but overall GDP will rise if you have more people working. Heck - I'll learn Spanish if the US tips toward a Latin American majority (actually I already have the Spanish modules for Rosetta stone, cos I think it's helpful to be able to communicate with folks).

[sonjaaa.livejournal.com]

shigil and I are gonna see it on the last night it's playing! :D

[sqrt-joy.livejournal.com]

For example, our National Anthem: Don't know what your opinions are, but I certainly agree. --- I'm sorry, but after hearing they want to sing the National Anthem in Hindi - enough is enough. Nowhere or at no other time in our nation's history, did they sing it in Italian, Japanese, Polish, Irish (Celtic), German, Portuguese, Greek, or any other language because of immigration. It was written in English, and should be sung word for word the way it was written. The news broadcasts even gave the translation -- not even close.

I find this part the best because, of course, if it's sung word-for-word the way it was written, well, we'd be singing it in FRENCH alone.