2017- Year in Review

Canada 150 was a thing.   

It was OK.

Seriously, it’s like a couple that has a 15^th Wedding Anniversary because they don’t think they will make it to the Silver.

Canada 150 – Ad Fail – Urination of Dreamers – CIBC

CIBC like many of the big banks were running ads celebrating Canada. CIBC wanted to rouse us up with a line that reads so much better that it is heard.

“You’re a nation of dreamers.”

I’m a word geek and that killed me every time. 

Death of Richard Wagamese

This year we said goodbye to one of Canada's most important writers. Richard Wagamese died suddenly at home. I hate that phrase. I don't know if it means what I think it means. 

Election of Wab Kinew to Provincial NDP Leadership

Do we really need to apply the Gladue case to politicians?  If he was white I don’t think he would have won. There is something called Brown White Man Privilege.

People were upset that he was being judged. Then why did he apply for a job that asks people to judge him.

I think he should hold elected office, I just wouldn't want him dating my daughter.

The Metis Left out of 60’s scoop settlement –

"Go Fiddle Faddle yourself", said Justin Trudeau. "Daniels case be damned."
Still that's the government and cold blooded anti Indigenous action is why they were built. That doesn't really bother me. What bothers me is that the First Nations representatives had to be told that this was going to happen. They had to sign off on this act of bureaucratic racism. I hope their money helps them sleep at night. 

The biggest story of the year – Gord’s Goodbye

Silent Path was the final act of Gord Downie of the Tragically Hip. He was expressing his gift long after it had faded. I say this as a fan. I loved this band. I wish they had written and recorded one song at the height of their powers that spoke to me as an Indigenous person.  I don’t mean a New Orleans is Sinking but maybe a Grace Too. Something that would get everyone dancing and thinking. No one is humming Secret Path.

Joseph Wannabe Boyden

The controversy surrounding Joseph Boyden and the legitimacy of his Indigenous heritage dominated media and social media debate. I don't know. I don't care. I thought his books read like a man writing about people he didn't know. I don't think that means anything about who he is. For me it was big smoke and no fire.

Let's be real. The problem in our communities is not white people pretending to be Native - it's Native people pretending to be white. 

Tom Wilson - That Guy Looks Like a Gabriel

As a member of Blackie and the Rodeo Kings, Tom Wilson is part of one of Canada's best live acts and a group that prides itself on touring and songwriting. This year the band toured Kings and Kings a followup to their album Kings and Queens that came out in 2011. The first album featured the top women singers in country and Americana music and this year's album featured the men. Both are fantastic. During a stop in London, ON. Wilson shared a personal story. "I always thought the dad I never knew was a greasy Irishman from Hamilton but it turns out he was a greasy Mohawk from Khanawake." He then launched into Beautiful Scars. 

Northern Cree – Grammy Nom

Congrats once again to the Northern Cree. I can only say that I have only recently fallen madly in love with Northern Cree.

I love this band.

"Good God People.Wake the Fuck Up. Are you Deaf?

This is our Hip Hop. This is our RnB."

These are random things I have shouted out at the TV while listening to Northern Cree on youtube.

Alanis Obamsawin's 50th film

I was fortunate to see the 50th film by Alanis Obomsawin, the Queen of Canadian Documentary Film on the big scren. The film was shown at the Kineto Theatre in Forest ON and much thanks to those folks. Our People will be Healed shared the story of positive community development in Norway House Cree Nation. It premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and was named by TIFF as one of Canada's Ten Best Films of the Year.

Brooke Simpson - Indigenous Voice

Although she did not win. Simpson made a huge impact during this season of The Voice - the top song contest on American television. The member of the Haliwa Saponi tribe finished third under the tutelage of Miley Cyrus.

Wind River – Best movie about contemporary Canada.

There is not one single reference to Canada in this film but it is without a doubt a film that is about Canada. It is a film about missing and murdered Indigenous women and how it relates to resource extraction. Brilliant and emotionally overwhelming. Wind River was largely financed by ACACIA Entertainment which is a division of the Tualip Tribe of Florida.

Rumble Rocked

Rumble: This enjoyable documentary about the role of Native American music and musicians in the history of contemporary music from the blues to jazz to soul to today. Credit is rightfully given to Brian Wright Macleod, Mr. Renegade Radio who literally wrote the book on Native Music,.

Thor – Most Indigenous thing ever said in a Marvel Universe Blockbuster.

“Well, I tried to start a revolution, but didn't print enough pamphlets so hardly anyone turned up. Except for my mum and her boyfriend, who I hate.”

Thor was directed by Maori filmmaker Taika Waititi who has yet to make a bad movie. He was able to maintain his own unique Indigenous perspective evident in his early films while directing a $180 million dollar Marvel franchise flick.

In terms of pure joy it is the best film of the year.

Indian Horse – Wagamese novel comes to the big Screen

Although he did not get to see the film premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, Richard Wagamese's novel Indian Horse made it to the big screen. The novelist died suddenly early in the year but left a legacy for us all.

Trumped

Trump and Code Talkers – It should be obvious to everyone that Donald Trump is an idiot. There may be some truth in what he says but a peanut in the shit don’t make it a chocolate bar.

Grey Cup

Once again the Grey Cup proved that in the Canadian Football League anything can happen. A surprising amount of snow had fallen.  In a world where the odds are one sided any change favours the underdog. I loved the introduction acknowledging the traditional territories of the game location and the home teams.

Shania Twain killed it. Do you know she has a status card? We need to welcome her big time in the circle. 

Huff Post Canada redesign leaves out Indigenous Voices

Despite calling them out in a tweet earlier in the year Huffington Post Canada left out Indigenous Voices when it did their redesign. This is the Liberal Media, btw.

These were my stories of the year. 

They Say It's Your Birthday

Happy Birthday Canada. You made it to 150. Which impresses pretty much no one outside of Canada. And not really everyone within Canada.

The Bank of Montreal is stepping all over the country's big day to promote its 200th birthday. It is sad and disturbing that a Canadian bank is older than Canada.

Although it does say a lot about what this country was founded upon.

Yet, I am not going to jump on anyone's hashtag to protest this moment and not because no one ever jumped on one of my hashtags.

No one should tell a single parent with three kids they can't go to the community BarBQ or the fireworks because someone created a hashtag.

No Native artist should apologize because they are actually getting paid to perform and share their work during a national celebration.

Leading up to Canada Day, I saw many media reports about how Indigenous Peoples were protesting Canada 150. 

A story on national news was filled with images of a Pow Wow while a disembodied voice spoke of protest.

These two things are not the same. This person speaking from an unflattering Skype angle did not speak for the people at this Pow Wow.

It does fit into the Canadian media obsession with conflict when it comes to the Native beat.

*

July 1, 2017 came and went with fireworks just a little bit brighter.

In Native communities around the country the day was celebrated.

Our people love a party and they deserve a party.

On the national stage - National Chief Perry Bellegarde in full regalia danced with other traditional dancers to the Pow Wow drum and it was a beautiful thing.

Buffy Sainte-Marie delivered a career defining performance that may come to define this country.

The people who set up a TeePee on the grounds of the Parliament buildings got to speak face to face with Justin Trudeau, the Prime Minister of Canada. This would not happen in the United States.

Some got a chance to be heard and they dropped the mic in a way that kept screeching feedback to be remixed and repeated.

If you have a press conference you are going to have press. Be ready.

This is the way it is now.

This is the time of lasting memories and creating histories..

People have to move forward together.

Do not assume lead without taking direction.

Canada has always been making itself up.

July 1 is not Canada's birthday, it's March 29.

So I wish a happy belated birthday to Canada as most of you already did.

  

***

Stand as one and be one no longer

This Mother Earth is the only force able to sustain life 

in the known universe.

In the Known Universe. 

We have to protect this last bit of fresh air and fresh water 

in the known universe. 

In the Known Universe. 

This is all the Fresh Air and Fresh Water 

in the known universe.

In the Known Universe

We have to protect this last bit of fresh air and fresh water 

in the known universe.

In the Known Universe

*

We are allowing Mother Earth to be destroyed with our own actions and non actions. 

Do YOU know the definition of complicit?

**

It should be illegal to conspire to leave Mother Earth. 

People are free to leave but they can't come back.

***

The Greatest Minds

profess and prepare 

that we must leave our Mother Earth

Is that all a great mind is worth?

****

Manufacturing Dissent - The future of media is here.

This was the future. The promise of the future of an independent online citizen journalism may have been lost before it really started. The dream was that the new technology would free journalism from the media giants that had been controlling the narrative for decades. You could not have a say unless you had earned your way into their cloistered halls and found your way up the ladder. Although you would have to toe the line in some way unless you were fortunate enough to simply share the bias of your great benefactor.

It was the media critic Noam Chomsky who had the highest pulpit to rail against the limited voices allowed within the mainstream media. It was his work in Manufacturing Consent that exposed how the media of all kinds simply acted as a tool to keep the masses quiet. The job of the media was ultimately to sell you something. Usually consumer goods but also the ideas that we are the good guys and of course that we live in free societies with a free and independent media.

The promise of the new journalism offered by technology was no one could be contained by the old structure. Anyone could have a say. Anyone could be a journalist. Anyone could have a voice. The problem was still the same - your voice only really matters if people hear you. This means that you have to trend in someway. If you are trying to remain true to some journalistic integrity then the chances that you will be read or heard or trend in anyway is very slim. If you are trying to remain unbiased, no one cares. If you are trying to avoid sensationalism, no one cares. If you are trying not to be racist, sexist, misogynist or deliberately offensive, no one cares.

It doesn't always have to be extreme; sometimes it is just a matter of appealing to the lowest parts of ourselves. The enduring appeal of what is called clickbait. How many times have you found yourself clicking on a story that you knew was a simple manipulation. 40 Pictures from the Past that will blow your mind. What these actresses from the 1960's look like today. 15 foods to avoid belly fat. Although that may seem like a small issue. Still it is filling our minds with mush which aids the ongoing intent to provide opiates for the masses. (Although our society has now reached the point where opiates are the opiates of the masses.)

As people continue to uneducate themselves a more terrifying beast has formed. The rise of fake news is the story of the day. This is the practice of creating fake news headlines in a fake news website and then posting to other websites and social media sites that are looking for a story that proves their own paranoia or conspiracy theories. As Paul Simon wrote, a man believes what he wants to believe and disregards the rest.

Fake news was an essential part of the recent presidential campaign that saw a reality TV star elected to the most powerful office in the world. He defeated a far more experienced, intelligent and qualified candidate. The United States has been tragically divided into two camps for many years where the choice is Democrat or Republican. Right or Wrong. Good or Evil. The chance for unity in that country has always been small.

It may be almost impossible. The most recent campaign was the most divisive ever and the power of fake news and the disturbing movement for more and more people to get their news from Facebook is an unholy threat to individualism. People seeking news from sources that tell them what they want and from their like minded Facebook friends has created shrinking information bubbles for them to exist.

Control is still the ultimate goal. Where Manufacturing Consent proposed that the goal of the media was to control people by making them think and do the same thing. This new future of the media is to create tiny little bubbles around people so as to feed their most basic sense of individualism by Manufacturing Dissent. They are convinced they are all fighting the powers that be and yet all they are allowed to do is shadow box in their tiny little circles.  They may think that they have created this safe space of truth that protects their individuality but in truth they are like a massive sack of frog eggs that hang together in the same tiny pond.