#PrioritizeTHIS wants you to get mad. How mad? Somewhere between the Johnny Cash finger-flipping mad and the let’s mobilize and make a stand against guns mad.

#PrioritizeTHIS is a series of one-minute videos highlighting the struggles of the disenfranchised. Each video will put a real face on a real issue while focusing on the need for governments to prioritize spending to support the marginalized. Film topics will include homelessness, family violence, mental health services, and addiction. Each film will be branded as a “PrioritizeTHIS Minute”.

#PrioritizeTHIS accepts that governments have limited funding but argues that financial allocations must be reprioritized to place people over politics, voters over votes, and citizens over corporations. Shame can be a strong motivator for change, so #PrioritizeTHIS will encourage bureaucrats to prioritize these issues.

#PrioritizeTHIS understands that different levels of governments have different mandates, but argues that all politicians (municipal, provincial, and federal) are responsible to the people. Homelessness, for example, may be a provincial responsibility, but that does not excuse municipal and federal politicians from addressing the issue.

#PrioritizeTHIS acts locally but thinks globally. Something’s wrong when only one in twelve non-profit funding requests was approved by CBRM council while simultaneously allocating millions of dollars to a second cruise ship berth with a questionable business case. #PrioritizeTHIS is not against large capital projects but believes we must prioritize. Kids with empty stomachs need food now.

Watch for our first #PrioritizeTHIS Minute coming this Spring.  A Dr StrangeJob project by Dan Yakimchuk Productions with design, edit, and post by GRYPHON media productions.

If all else fails, try non-violent civil disobedience.

Dr StrangeJob

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No, this post is not a continuation of my popular Censored Part I and Censored Part II series. Nor is it a reference to the S&M party I was recently invited to (see next week’s “Tie Me Down” for details on that one). This post is about employee morale and the effect of corporate downsizing on employee morale.

I was working at the central office of a crown corporation when headquarters announced a major downsizing and imminent closure of the office within two years. To ease the transition, corporate also announced a voluntary buyout package and agreed to provide a three-month termination notice to those directly affected.

Employees to be terminated were called to HR on the last Friday of each month to receive their layoff notice. If you didn’t receive a meeting request from HR on the last Friday of the month, then you were safe for another month. Needless to say, morale at the office was low, nerves were frayed, and tempers were short. Employees dealt with the stress in various ways. I stopped wearing a tie.

The departmental dress code was built on the traditional business model. Men were expected to wear ties as a form of respect for their colleagues and clients. I was not feeling particularly respectful with the current corporate downsizing process and stopped wearing a tie to show my disapproval. My supervisor took offence to my tireless tie-less attire and constantly chided me for my lack of office etiquette. My insubordination was eventually challenged one day as I left for lunch. I was told to return to work wearing a tie or expect consequences.

I spent lunch at the local mall looking for a tie. I purchased a battery-operated bowtie with a set of blinking lights from a novelty store.

I soon found myself is my supervisor’s office discussing my new tie.

Supervisor: What is that you are wearing?

Me: It’s a tie. You instructed me not to return unless I had a tie, so here it is.

Supervisor: That is a joke tie, and wearing it is disrespectful.

Me: No, I am just following your direction. You told me to come back to work wearing a tie, and that is what I am doing.

Supervisor: That is not an appropriate tie.

Me: Oh, so you do not like this particular tie?

Supervisor: You cannot wear a tie like that in this office.

Me: Not a problem, I will take it off as long as you tell me it is OK not to wear a tie.

Supervisor: You still need to wear a tie, just not one like that.

Me: I am confused. A tie is a tie. You have the authority to instruct me to wear a tie, but you do not have the right to tell me the style of tie that I wear.

Supervisor: Take off that tie and get back to work.

I went back to work and never wore a tie to that office again. In retrospect, I realise that my supervisor was just doing his job and that I was a being a bit of a dick. That said, it’s hard to “stay low and keep moving” unless you untie yourself from the corporate noose.

Dr. StrangeJob

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To begin: I am not, nor have I ever claimed to be, anyone other than the person I am currently pretending to be.

So who is Dr. StrangeJob, and what is his elaborate plan to save the Cape Breton economy?

First and foremost, Dr. StrangeJob is not a liar, but he does admit to being prone to excessive recklessness with the truth. That said, he considers himself to be a noble man, one with countless years of dedicated service in various world peace initiatives. In his youthful years, he was considered by many to be quite the prize, and to this day, he still fancies himself a winner. In other words, Dr. StrangeJob is Cape Breton’s first and foremost Noble Peace Prize Winner.

There are many exploits that could be shared about the good Doctor, but paramount to his current plan to save the Cape Breton economy is in recognizing his visionary approach that ultimately spawned Incompetents Anonymous – the World’s first 12+1 Step self-help program.

So, just how does Dr. StrangeJob plan to save the Cape Breton Economy? In two words – Akron Ohio

Yes, that Akron, Ohio, otherwise known as the birthplace of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) That’s right, what Dr. Bob S. did for Akron, Dr. Dan S. plans to do for Cape Breton. Do you have any idea how many tourists travel yearly to Akron to attend meetings, view historical landmarks, by trinkets, rent lodgings, and eat at local restaurants? Just imagine, the busloads (heck, maybe container loads) of new tourists spending all of their money just to visit the birthplace of Incompetents Anonymous.

Sure, the idea may seem pie in the sky, but the Doctor has a plan. In fact, he has a 12+1 Step plan, and he has already invested a considerable amount of his personal time and money into the development of a world class marketing and membership drive. He does realize, however, that we must take the process one step at a time, and that the first step is the most vital.

That is why, and upon immediate press release, the Doctor will work with all key CBRM stakeholders, the various levels of government, and local educational institutions in support of the development and creation of the Cape Breton Centre of Incompetents. Just imagine the marketing slogans for that one!

This is what we do best. Just look at the abundance of natural resources we have in politics alone.

Visit Cape Breton for the beauty, stay for the incompetence.

So ends Part I of the continuing saga of Dr. StrangeJob – Savior of CBRM

Dr. StrangeJob

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