Last week, a resident of Shawville or the surrounding environs decided that they had reached a breaking point.
Nearly a year into the maelstrom of this pandemic, they finally decided that enough was enough. For whatever reason, either a YouTube rabbit-hole, a deep-seated distrust of authority figures or pure boredom, they arrived at the conclusion that COVID-19 pandemic is both “a lie” and “a fraudulent crime.”
They then decided that the only thing to be done was to . . .
let everyone else know. Early Tuesday morning, they were caught on security camera footage defacing several signs on the outskirts of town. On top of that, their message was also plastered all over a nearby park, on the fence outside a lumber yard and on the wall of the local high school. It should be noted that the style and substance of the graffiti was remarkably similar to a spree of vandalism that was inflicted on the town’s bike path last summer.
When I first saw the evidence, I’ve got to say I was shocked.
Only someone who’s been huffing paint-thinners would think that this would be an effective way of getting their message out. Actually, I take that back, it’s insulting to people who huff paint-thinners.
The lack of foresight and empathy that it takes to disfigure your neighbours’ property during a time of financial hardship in an already economically depressed area is astonishing. This selfish dingus painted over signs advertising local businesses and defaced property that belongs to this community.
This person’s grievances have likely been felt by many other members of this area. We’ve all been cooped up for an extended period of time, we’ve all had significant events from weddings to funerals cancelled or otherwise disrupted. Businesses are teetering on the edge of oblivion.
The worst thing to do in this kind of situation is lash out and actively add to everyone’s collective misery. The town has offered $100 for information leading to the arrest of this buffoon, and with any luck, they’ll be caught soon.
People have been voicing their opposition to a number of things related to this public health crisis, with the third anti-lockdown demonstration in the same number of weeks taking place in Shawville on Saturday. There is no shortage of venues to protest the state of the world and most are more effective than destroying public property. That being said, those that choose to march in the streets should have a coherent message and an idea of how government works before they go about making demands and attacking politicians. The demonstrators thus far have had neither, and thus their little parades have amounted to nothing more than a series of public tantrums. Everyone has the right to protest, but without any real organization or understanding of which level of government makes which decisions, what exactly is the point?
But hey, as long as public health rules are being followed, there are worse things to do than getting outside and socializing with a bunch of like-minded individuals. It seemed like this was the first time many of these demonstrators had ever participated in a political action, and perhaps some of them will get involved in the municipal elections this fall. Talking some smack about local officials may be cathartic but if you’re not advocating for any realistic alternative, it’s just mental masturbation. Maybe that’s all these people want out of it, who knows?
Public office is a lot more difficult and time consuming than many people realize and for those without any experience, things appear to move at a glacial pace. It takes courage to put yourself out there and even more to stick to your convictions once elected, and hopefully some of these protestors will take that next step.
The majority however, will likely just go back to posting angry memes on Facebook.
Caleb Nickerson
