Damn wankerists…

Regardless of the housing situation in Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, people who oppose condo development (or anything else for that matter) would be well-advised not to resort to bombs or bomb threats to get their point across.

For one thing, activism is concerned with what the activists perceive to be the common good — the interests of common people over those of corporations, armies, dictators, or whoever is their target. On the other hand, organizations such as Hamas, the Michigan Militia, Al Qaeda, or the IRA may claim to be fighting their perceived oppressors for the common good, but there is one huge difference: violence and the threat of violence are never in the interest of the common people.

One could argue that extreme situations call for extreme measures. Perhaps so, but one must first decide what an extreme situation is. Gentrification in Montreal, whatever your opinion of it, is not an extreme situation.

Activism isn’t worth the hemp-based shroud it’s wrapped in unless it achieves popular support. That’s what activism is for — to get a critical mass of people to think about an issue and to side with the activists. Bomb threats and violence, on the other hand, provoke fear and terror, not support. That’s what makes such tactics acts of terrorism, not activism.

Anyone who is stupid enough to use violent and terroristic tactics to “raise awareness” in a domestic setting is obviously not interested in the common good or in garnering support for their cause. Rather, they are short-sighted, immature, and egotistical. This is a sure sign of stunted intellectual and emotional development, and if anything, will damage the anti-condo movement. After all, despite your views on gentrification, such tactics will backfire. They are not representative of the kind of society we want to live in.

And for the record, although I make references to terror and terrorism, the idiots who placed the fake bombs in Hochelaga-Maisonneuve today don’t qualify as “terrorists.” They are far too stupid and their cause is far too short of extreme. So what does that make them, if not activists and not terrorists? I propose “wankerists.”

[Update] Gilles, who lives in Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, points out that a full 62% of new construction in that district is designated as social housing. Clearly these wankerists don’t know what the heck they’re talking about. (Note: please forgive my silly comments on Gille’s blog — with the help of the Google translator, I initially misinterpreted his post. Whoops!)