NOW Scribbler Warns: Stay With Ford, Reap the Whirlwind

Is NOW Magazine opiner Alice Klein making threats about what might come to pass (i.e. violent civil unrest) should the city continue to hew to Rob Ford-style austerity? Why, yes, I believe she is:

Any parent or former child can tell you: young humans have needs. They have wants, too. But the needs are not a choice or a spoiled whim. I know the mayor knows that kids need sports. At least some do. And for them, sports are crucial in a way that goes beyond words or politics. For others it’s dance. Or art. Or making stuff. Or building things. We all need an opportunity to partake in some form of expression. That’s part of the weird and inscrutable process called life as civilized humans. Without that, things get ugly.

This year the streets have made a lot of history. In Tunisia and Egypt, young people have given expression to peaceful sentiments powerful enough to depose dictators. In the UK, expressionless youth have risen to burn and loot and ravage.

This fall, when city council votes, councillors in the mushy middle will choose what message we ingrain in the souls of the next generation. They will have to take a stand either with Ford or against him, and that will make all the difference. They must know there will be consequences if they forsake the children.

Odd, isn't it, how "peaceful sentiments" give rise to such violence and destruction? Isn't there some other way for the, er, "expressionless" to express themselves?