You're special, just like everyone else

I have been an avid CBC Radio listener for well over two decades now. There was a time, not that long ago, when its broadcasts were poignant and informative, characteristics which rendered them the most cerebral content on the dial. I can't help but feel, however, that their mandate has changed and they have now embraced an agenda with an aim to construct a very specific view of Canadian culture.

Over the course of a single week, I couldn't help but notice that most of the week's programming was focused on Indigenous issues, religious (Islamic) issues or LGBTQ issues. Not to suggest that these issues, in themselves, are unimportant, and I suspect if I were a transgendered native on the Hajj I'd have found CBC's programming relevant. But I'm not. I'm a white, agnostic, heterosexual male, born on a Friday in 1960.

One of the stories they covered was the 2017 North American Indigenous Games which took place in Toronto. Clearly these are very important games because they featured prominently in several stories. CBC did not, however, give any coverage to the 2017 LGBTQ Games or the 2017 Islamic Games which, I fear, is a real shortcoming if you're from the LGBTQ or Islamic communities. Some of the events at the North American Indigenous games were events which, at the risk of employing stereotypes, I think the average person might associate with Aborignal peoples, their history and their culture. Events like archery, kayaking, lacrosse and perhaps even the javelin toss. But when I think badminton, golf, soccer, softball and volleyball I don't exactly envision Indigenous athletes. To be perfectly honest, when I think volleyball, I envision scantily clad bikini-babes, their bronze skin glistening in the sun, prancing around on the beach. But hey, that shouldn't be too much of a surprise since I'm a white, agnostic, heterosexual male, born on a Friday in 1960.

CBC Radio also featured a wide array of music which they referred to as "gay music" and "Indigenous music". I found this a particularly difficult concept since I only consider there are two types of music: good music and bad music. There are many genres of music including rock, pop, folk, gospel, electronic and (slitting my wrists here) hip hop. Individual artists may be gay, or Indigenous or Islamic or, for that matter, gay, Islamic and Indigenous. But I do not believe that makes the music gay, Islamic or Indigenous. (I did, however, find Lavender Country a rather obscure genre but I would assert that a straight artist could, in fact, perform Lavender Country.)

The point here is that our society seems to have morphed into a collective of special people. This is not unlike "states of exception" wherein nation-states dispense civil liberties to thwart off terrorist threats, real or imagined, to the extent that the states of exception, and the disposal of liberties, seems to have become the norm.

I'm proud to announce that this summer I not only participated in, but also won several gold medals in the 2017 White Agnostic Heterosexual Male Born on a Friday in 1960 Games. I managed the 1600m Walk setting a new world record at 21:32. This summer I also played guitar and sang a couple of times at a local charity event which raises money for the less fortunate. (One of the events was to support a Women's Shelter and the other to support the local Children's Snowsuit Fund.) I believe the CBC should develop a show which exclusively features White Agnostic Heterosexual Males Born on a Friday in 1960. I'm reasonably sure I could produce a CD compilation guaranteed to go aluminum.

So, for those of you who feel lost in a world of mediocrity just remember... "You're special just like everyone else".

_{Submitted by "Big Banana" Bob Loblaw, 31 July 2017}