| Only the daily media (and in particular, the
broadcast media) know how to perpetuate a story far beyond its
value or worth or interest to the average person, and as a media
person myself, there's nothing I hate more than when an issue
is beaten to death and beyond, ad nauseum. We've endured a recent story, and it's been hyped up by all the media so badly I probably don't even have to tell you what it is; for those who can't guess, I refer to the newsflash-from-16-years-ago, the infamous video with a much younger Brad Wall doing an imitation of a Ukrainian uncle, and Tom Lukiwsky making an offhand and off-colour joke about gays. In case you're fearful I'm going to run the transcript of their comments and dissect said comments into little bits, while giving them vile names like "threatening racist slurs" and so on, just relax, please. I'll spare us all. This was purely a case of both the broadcast media and certain interest groups having an axe to grind, (not to mention the source of finding this infamous tape, the NDP) and making sure they were able to milk all the publicity out of it that they could. Somebody at the NDP caucus should get a raise for the incredibly wild success this non-story had, as it somehow grew legs and galloped off into the sunset, whilst in the background the poor carcasses of Lukiwsky and Wall were being ruthlessly beaten to death. Oh, and did I have the temerity to call it a "non-story"? I suppose I should duck, lest the fascist-like PC police come rampaging after me. The first reaction I had, upon hearing this (gasp!) incredible news-from-16-years-ago was, and I quote, "Who on earth cares what somebody said 16 years ago?" I mean seriously, unless you have recorded everything you've ever said or done from 16 years ago, would you remember it? And is there any possibility amongst the readers out there that at some random point in your life you might've said something that, were it to be broadcast provincially and nationally, you'd be embarrassed about? How about amongst all the media who were breathlessly labelling Wall and Lukiwsky with hateful labels as if they were, say, some vile criminal of some sort, or the NDP who breathlessly found this tape - how about any of these people, have they been absolutely perfect angels, and have never ever made a joke that would be considered in poor taste, or off-colour or (heavens!) offensive if we were to repeat it today? In spite of the complete lack of any news value, the story made huge headlines, and the two politicians in question (amazing how one is now the premier!) made honest, sincere public apologies. That, ladies and gentlemen, should have been the end of it. But no. Mr. Calvert would have us believe this is such an awful thing that there should be resignations occurring, like Kathy Young and Tom Lukiwsky as MP for Regina, same with certain lobby interests with open agendas. They say public apologies aren't enough, and we want more. Get real, people! The non-event in question was 16 years ago; people have moved on and grown up and changed since then. Apologies were made, and rightfully so - therefore, leave it alone. Let the dead horse lie, so we can please go on to issues that matter, issues that pertain to today and the future. |
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