back in cranky business
I apparantly have a new candidate for arch-nemesis.. I love when rich kids move away from where they grew up and occasionally check in to shit on the people who're stuck behind.
"BARRHAVEN IS NOT 'BORE-HAVEN'"
Barrhaven is not "Bore-haven" as the Citizen would have you believe in Saturday's edition. I am a 21-year-old, fourth-year biochemistry student who lived in Barrhaven [...] I resent the fact that reporters and residents are slapping this suburb with the stigma of being a place with nothing to do. Why should residents such as my family have to pay for the entertainment of these youths? Will someone fund entertainment for the rest of us?
[...] The youths in the story are people who went to high school with me. What do they have to complain about? If they don't like living in Barrhaven because there's no nightlife, why don't they move out of their parents' homes to live some place that does? From the photo it appeared they have their own cars so why couldn't they drive downtown?
What these youths don't realkize is that they are costing these business money by being there [presumably, loitering in front of stores at night]. Other members of the community might be intimidated [...] Businesses are losing customers [...] If you don't have the money to move out of Barrhaven, get a job. [...]
Nobody can tell me that youths "these days" have more work than I did and deserve all the pity and community support that parents are urging. I did not wander the streets at night or drink at the local Mac's Milk because if I wanted to drink, I'd have a beer in my own backyard; because my parents expected a lot more of their daughter; and I had a lot better things to do with my time. [...]
Why should my parents, who have already reared two teenagers, fund police to chase around somebody else's kids?
-So-and-so, Guelph student
Barrhaven is kind of like a small town on the edge of a city. It's pretty similar to Winchester, where I'm from. Like in Winchester, kids are bored and just get fucked in order to pass the time. Hence the vision of 17 year old Dan with a mohawk drunkenly walking around Winchester and being yelled at by "parents"-about-town.
This letter-writer contradicts herself several times. She says that Barrhaven is a great place to live, and yet she says kids should just go downtown (ie, to Ottawa 45+ minutes away) if they want something to do, driving the cars that they obviously all have. They should just drink at home like she did, although she would never do such a thing, because she had self-respect. (?)
Is it any wonder that kids get themselves fucked up when they have to stay in this boring shithole where they are constantly viewed suspiciously, seen as vaguely criminal, morally managed, judged by their background, and not allowed any outlet? It's the same as in Winchester, they wanted to disallow any punk shows for being a "negative influence" that attracts binge drinking and destructive behavior. Dear moral fathers of the town, it's not because of punk rock that 14 year olds are drinking themself into the hospital.. And it's not because of being "coddled" that barhhaven kids are hanging delinquently out on the streets. Where else should they go?
And why is she attending Guelph U instead of the illustrious Barrhaven University? Oh yeah, there is no university there, or anything resembling a civic life. It's just houses and stripmalls and city recreation complexes. This is the vision that she loves. And that is why she moved away.
If there's anything I hate, it's 22 year olds who talk like 40 year olds. To be honest, my twin was almost there but then he moved to Montreal and had his head screwed on straight.
"BARRHAVEN IS NOT 'BORE-HAVEN'"
Barrhaven is not "Bore-haven" as the Citizen would have you believe in Saturday's edition. I am a 21-year-old, fourth-year biochemistry student who lived in Barrhaven [...] I resent the fact that reporters and residents are slapping this suburb with the stigma of being a place with nothing to do. Why should residents such as my family have to pay for the entertainment of these youths? Will someone fund entertainment for the rest of us?
[...] The youths in the story are people who went to high school with me. What do they have to complain about? If they don't like living in Barrhaven because there's no nightlife, why don't they move out of their parents' homes to live some place that does? From the photo it appeared they have their own cars so why couldn't they drive downtown?
What these youths don't realkize is that they are costing these business money by being there [presumably, loitering in front of stores at night]. Other members of the community might be intimidated [...] Businesses are losing customers [...] If you don't have the money to move out of Barrhaven, get a job. [...]
Nobody can tell me that youths "these days" have more work than I did and deserve all the pity and community support that parents are urging. I did not wander the streets at night or drink at the local Mac's Milk because if I wanted to drink, I'd have a beer in my own backyard; because my parents expected a lot more of their daughter; and I had a lot better things to do with my time. [...]
Why should my parents, who have already reared two teenagers, fund police to chase around somebody else's kids?
-So-and-so, Guelph student
Barrhaven is kind of like a small town on the edge of a city. It's pretty similar to Winchester, where I'm from. Like in Winchester, kids are bored and just get fucked in order to pass the time. Hence the vision of 17 year old Dan with a mohawk drunkenly walking around Winchester and being yelled at by "parents"-about-town.
This letter-writer contradicts herself several times. She says that Barrhaven is a great place to live, and yet she says kids should just go downtown (ie, to Ottawa 45+ minutes away) if they want something to do, driving the cars that they obviously all have. They should just drink at home like she did, although she would never do such a thing, because she had self-respect. (?)
Is it any wonder that kids get themselves fucked up when they have to stay in this boring shithole where they are constantly viewed suspiciously, seen as vaguely criminal, morally managed, judged by their background, and not allowed any outlet? It's the same as in Winchester, they wanted to disallow any punk shows for being a "negative influence" that attracts binge drinking and destructive behavior. Dear moral fathers of the town, it's not because of punk rock that 14 year olds are drinking themself into the hospital.. And it's not because of being "coddled" that barhhaven kids are hanging delinquently out on the streets. Where else should they go?
And why is she attending Guelph U instead of the illustrious Barrhaven University? Oh yeah, there is no university there, or anything resembling a civic life. It's just houses and stripmalls and city recreation complexes. This is the vision that she loves. And that is why she moved away.
If there's anything I hate, it's 22 year olds who talk like 40 year olds. To be honest, my twin was almost there but then he moved to Montreal and had his head screwed on straight.