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11/23/2008: "Parade Encounter"

While watching this year's Santa Clause parade in our city, I found myself surrounded by a variety of people, as can be expected at this sort of event. Our daughters were performing baton twirling in the parade, so we were there as proud parents to cheer them on and take photos.

The city government ran an entry in the parade consisting of a car with the mayor's name on it and the mayor himself walking behind it waving at the crowd. Later, the local members of the provincial government ran an entry in the parade, which similarly consisted of a couple cars with the MLA's names on them, and one of the MLAs walking behind it. It sounds pretty boring, and it was, but what else would you really expect?

When the mayor's car inched past, I heard generally nothing from the people around me, other than the normal crowd noise, a little cheering, and maybe somebody giving recognition that they knew who it was. When the provincial government car inched past, the man beside me all but spat on the ground in his disgust, using words like "unbelieveble", "that gang" etc. He sounded both disgusted and genuinely surprised that these politicians would want to show their faces in public.

OK, I get that you didn't vote for the current political leaders. I can't say I agree with everything they've done neither. I am however astonished at the level of hostility that was expressed there. What's the deal? Is it normal to villify those who differ in their poitics?

What is doubly surprising to me is the difference in the reception of the two government floats. They are both politicians, just at different levels. Both our mayor and the province's governing party are considered to be "right wing" in their ideologies. Both have passed some bills that have benefitted businesses, and given preferential treatment. So why the indifference to one and disgust for the other?