Why Do So Many Canadians Hate the Occupiers?

I haven't been able to visit the Occupy Toronto campsite in the last two days. But I have spent quite a bit of time wondering why so many Canadians seem to hate the occupiers so much? And I mean HATE.

Because this isn't just manufactured bile, this is visceral.

A leaderless movement that initially attracted a disparate collection of well-meaning activists along with just plain folk was ultimately hijacked by a hoi polloi with questionable ambitions.

The rabble that rose each morning from their tents headed off to attend meetings intended to build the infrastructure of some kind of fairy-tale parallel society. Before our eyes, an anarchist collective was drafting a set of demands; the terms, apparently, of any kind of surrender.

Now the Occupy movement is dying. And not a lot of people seem to care


You know when I first read that deranged diatribe, I figured that Mason was just shining the boots kissing the ass of his corporate masters.

Because he seems like the kind of guy who would. But then I read some of the disgusting comments, and then I read John Doyle.

It is true, as pointed out in the doc, that some current conditions, especially the cost of third-level education and ensuing student debt, plus higher unemployment, put some young people in a vise of no job, no prospects and no end to financial liability.

However, once we meet some of the “big babies,” sympathy shrinks. Some are slackers, mooching off mom and dad and taking an inordinately long time to figure out what to do with their lives...Boomerang generation, my bum. Some of them are scammers and slackers. Yuckies indeed.

And it shocked me. Because how can you judge a generation by a few characters in a documentary? Isn't it obvious that if you have no job, no prospects, and you can't afford to pay rent, or ever buy a house, you might not be able to live anywhere else?

And why is Doyle quivering with RAGE?

Then I remembered how the bloodthirsty mob screamed for the police to club, tear gas, and shoot the peaceful protesters at the G20 Summit.

Or how after the latest riot in Vancouver the same howling hyenas turned on young people, and sounded like they wanted to throw them all on a bonfire, and gnaw on their charred body parts.

Although to be fair, this time they're sounding more merciful.

It is fun to camp out in pleasant fall weather, but the cold is coming. As pleasing as it would be to many talk-radio callers to see the protesters blasted out of the park with water cannon, the city would be smarter to hang back and let General Winter do their work for them.

Hey. Why beat them, or shoot them, when we can let winter freeze them to death?

Which sounds a little extreme eh?

And makes me wonder whether the real problem is that in an aging country like Canada, too many people are becoming too miserable and cranky. Because as you know, this question haunts me.

But back to the Occupy story, and the burning question: is occupying a park or a physical space the best and only way to spread the message?

I still can't make up my mind. I have to spend more time in the campsite.But from what I've already seen some things seem OBVIOUS.

These people are not The Enemy.

Canada is big enough for ALL of us.

And when old and young join together.

It can be a thing of JOY...