Opinions Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Bismarc Brady Ehler, OP Opinions Editor EDITORS NOTE: The opinions that Mr. Ehler expresses in this article are not necessarily those shared by the staff of the Other Press. Please read his musings with a grain of salt. He grew up on the tough streets of Coquitlam and it’s reflected in his salty persona. ie one time or another, we’ ve all heard some ultra right-wing douche spout off the tired rhetoric, “If you’re not a liberal when you are a youth, then you have no heart. If you are not a conservative by the time you’re an adult, then you have no brain.” I never thought I would agree with this—and I still don’t; but I am becoming more of a moderate. As I get older, I get less sympathetic towards either extreme. I’ve been reading a lot about Otto Von Bismarck in the last couple of weeks. Now there was a man who could get things done. Not only was Bismarck able to save the Prussian monarchy from extinction, but he was also able to unify Germany under Prussian rule, by crushing the most powerful European countries in open war. Perhaps even more impressive is the fact that Bismarck was able to keep the country unified for the duration of his rule. Bismarck is often thought of as an ultra-conservative dictator—this is mostly true. However, Bismarck was officially non-partisan; he used the conservatives as ruthlessly and selfishly as he used the liberals. Sure he was a loyal monarchist, but why wouldn’t he be—it was the monarchy that had given him his power and titles, and he used them to great effect. Sure, Bismarck had veto power against the legislative assembly, and he dissolved it when it pissed him off, and sure he passed an anti-socialist law, and tried to have them banned from parliament, but Bismarck was damn good at his job, and the socialists threatened the monarchy, and Bismarck’s position of authoritarian ruler (and along with it the welfare of the German state). During his reign, the smartest thing the Reichstag could have done would be silent, except to say; “Ya, herr Bismarck.” Studying Bismarck, I’ve been starting to think that conservatism has its place. I like socialism, but stupid people piss me off, regardless of their political philosophy. A couple weeks ago, I was at a little open mic show ina 10 and speak fluent English. Should we just hand over the high-paying jobs to immigrants, just because they feel oppressed? If you don’t like getting paid shit wages, then move to Alberta! And if you’re going to complain about Filipinos having the highest drop-out rate in Canada, don’t tell me, in the same breath, that Filipinos are among the most well educated immigrants. Listen, I am all about cherishing one’s heritage. Furthermore, I’m all about art and culture. Also, I think it’s a great thing to struggle against oppression. What I don’t believe in is creating an imaginary enemy to blame one’s lack of welfare on. Filipino youth in Canada have just as much opportunity as any other young people in Canada. If this is what it little café in Vancouver. A friend of mine was performing some music with some friends of hers. I was surprised to notice that, aside from my friend, all the performers were Filipinos. Not that it mattered, as the show was very entertaining. The socialist clichés were a bit much at times, but the performances were emotionally charged and well- delivered. After the show, someone handed me a pamphlet that read: Ugnayan: The Filipino Youth Alliance. The front flap read: Filipino youth unite! Reclaim our history of resistance! Fight for the rights of our community! What the hell? Reclaim our history of resistance? Who are these people fighting against? The inside of the pamphlet only raised more questions. It claimed that Ugnayan “undertakes political actions that defend the rights and well-being of our community and of all Filipinos around the world.” I wondered how a bunch of early 20’s/late teenage kids gained political power. I also wondered how they fight for the rights of all Filipinos around the world. Most of all, I wondered who these kids are fighting against. Do these people have consciousness of where they live? Do they not consider themselves Canadians? In the “analysis” section of the pamphlet, the authors, tell us of how 3,000 Filipinos leave the socially and economically oppressive Philippines every day, in order to find work abroad in countries such as Canada. They go on to complain about how oppressed they are: “Since the 1960’s, Filipinos have answered Canada’s need for cheap labor and have faced systemic racism. This has played a keyrole in the many problems and struggles ailing our community today. Problems such as Filipino youth having the second highest drop out rate in Vancouver and Filipinos being one of the most highly educated, yet poorly paid immigrants in Canada.” Well, here is the thing about fulfilling Canada’s need for cheap labor; someone has to do it. The jobs that pay well go to people who are educated in their fields, means to be a leftist, then you can count me out. If anything, I am left-leaning, and why shouldn’t I be? I wasn’t born into a privileged family, so why shouldn’t I want the wealth to be spread out a little more fairly? Despite all this, there are some very good arguments against liberalism and for conservatism out there. I’d hate to paraphrase the maxim at the beginning of this article, but there is a sort of ignorant devotion to all things leftist and radical among young people in this country. I think it’s better to take a moderate approach — otherwise it might eventually lead to an ignorant devotion to all things conservative later in life, and we all know the dangers implicit in that.