Letters

Debate soured b

For many Tribune readers, the flurry of
letters and articles focussed on our most
Tecent May Works, and other matters cultu-
Tal, must seem slightly confusing at best. At

Worst, it would that the principled exchange '

of debate has been supplanted by personal
attacks,

lam referring particularly to the letter of
Julius Fisher in the May 15 issue. Whether
One agrees or disagrees with the concerns
Talsed by either Pat or Steve Gidora is one
thing. To let things get out of hand and
attack in a personal way is quite another.

After all, who would have known that
they were rejected as participants in this
year’s MayWorks had it not been menti-
Oned in Fisher’s letter? It must be pretty
hard to wear that rejection privately, let
alone publicly, particularly after all those
years of singing on picket lines and perform-
Ing at countless progressive functions — not
because they ever claimed to be the best
performers in town but because, in many
cases, they were the only performers who
would or could appear. ;

Has labour culture taken sucha quantum
leap that they are no longer of any use?
Should we now denigrate them publicly?

To extrapolate from Pat Gidora’s con-
cerns about building a labour-positive cul-
ture to accusing him of being not Marxist
and an idealist who doesn’t believe it possi-
ble to build unions or the peace movement
1s like setting up a straw man and knocking
him down and, I might add, in not a very
nice way. Certainly his thoughts deserve
more than a slap in the face.

I Personally am optimistic about the
future of May Works, and hope to partici-
pate at one level or another in its develop-
ment in the years to come. It is to be hoped
that it will be programmed in such a way
that all who will may find a place to perform
during that very special week. I personally

attack

to sing on picket lines.

hear music every time someone sincerely
tries to make music, and am frequently
more moved by a flawed amateur than a
well-honed, flawless professional. I guess
beauty still is in the eye of the beholder.
One thing for certain, though, if we want

y personal

Steve Gidora (I) with Jim Carlin and Barry Laffin at union rally . . . often the only ones

to build any kind of alternate culture, there

is going to have to be room for lots of

different styles and opinions. Writing nasty
letters to one another is not the way.

Tom Hawken,

Burnaby

Can you ‘build’ working-class culture?

I am writing to thank Julius Fisher
(“MayWorks contest was an effort to
develop labour material, Fisher responds,”
Tribune May 15, 1989) for the opportunity
to get a few things off my chest as well as to
expand on an idea from my letter in the
May 8 issue with which Fisher took issue.

For the past number of weeks, I have
taken leave from my regular job as a trade
show and exhibit installation carpenter to
work as a forester. My reasons for this are
many and varied. One is that lama bit ofa
flake and do not like to do any one thing for
too long, but other reasons include a love
for the outdoors, a need to understand and
see firsthand the destruction of our envir-
onment and the need to find the time to play
a little music and learn a song or two. Prim-
arily, the reason is my desire to meet new
people and to try to learn from the richness
of their experiences. ;

I feel fortunate to report success on all
counts. Since starting, I have been a tree-
planter and a quality checker and now I do

‘test plots and regeneration surveys. The
current task has me travelling all over the
province and has been a real eye opener. It is
amazing the amount of work going on in
our forests — some of it shoddy, most of it

- unorganized and all of it “‘low bid.” The
work, however, is being performed by
working people — underpaid, transient,
immigrant (legal or otherwise), Native, old
and young, male and female.

Through the course of my contacts with
these working people, I have exchanged
some ideas, traded a few lies and passed the
guitar and mandolin around the few camp-
fires. Through this I have learned.

I have learned about other places in Brit-
ish Columbia, other places in Canada and
other places in the world. I have learned
about working people in these other places
and I have learned the difficulties and sad-
ness of their lives. I have learned the joy that
we feel when we express that sadness
through song. I have learned songs of work
from India and Venezuela. I have learned
new songs about work that we made up as
we worked. I met a young song writer who
knew nearly as many labour standards as I
could think of and was as quick as could be
to make up new words for the old songs.

I have felt the commonality of these peo-,
ple; I have seen the thread that is woven
between us, that same thread that I have

-seen woven between my union sisters and

brothers at my regular job back home —
the thread of working class culture.

Iam no idealist. I have helped to build a
steward system in my local union. I have
participated in union organizing drives. I
was an active participant in the building of a
mass peace movement in Vancouver and as
recently as two weeks ago, helped a young
songwriter to develop his musical and per-
forming skills. I know these things can be
done.

Ialso know the beauty and complexity of
working peoples’ culture. I have felt its
power sweep me up and overwhelm me
with my own insignificance.

And Fisher would try to build this. He
may as well try to build the Rocky Moun-
tains or the Pacific Ocean; they’re already
there. But Fisher hopes Iam wrong, and not
without reason because as long as he
believes Iam wrong and can convince oth-
ers, including Tribune readers, then there is
hope for him and Gary Cristall and others
of that ilk that they can continue their
bureaucratic, mechanistic existence build-
ing empires under the guise of culture. Then
there is still hope that they will have to come
out of their shelters and meet some working
people and try to understand working class
culture and perhaps participate in it instead
of trying to orchestrate it.

Readers should not allow my real and
serious differences with Fisher’s, Cristall’s
and Teresa Marshall’s approach to the
question of culture to be reduced to a case of
sour grapes.

Indeed, an old winemaker like me has no
time for sour grapes born of Fisher’s or
anyone else’s efforts. I have left them to
wither on the vine and I’m busy tending
next year’s crop.

Pat Gidora,
Surrey

Green Hastings
park demanded

The other evening, I attended a
public hearing on the future of Hast-
ings Park, currently in the hands of
the Pacific National Exhibition. The
meeting was intended to allow area
residents and interested parties to
voice their concerns and make sugges-
tions that would serve the needs of our
community.

Vancouver city council had its task
force, which is headed by George Puil,
and in his usual pompous and arro-
gant manner, he demonstrated his
prejudice towards east side residents.
There are dedicated residents who
have spent numerous hours in dealing
with the needs of the community (on
traffic and future planning) but as
soon as these people spoke, he res-
tricted their speaking time and reacted
very negatively to their concerns.

The whole task force is a farce. Its

_ concern is not for the community; it is

just a formality. The meeting was a
sure indication since it showed that if
the race track is eliminated, then there
will be no park for the residents
because their main concern is to have
funds generated to pay for the park.

We are the only area in the city
which is always discriminated against
and always has to fight for what is
rightfully ours.

I want a green park, nota glorified,
revenue-generating amusement park!

Employees at Ul
also on the line

During April you ran a number of
articles on changes to the Unem-
ployment Insurance Act. Unfortu-
nately you said not a word about the
government employees who will have
to implement these changes.

These workers will suffer along
with other Canadians under the
changes to UI and the announced
budget. They have been without a col-
lective agreement since December
1987 (although they are now voting
on a substandard offer).

Canada Employment and Immi-
gration workers are among the most
militant in their union. This may ~
one reason why they have b fn
ordered not to speak to anyone about
the changes to UI.

When we deal with the UI system
sometimes the workers get lumped in
with the system. Unless we also men-
tion their problems we perpetuate this
problem.

On a related topic, while applaud-
ing the closing of 11 military bases, we
must recognize the economic loss to
these communities. The government
should embark on creating meaning-
ful jobs for all the laid-off workers.
Perhaps building co-op housing or a
factory to build buses or new railway
cars for VIA?

Jose Kaufman,
Toronto

Pacific Tribune, June 5, 1989 e §