Beefs and Bouquets

When I was growing up in Winnipeg my parents listened to CJOB radio station in the morning. There was a particular phone in show called Beefs and Bouquets. Unfortunately I forget the name of the announcer but I'll never forget the show. Old Scots, French, Ukranian or Polish would rant about whatever only to be balanced by sweet voices of reason and joy. It was an incredible news show really. I'd be eating porridge mom made while Dad and Mom together would be laughing about whatever had people riled up that day. But always there was the balance. The newsman would alternative positive and negative and positive and negative so that by the time I left for school I'd know the world was whole. Partisan groups would get equal play. Never all just one side.

I know too many people today who view politics like a sports page. "I'm a Canucks fan, they say and I vote NDP". So anything the Bruins do or the Conservatives do is bad." It's that transparent and tedious really in any other arena except sports.

My conservative friend challenged by me to name a single time he said anything thing positive about liberals said. "I was liberal once. I was liberal for 2 weeks when I was a teen ager and that was enough for me." You don't have to ask my opinion about a game in which the Canucks lost. It was a bad game. In his case you simply don't have to ask about anything that happens when the conservatives aren't in power. It's not good. I have a woman friend that way with provincial politics. She hates capitalists vehemently and is almost a card carrying communist. There's no beefs and bouquets about either of these people. They're black and white like sports fans.

I concerns me that this stupidity and rigidity in human affairs seems to be increasing. I'm more often than not criticized as a 'loose cannon" because I typically 'vote for the woman' and not the party, consider an issue on the merits of the issue and not as an example of partisan politics.

I'm not for gas chambers but I drove a Volkswagon for years and loved driving on the Autobahn. Yet my Jewish friend tried to convince me that everything Jewish is the best in the world. I had to disagree because I thought everything Christian was the best but then we're friends and as such don't take each other overly seriously.

He's one of my wisest friends but I know he's a Zionist so on that issue he's got a blind spot. He's like me an the Canucks. Or my family. Or my dog. I'm not so radical as to say everything Scottish is the best. Haggis is definitely an acquired taste.

A famous English politician summarized politics by saying, "I don't need you to agree with me when I'm right, I need you to agree with me when I'm wrong."

It think that's what the ex wife wanted too. Maybe with maturity I'll learn a lesson I've not yet learned. For now I'm thankful that I can still appreciate being raised on radio programs like Beefs and Bouquets.

It's harder to see the positive as one gets older I think too. That's part of the fear of death and dying. My puppy thinks everything is simply wonderful. My old cat discriminates. It's been a long time since I thought everything any political party or political ideology did was good all the time. I still struggle to see the merit in the hard work of men and women that are taking actions and not sitting back smoking dope and criticizing the world.

It's hard enough for me to see that God is good all of the time. Ironically when I work on that equation I find I see a whole lot more bouquets and have far less to beef about.






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