October Revolution

This has been a week for revolutions.
Tuesday afternoon was set aside for a civic proclamation of "make poverty history day." Trixie with our school's "Micah Action Awareness Society" got a plaque, and I got paid to run a short Bill Bourne concert. Folk music is funny. Bill's hat is funny. Poverty isn't funny, but the anti-establishment types who tell us how to get rid of it are kind of funny.

In both classes that have assigned mid-terms, I've had a summary apology (in lecture format) for the inherent stupidity of the university "machine." Dr. -- used an entire class period to explain his frustration: It seems that he's never liked exams, and he knows that we hate exams, and he wants to educate using truth instead of standardized statistical assessment of arbitrary knowledge. The whole lecture climaxed with the most eloquent and exasperated statement of Psychological fact I've ever learned: "and I hate exams too, because this [pointing to "truth" on the blackboard] is what we all want! And this [pointing to a representation of the "system"] is [expletive removed for the sake of decency]!

Dr. --'s apology was less colourful than Dr. --'s, but I made the suggestion after class that the two of them should read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and start their own university.

Then, on Thursday evening I helped a rental group with their technical needs-the group (who refused before the meeting to tell us specifically what they were doing) turns out to be Robert A Menard, underground anti-nanny-state darling of the moment. (search for "bursting bubbles" on google videos if you want to see what he's about. I'm not gonna link that here...) "Love compassion, and truth" are Rob's weapons of subversion, and cheesy music is all over his crippled flash-based website.
Basically, Robert says that we have been acting like children and the nanny state has been playing along. Apparently, it'd be much better if we all get rid of our S.I.N.s and stop paying traffic tickets (which are not based on laws, but statutes which are only applicable within a declared society.) Robert wants to set up a drop-in shelter/liquor and dope store in downtown Vancouver so that those who think like he does can live unharassed by the bullies.
Yikes.
He had some nice camera equipment, though, and he paid me extra to run it for him. I can't turn down that kind of opportunity... What can I say, I'm weak.

I've also been listening to CJSR this week. I don't know why, exactly. I stumbled across the "leftmost position on the FM dial!" late at night a few weeks ago, when they were doing their fund drive and playing King's Crimson from the 70s. Then, on Friday, I heard the "Raging Grannies" on the "Adamant Eve" show. Geriatric femi-commies, yikes. This afternoon whilst driving to the library I head an 80s pop song promoting opposition to animal testing...

What's the moral of this story?
I'm not cut out for this whole urban culture thing. Take me back to the suburbs, I'm frightened.