" -- WOODSTOCK, ONT -- 'I think what's happening with members of the public is an expression of their emotions, their concern for this child. And I think that's good, in terms of the willingness of this community to step up,' Mayor Michael Harding told CBC News on Saturday."This accomplishes exactly what? Besides, I mean... getting your 15 minutes of fame on the CBC National news.
Unlike the folks who show up along the highway from CFB Trenton to Toronto... to express their respect for the sacrifice of our slain soldiers... these people are more like gawkers at a terrible accident.
The one instance is a sign of respect directed towards the grieving families of the dead and... just as importantly... their compatriots on the far away battlefield. The other is merely a juvenile, self-conscious and overly contrived way to pretend that they are actually doing something useful.
It's like the crowds of sobbing 14 year-old students performing for the media, after some other kid they barely knew is killed in a car accident or a stupid brawl.
I salute all the folks who actually went out there and helped with the search. Likewise all the people who manned phones or distributed fliers. You know... the people who actually performed useful activities.
Let's just be honest here. There is absolutely nothing, besides the return of their missing child, that will make these parents feel better. Even if they consent to go on this very same newscast and express appreciation for this dog and pony show... it'll just be another lie... another case of doing what, these days... we are apparently expected to do.
A sop to the public thirst for morbid thrills.
It's purposeless and, more to the point, aside from making the participants feel better about themselves, accomplishes nothing. It's the neighbourhood version of those corporate team-building exercises we've all come to despise.
You don't look out for the interests of a child after the fact.
You do it before.
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UPDATE: Yes, gentle soul CC... I've been expecting you
But five times on this one post? Hmmm... smells a lot like desperation.
**********LAST WORD: Tori's mum expresses her gratitude
As for those persistent stories that the composite looks like the mom?*
"Woodstock is full of rumours and stories and crap, to be quite honest with you," she replies.