Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!neat.cs.toronto.edu!mgreen
Newsgroups: ont.general
From: mgreen@cs.toronto.edu (?)
Subject: re: Sunday shopping
Message-ID: <89Dec20.141047est.2233@neat.cs.toronto.edu>
Organization: Department of Computer Science, University of Toronto
Distribution: ont
Date: 20 Dec 89 19:12:01 GMT
Lines: 43

The Sunday Shopping controversey is just the tip of the iceberg. There
real issue that the governments of Canada and Ontario have are bent on
imposed their views on how you should lead your life. According to
the government, you are supposed to live in a family with exactly 1
adult male, 1 adult female and the proscribed 2.2 children; you are
supposed to be Christian, preferably of English or Scottish descent;
you are supposed work monday-friday 9-5; you are supposed to go to
church on Sunday morning and spend "quality time" with children on
Sunday afternoon (reading the Bible and singing psalms, not doubt).

Well, as all polls show, people who are not Christian, do not have
children or just plain don't think that Sunday is special are in the
vast majority. But that doesn't matter because in Canada, as we saw on
the Catholic school funding issue, the political parties are virtually
identical. Moreover, people who do not fit the the government ideal
also tend top be younger, poorer, more transient and are less likley
to get involved in politics. How many MP's do you think aren't
married, don't have children or strong religious ties? They
all do. These are the pillars of the community.

Funny, but I thought that in a free society, people ought to be able
to do what they want, as long as it doesn't injure someone else. My
wife works every other weekend and I frequently spend Sunday in my
office.  It is not the end of the world. There are already alot of
people who work Sunday and civilization goes on. Nurses, policeman,
merchants at the Harbor Front, Chinatown, etc. seem to live perfectly
normal lives.  I heard all the same arguments against Sunday shopping
when I was growing up in Pennsylvania. Well, the world didn't end
there either and if anyone tried to reinstitute the day of rest, I
suspect that there would be a riot. If this were a democracy, there
would be little dispute: polls show 70% favor Sunday shopping.

The real issue is not Sunday shopping but the authorian character of
the Canadian government. Are the majority of us going to let the
minority impose their views on on us with no more justification than
they thing that it's a good idea.  The people running the government,
and apparenbtly some of the posters, are still locked into a 1955 view
of society. There are still trying to impose antiquated values on a
society which has drastically changed.

Marc Green
Computer Studies
Trent University