Terry Levine | Noggin Advertising | Copywriter | Digital + Direct Writer | Blogging | Toronto | Canada

GUM, BUTTS, POOP -- AND JUST A LITTLE RESPECT.

I take my shoes off when I visit someone's home. I sweep up my crumbs when I'm at a restaurant. I make sure to aim in the urinal when I'm peeing. In all these instances someone else would likely clean up my mess if I didn't but I find it disrespectful to expect them to, so I do it myself.

Respect and cleaning up come to mind every time I walk the stretch of Bloor Street recently revitalized by the city. Although it's not quite finished the trees, flower pots and sidewalks look beautiful and by the time summer rolls around it'll look fantastic. But about those sidewalks. The city has spent about $25 million on this project and I'm certain a fair chunk of that went to the granite sidewalks. Unfortunately the pigs that live among us have already defaced them with countless blotches of gum. They're everywhere.

Partly because of the ugly mess it creates and so no one steps in it, I've never thrown gum on the sidewalk. I used to have the courtesy to drop it down the sewer till I realized even that was probably not a good idea and simply kept the gum in my mouth till a trash can appeared. But no. Our new sidewalks, paid for with our tax dollars, are ruined because people can't show a bit of respect.

While I'm on my rant, gum is not the only example of this blatant disregard for public property and fellow citizens. Cigarette butts are everywhere. I grudgingly accept the right of people to smoke outdoors in public but I'm not exactly sure why this sort of littering is accepted. If you want to smoke, fine, but find somewhere to throw your butts. The sidewalk is not your ashtray.

And another thing! :) There's an elementary school across from my condo. Signs into the schoolyard clearly prohibit dogs yet every afternoon and weekend, I watch a dozen dog owners using the grounds to let their pets roam. It's a school yard. Dogs pee and shit. Kids play. Do these morons not have any respect? Or common sense?

Ah. Better now.

 

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INDIA, ISLAM AND MIDDLE CLASS RADICALISM.

One phenomenon mentioned a lot since 9/11 but that I haven't heard a reasonable explanation for until now is the seeming over-representation of radical Islam among middle-class Muslims. This is at odds with the usual perception that radicalism grows out of the poverty-stricken lower classes in failed third-world countries. The perpetrators of 9/11, however, and other foiled terrorists appear to be, by Western standards at least, educated, integrated and, unassumingly middle-class or even affluent.

This begs the question why? Why would radicalism come out of this segment of the Muslim community and not, say, those most economically deprived -- in other words, those who would seem to have the biggest axe to grind with the capitalist western world?

Robert Kaplan may have an intriguing answer to this paradox, or at least a strong component to it. In his latest book Monsoon, he discusses -- among other topics related to the future of the Indian Ocean crescent -- the rise of Hindu anti-Muslim nationalism in India:

"...education has made people aware of their own histories for the first time, and thus supplied them with historical grievances that they never previously had. 'The Hindu poor are blissfully ignorant of Mahmud of Ghazna [a Muslim ruler who destroyed a Gujarati Hindu temple in 1026]. It is the middle class that now knows this history,' explained one local human rights worker. That is why Hindu nationalism is strongest not among the poor and uneducated, but among the professional classes: scientists, software engineers, laywers and so on."

He goes on to connect it to Islamic fundamentalism:

"The same phenomenon can be observed among Islamic extremists, from al-Qaeda to the Muslim Brotherhood.... The search for a reinvented national greatness among middle-class Hindus of India also applies to the new Muslim middle classes of Pakistan and Iran, which is why all three are intoxicated about the idea of nuclear weapons. Whether it was the Mauryan Empire in India, or the Achaemenid Empire of Persia, for millions lifted out of poverty and recently educated, the bomb now summons forth these great kingdoms of antiquity."

It's not a pat explanation for the entire phenomenon but it's certainly food for thought.

THE CONTINENT'S GREAT RELIGIOUS DIVIDE.

As a kid, I used to think Americans were just like Canadians and I figured that at some point, particularly if Quebec separated, Canada would just become part of its bigger neighbo(u)r to the south.

I don't think that any longer.

On a range of issues including universal healthcare, climate change, immigration and gay rights, Canada seems to be following a more European, enlightened and progressive path while mired Americans, to quote candidate Barack Obama in a particularly revealing moment, "cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them."

If you need proof of the great divide that's formed between the world's two closest allies, just pick up today's Globe and Mail, which features the results of polling that show only 14 percent of Canadians think that God created humans in their present form within the last 10,000 years. That compares to a mind-numbing 40% of Americans who, according to a Gallup poll on evolution last December, said they believe "God created human beings pretty much in their present form at one time within the last 10,000 years or so."

Put another way, 58% of Canadians accept that humans evolved through natural selection but an unbelievable 16% of Americans say they do.

In two countries as vast and varied as Canada and the US it's difficult to pinpoint exactly why there's such a divergence of views. Is it education? Religiosity? Culture? All the above? It's hard to say though I think Obama's honest views are probably not far off. As long as a clear majority of Americans continue to embrace blind faith over secularism and science, and as long as US politicians continue to pander to those who hold these antiquated views, we're in for trouble.

GOD INC.:140 WORDS ON THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU.

Americans think themselves a Christian nation but Christ would have a tough time identifying it as such. 

That's because US mythology is really a fusion of biblical belief with capitalism, the value system Americans espouse most fervently. There may be a shiny veneer of Christianess there but it's really entrepreneurial spirit and business prowess that turned 13 backwater colonies into an empire.

So it was fascinating to watch Matt Damon's latest movie The Adjustment Bureau because it presents -- in an albeit fantastical way -- the American Myth as it truly is. Angels are company men. God is the Chairman. And the church, of course, is the Corporation.

I'd have preferred to see less cheesy romance and more delving into the implications of America's corporate faith but writer/director George Nolfi gets an A for effort. I love films that make me think and I'm still thinking.

 

 

THE QUEER CASE OF RACISM IN THE GAY COMMUNITY.

All right. I admit it. I'm a bigot. It's true. I hate stupid and ignorant people, particularly when they're my own peeps. Does being bigoted toward bigots make me a bigot? I guess that's one of those riddles wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.

I've found myself confronted with the question of gay racism a lot lately. Last December I worked on a pitch for a campaign addressing the issue of isolation brought on by intolerance within the gay community. And last weekend I was interviewed for a documentary called SegreGAYtion, due out next year, which explores how divisions within the gay community -- racial, physical, health-related -- breed alienation and animosity.

It shouldn't be this way but, human nature being what it is, it's not entirely surprising. It's always disappointed me to see men and women physically and emotionally attacked for being gay by straight society turn around and discriminate against minority groups within the gay community. You'd think we'd know better.

As a Jew living for the most part on the DL, successfully hiding my horns and tail from clear view, I've found myself in interesting situations, confronted half a dozen times by anti-Semitic comments from gays who hadn't clued into my Jewiness. Of course once you call them on it, you actually hear the stereotypical bigot response: "my best friend/brother-in-law/dog is Jewish!"

One has to look no further than the odious Queers Against Israeli Apartheid, a thinly veiled hate group irrationally obsessed with the Jewish state's dastardly liberal policies toward gays but blind to the plight of homos in Arab and Muslim countries.

Still, at least on the issue of racism within the gay community, Jews have little to complain about. Ask a black person or someone of East- or South-Asian descent. They don't have the luxury to hide their inferiority the way sneaky Jews can. They wear it, well, right on their face and bigots have to usually wait till they leave the room before the racist fun begins.

Just ask most gay white males whether they've ever dated or would date an Asian, for instance, and you're likely to get the same look as someone who steps in poop on the sidewalk. Of course, if you call them on it or suggest their lack of openness is tantamount to racism, they get defensive. "It's just a preference!" they insist.

Nobody, it turns out, likes to be called a racist these days. Particularly racists.

Am I being hard on these folks? I don't think so. Take the photo below, sent to me by a friend from some gay hookup site called Grindr or something :-) where one can block the profiles of members one isn't interested in. (I've covered over the person's face to protect the stupid.)

Now the comment at the bottom of Sk8er Boy's profile is meant to be funny. Boy, who just happens to be white, would no doubt defensively tell me "bro, it's just a joke." But, bro, it really isn't. It's an insidious sort of racism couched in humor, one that winks at the notion that it's okay to denigrate Asians or Indians or blacks simply because they're Asians or Indians or blacks and getting messages from them on Grindr -- or having them come up to you in a bar -- is just too icky. Block!

Boy and the countless dudes like him are unlikely to be burning crosses on anyone's lawns anytime soon. This isn't that kind of racism, of course. But it's still racism. It's still bigotry.

I remember just before coming out 14 years ago, my brother's brother-in-law used to continually make homophobic remarks in front of me. After I came out, the comments stopped. I don't know if he still does it, but I suspect he doesn't because it's harder to when it's uncomfortable and unacceptable -- after all, his sister was married to my brother.

Bigotry within the gay community should be viewed the same way -- as unacceptable. We all have "preferences" and that's certainly our right. But we don't have a right to make people feel inferior because they look different from us -- anymore than straight people have a right to make us feel inferior because of who we choose to love. Not in this day and age. Not after all we've gone through. Not anymore.

MY TOP 8 DUHS FOR SMALL BUSINESS SUCCESS.

It's just over a year now since I started working full-time from home. And though the decision to do so was largely made for me -- I was laid off -- if I knew now what I knew then, I would have quit way sooner.

Why?

For starters, I work less hours for the same amount of money. Secondly, I'm still at my clients' beck and call to some degree but I mostly work when I want -- a couple of hours in the morning, a few more in the afternoon and evening, and weekends when I need to. There are slow weeks and months to be sure but they're more than balanced out by the busy ones. Most importantly, being my own boss has reinvigorated me professionally because I finally feel a connection between the hours I devote to work and my reward (pay) for it. The thing that drove me crazy the most working for big agencies was their expectation that I be available anytime they needed me to be -- evenings and weekends, for instance -- with no tangible reward for doing so. Now, if I work like a dog, I get paid for it. That just feels right.

In Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell touches on the three qualities work has to have for it be satisfying -- autonomy, complexity and a connection between effort and reward. It's that last one that I think so many companies get wrong and the one that's made me the happiest.

The other rewarding part about working for myself has been discovering that my gut is usually right. When my business partner and I first toyed with going it alone, I was warned it would be a bumpy ride, feast or famine. I suspected, however, that the key to working on my own wasn't simply being a good writer. I figured I had to be a reasonably good businessman too. And while a lot of creative people I know and work with are incredibly talented, they turn out to be the pits when it comes to what I always assumed were the intuitive 'duh' strategies and tactics you need to succeed.

So here now, my Top 8 Duhs for Small Business Success:

1. Be online now. Have your website up within a month. Get your profile up or updated on LinkedIn even before that. There's really no excuse. I know colleagues who hemmed and hawed for months about what their website ought to look and sound like. GET IT UP! If you're homeless, you find a roof over your head. You don't waste your time rearranging the furniture.
2. Remind people you exist. My number one vehicle for generating work has been Facebook. I post interesting articles and my own blog posts to my wall religiously. I post on Twitter too though I'm not convinced it's as useful. I use Facebook Places to check in to Noggin Advertising every day -- even if it's a few feet away from my living room. Why? People may like you and want to use your services but, bless their hearts, they forget about you. Don't let them. I always hated cold calling but these little things called email and the Internets let you say 'hey' with hardly any imposition at all. You can't imagine how many times I've emailed someone in the morning and got a reply back in the afternoon asking if I had time to help out on a project.
3. Return calls and emails. This one boggles my mind. If someone goes through the trouble of finding you online and emailing you about work, email them back -- immediately. No 'I didn't have time.' Take a break from your busy Starbucks visit or Glee marathon and reply. Even if it's not work you want or are qualified for, everybody knows somebody. Plus not replying is rude and who wants to work with a dick?
4. Take on the project even if it's small. It may be small but it's a foot in the door. Last year, I was asked to work on a series of short emails for a large entertainment company. I charged about $200 for each and there were times I was so busy I was tempted to ditch the work. Then one day they asked me to work on the big stuff -- thousands of dollars worth. You never know.
5. Take on the project even if it's not at your rate card rate. I'd love to charge my going rate for everything I do. But if a prospect asks me if I'll do the work for 80% of that rate, it's still 80%. Refusing the work means I make 0%. There's a limit of course and you have to be careful not to be taken advantage of. If a financial services client cries misery to me about my rate, I might say pony up the cash, Madoff (just kidding). If a start-up does, I'll lower the rate, no question. Maybe I'll get more work in the future, maybe they'll pass my name along to five other contacts. You never know.
6. Track your hours. If you have an iPhone, download HoursTracker. Or create a simple spreadsheet in Google Docs. How can you possibly know if you have to hustle this month if you have no clue how much you made last month? Tracking your hours also helps you gauge whether you didn't charge enough for your last assignment. And don't forget to track your non-billable hours too. This also comes in handy when it's time to efile your taxes -- staying organized always helps.
7. Be up front with your clients. If your client thinks your estimate is too high, break it down for them. Sometimes people look at what I do and must think 'write a letter? two hours max.' But there's background research, there are phone calls and face-to-face meetings. And there are three to five rounds of revisions. And if you're burning through your estimated hours on a project, let the client know you're still committed to seeing the job to completion but want to raise a red flag. More often than not, they'll allow you to revise your estimate.
8. Have a year's worth of cash on hand. When I tried freelancing back in 2002, I stressed each day I didn't have work because I was living paycheck to paycheck. When I was laid off in 2010 I had already been thinking about quitting for a over a year and I had saved up 12 months' worth of funds to live off by the time I was laid off. It wasn't easy but it's an absolute must. I still stress mildly when work isn't coming in. But there's nothing like knowing you can survive for a pretty long time without any money coming in at all. It'll keep you sane.