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John_Dee said:
Hi, guys. I've been lurking here for the past couple of weeks - this forum's been quite the balm for a Ford-hater such as myself - and figured I'd finally join in on all the "fun." Just thought I'd add one or two points.

Some of you appear to be genuinely stumped at the level of support Boss Hogg is still getting from his hardcore fanboys in Ford Nayshun, but I don't think it's really such a mystery. We're observing brute tribalism at work here. Look at the Tea Party/John Bircher types across the border, and how they give passes to their own thuggish darlings for things they'd want to crucify their political opponents for doing. The Republican Party really should have "Do As I Say, Not As I Do" inscribed on a golden plaque and hung above Party Headquarters. And it's much the same with the angry, resentful, mean fuckers who adore Rob Ford. Just as the growing sadism (and even out-and-out crazyness) is part of the appeal for the far right nuts who vote for increasingly fascistic 'conservatives' across the border, the overgrown schoolyard bully routine is a winning feature for those who find themselves drawn to Ford...as long as the bullying isn't directed at them, of course.

Nobody would accuse Ford of being the brightest bulb in the box, but he has an innate, low-born animal cunning that's served him fairly well until just recently, and a demagogue's natural instinct on how to successfully pander to his audience. He's done a genuinely good job in convincing these people he's one of them, even though he's not; his wealth and pampered, privileged background would certainly see to that if nothing else would. But they think he is, and perversely enough, they're not entirely wrong in ways that actually count: The meanness, the anti-intellectualism, the anger, cultural resentments, undisguised homophobia, mild (with hints of not-so-mild) racism, the pig-ignorant-and-proud-of-it qualities, the need for "enemies" or some easily-identified scapegoat "other" that you can stomp on in order to feel better about your own (often quite barren and empty) life - none of which Ford is faking for a minute, IMO - all make him an acceptable spokesman for this particular mindset. Pointing out reality to such a person doesn't really make much of a dent; they want to believe in their figureheads. Since they identify with them so completely, criticiizing a creature like Ford is like criticizing them personally, which is nothing short of blasphemous to them: "How dare you fuckin' eleitists tell me what to do!" You can point out that Ford is an elitist himself because of his wealth, but that won't work. They approve of Ford's wealth, it's what they'd wish for themselves, and it's part of what makes him such an appealing fantasy figure. "He's rich, but he's just like us. Isn't that wonderful?"

And this crowd, above all else, is prideful. They're not going to want to admit they were wrong about Ford. The hardcore true believers are likely to go on kissing his gigantic ass right up till the bitter end. Until some new revelation bubbles up that's so damaging even they can't ignore it. Which might well happen.

As for all the speculation about Slob and Thug's ties to organized crime, I think it's worth pointing out that really successful criminals tend to be on the culturally conservative side of the ledger. These men consider themselves to be businessmen, after all, and such types generally prefer to have the trains run on time. Looked at in such a light, there's not so much cognitive dissonance between the Fords' Law 'N' Order posturing and the sort of secret criminality we're currently discussing here. Though if you were to ask either brother (or any of thier immediate family members, especially Mother Diane), they'd likely screech, "It's perfectly ok if I do it!"
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Welcome John Dee and thanks for the +10 post! And of course, the solution to that isn't to sit down and chit chat them.

AoD
 
DD13 said:
Metroman, We need an update. What was that "holy shit" moment a few weeks back? I think you just said "Wow" more than once. Maybe it was the hockey personality story. Why did nothing come of that?
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I was wowed by the scope of the investigation which was so much bigger than anybody had imagined at the time. That's when I got confirmation that the police were following Rob Ford in a dedicated case (hence the holy shit comment). At that time, I also became aware of a list that includes other famous Torontonians, one in particular who I was happy to see get nailed along with Ford.

I'm not hearing from my TPS sources so I haven't gotten much clarity on this but I believe that the second video is in fact not of Rob Ford, but another public person caught doing drugs. That person may have paid for the thing to go away.
 
newearthling said:
As a side note: "Men are obsolete" ... ? Toronto has more problems than RF if we are sponsoring talks like this.
I am a woman btw.
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The Munk Debate series - which has pitted some of the world's greatest minds against each other on issues ranging from geopolitics to religion - is Toronto's biggest problem? That sounds like some Ford Nation-level anti-intellectualism.
 
adma said:
Does Jewish count?

(oof, I posted this before realizing all the other discussion on the matter.)

But speaking of Lastman: given how he's of similar suburban-blue-collar-aristocracy ilk to the Fords, it's definitely worth noting how "functional" his (legitimate) kids turned out to be: Dale a Bay St lawyer, Blayne successfully reviving his father's chain--certainly no obtrusive murmurs of gang'n'drug involvement there...
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Last I checked, Kim and Todd Louie weren't doing so great.
 
MetroMan said:
I have a feeling in the pit of my stomach that tells me that this stalemate is going to resolve itself when Rob decides to get behind the wheel "in a drunken stupor" and kills someone, if not himself. It's bound to happen. He's not seeking treatment so he will drink and he will continue to use. It's only a matter of time before he kills someone on the road. If and when that happens, he's going to the slammer pretty quick.

He needs to be stopped before someone pays the ultimate price for his terrible pigheaded personality. He's demonstrated his many instances of DUI very publicly. There's probable cause for him to continue to drink and drive. The police have to tail him and stop him when he shows any signs of DUI or a judge needs to take away his license.
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Well, at least he's experienced in the art of the DUI. If I want anyone behind the wheel while drunk, I would definitely pick the alcoholic.
 
MetroMan said:
I'm not hearing from my TPS sources so I haven't gotten much clarity on this but I believe that the second video is in fact not of Rob Ford, but another public person caught doing drugs. That person may have paid for the thing to go away.
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So, the Goonies do this professionally? Hang with socialites up at Dixon and Rexdale or wherever and spoonfeed them crack? And then package up both assets in the same zip file?
 
MetroMan said:
I'm not hearing from my TPS sources so I haven't gotten much clarity on this but I believe that the second video is in fact not of Rob Ford, but another public person caught doing drugs. That person may have paid for the thing to go away.
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Dougie? Put's Kathy Ford's comments in perspective the other day.
 
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Silence&Motion said:
The Munk Debate series - which has pitted some of the world's greatest minds against each other on issues ranging from geopolitics to religion - is Toronto's biggest problem? That sounds like some Ford Nation-level anti-intellectualism.
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Really? Applying Ford nation shaming because I think their provoctative title declaring half the human race obsolete is sexist?
We need 'smartie pants people' to focus their discussions more on how to build consensus within a very diverse population; on how to bring people together, not create more distrust and antagonism.
We have enough blind antagonism and dualistic thinking within this current municipal mess.
 
Everyone seen this? An essay on the CBC website by video broker Farah:
http://www.cbc.ca/fifth/blog/the-broker-in-his-own-words

I asked him what he hoped to gain by selling it. He told me he had two videos that would be of public interest and he thought the video with Mayor Ford had a monetary value and with it he could perhaps get a head start on a new life somewhere other than Dixon. I believed he was sincere.
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Clear implication: video #2 is not Mayor Ford.
 
runningnowhere said:
Dougie? Put's Kathy Ford's comments in perspective the other day.
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No, Doug is clean as a whistle. It's all business for him. As far as I know, he doesn't even drink. It's somebody else, and I suspect I know who it may be. I have to reserve my comment because I know that unlike the Fords, this person will sue.
 
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