Hey everyone. My fiancé was telling me about some billboards in Toronto raising awareness on the price gauging in the house market. It got me thinking, that’s a great way to raise awareness in my city on the anti work movement.
A little backstory on my city – um, well, I guess I’ll just say my city. Creepy men plz don’t hurt me. I live in Windsor, ON. AKA “Ford City.” Yup, Henry Ford, the inventor of 9-5 work life, has a big history with my city. Evidentially, we are an automotive city with the 9-5 life at an automotive factory being synonymous with winning the lottery. I wish I was joking, but nope – if you get a job at an automotive factory people will congratulate you and even envy you.
I live among a crowd that is so miserable from being beyond burnt out from their jobs – choices being; manual labour or customer service. We have an opioid epidemic, alcoholism on the rise, a gross amount of people that are homeless, and enough resources to maybe feed someone’s pet hamster. Our government has absolutely drilled it into these folks heads’ that if they aren’t getting the basic necessities of life, well, they just aren’t working hard enough.
It’s predicted that in a mere two years we will have the most violent recession in history. I remember the recession in 2008 that absolutely broke my father and robbed him for all he’s worth. He was never the same, and still has it haunting his self worth and questioning his capability of being a good father. I’ve lived below the poverty line since 2008, and have never been able to “get ahead.”
I think I’ve accepted the fact that I never will get ahead. I’ve done everything I’m supposed to, go to college, save money, pick up shifts, pick up a second job, a third job, get a job that offers bonuses, start a side hustle, freelance, and buy everything second hand to keep costs low as possible.
This was not easy to come to terms with, in fact, it was very radical for me to think anything other than being a “participating citizen” could be sustainable. So, this radical new perception of the world as I knew it led me to all of you lovely people.
I don’t want to suffer anymore. And I don’t want to see one more 18 year old become absolutely miserable by 25 in my city. I want life for them. I want life for myself. I don’t want to feel guilted by our government with words like “handouts” or “waste of taxpayers money.” Instead, I want the narrative to be positive. Empowering, even.
I want to have people see the government fulfill their purpose of supporting us. I want the government to give us stimuli by allocating free (ACTUALLY free) health care, a monthly wage, and housing assistance.
Because these things were never meant to be a privilege. Shelter is a basic human right. Health care is a basic human right. We deserve justice. We need to be proactive. I want to convey this all, but in one little billboard.
I’ve thought of “We can’t afford to live” and “People over Profit” and the likes of them.
I’m open to some striking stats as well.
With my artsy fartsy abilities and your wonderful brains (and a go fund me) I’m sure I’ll get people talking in my city.
TIA