Friday Night Controversy

It's Friday night and the house is quiet. Everyone else is asleep. For a night owl like me, that means it's writing time.

I tend to write a lot, but it's mostly business related. Podcasting, Marketing, Audio Advertising, Public Relations, Promotions, Publicity, Writing, Sales, Retail, Service, Food Services, Volunteering – I have quite the range of skills but I'm not quite an expert in any one area – but that is what makes it easier for me to find integration techniques.

But tonight isn't about work. Because darn it all, I deserve a night off!

And so I thought, why not stir things up over at the WAHM Talk Radio Blog except that I'd already made my post there, and she did say to limit the post to 400 words. I can't be bloody controversial in less than 400 words. Too much of a stretch for me. I need to ease my way into controversy...

The fact is I usually avoid controversy as much as possible, but one of my most successful articles was an unexpected success that brought me over 250 people to my list in under two days. Unfortunately, I understood very little about affiliate marketing and I honestly thought I had little to market to them. I regret that I didn't invest in paid learning earlier!

But tonight is not about regrets. I promised myself I wouldn't digress into work, but I have to admit I find it hard to turn work off. Back to controversy, where was I?

Oh yes, I generally avoid it.

I was once told at a church event that my gift was being non-judgemental. Until it was mentioned, I never really thought of it as a gift. Seeing how it's allowed me to have incredible people from every extreme becoming my friends – it's more a gift to me than anyone else.

I know there are some who I correspond with who hold different views on politics, religion, parenting and just about every other topic you can hold two viewpoints about. But those are off topic subjects in most public conversation.

My two best friends in the world are polar opposites. I love them both. One is a lesbian (or is it bisexual?) Canadian with a kick butt attitude and not a conservative bone in her body. The other is an American Christian who tends a bit to the right wing politically speaking. Both are amazing and brave women who have inspired me in different ways over the years.

That's not to say I don't have my pet peeves, these are the first five off the top of my head, in no particular order...

Car Seat Safety – I'm not an expert on it, but I made sure the seats were installed properly and my kids were sitting in them. In fact, my four year old is still in one. That's rare around here. I find that frustrating because I just don't understand how you could justify not making it somewhat of a priority.

Pointless Circular Arguments – like work at home versus stay at home mother battles on some forums. I've run the gamut myself, currently working full time and working from home. I figure it is what it is and you are what you are. We're all trying to do the best we can with the circumstances we find ourselves in. Of course, I'm drawn to threads with pointless circular arguments. Despite the fact that I haven't posted in one of them in a dog's age, I'm still drawn to them like a rubber necker at a train wreck.

Extremism – I may work for a radio station that dubs itself Extreme, but I personally don't understand extreme positions on almost any issue I can think of. I don't know why AP parents have to look down on so-called “mainstream” parents and vice versa. For example, I believe in extended breastfeeding for infants, and while I don't like the marketing practices of the formula companies – the fact is I don't care how another woman feeds her child. I will share my thoughts and advice, such as it is if I'm asked about it – but it's not my passion. I leave that to really passionate people like Jennifer Laylock

Racism – Not to say that I don't understand it, I have to be honest living on reserves and in isolated communities really put this into perspective for me. I've always been a bit sensitive about racism since I am bi-racial and lived in a minority community for much of my childhood, but going up North really opened my eyes to a lot of facts that I had wrong in my perceptions of what life for a First Nations person was like. I used to that it was a rugged and admirable thing to live as I thought they did – I pictured trapping and fishing and sweat lodges and colorful feathers and rhythmic dancing. I pictured living close to nature and being close to family. Instead I saw children having children combined with atrociously high rates of alcoholism and fetal alcohol syndrome. We had our windows shaken at two am and our door knocked on by an inebriated woman at 6 in the morning. We had one couple “doing the deed” in our front yard in the dead of winter on a cold night. This and so much more—and yet I don't judge individuals I meet with those experiences coloring my view. I don't want to be judged based on my skin color and background, why would I inflict it on anyone else?

The War on Marijuana - I get the war on hard street drugs, but don't understand why marijuana is pooled together in the same category. In my experience, alcohol has a more damaging impact on society than the green stuff and I don't know why the powers that be don't legalize it and put it in regulated stores and tack on a sin tax to it with the booze and smokes. It doesn't make sense to me to spend zillions on enforcement and jail space when the money could be used to fight more atrocious things than a stoner with the munchies. No, I don't want my kids toking up and flaking out - but it will not be the end of the world if in a few years (they're way too young yet) I discover they've partied with pot.

And there you have it my five most controversial public statements I've ever made. These are things that I've expressed in private among friends and family, but haven't put out there for judgment or conversation until now.

Hitting publish now and preparing to duck tomatoes!