editorial
Sadly Myth-taken
Bootstrap tugging does not guarantee a roof.
It’s a drag to be kept awake by noisy neighbours, particularly when you’ve got a long day
of work ahead. Even more annoying is when your
workboots are required on the job site, but one of your
neighbours steals them in the night. No boots, no job. I
hate that. Another pet peeve: mice crawling over your head
while you recline in bed. Or your roommate (who sleeps inches
away) vowing to kill you if you bump against him in the night.
Just thought I’d air those beefs, get them off my chest. We can
come back to them later.
For now, let’s talk about one of Alberta’s most prevalent
myths: that of the self-made individual, the rugged
soul carving out his or her own destiny. No help
needed from anyone, least of all the government. It’s
compelling stuff. Indeed, I like to think of myself as
a self-made cowboy type. Sure, I can’t ride a horse
(unless it counts as “riding” when you’re dragged
along the ground, one foot caught in a stirrup), and
I look pathetic in a Smithbilt. But I got where I am
today entirely on my own steam.
Admittedly, I didn’t teach myself the English
language. Several schoolteachers and a couple of
parents were involved. And I owe some gratitude to the health
care system, because I didn’t die that time when one of my
lungs popped open. Thanks is due also to the paved road along
which my mom drove me to emergency. So yes, I’ve had some
help along the way. But most of the credit should go to me. Me
and my hard work.
That’s the keystone of the myth. If you work hard, pull
yourself up by your bootstraps (which I find a really weird
bit of acrobatics when I actually try to visualize it), and do 25
push-ups every morning, you’ll do fine. Especially here, where
opportunity is so abundant you have to scrape it off your shoes
at the end of the day.
Lured by this promise, a lot of people have come to Alberta
ready to work hard. They land on the oil patch, lace up their
workboots, and sign up for their role in the dazzling success
story that is Alberta. Of course, if you want to live indoors in
this real estate market, you might have to work for some time
before you can afford first and last months’ rent. Store your
wages in a sock. Live in the bushes, or at the Sally Ann.
Tug your bootstraps all you like; it won’t guarantee you a
roof or a bed. Which brings us back to the noisy neighbours
and the mice and the murderous roommate. These conditions
were experienced by real Albertans who were forced to live
in homeless shelters last winter. In a tour de force
of immersive reporting (“The Last Resort,” p. 40),
Tavis Dodds relates what he encountered when
he slept in shelters throughout Alberta during the
winter of 2006. And, in an excerpt from a report set
to be released this month by the Sheldon Chumir
Foundation (“Mean Streets,” p. 36), Gordon Laird
takes a big-picture look at the crisis and the steps
being taken to address it.
Also in this issue is our annual examination of
the state of Alberta’s media. Ed Stelmach recently
raised eyebrows when he hired two prominent newspapermen
to do his PR. What are the ramifications for the relationship
between our government and our news media? Darcy Henton
investigates (“Finding His Way,” p. 26). And Katherine Govier
remembers one of the leading media titans to emerge from
Alberta (“Rebel Daughter,” p. 32): Medicine Hat native and
former Chatelaine editor Doris Anderson, who died this year,
was one of Canada’s major feminist icons.
a lberta views staff
Founding Editor
Jackie Flanagan
Circulation Manager
Amanda Mckellar
Publisher
GILLIAN STEWARD
Research/Copy Editor
Joe Wilderson
Associate Editor
PETER NORMAN
Controller
kelie jensen
Art Director
Steve Arthur
Administrator
aileen abid
Editorial Intern
SUZY THOMPSON
Advertising (Calgary) 1 877 212 5334
Christine Caskey 403 243 5334
Books Editor
Evan Osenton
Advertising (Edmonton) Donna McConaghy 780 628 7392
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