Brian Giesbrecht: Canada’s National Hysteria in the 21st Century

 

Mass hysteria is the spontaneous manifestation of a particular behaviour by many people. There are numerous historical examples: Middle Age nuns at a convent in France spontaneously began to meow like cats; at another convent, nuns began biting one another. In 13th-century Germany, spontaneous dancing broke out and entire city populations danced until exhausted. But perhaps the best-known mass hysteria was the Salem Witch Trials, where people, seized by visions, accused others of bewitching them. Many were executed.

Brian Giesbrecht: Battling the Bottle — The Untold Story

The ’60s Scoop was back in the news this month, and I expect we will hear more about it in the coming years. In fact, I am guessing there are plans in place to make it the subject of the next national inquiry after the missing women’s inquiry has wrapped up.

So, what is the ’60s Scoop? It is usually described as a decade when aboriginal children were stolen from their parents by overzealous social workers attempting to perpetuate cultural genocide by placing aboriginal children in American homes.

Is this story true?

Brian Giesbrecht: Airplane Safety and Alcohol

Ever since Wilbur and Orville Wright proved that heavier than air machines could indeed fly, safety has been the first priority when it comes to air travel. Engines and chassis are inspected and re-inspected. It only makes sense that if some gizmo in your car engine breaks, your car will stop, and you can get out and take a look under the hood. You don’t have that luxury in an airplane. If the engine fails, you fall out of the sky.

And the same goes for in-flight safety. The pilots and crew must have calm and quiet in order to do their jobs. The passengers are entitled to the same.

And that is why rules about alcohol consumption and intoxicated passengers are so strict on an airplane. If a flight attendant believes that a person about to board the airplane is intoxicated, the attendant is required to prevent that person from boarding. After the airplane has left the ground, the attendants are very careful to ensure that a passenger does not consume too much alcohol.