It’s your right to be an asshole
I am a proud patriotic Canadian who is also a volunteer with the Remembrance Day poppy campaign and I'm committed to raising as much money as I can this year to help our veterans and their families. Therefore I am writing this rant to and for you, 20-something European woman in the cat costume, who on Halloween night grabbed several poppy pins from my tray and tossed them into air and onto the middle of Granville Street as you walked on with your friends.
When I ran to you to ask you for a donation for the poppies you so rudely grabbed and tossed, you just laughed at told me that you had no cash to begin with.
You might already be aware that regardless of whether or not you are a Canadian citizen you automatically have rights the moment you set foot on Canadian soil. However, it might also surprise you that the veterans from past wars going as far back as the First World War all the way to recent conflicts in Afghanistan have also fought for your right to completely ignore them, slander and criticize veterans in social media and not give a damn to wear a poppy pin or donate any money if you take one. Veterans have even fought for your right to be a completely selfish and disrespectful asshole like you clearly indicated.
On the other hand, you don't have the right to steal a handful of poppies pins, litter the street with poppy pins that you didn't pay for and walk off like you don't even care at all. You might want to know that I did spend about 30 minutes looking for you and I notified the uniformed police on Granville Street on Halloween night who would have arrested you and dragged you off to jail in a heartbeat if I could have found you among the crowds and pointed you and your friends out to the police.
So whoever you are, you do have the right to continue to be a selfish inconsiderate asshole who shows no respect whatsoever for the veterans who fought for your rights and the patriotic volunteers who try to support them, but sooner or later the Karma Queen is going to give you the ass-kicking that you have coming and which is long overdue and I really hope that she's wearing a poppy pin and a Canadian Forces uniform when that happens.
–Leslie Benisz
All rants and raves are the opinion of the individual and do not reflect the opinions of Westender. The editor reserves the right to edit for clarity and brevity, so please keep it short and (bitter)sweet. Email your rant or rave to [email protected]
