47. Mr. Fulford’s left foot

Unpublished
7 February 1997

Re: A neocon scores a point - on his own goal, February 5th. One might say of Robert Fulford’s welcome commentary on the exhibitionisms of Andrew Coyne that it takes a neo-liberal to trip a neo-conservative. I suggest Mr. Coyne’s addiction is not just in wanting to always be right (no pun intended) but always wanting to speak and be seen constantly across many forums. This cruel “habit” - paid for and encouraged by media managers - respects neither gender, generation, nor ideology – equally victimizes Barbara Amiel, Dianne Francis, Rex Murphy, and, in their prime, Pierre Berton and Mr. Fulford himself.
In a country of millions where only it appears that less than one hundred non-politician, non-journalist speakers are granted “unlimited” access to public platforms of address at any one time, will the wiley Mr. Fulford hereafter stick his left foot out more often and help innocent and discursively defenceless Canadian villagers from the amphetamine chatter of marauding neo-con bandits?
It is always hard to “just say no” when your worldview is being professionaly over-requested but self-help is available in many forms. In 1985 artists General Idea made a videotape about the emptier, darker side of the incessant media machine and its effects on those who are being spoken for that should be viewed by all newspaper columnists, current affairs talk show hosts and their journalist guests. The title of the tape is, “Shut The Fuck Up.”