MFile Music Theory and Songwriting

https://fb.watch/upn7RNJA_o/

There's a lot of talk about UBI (Universal Basic Income), and I hope we consider these ideas locally. No one chooses a situation like Rainbow Park, the reality is it could be one or two paychecks away, and Lockdowns showed everyone the truth about where they stand in terms of being safe.

Everyone is scared, UBI Works is at least something to consider.

The decision to cancel the Ontario UBI pilot project back in 2017 was devastating and hearing the news was one of the worst days of my life. When I think about the last 6 or 7 years since we took a chance and threw a Hail Mary pass on the final day to sign up, MAYBE be chosen to participate, and even then MAYBE get a check.

Jobs lost, baby 5 months away, losing the apartment with nowhere to go and no chance of 2 months rent to get a roof over our heads.

If we didn't have family support, would my son end up being born in a shelter? Is that just what’s expected because “oh, well we don't have money so everything is our fault because we cant afford boots with straps to pull ourselves up by”?

We slept on her mother's couch for two weeks before the letter of acceptance came and we got that first check. We were sobbing and unable to comprehend what SECURITY actually felt like.

We used the letter of acceptance as a guarantee to be able to sign a lease for a new place, begin nesting, and prepare for Orion to enter the world.

We only received a few of the first monthly checks before Doug Ford’s Ontario Government won the election in June 2017, went back on the campaign promise he wouldn’t touch the pilot program, and announced the cancellation,

Watching the national piece was validating, and I got to see some old faces from all the meetings about what our next steps are for UBI.

It was when we got to the final minute, and hearing my dear friend Jessie Golem speak about her Humans of Basic Income project, it all hit me.

When she asked for our participation that summer of 2017, it was an enthusiastic yes from us. We wanted our voices added to the chorus, because all of these people’s stories are valid.

But our picture really made a dent, I saw it used in so many articles as the main image for any news regarding UBI. Maybe it was red car syndrome, where I'm seeing it everywhere.

But give Jessie some credit, she wanted impactful images of human stories, we delivered.

So did the internet though. Comment sections were just a no fly zone, absolutely disgusting to see strangers casually discussing your family as subhuman creatures, weaving together fantastic fictional narratives with each other for who we are, why we need to leech off of their tax dollars, man up, bitch, p***y, take care of your family, shoulda had an abortion.

At least those have the psychological (if still sociopathic) excuse of the “armchair abstraction” where you can feel removed enough from the idea that the topic you're sh****ng on is actually a human being.

It was a bit different when people began saying all that and much worse in your DMs. That is someone who is a complete stranger. Some as far away from Alberta, and even a few Americans sprinkled in for fun over the years. They take time out of their day because you need to know how much of a piece of s**t you definitely are, kill yourself and lessen the burden on the rest of us.

So today, seeing that photo pop up in the mix of the rest of them at the end of the CBC piece, it was like my soul got whiplash, my emotions went from 0 to 60 and I started bawling uncontrollably into the pillow so my son couldn't hear me while he was brushing his teeth and getting ready for school.

I thought about how many terrifying situations and traumatising arguments and decisions could have been spared. I thought about having a month or two of knowing that a future worth sticking around for, only to have the rug pulled from under me. I thought about the birth of my son, watching him grow and learn, watching the world we brought him into already in decay, seeing any positive or constructive or empathetic conversation in society tossed out the window ten years ago for just scoring points off of “the other” because you have to be more right.

People are fu***ng dying on the streets. People arent addicts for fun, they are committing su***de in slow motion, and if you didnt stop someone from doing that in another situation youd be held criminally responsible. Full Stop

I wanted to be able to look back at that picture and smile because we had fought to come so far. I look back and I'm full of rage to have fought so hard to find there isn't anywhere to fight towards.

Everyone’s got complaints around here, no one seems to have any answers to deal with the real problems, because it's always about blaming “the other” so you don't have to look in the mirror.

At the end of your life, there is nothing else, there's no one else. Just you.

Make peace with that.

in case you had like 18 hours or so to groove on

Intense Birthday 🎂 Playlist · Lazer Monk · 240 songs · 1 likes

Whether a fan of the band or not, you cannot deny the power behind his playing and the influence he has had as a musician for decades after he burst onto the scene.

Shocked to hear of the passing of another legend

- Dan

Eddie Van Halen, Guitar Hero, Dies At 65 The namesake of radio-rock band Van Halen dazzled a generation of guitar fans with his histrionic solos and trademark finger tapping.

No IMTV episode stream today, but I'll be back next week!