Whom They Attract

The Santa Claus parade, the St. Patrick's Day parade, they were never like these parades. There was fable and fiction behind one, and religion, ethnicity and custom behind the other; both always colourful and joyous, noisy enough but not irksomely so. Both feel-good occasions and comparatively innocent.

Canada, being a largely immigrant society, has had introduced other parades, like those from the Caribbean. A parade which bears some resemblance in fact, to the Gay Pride parades.

Where there was no overt sexuality in the previous two parades, it is there in garish abundance in Caribana and Gay Pride parades. Sound enough to blast anyone's eardrums out of commission. And garish, outlandish costumes, all geared to shock prudish sensibilities, and cheer on the antics of the unabashed and 'fun-loving'.

These are seen to be cultural events. To some they seem decidedly uncultured.

Those who take no delight in seeing half-naked bodies preening themselves in public and prancing about on a stage, taking pride in what others take umbrage at, can simply absent themselves. As long as they're not public officials who must, for the sake of political correctness affect a demeanor of pleasure at being present on behalf of honouring their voting constituents.

All is not innocence, however, in the presentation of Caribana and Gay Pride parades. The latter introduces selective politics and uses the occasion to slander those whose society and politics they dislike, even as they considered the slander and abuse they received from society in the past as horribly unfair, dangerous and demeaning.

And the same culture that brings to Toronto and other parts of Canada the Caribana parades, is one of absent fathers, single mothers, gang-joining young men involved in drugs and guns. Not all that much of a surprise when thugs come out for Caribana to rob, to threaten, to intimidate and violate.