I don't usually comment on other people's comments on my site. I find it highly confrontational, and in the end, I usually end up looking stupid for saying anything at all (even though I'm always right). But I called Astroboy today, and he completely agrees with me, so I guess it's okay then.
I read on papasquid.com today that the councillors in Ottawa are pushing some rule through that would make it illegal to wear a Maple Leafs jersey in the Corel Centre.
My immediate response to this: Ha.
I'm a staunch supporter of logic for all mankind. One of the things that can make me cry in frustration is the lack of logic that some people show, because they're blinded by some unattainable goal.
In this case, it's the goal of putting Ottawa on the same level as Toronto. I know I can't remove the bias from within myself, but in all honesty, Toronto is a much bigger city geographically, much faster city in terms of civic activities, much more powerful in terms of economic output, much older in terms of governmental and social institutions, and overall on a bigger scale when compared with global cities. To put it into accounting terms, we have way faster A/R turnover. We make money faster, we produce the hell out of our natural resources, and we attract Canadians like flies to poo, not to mention a tonne of poo-smelling Americans as well.
Banning a TML jersey from being worn in the Corel Centre - which is within the same province as Toronto no less - will backfire, and where will those councillors be then? Sitting in the driver's seats of their BMW's and Mercedes', driving to their million dollar houses, listening to easy rock and whistling along to Rod Stewart. This will be as effective at promoting civic pride as Alfredsson's guarantee of the cup. Ottawatians are logical people, and they'll see through this legitimately feeble attempt at stoking the Toronto-Ottawa rivalry.
Some of the Ottawa fans who can't think their way through Kraft Dinner instructions will think, "Ha, this will show those Leaf fans!" And they'll even use exclamation marks in their sentences, to prove that the sentence they just uttered was emphatic and dramatic. But they will be those few who are sucked into the lure of the idea that Ottawa is "better" than Toronto. The rest of the intelligent people from the nation's capital will realize that their city councillors are proteges of Amarosa: always smiling because they think that if they smile and speak calmly, all the dumb things they've done will be overlooked.
And this doesn't change if the Sentaor's meet Toronto at any stage of the playoffs and beat them. Ottawa has a good team, and so does Toronto. The fact that they are fighting for the top few spots of their division and conference empirically prove that. A fan wearing a TML jersey proves nothing. Don't kid yourself and think, "No, wait, it shows support for the team, and that can be the little extra that helps a team win." No. That's not correct. Think about what you just said, and then beat yourself twice on the head and then sit in the corner and think about what you've just done until you stop crying. Although there is a collective boost of confidence and short boosts of adrenalin from the excitement of many fans cheering for a given team, there are no long-term effects of wearing a team's jersey on the actual team.
Unfortunately, marketing has completely entrenched into our minds that if we buy things that are promoted by our team, we are helping them to achieve their goals. Do you really think that by drinking Labatt or Molson you are helping someone to think, "I shouldn't pinch so low on the boards, I should, instead, double back and streak to the net in case my opposing winger cuts to the top of the circle and snaps a slow shot to the goaltender's glove side which I can tip to his 5-hole."?
No. You are not. Unless you're stitching his muscle fibres to his tendons to increase his quick twitch muscles, you aren't helping him skate faster. And unless you're the president of the hair club for men, you're not making Tie look any better.
Take some time to think about the effect that this rule will have on people in the Corel Centre. It could take one of a couple of routes:
1. Less Toronto fans go to the game. Outcome: no difference in the outcome of the game, but maybe the Corel Centre doesn't sell out, and they make less money. And the kid who makes $7.15 by mopping up the phlegm and saliva that the players spit out under their bench has to be fired because the CC can't afford to pay him for his 6 hours a week.
2. Just as many Toronto fans go to the game. Outcome: no difference in the outcome of the game, but the Toronto fans make fun of the fact that Ottawa doesn't have a Banana Republic or a real baseball team, and there is increased provincial unrest, which will definitely boil down to decreased inter-city economic activity. And the kid who makes $7/hour plus tips to deliver the Ottawa Citizen at 4am will lose his job because people start buying the National Post instead of the Citizen to fuel their national (rather than municipal) pride.
3. More Toronto fans go to the game. Outcome: the local foodbank will collect couple hundred more cans of kidney and garbanzo beans, and some homeless people will enjoy bean soup and bean salad for the coming week. And the kid who sells TML jerseys outside the Corel Centre, because he has an entrepreneurial spirit and a keen sales mind, will make a killing because of the dumb-dumbs in City Hall down in Ottawa.
Keep up the good work Councillman Rick Chiarelli.
~Gers-O
I read on papasquid.com today that the councillors in Ottawa are pushing some rule through that would make it illegal to wear a Maple Leafs jersey in the Corel Centre.
My immediate response to this: Ha.
I'm a staunch supporter of logic for all mankind. One of the things that can make me cry in frustration is the lack of logic that some people show, because they're blinded by some unattainable goal.
In this case, it's the goal of putting Ottawa on the same level as Toronto. I know I can't remove the bias from within myself, but in all honesty, Toronto is a much bigger city geographically, much faster city in terms of civic activities, much more powerful in terms of economic output, much older in terms of governmental and social institutions, and overall on a bigger scale when compared with global cities. To put it into accounting terms, we have way faster A/R turnover. We make money faster, we produce the hell out of our natural resources, and we attract Canadians like flies to poo, not to mention a tonne of poo-smelling Americans as well.
Banning a TML jersey from being worn in the Corel Centre - which is within the same province as Toronto no less - will backfire, and where will those councillors be then? Sitting in the driver's seats of their BMW's and Mercedes', driving to their million dollar houses, listening to easy rock and whistling along to Rod Stewart. This will be as effective at promoting civic pride as Alfredsson's guarantee of the cup. Ottawatians are logical people, and they'll see through this legitimately feeble attempt at stoking the Toronto-Ottawa rivalry.
Some of the Ottawa fans who can't think their way through Kraft Dinner instructions will think, "Ha, this will show those Leaf fans!" And they'll even use exclamation marks in their sentences, to prove that the sentence they just uttered was emphatic and dramatic. But they will be those few who are sucked into the lure of the idea that Ottawa is "better" than Toronto. The rest of the intelligent people from the nation's capital will realize that their city councillors are proteges of Amarosa: always smiling because they think that if they smile and speak calmly, all the dumb things they've done will be overlooked.
And this doesn't change if the Sentaor's meet Toronto at any stage of the playoffs and beat them. Ottawa has a good team, and so does Toronto. The fact that they are fighting for the top few spots of their division and conference empirically prove that. A fan wearing a TML jersey proves nothing. Don't kid yourself and think, "No, wait, it shows support for the team, and that can be the little extra that helps a team win." No. That's not correct. Think about what you just said, and then beat yourself twice on the head and then sit in the corner and think about what you've just done until you stop crying. Although there is a collective boost of confidence and short boosts of adrenalin from the excitement of many fans cheering for a given team, there are no long-term effects of wearing a team's jersey on the actual team.
Unfortunately, marketing has completely entrenched into our minds that if we buy things that are promoted by our team, we are helping them to achieve their goals. Do you really think that by drinking Labatt or Molson you are helping someone to think, "I shouldn't pinch so low on the boards, I should, instead, double back and streak to the net in case my opposing winger cuts to the top of the circle and snaps a slow shot to the goaltender's glove side which I can tip to his 5-hole."?
No. You are not. Unless you're stitching his muscle fibres to his tendons to increase his quick twitch muscles, you aren't helping him skate faster. And unless you're the president of the hair club for men, you're not making Tie look any better.
Take some time to think about the effect that this rule will have on people in the Corel Centre. It could take one of a couple of routes:
1. Less Toronto fans go to the game. Outcome: no difference in the outcome of the game, but maybe the Corel Centre doesn't sell out, and they make less money. And the kid who makes $7.15 by mopping up the phlegm and saliva that the players spit out under their bench has to be fired because the CC can't afford to pay him for his 6 hours a week.
2. Just as many Toronto fans go to the game. Outcome: no difference in the outcome of the game, but the Toronto fans make fun of the fact that Ottawa doesn't have a Banana Republic or a real baseball team, and there is increased provincial unrest, which will definitely boil down to decreased inter-city economic activity. And the kid who makes $7/hour plus tips to deliver the Ottawa Citizen at 4am will lose his job because people start buying the National Post instead of the Citizen to fuel their national (rather than municipal) pride.
3. More Toronto fans go to the game. Outcome: the local foodbank will collect couple hundred more cans of kidney and garbanzo beans, and some homeless people will enjoy bean soup and bean salad for the coming week. And the kid who sells TML jerseys outside the Corel Centre, because he has an entrepreneurial spirit and a keen sales mind, will make a killing because of the dumb-dumbs in City Hall down in Ottawa.
Keep up the good work Councillman Rick Chiarelli.
~Gers-O
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