Roger Varley has been in the news business almost 40 years with The Canadian Press/Broadcast News, Uxbnridge Times-Journal, Richmond Hill Liberal and Uxbridge Cosmos. Co-winner with two others of CCNA national feature writing award. In Scout movement over 30 years, almost 25 as a leader. Took Uxbridge youths to World Jamboree in Holland. Involved in community theatre for 20 years as actor, director, playwright, stage manager etc. Born in England, came to Canada at 16, lived most of life north and east of Toronto with a five-year period in B.C.
A little consideration, please
Half of Saturday's Santa Claus parade looked pretty good - the top half. I don't know about the bottom half, because most of it was blocked from my view.
I severely twisted my ankle last week and, as a result, I am now hobbling around with a cane. On Saturday, I managed to get myself and a chair down to the sidewalk in front of Low's Furniture and settled in to enjoy the parade. When I arrived, there was no one to my left or right for about 10 feet and, since I was sitting right at the curb, no one in front of me. As the parade approached, lots of young kids left the sidewalk and moved up to the posts that had been set on the street to designate the edge of the parade route. I had no problem with the small fry doing that. They're just kids and want to be close to the action.
But they were soon joined by adults who, by standing almost shoulder to shoulder, effectively blocked my view of the parade except for the tops of the floats and the occasional glimpse through the sea of bodies in front of me.
I wondered if I was just in the wrong spot, but, looking up the street and down the street, I saw other seniors sitting in their lawn chairs on the sidewalk who were similarly blocked from seeing the parade because adults had moved into the street in front of them.
This isn't the first time I've observed this inconsiderate behaviour at the parade. A few years ago, my mother - in her 90s - was sitting in a lawn chair, swaddled in blankets because of the cold, eagerly awaiting the parade. But before long people were pushing into the roadway to the extent that she had about a three-foot-wide "window" through which to watch the parade pass by. At the same time, because of the exhortations of some to make the parade "smoke free", I left my position beside her to smoke a cigarette away from the crowd. You know, showing some consideration! When I returned, my spot was gone and I couldn't get it back.
Inconsiderate behaviour was not confined to the Santa Claus parade. At the November 11 Remembrance Day ceremony at the cenotaph, a police cruiser pulled into the intersection of Brock and Toronto Streets, just before the Legion pipe band and veterans marched to the site. The officer - an auxiliary constable - stood beside the cruiser for the entire ceremony, all the while leaving the red and blue lights flashing and the motor running, apparently oblivious to the fact that the crowd nearby had to breathe in the exhaust fumes and be constantly distracted by the lights.
Another police officer spent his time wandering in and out of the ceremony taking photographs, being far more intrusive than the newspaper photographers who were there.
Inconsiderate behaviour appears to be the norm these days. Behind my apartment is a small parking area, and the spaces are clearly marked as to who they are reserved for. I can't count the number of times I haven't been able to park in my space because other drivers can't be bothered to use the municipal lot about 20 feet away.
And don't even get me started on those who force me to listen to their music because they want to play it as loud as they like, or the idiots who think it is their right to roar through town with their souped-up motors causing an ear-splitting din. A few weeks ago, I went for a stroll down Brock Street at 3 a.m. Music was blaring from an apartment above the On The Lamb store. It was so loud that I ended my little constitutional earlier than I planned and went back home to escape it. But what about the people in the neighbouring apartments?
Chief bylaw officer Andre Gratton will soon be bringing his proposed new noise bylaw back to council for consideration. But it won't do any good even if it is passed, because the bylaw will be complaint driven. How is anyone going to complain about loud music at 3 a.m.? And if you can, it still won't do any good. I complained to Mr. Gratton once about loud music coming from a nearby apartment and he told me to go and speak to the culprit myself.
It seems to me there is no defence against inconsiderate people. Unfortunately, we're stuck with them.
Tell me, am I wrong?
