Puberty Is No Measure Of Adulthood

By Alan Clark

    What sets us apart, those of us who are separatists and those who are not? In some cases it's merely information. Some of us have heard the facts and accepted the realities. Others simply haven't researched the issues and haven't drawn a conclusion. That is, some were born Canadians and nothing thus far has changed their minds about being Canadian.

    What sets us apart, those of us who are adults from those who are children? Some would argue puberty is the culprit but if you ask any bartender, you'll soon learn that puberty, in and of itself, does not make you an adult.

    An adult is reasonable. A child is emotional. An adult is cognizant of consequences and applies reason to words, actions and decisions. Reason rule's the adult world. One truly becomes an adult when he or she is able to set emotion aside and make decisions and statements based solely on reason.

    Children suffer no such constraints. Their entire world is dominated by their emotions. Every friendship, snack, allegiance, conflict, motion and uttered word is a product not of reason but emotion. Ask any mother who has denied her three year-old a treat from the ice cream man whether the child's reaction is reasonable or emotional. Ask the father of a teenager who has been denied the use of the family car for the evening whether the child's reaction is reasonable or emotional.

    Let's apply this criteria to the reactions of two western Canadians to the recent article written by Dr. Leon Craig. Fred McGuinness gave his reaction to Dr. Craig in the August 11th edition of the Brandon Sun. While Dr. Craig made an excellent argument, reasonable and factual, in favour of all the economic, political and cultural positives of Alberta's independence, Mr. McGuinness responded with pure childish emotion. He didn't seek to refute Dr. Craig's assertions, point by point, reasonably. Instead he lashed out like a seething teen, calling Albertans Nazi-like, unfriendly, different. Even insinuating that Dr. Craig and those of us who agree with him harbour desires to create an "Alberta Master Race".

    Closer to home, Friday's Calgary Sun brings us more unbridled emotion from Jose Rodriguez in an article titled "Separated From Sense". Mr. Rodriguez, in true prepubescent style, attacks Professor Faron Ellis of the University of Lethbridge. He doesn't take issue with the results of the poll Professor Ellis has conducted for the Western Standard magazine. He doesn't come to the defense of Canada or things Canadian. Rather, he attacks you and I. That is, he calls the 43 percent of Albertans who disagree with him childish names. He labels us as being overall-ed hillbillies who drive rusty pick-up trucks and keep pit bulls in the yard behind our crappy mobile homes where our "cousin-turned-wife" cooks up some road kill for dinner.

   If this is the best that the opposition to Alberta Independence can muster, then obviously they are in for a rough ride. This is not a new tactic, attacking your opposition instead of their arguments. Look at the campaign run by the Democrats in the last US Presidential election. They spent months calling Americans morons, idiots and religious zealots. In spite of this convincing platform, Americans still voted for George W. Bush.

   And now the Canadians are trying the same tactic. They know that reason and facts can't change your mind because that is, after all, what you based your decision to become a separatist on in the first place. So they have decided that if they call you bigots, and idiots and in-bred hillbillies, you'll eventually see the error of your ways.

   We needn't concern ourselves with trying to answer these childish taunts. Reasonable adults, separatist or not, will recognize them for what they are; the emotional outbursts of children trying desperately to defend an indefensible position.

Thanks for stopping by.