Tuesday, August 04, 2009

Quebec Car-troversies: a study in stupidity and outrage

Okay, a terrible pun for a title, I admit.

Here's what's the hot topic in Quebec this week. First, another stupid person died car surfing over the weekend. It's the second one in Quebec this year. The first was a guy in his late 30's. This time it was a teenage girl. It is truly sad for the family and all that, but holy shit, how fucking stupid can you get! I mean you really think you're going to be hanging on to the roof of a car while it's driving fast? It's a testimony to how pampered and unrealistic our lives are becoming in the first world. Our youth have even less common sense than ever. I know the youths are stupid anyways, it's part of that phase of life and all that, but I really think that we are becoming more and more protected from the realities of physical danger to the point where these kids don't really have a sense of what real danger is.

The second hot topic is the 7-year old kid whose parents let him drive the car and put it up on youtube. First of all, shame on the fucking CBC for making this a news story at all. It was on the National! This is absolutely not a national news story and was brought on simply to incite emotion and reaction from the audience. The CBC has sunken so low. They have really lost any high ground they might have had over the local newscasts. Second, all the outraged losers freaking out about this kid driving. Yes, it's stupid and dangerous (he really should have been wearing a seatbelt), but it's on empty country roads and at least the kid is learning how to drive. I can't really argue that it's a good move, but I'm just sick of the moral reaction coming from the public. It's this kind of constant fear and moral surveillance and approval of others that has made us such a lame and soft society. And the media cater to it, feeding and nurturing it. When I see that this is a news story, I have a reaction similar to MrTonyVachon's' comments on youtube "lol osti de trou de cul de tete caré a marde du canada, mange un osti de char de marde haha c vous autres les criss de looser LOL Ontario suck!!!!"