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Ageism, Aging and Getting Old in Tech

Posted on by Christopher
Respect your elders. This is a seemingly culturally universal sentiment that is older than written language itself. For good reason too. Back in prehistoric times, any member of your species that managed to get old, was either lucky or did something right that helped them survive. A little bit of reverence wouldn’t be a bad thing, and hopefully one could learn a trick or two and increase their own chances of having similar success. So, it shouldn’t be surprising that this is also believed to be a behavioural trait found in all primates. What also shouldn’t be surprising, is that there is at least a common perception that this respect is in decline. Moreso, there is plenty of anecdotal evidence and a mood in the zeitgeist that, worse than a decline, this has become a prejudice – with Bill Maher ranting that ageism is “the last acceptable prejudice in America“. […]... Read More

Action Bronson and hip-hop’s problem with misogyny

Posted on by Christopher 2 Comments
So, this week, former chef turned rapper ‘Action Bronson’ has stirred up controversy again. This isn’t terribly surprising, considering his past, but also considering that more often than not, controversy sells tickets. Except for when it doesn’t, and shows get cancelled when the controversy goes over the top. Even though Bronson’s free NXNE show was cancelled in Toronto this May, he was offered to do a ticketed show instead (Update: I’ve been told he declined this offer). Everyone likes to cash in on controversy apparently. The latest stir up was when Julie Miville-Dechêne, the president of Quebec’s Council for the Status of Women, stated that Action Bronson’s message was misogynistic and essentially hate speech. In an interview on CBC Radio, Mme Miville-Dechêne calls out evenko — the promoter of Osheaga, a popular Montreal indie music festival held for the last 9 years, the last 3 in Parc Jean-Drapeau — to […]... Read More

My Name Is Christopher

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Several years ago, I started using ‘Xopher’ as my online handle, and I had a number of reasons for doing this. It was different, it was shorter than my real name that often didn’t even fit in forms I have to fill out, and it started with a freakin’ ‘X’! How cool is that? Another advantage that ‘Xopher’ had was that nobody ever shortened it to ‘Chris’. I’ve been called ‘X’, ‘zofer’, ‘ex-sofer’, but people who knew me as Xopher never called me Chris, and I really like that. I have old friends who call me Chris, and I’m ok with that. However, one of my pet peeves is to introduce myself to someone as Christopher only to have them call me Chris minutes later. When I introduced myself, I pronounced those other syllables for a reason – please don’t tell me I wasted my breath. Sadly, a big reason […]... Read More

Merci Mme. Marois

Posted on by Christopher 3 Comments
Schadenfreude is fun and all, and Marois was far from perfect, but let’s not forget a few things: She was our provinces first woman premier. I’m sure there were many glass ceilings that she had to break through to get there. She served the public for almost 35 years! She shut down the shameful practice of asbestos mining in Quebec. She was instrumental in implementing universal daycare. She was a strong defender of the rights of women. Yeah, she had lots of faults too. Her charter of values was a terrible embarrassment to our province — She was une vieille matante and had pretty shitty xenophobic views – but I can list a bunch of people in my family who are the same (if not worse). I wouldn’t project the hate on them that she’s getting now. Anyway, since she’s paying a pretty high price for her faults, maybe she […]... Read More

Tyranny of Secularism

Posted on by Christopher 2 Comments
Pauline Marois’s Secularism Charter A recurring topic in provincial politics has come up again. Cynics say Pauline Marois and her minions are using the politics of division in order to gain votes and support by creating a false divide between pure laine Québecois and les éthiniques. While I generally despise cynicism and I would rather assume Hanlon’s Razor in cases like this, I can definitely see the source of their cynicism. Rather than infer purely bigoted motives on the part of the PQ and Marois, I do believe that they are seeking an inclusive (and unfortunately singular) society. Whatever their true motives are, the end result is division, intolerance and xenophobia. The ‘Atheist/Skeptic Community’ Bias Disclaimer: I find the idea of an ‘atheist community’ patently absurd. I’m a strong anti-theist, but I have no desire to embrace group-think or be in an ideological echo chamber to validate my own opinions. […]... Read More

Extreme Over-Reaction by Montreal Police (SPVM)

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Last night, things got way out of hand during the 26th consecutive nightly protest – which were given new momentum thanks to Jean Charest’s government passing the draconian and over-reaching Law 78. There was a lot to be ashamed of on both sides of the issue (especially these idiots). However, while we do expect citizens to behave within the law (when the law is just), we have an even greater expectation (and a greater need) for the people who enforce the law to respect it. One of the worst incidents that happened last night was the opposite of that – “Montreal’s Finest”™ did something shameful. It was bad enough that the police let things get out of hand (even worse that it’s essentially the government who fanned the flames of this one), but what happened at Bar St-Bock deserves special investigation and possible disciplinary measures if not criminal charges. You […]... Read More