nfotxn | Entries tagged with people

Honest Ed's, originally uploaded by scruss.

Ed Mirvish died today. Honest Ed's is an institution of the City of Toronto. Mirvish was a philanthropist, the city's biggest patron of theatre, shameless marketer and horrible comedian. If there was a Canadian Dream he definitely lived it.

The CBC explains the man and his life better than I can.

Honest Ed' Mirvish praised as 'man of the people who made it big'

Current Music: Stars - One More Night (Apostle of Hustle)

See the thing about service economy jobs is that facing the public is like wading into tide. You face a celestial capacity force of human emotions that only let up when the doors of the store close. In my small space behind the register at work I face torture like a caged X-Man at the hands of Magneto or Apocalypse or something. Bourgeois fucktards green-washing their self-indulgence with organic junk food. Insecure fat middle-aged men talking on cell phones in an attempt to feel important. Crappy parents abusing their kids without even trying. Mental energy is extinguished and by the evening's end and I lay there, torn spandex jump-suit, waiting to recuperate. Sometimes I team up with a friend at work and we combine our powers of controlling the situation and spreading cheer. But it's hard work and the world is full of sour, sour people.

Current Music: Audion - T.B.

Adult High School is a pretty crazy place. My first period class has reminded me that, perhaps, I'm not as much of a ruthless debater as I'd once thought. I'm actually quite constrained and polite.

There is one dude, who I will call Malcolm X Jr., whom basically launched a barrage of insults in my direction "on behalf of my class". Irony being that he does this to most everyone who disagrees with him. And the class doesn't seem to like him very much at all. He's aggressive, close minded and has a chip on his shoulder like none I've experienced on a daily basis in my life.

What set Malcolm X Jr. off with me was when I disagreed that Dr. Phil is a valid form of therapy. And that he is a television hack spurting pop-psychology platitudes to the applause of advertisers and ratings.

I don't know how to say this really without sounding conceited. But when you're a little bit intelligent around others who are not you are quickly identified as a threat by some people. People who learn figure out that listening to others and applying their knowledge together learn more... but that's the crux of the problem really. Malcolm X Jr. is a dogmatic dumbshit. And not surprisingly a card carrying member of the God squad.

It's not even personal. He just can't hear anybody but himself and people disagreeing with him. And frankly I'm a bit scared he's gonna work his hate outside of class, so I'm just keeping quite from here on in.

Makes me wonder what's been done to him. Abusive parents, church, community? Has M. X. Jr. really been that hard done by? The race card is awfully quick to come out but there are so many other card carrying members in all my classes that don't seem to need it.

Despite all the bad at school. All the obvious poverty, struggling and second chances it's neat to see so many people, yours truly included, start to get it. To gain momentum and carry forward in life. I've also made some good friends. People I can relate to about school and life as a young adult. No other fags that I know of, but really that is the least interesting part about me these days.