Chocolate Jesus display shut down in NY over complaints

So there. The mob has spoken. No doubt Jesus is awfully relieved.

You know, I hate to break it to people, but Jesus was a man - a man who was tortured and brutally executed. When he was up on the cross, he likely had nothing on at all - after all, didn't the soldiers divide up his clothes? Believe me, the Romans had no concern for the dignity or "modesty" of those they were crucifying, and although Jesus might ideally have preferred to cover his privates, I imagine that that was actually the least of his concerns at the time. The point is that he was being mocked, spat on, tortured - treated with absolutely no dignity at all, and yet somehow in the story he manages to retain his dignity through it all.

And although the crucifixion is considered to be a unique event, it is not - which is actually the point. Many people have been treated this way throughout history - many are now. Yet in this story, which ends in the Resurrection, there is the promise that this is not the end of the story for any of these people. Whether or not you believe in the Resurrection, that is the liberating promise at the core of this story - even if they try to degrade us, and they destroy us, that will not be the end. The authorities on Earth do not have the last word.

You know, I think I could actually believe this...I sure would like to!

News item: Catholics angry over naked chocolate Jesus at NY gallery

Roman Catholics witness the Roman handiwork upon the body of the one they call their Lord,
rendered in chocolate, hanging from a cross, and protest the ultimate indignity –
his genitals shown for all to see, a dangling obscenity –

A scandal! For shame!
Shield the children! Hide their eyes!
It’s all lies –

for this was the Son of God, never the Son of Man!

Denounce now this insult to the Catholic flock -
the chocolate cock of the crucified Christ – a ludicrous fiction,
a pornographic blasphemy!
The ultimate indignity –
a blow to our beliefs, a blow to our faith,
a chocolate cock!
Don't we have the right to never be mocked?

And while we’re at it, the edible Christ
is bread and wine,
never chocolate!

IMPRESSION OF A CONVERSATION

“I think perhaps that I have given you the wrong impression”

“My impression is that you’re right
a false impression can delight
or dismay
or disgust
but I trust
you’ll set me straight today.”

"Not too straight I hope - you have a twisted bent that I rather like."

A response to the blog posting Mario et «nous», Montréalais :

Philippe
Les adéquistes sont partout. Du Nord au Sud, de l'Est à L'ouest. Toute la province est maintenant sous le pouvoir de l'empire de l'ADQ. Toute ? Non ! Car une grande ville socialiste résiste à l'envahisseur, encore et toujours. MONTRÉAL ! Mais pour combien de temps ? Astérix, Obélix, Panoramix ??? Où êtes-vous ? On va avoir besoin de la potion magique socialiste ! Sinon, nous devrons nous séparer du Québec, qui ne nous aime plus. Snif, snif

Montreal, a socialist city? In my dreams, perhaps. Stilll, it made me laugh.

The ADQ won 41 seats, but none in Montreal. Can’t we get with the program? Mario is the bright new star in Quebec's political firmament – everyone knows that. And everyone knows that people in the regions are sick and tired (tanné) with superior Montrealers; so tired of a city where whole neighbourhoods (like the Plateau) are well-known to be nests of socialist vipers seeking to impose their values on everyone else.

I understand that people are complaining about being disrespected by Montrealers, but “ce petit jeu joue à deux”. I believe in respecting people, but I have little sympathy for people who complain about being disrespected when they are being called on their disrespect of other people. The wounded pride of the Herouxvillois who stood up for that fundamental Quebec value of people never wearing exotic garb such as hijabs except on Halloween (Woooo! Scary Muslims!) impresses me not at all. The radio talk show host who wrote of his right to think differently from people in the Plateau after he likened the Parti Quebecois to ‘a club of fags' likewise does not have my sympathy. Rule number one: If you want to be respected by people who are different from you, start by respecting people who are different from you.

Mind you, I must make a confession: I live in the Plateau. Although come to think of it, that in itself does nothing to rank me above or below anyone.

I also think that we Quebecers must not be afraid to name the racism, homophobia, and other forms of discriminatory oppression in our society (including in Montreal, even in the Plateau!). People are often motivated by xenophobia rather than racism, but their xenophobia makes racist discrimination acceptable. And racism is definately a problem in Montreal, where there is, for example, a pattern of police shootings of so-called "visible minorities" (an interesting euphemism)- a pattern which includes complete inpunity for police officers. And that's just one of the more blatant patterns of racism that never quite seems to get on the radar screen for white Montrealers here in this oh-so tolerant, open, and diverse metropolis.

Alright, I admit it: having elections is better than not having them. Yet they almost invariably leave me feeling frustrated and depressed – and this latest election in Quebec is no exception. People obviously aren’t satisfied with the way things are going, yet they turn to someone like Mario Dumont, who really has nothing different to offer apart from a charming folksy style – and a not-so-charming approach to cultural diversity.

According to surveys, most of the people who voted ADQ didn’t actually want it to win the election – although they almost pushed the ADQ over the top by accident. Very often people get fed up with “politics as usual”, but creating a genuinely new politics will require than a protest vote.

The one good thing about the ADQ’s rise is that it may finally take Quebec politics off the track of federalist vs. separatist polarization. But once again, the political discourse we heard during the election barely touched on how the way we are living as a society is unbalanced, unsustainable and unjust. We as a people are not speaking up against the idea that it’s perfectly appropriate to treat other people and nature as mere “resources” to be exploited for profit or as garbage cans to be poisoned for profit, or as mere obstacles to profit-led development.

It’s better to have elections than not have them, but there’s got to be more to democracy than the machinery of elections in motion. More than the discourse of the leaders; more than their squabbles. Any positive change is going to have to come from us, not from the leaders. Democracy means it's up to us.

I’m not a religious person. Or I am, depending on how you look at it. Actually, morality is important to me, but I don’t feel very much patience for most religious institutions anymore. They don’t seem to concern themselves very much with things that matter. When people look back on this time, what will they think were the great moral questions of the age? I suspect that it won’t be the ones that religious authorities tend to focus on – you know, the ones having to do with sex. Of course people are fascinated by sex, which is understandable, and the focus on “sexual morality” that preoccupies the Roman Catholic authorities as well as the “religious right” likely reflects a certain prurient interest. But sexuality is just one element of human existence in which people choose to (or not to) treat themselves, other people, and creation as more than mere things to be exploited. There are so many ways in which people can be degraded and oppressed that don’t have to do with sex, but opposing them too forcefully can offend powerful interests. For instance, I heard yesterday of a mining project in Alberta that so contaminates the water table that one can set the water on fire for 30 seconds at a time. Consider the implications of this, if this is true. People are being poisoned so that companies can profit. Isn’t that highly immoral when you think about it? Yet this would just be an extreme example of what happens all the time.

Many churches say the right things about peace, social justice and the environment, but at the level of a murmur. Not for them the rantings of the Hebrew prophets who decried the injustices of their times. But piously wishing for peace and justice doesn’t accomplish much.

Democracy: Is that all there is?

I live in Quebec, where we are in the middle of an election campaign. It's a tight three way race, they say. Isn't that exiting? Anything could happen...but nothing interesting does. I'm bored. It's like watching a movie where I can't sympathize with any of the major characters - in that it's tiring to watch. I'm tempted to say "wake me 'til it's over", but I suppose I ought to vote at least. My vote's going to Amir Khadir of Quebec Solidaire.

People and Other Commodities - Beware of the Economic Treadmill!

It seems that MacLean’s magazine recently ran an article saying that we Quebecers don’t work hard enough, and are mooching off of more industrious Canadian provinces. For instance, in Alberta they are hard at work wrecking the tar sands to get at the oil in it, thus ensuring that we as a country will continue to do our bit when it comes to adding a bit of warmth to this cold, cold world in which we live. Even Lucien Bouchard, who once epitomized the wounded pride of Quebecers, now thinks we’re not giving enough of ourselves to the economy.

But the funny thing is that the Canadian Center for Policy Alternatives recently ran a study analysing Statistics Canada data which showed that over the last thirty years every class of Canadians except for the rich have been working longer and harder, yet only the rich have been making more money. So basically, the deal we’re being offered is to work harder so that other people can make more money. Well, thanks – but no thanks. I’ll stick to my 35 hours a week – in fact I would work a bit less if I could, but my job is full-time and it’s quite good as jobs go.

But really, aren't all large companies tools of Satan?

Proctor & Gamble not in league with Satan, US court rules

It sounds like this would have been an interesting trial to follow. Did they attempt to subpeona the Devil? They should have, but you know how it is - people in positions of great power are generally spared such indignities at the hands of the law. How else can one explain the fact that Dick Cheney is still at large?

The Performing Life - Manic Depression as a Vocation

Well, we did it - we performed our dinner theatre cabaret, The Dictatorship of Debt, on Sunday night. As many lamps from peoples' homes, candles, and strategically placed stage lights provided a wonderful atmosphere along with the live music that was played by a small band of musicians, we re-created a sort of cartoon cabaret version of the world in which we re-enacted how the world economy works against the world's poor, using the dinner as an example of the world's wealth is mis-distributed. There was a very good energy in the room that supported us even though we could have been better prepared performance-wise. Ah, but all the elements were there for a truly great show - and I think the shows we'll do in April will truly be great.

Sun sun sun

The sun is out - hooray!

Wow, how my mood changes with the weather... I hear it's getting colder, but never mind - spring is still on the way.

Having Fun Arguing

I read something in The Gazette saying that recycling is pointless.

http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/editorial/story.html?id=de1a1f1d-4533-49fe-9079-ec9d87a8ef3e

I was so amused by some of the claims in it that I had to respond:

In “Is Recycling Really Worth It?”, Barry Cooper claims that all economists agree that “markets, price adjustments and product substitution mean that physical limits to all substances on Earth are economically irrelevant…future generations can never exhaust natural resources.” We are supposed to believe, then, that the collapse in fish stocks in the north Atlantic was “economically irrelevant” or just plain impossible.

Mr. Cooper does not appear to recognize that there are limits to the occult powers of “market forces”. They cannot turn water into wine, nor can they reproduce the miracle of the loaves and fishes. If bio-fuels do turn out to be a viable replacement for gasoline, for example, it will be because of government policies, not market forces.

Mr. Cooper also claims that there are “more trees in North America today then there have been in a century and a half”. All fine and good, but where do these trees live? A tree is a tree is a tree, but a suburb or city park is not a forest.

I will also make note never to entrust Mr. Cooper with the care of my goldfish or of the Earth.

Greetings From Amidst the Grey

I admit it - persistent grey weather dampens my spirit. On Monday I rejoiced at heading home from work in broad daylight, but since then, hello zombiedom.

Tuesday night I resisted the grey ennuie by going to a festival of shorts (as in movies, of course- it's still only March) that a friend had told me about at the last minute. Called "Reel Dames", it feaured short films by women composed for or with musical soundtracks. I found some a bit too self-consciously strange. I find that this is a reflex in a lot of artistic stuff - when in doubt, make something really strange and dare people to make any sense out of it. Of course, art doesn't need to make literal sense, and actually shouldn't try too hard to do so, but it ought to make sense on some emotional or sub-conscious level. Saturating a work with incoherent arty cleverness tends to smother any impact it could have. I've made that mistake myself. But then, maybe others felt engaged on some level by things that seemed a bit pointless to me.

That said, there tended to be interesting stuff in all of the pieces, and some were very good. I liked a couple of the animated pieces best- there was a video for a song called "Black Cab" that traced the journey of a white snowball, burying everything in its path. "Listen Kid" was also a very nice animation. "Drifters" was a nice video, but what I liked best about it was the song by Patrick Watson (is the song called "Drifters" too?) I liked "The Walk" mainly because it reminded me of walks I've had through Montreal.

It was also an occasion to see a friend I hadn't seen in a while, although it was almost like it had been no time at all. Her mind can move very quickly though - I was struggling to keep up at first. My mind can move pretty fast too, but not on days like Tuesday...or yesterday...or today. Grey days...sigh.

How Is This Measured?

Headline in today's Gazette (as part of its Quebec election coverage): "Average Candidate is 44 - and 31% Female"

Who Reads The National Post?

Part of a feature headline in today’s issue: “How Hiring a Maid Could Help Solve Problems in Your Relationship”

…as long as you don’t end up sleeping with the maid – a definate relationship no-no, as far as I can tell

You know, it would have been good if somebody had given me this piece of advice before...before…sniff!...well, it’s no use crying over the spilt milk that the maid could have cleaned up. I must look to the future. Now let’s see…money…I’ll need to get some more of that. Hopefully my cabaret theatre project will end up on Broadway and make me a millionaire before yet another relationship hits stormy weather. Unfortunately, this could prove to be a race against time – a race that, in the long run, we all must lose. Oh well.

The other day I got an email, and the subject of it read: “Penetrate your partner for hours on end.” I didn’t read it, because I don’t think my partner, whoever he or she would be, would wish to be penetrated for hours on end. Sounds rather unpleasant if you ask me. I don’t think people go into a creative partnership or business venture with someone in order to be penetrated by anything. In fact, many such partnerships go wrong when one partner penetrates the other. Take it from me, being stabbed in the back by your partner is definitely not a good sign for the future of your partnership. I don't know of anyone who would welcome that sort of penetration at all.

But I suppose that if one partner wanted to stab the other in the back, it could be useful to have a sharp object that could keep penetrating the other’s back for hours on end. I guess that must be who the message is aimed at- someone wanting to stab his partner in the back for hours on end. The only problem with this theory is that I really don’t know where anyone could have got the idea that I am one of those people. I thought of asking the person who sent it to me where he or she would have got this idea, but I never got around to it, just like I didn’t get around to reading the message. I mean after all, there’s only so many hours in a day- 24 I think it was at last count.