By Eva Jousset
Arts & Culture Section Editor
Ever listen to a politician speak and ask yourself if they are on something? Well here is one who will happily answer that question with a yes. Enter Rob Ford, mayor of Toronto since 2010, running for re-election. He has been making the headlines for the past few weeks and has been the butt of many jokes, including a skit on SNL (Saturday Night Live, an American comedy show). There is even a section of the Guardian entitled “Rob Ford
Latest News and Comments on the Toronto Mayor,” dedicated entirely to keeping a lookout for what he will say or do next. This is not without reason.
Earlier this month, Mayor Ford was asked a question he had been dodging since last spring: if he had ever smoked crack cocaine. This allegation was after a video of him smoking a crack pipe started circulating around the Internet. Ford responded with a vague answer about when he did it: “Probably in one of my drunken stupors, probably, approximately about a year ago”. After this statement, he repeatedly denied that he was an addict and that all he could do now was “apologize and move on”.
Ford has become quite the media figure, but that is due in large part to his outrageous behavior and questionable word choice when he speaks in public. He has tackled a Toronto councilwoman during a debate, heckled the public and finally, accused the city council of staging a coup against him when they stripped him of a portion of his powers. He is known to have affiliation with gangs in the area, whom he even “hung out with” as he smoked crack. On top of his bombastic and inappropriate behavior, most recently he made a lewd statement about oral sex to an array of TV cameras.
More recently, George Smitherman, Ford’s opponent from the 2010 mayoral elections has been stating that Ford’s behavior should not come as a surprise and that he has always behaved in this manner. Smitherman backs up his claims by saying how Ford took “dirty shots” at him during the race for mayor, by making references to his previous drug use and sexuality.
Ford’s behavior may not all be bad, in the sense that he always strives to apologize profusely, in the wake of his outlandish behavior. Unfortunately for him, most, if not all of his outbursts have been caught on tape. They now serve as segments for a number of “greatest hits” videos all over the internet. Despite all of this, his approval rates remain steady, which means a portion of Toronto residents still approve of his job performance as mayor. Recent polls state that 69% of Torontonians believe that Ford has a clear substance abuse problem, despite his repeated efforts to express the contrary. In the meantime, Ford has been stripped of almost all of his mayoral powers and deputy mayor Norm Kelly is on track to take over.
Other than being the epitome of what not to do, Ford’s behavior has provided fodder for America’s late night television circuit and on a more serious note, a grounds for reflection on who the people choose to represent them.
Eva Jousset, Class of 2014, Film & Philosophy major from New York City, NY.
