Do you realize how foolish your paper and the letters-to-the-editor sound to the real locals with common sense? Your attempts to manufacture the political idea that the ‘General Will’ is shifting with the pathetic, weekly whining of people wanting more regulation, more signs, more fees, licenses, taxes with the final rising crescendo of “Gubberment! Rescue us from the deplorables!” to beat us into submission, is pathetically obvious to all who read these rants and editorials.
These complainers were once like the ones they now complain about: Visitors, from ‘Down-There’ until they decided to move ‘Up-Here’ to get away from their self-created ‘Down-There’, who now furiously tell everyone else how they should live ‘Up-Here’. The genuine, long-term residents of the North Bruce, who have organically evolved the authentic culture the ‘Down-Theres’ claim to so love and is the very reason why they moved ‘Up-Here,’ are sick of it. The issue of the recently arrived, whining cottagers and retirees, is becoming increasingly more discussed with a rising aggravation, as is their astonishing ability as a small but vocal minority to influence the weak and feeble minds at the municipal office, as the rest of us go about our daily business.
We’re losing our cultural identity, our heritage and traditions ‘Up-Here’, with all these bellyachers’ demands for oversight and regulation as they seek to remove anything they deem offensive, inconsiderate, unfairly impacting on their precious sensitivities, or their fav, ‘un-safe’ and it’s a looong list.
This needs to stop.
We all should speak out and confront these people, as distasteful as that is, or we’re going to lose our identity ‘Up-Here’.
Letter writters whimpering about being terrorized by fireworks, ends with the usual demand to ‘BAN THEM!’
How about “Shut up and enjoy them!?” and smile knowingly that these people enjoying themselves on our civic weekends are paying for your amenities like stores and services with the revenue they bring here?
And people kvetching!? Complaining about kids digging holes at the beach?! Children could suffocate?! Or break a leg?! Ughh-hhh… I remember that happening all the time as a kid at the beaches around here, except never. Ever.
And heaven forbid somebody backs a boat trailer into the water! Kids could be crushed! Oil and grease everywhere!!… Driving 50ft out into 1+ft. of water! The pollution! Except it happens all the time at boat launches and people’s cottages and homes on their beach front and there is NEVER any outcry from these very same people.
Recently, parking on the Causeway at Tamarac was by-lawed out to pretty much wreck fishing for families. Why? We’ve parked and fished there for decades without trouble.
Or parking at Whiskey Harbour by-lawed virtually out of existence years ago, leaving only 4 spots. Another great time, erased from our culture, ruined by the selfish ones who moved ‘Up-Here’ and didn’t like it by their cottages.
I could go on. And on and on… we all could.
If these no-funsters and know-better-ers don’t stop, they’re going to provoke a very real, nasty, social division up here and eventual backlash, between them and the native residents and you’re encouraging it by giving voice to it with your paper.
So why print their unfriendly letters, advocating and encouraging them, when none of them want more of their own kind ‘Up-Here’ from ‘Down-There’?
You ‘Down-There’ people moved ‘Up-Here’ from ‘Down There’ and knew full well what it was like ‘Up-Here’, primarily because it wasn’t ‘Down-There’. Now you’re bringing your ‘Down-There’ ‘Up-Here’ ironically wrecking the very reasons you moved ‘Up-Here’!
So stop it!
Or move away, preferably back to your ‘Down-There’ the sterile condos, the unfriendly people, in the big stink that you ran from, to find sanctuary ‘Up-Here’.
Be careful of what you wish for, as rapidly, this area could garner a very negative reputation as a tourist destination and start suffocating the wonderful economy we have now, that is TOTALLY dependent upon visitors from ‘Down-There’.
So smarten up and learn to have some patience and tolerance with your neighbours, your fellow man, because I can guarantee you that you’re doing something that would put them off, too, the ones who’ve lived ‘Up-Here’ for decades and generations.
Douglas Sweet
