ettitor: Death To The Obnoxious Paper Men/Women! Boycott 24
and Metro Until They Adopt Some Civility

At what point in time did it become appropriate to foist crap upon the
ocent public? Now I’m not actually referring to flinging poo here, nor
do I refer to bad television commercials (these are topics I can wax poetic
about some other time). What I’m referring to is the irritating, and seem-
gly permanent placement of the a-hole
paperboys/girls/men/woman/demon’s/medusa’s and android’s that obnox-
ously wave their crappy free newspapers in your face as you attempt to
po about the business of commuting. Let’s be specific here, the offenders
pre largely 24 and Metro. Before them, I was blissfully able to enter a
kytrain station in peace, after merely declining to donate drug money to
several scrubo’s and refusing to explain “how many zones” the tourist of
the day needs to purchase to get to Metrotown.
Nowadays however, the humble proletariat has been instantly convert-
ed into rock-star status. Each day as I wander out of Granville Skytrain
Station, I am accosted by an anxious horde; not hungry for autographs,
but for me to accept the true word of the Church of Modern-Day Solid
aste Polluters. “Free paper” they love to inform me. This morning, I
politely responded to this unwanted social exchange by offering back to
he hirsute paper-man that it’s not actually free, since deforestation is a
ost passed along to our children. Sadly, I had barely spit out “deforest”
and the paper-man’s attentions were already devoted to irritating others.

Now I’ve done a little research on this topic. When these papers were -

ntroduced in Toronto, the annoying paper pushers were a temporary PR
ampaign. Like a bad rash, they irritated for a few weeks, but eventually
went away. So why I ask you do we still have them? It’s obviously not a
e of “The Dose”, as they already went out of business.
So here’s my two cents. Boycott these publications. Until these com-
banies adopt a policy that respects the reader (i.e. the radical concept of
hewsstands and personal space), refuse to accept them. Hell, while

ou’re at it, fling a little poo; I can use the laugh on my out of the station. »

Trevor Hargreaves
pair ICME
as Other Press

 

 

 

 

MAILBAG

NO MAIL! YOU JERKS!

 

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