There are very few people in the world that I respect more than I respect Mr. Ed Broadbent.
Now, for the first time in our history, we have a prime minister prepared to set a fire that we may not be able to put out, for the paltry purpose of saving himself from a confidence vote on Monday.
Way back in April, my good friend Ryan Anderson wrote a post called “today is good people day” and he was gracious enough to include me in the list. He was inspired by Gary Vaynerchuk, who suggested April 3 be dedicated to recognizing good people. In the spirit of late adoption, I’ve decided to go with November 7, at least this year, since a) I missed the boat in April and b) it’s my blog and I can post what I want to.
So, without further ado, Good People Day – 42 Points Edition.
Like Ryan, I am wary of this endeavour for fear of the inevitable. Someone deserving will be left off the list. So by way of disclaimer, I’m limiting my focus to the online PR communities in which I dwell (and which make up the bulk of my readership) and I’m limiting myself to five, since everyone loves a ‘Top 5 List.’ But frankly, there are dozens of people worthy of mention. I guess I’ll have to post again on April 3 with version 2.0.
1) Ryan Anderson. It may seem like a cop out to start my list with the guy who tagged me but I have to give credit where credit is due. In addition to being a brilliant mind in the social media realm and an entertaining and engaging blogger, Ryan is a bonafide friend. As in, a brick and mortar friend (though, in fairness, he’s not made of brick and he only has a little mortar in him). Long before he was a social media guru, Ryan was a friend, a (thankfully short-lived) bandmate, a roomate and a (less thankfully short-lived) business partner. He mostly-patiently listened to me rail against “those blogs” and “all that social media shit” before I joined the 2.0 masses and he introduced me to Twitter. Not sure if that’s good or bad, actually.
2) Bob LeDrew. Bob deserves mention for his blog posts slamming Ottawa mayor Larry O’Brien alone, the fact that he’s another brilliant PR mind and an honest-to-goodness nice guy is just gravy. Bob opens his home to music lovers and stages house concerts, for cryin’ out loud, clearly he’s good people. The thing is, for all the talk of community in the social media, erm, community, Bob is worthy of praise for practicing what he preaches. Shortly after we ‘met’ on twitter Bob insisted that we meet at a local, erm, meetup and has graciously commented on posts, responded to tweets and otherwise been an active part of my network ever since.
3) Susan Murphy. The blogger better known as SuzeMuse is perhaps the epitome of ‘good people.’ Most of those who dwell in my online circles share the healthy skepticism-cum-sarcasm that defines much of my work in this field. Suze has that too, to an extent, but I’ll be damned if she doesn’t wrap it up in a friendly, good natured shell. She organized the first tweetup I ever attended but don’t take my word for her general awesomeness. Go ahead, read a few recent posts. Befriending the neighbourhood shawarma guy? Singing the praises of reconnecting with her past? She starts (almost) every day by wishing her “beautiful tweeple” a good morning on Twitter for chrissakes. The world needs more of this.
4) Ed Lee. Ed might be surprised to find his name here. We don’t converse on Twitter in the same way that I do with Ryan, Sue or Bob and I’ve never met him in person. But Ed deserves credit for the way in which he comports himself online. Every time I’ve commented on his blog he has taken a few minutes to write an email thanking me and responding to my comment. He tweeted recently about a presentation he was giving and, when I asked if he would be posting it, he not only responded but took the time to email it to me directly. Ed works on the agency side and if he treats a random commenter with this much respect I can only imagine how well he treats his clients. It’s easy to be nice to someone you’ve met in person; going that extra mile for a disembodied avatar is just amazing. And rare.
5) My lovely wife Amy. Ok, this might be cheating but I don’t care. Here’s the thing. While the rest of the people on this list get to interact with me at my best, Amy has to deal with all the disjointed thoughts and half-assed ranting I do on a daily basis. And the kicker? She loves me anyway. I complained once that she didn’t read my blog. Her response? She doesn’t have to, she’s heard me rant and rave about the topics long before I sit down and whack them into some sort of post. She’s my ultimate collaboration partner and so I married her. Trust me. Not everyone who reads this blog knows her but you’re all very glad she exists. She has to deal with Joe unfiltered.
WARNING: Potty mouth ahead. I curse sometimes. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
I am, admittedly, a cynical bastard. I don’t have a lot of use for big-letter political movements and I find the polarized nature of discourse in the US particularly loathsome. The fact that voters actually register as Democrats or Republicans (or independents) makes my stomach churn a bit.
All of that being said, I can’t help but be moved by what will might should happen tonight.
I’ve seen the brutality of racism in my life and I wasn’t even alive in the time of the Kennedy and King assassinations. If I think I’ve seen disgusting examples of bigotry in my time on Earth, I can only imagine what those of my parents’ generation have seen.
Is Obama going to fundamentally change the direction of the US in the world? Probably not. Will the sun shine more brightly tommorow? Doubtful. In the end, he is but one man – and one supported by a very traditional political machine to boot. Sure, he talks a good game on change but what electoral challenger hasn’t?
No, I don’t think his election (should it come to pass) will mark a fundamental shift in the course of human history. What it will do, though, is mark one gigantic ‘fuck you’ to racism. A ‘fuck you’ to bigotry. One big flip of the bird to the most deplorable traits of humanity.
At the risk of sounding self-righteous (and self contradictory to boot!), I hate hate. I hate racism, I hate sexism and I hate those who cast aspersions based on something as simple as the colour of one’s skin or the nature of one’s sexuality.
People dont’ choose to be black. They don’t choose to be gay. They don’t choose to be handicapped.
But bigots, racists and assholes choose to hate based on those characteristics.
If Obama wins tonight, those very same bigots, racists and assholes will be faced with the reality that their views are, in fact, in the minority. And that means far more to me than the fact that a Democrat will have claimed the White House.
There are many reasons for a right-leaning person to vote against Obama and I have nothing but respect for people who take the time to learn about issues and vote accordingly. But anyone who votes based on race (or religion, for that matter) deserves the ‘fuck you’ they should be getting tonight.
Bloggers far too often try to focus on the big things. Big ideas. Big thoughts. I’ve often find myself justifying long periods of writer’s cramp by saying I’ve got nothing important to say.
It was one such outburst that prompted my wonderful wife to say ‘it doesn’t have to be something profound, just write.’
In that spirit, I present a short and non-exhaustive list of little things that make me smile. Perhaps someone reading this will discover something new.
Beau’s Lug Tread
(specifically the big ceramic bottles)
As a beer snob, I love finding and trying beers from all over the world. But finding a truly delicious beer that is brewed less than an hour away is a real treat, particularly if you’re going to a 100 Mile Diet potluck. Beau’s Lug Tread is a strange little beer, similar to the Kolsch that makes Koln famous. Really, really tasty. And it’s made of organic malts – a nice touch, I think. Photo borrowed (sans permission) from srboisvert‘s flickr stream.
Pooch Cafe
Easily my favourite comic strip these days. A cynical dog hanging out in a bar with other dogs and generally making the life of his owner’s cat-loving wife a living hell. Pooch Cafe is a great mix of ‘awww’ moments thinking of my own goofy canine and laugh out loud (or LOL, to coin a phrase) moments that get me weird looks at work.
Pub Trivia
Once a week, my wife and I meet some friends at a downtown pub where we team up against other geeks in search of trivia supremacy. Paul, the host, is hilarious and the questions are often just bizarre. Yes, I know I am a geek.
Sushi at Green Tea in Ottawa
There’s a cool little sushi place on Elgin Street in Ottawa called Green Tea; it’s become a favourite for me and my lovely wife. They have awesome spring rolls, great sushi and the servers are always friendly. Only drawback? The food can take awhile if they’re busy. Photo borrowed without permission from SiFu‘s flickr stream.
Mill Street Beers
This is my second beer entry, I know, but since Lug Tread’s awesome bottles aren’t usually available in pubs, I figure I should include the draught beers that make me smile. Mill Street Brewery in Toronto kicks ass. Coffee porter? Yummy. Organic lager? Tasty. Tankhouse Ale? Trivia-tastic (see above).
Alright, that should make a good first list. How about you, dear readers? What little things make you smile?
Maclean’s Kady O’Malley does a great job digging a little deeper on that whole ROI issue.
