On/off, yes/no, either/or, in/out, for/against, male/female, win/lose, true/false, right/wrong, black/white, all/nothing, 0/1. Preachers do it. Lawyers do it. Why have we become so enamoured with digital thought? What’s the attraction? It’s precise. Precision is good. It’s fast. We like that. It’s easy. We like that even more. But any educator will tell you that T/F …
July 2012 archive
Jul 18 2012
The Freedom to Shop
In a not so recent, but largely unnoticed decision (Daishowa Inc. v. Friends of Lubicon), the Ontario Divisional Court said that boycotts are illegal when specifically intended to cause economic damage to the boycott target. Isn’t that generally the point? Boycotts allow us to put our money where our mouths are; they allow us to …
Jul 09 2012
Speaking in Code
“I just can’t give any more, sorry.” But of course he can. He just doesn’t want to. By saying “can’t” instead of “won’t”, however, he appears powerless and thus absolves himself of responsibility; as a result, we don’t even consider the matter of blame. “That’s not gonna happen.” Okay. So informed, we move on. But …
fiction
