Frankly, I don't give a damn about Rob Ford. What I do give a damn about is this trigger-happy, irrational thought process amongst his detractors (the supposed Vanguards of Truth) that is allowing their hatred -- justified or not -- to willingly give $200,000 to a drug gang.
I am referring to what everyone has been talking about over the long weekend: Much despised Toronto Mayor Rob Ford allegedly smoking crack cocaine on tape.
Gawker reported to have met the man in possession of the tape. And the man -- a regular Peter Parker -- offered to sell it to them. But no, not for any reasonable amount, but rather, for a staggering six-figure sum. Gawker does not have the funds to pay the man so that the people may have the "truth come out." So instead, they have gone directly to the people and asked them to front the cash via an Indigogo campaign wittily called "Crackstarter." You know, just so you don't forget that this is hard-hitting journalism.
All this -- your giving money -- makes sense, right? I mean, after all, the truth shouldn't be free, or at least go for less than the price of an Aston Martin, correct?
But the fact of the matter is that no one cares about the truth right now. Rob Ford's detractors will continue to despise the man whether or not he has smoked crack. In fact, with the way people are talking, one would think that the mayor smoking rock is a foregone conclusion. People "know" he smokes crack; they now just want the gong show so they can pat themselves on the back.
The Gawker media group does not care about the truth in this situation either; they simply care about their page views. This goes without saying for most media outlets, fine, but when a collection of websites exists on headlines as sensationalist as those of a left-wing New York Post (you don't need me to list examples, you just need to type in their URL) it becomes more clear where their true objectives lie.
Nor does the man in possession of the video care about the truth. He just cares about his (your) $200,000. Nor does he care about the city either, why else would he be part of a criminal gang that strives every day to rip it apart?
This is how the entire situation boils down: You are giving your money to a website so they can give your money to a member of a gang which wreaks violence on your city so that they, the website, can make money for themselves. Does this make any sense to you whatsoever?
By contributing to "Crackstarter" you're contributing to violence. You're contributing to the murder of Toronto's citizens, and the bolstering of a drug gang's operations. I know the media cycle is quick nowadays, but have we already forgotten incidents such as the Eaton Centre shooting?
If you don't like Rob Ford, fine, don't vote for him. Smear him all you want. Insult him at every party. Call him a fascist Michelin Man. Frankly, I don't give a damn.
But for the love of God, please don't give money to drug dealers. Don't give $200,000 to a New York-based website so they can give your money to people who make your city, Toronto, a worse place to live in. If you sincerely care about Toronto, and believe that Mayor Rob Ford doesn't, then don't be a worse (or at least, just as bad) man than he and happily hand cash to criminals to get your "fix."
However, if you do wish to give money to individuals who murder Torontonians, by all means, go ahead. But then have the decency to buy drugs, as opposed to video tapes which make you think you're doing something noble.
