Sunday, March 30, 2008

The pandas of soft fascism

I once pitched a very small potatoes proposal to a local councillor over lunch regarding raising awareness for the need for low income housing. It involved a small voluntary gesture of public engagement.

"It'll never work," he said, not unkindly. "People will reject it on the grounds that somewhere somebody they don't know might benefit from it."
I laughed.

I laughed again when I read "Earth Hour's soft fascism" by Peter Foster in Wednesday's Fanatical Post.
"Take back the night!" he exhorts, and he's serious about it! but it's in Friday's "Don't lie down with pandas" that he gets down to it. There is, he warns, the likelihood that Earth Hour will give its sponsor WWF not only power but "the potential for earning big bucks" so "keep those lights burning brightly between 8 and 9 on Saturday night".

What a complete ass.

Canadian Cynic links to Foster's amusing blogging counterparts in the rightardosphere who apparently celebrated their own voluntary gesture of public engagement on Saturday night by running their dishwashers with no dishes in them and seeing how high they could crank the thermostat before they passed out in a pile of cheetohs from heat prostration.

From CC's comments :
"i suppose that means that when i launch 'world hygiene hour' we can expect matthew and kate's kult kids to shit their own pants in defiance. hmm, i guess i should get cracking on organizing 'no drowning in the toilet' hour too."
by pretty shaved ape

and

"Anyways, don't forget folks, Monday, April 7 is our first annual Lib-Left-sponsored "Don't Slash Your Wrists Day." And of course Friday June 6 is Latte-Sipping-Torontonians-sponsored "Don't Drink 750 ml of Vodka and Swallow Two (2) Fistfuls of Sleeping Pills Day."
Fall schedule should be available any time now."
by ¢rÄßG®äŠŠ

Heh. Earth Hour has turned out to be more humorous than I expected.
H/T Vanity Pressfor the Foster link

Update : 30 million people worldwide turned out the lights at 8pm but they were still burning at Harper's house and his third floor office in the parliament buildings.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I read somewhere that Harper's lights were on and Dion's were off. Worth publicizing. (I don't know about Layton or May but assume they turned their lights off as well).

I really, really hope the rightwingers find their power bills have risen and that they spend a few days scratching their pointy heads and wondering why.

Alison said...

Holly : It was in the Star - Harper snubs Earth Hour.
Dion was giving a speech by candlelight.

Rev.Paperboy said...

Long,long ago in a galaxy far, far away I worked as a newspaper editor in Picton Ontario, home to a big cement plant. Back then, they were lobbying to burn used tires in their kilns and couldn't understand why anyone would object.
Really, what is wrong with Foster?

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