Anyway, here’s a brief rundown of what I did on Tuesday, Thursday, and today.

Tuesday, we learned the kimura from the guard. Pretty good stuff.

Thursday we just learned a few sweeps. Theses specific sweeps are done in the case that your opponent stands up in your guard.

Today: a two hours class. Was all rolling and no technique. This was a little out of my comfort zone because there were some blue, purple, and even brown belts training. But, I was fighting almost exclusively against higher ranks, which was great for me as I got some experience against stronger opponents. I did very well, not getting tapped by any higher belts, and actually mounting and almost submitting a few higher ranks.

So, only one update: Day 4.

Day 4: Thursday Oct. 27, 2011

Another pretty simple class: we went over the technique for the armlock from the mount position. Already had a bit of a handle on this from Judo/submission wrestling but there are a few details that really made it click. Basically the most common situation, and most relevant to me as a beginner, is after attaining mount, a common response from your opponent (if he is also a beginner) is for them to push up on your chest to prevent you from advancing the position to a choke, etc etc. While his arms are extended toward your chest, take an arm, and essentially pivot your body to extend the arm, lay back, raise your hips to make him tap. I know that was horribly explained, and it misses a lot of detail, but like I said before, I just tend to remember how to do it properly, and I lack the expertise to properly detail it for others (that is, whenever I’m not actually practising with someone). But, one thing I never thought of was shifting your weight forward over your opponents’ head slightly so you can more easily throw your leg over to synch the lock. We also went over the cross choke from the mount, which we had done in the past, but I am still having trouble with it because I have weak forearms, so I have to put more strength into when I curl the wrists and move my weight forward. I also have a tendency to move my elbows outward while choking, which is a no-no,  as the choke should remain with your elbows tight to your body. Anyway, it’s only two weeks in and I feel like I’m learning a lot, so it’ll come eventually. Another great thing about learning these moves in tandem is that they compliment each other: if the guy defends the choke, get the arm, if he defends the arm, grab the lapel and choke him out. It’s impossible to fight against both, as Saulo Ribeiro explains…

He also explains the detail that I am not very good at articulating. But we essentially did this exact technique.

Specific was awesome again, and made me feel better about my blossoming skills after that prick white belt kept hassling me at the clinic last week. Rules: 1)start from mount, 2) guy on top has to advance the position to a submission, or retain the mount, 3) guy on bottom has to escape the mount. I had a good result, winning most of my rounds. The first guy I fought is a really fun partner, because he has a similar background in sub-wrestling. He beat me  3 times, sweeping me twice (I was making the rookie mistake of not posting and disconnecting my hips when attempting a collar choke – he was able to use my momentum to roll me), and he tapped me with an Ezekiel choke. I beat him 4 times, sweeping him twice, grabbing an armbar, and holding the mount at the end of our last round. the second opponent I beat every round, mainly by sweeps and subs. He was just as new as I was, but he had no background in grappling at all. Nonetheless I showed etiquette by giving him little tips, not telling him he is too inexperienced to try certain moves. How are we supposed to learn if we don’t try out our techniques? Plus, it’s generally an asshole move to tell someone of the same rank they can or can’t do something. My role is to be a good training partner, not an instructor. Anyway, he asked me how to escape from an opponents’ wrist control, so I showed him some wrist escapes I learned in Kung Fu a long time ago that perfectly apply to BJJ. That might be another advantage I have over other beginners, I’m pretty decent at hand-fighting for position before the real grappling starts, mainly due to my Judo and Freestyle Wrestling background, but wristhold and escapes training has benefitted me as well.

I’ve been taking NyQuil to help me get rest through the cold and I am feeling way better, so I should be at class tomorrow. I’ll post an update afterwards.

mount.

Today was a simple class as I learned how to obtain mount position from side control. This is going to be a pretty short post as there is not really much to say.

Day 3: October 25, 2011

As stated, today we went over the motions of obtaining mount from side control. Did specific: guy on top wins by advancing side-control to either the mount or to submission, guy on bottom wins by successfully defending or getting to any guard. I’d say I took 70% of the rounds. I remember I was mounted once and gave up half-guard once. Other than that I obtained mount over 3 times, defended twice, and actually swept to mount once. Another good class.

The only thing I had trouble with was formulating a coherent idea of how to defend against the mount attempts without giving up any limbs. Also, I had trouble getting to mount when my partner would cross his leg, making it difficult for me to hop over his knees.

This video actually breaks down achieving mount pretty well:

I also talked to  my instructor after class about the philosophy behind progression in BJJ and gave me some good advice: “come and train like you don’t care about belts, keep your commitment, and you’ll move up. You’ll move up faster with that attitude, and when you get your blue belt it will be a very satisfying feeling.” I think he’s right. In martial arts I always had a tendency to overemphasize the value and importance of belts, and in doing so, I look forward to rank rather than training itself. Plus, I’ve always been about instant gratification rather than slow progress, which could be problematic in BJJ given that belts take longer to move through, which is further compounded by the fact that there’s less of them. I’m  going to enjoy BJJ for what it is regardless of belt structure, but I really look forward to getting that belt when the time comes. Hopefully sooner than later though, shit is expensive.

I also upped my training from 2 classes to 3 classes a week. I get the extra saturday class now, which is actually two classes in one since there is open mat after the initial instruction.

Prof. Eduardo on the left and Head Instructor Britto on the right. I don't know who he is, but I believe the guy in the middle awarded Eduardo his black belt.

I went  to a mini seminar at TO BJJ taught by Prof. Eduardo Dibb (I think it’s awesome that the instructors are called “Professors” in BJJ) focusing entirely on chokes from the guard. This was the first time I’ve been instructed by a black belt, which is kind of surprising since there are so many world class guys at the gym. Then again, you don’t necessarily need to have a black belt to be “world class”; the instructor for my first lesson (Thomas Beach) won the world championships as a brown belt last year (Gi and No-Gi), so I’m in good hands either way. From what I understand, brown belts seem to be black belts that are slightly rough around the edges, but not until the small details are smoothed out can they finally get that final color. Obviously, black belts are going to have those extra little details perfected, but the brown belt instructors at TO BJJ are top class as well.

This was also my first time talking to any of the instructors even slightly at length. I went upstairs to warm-up before the seminar and seen this dude pop out of the training room, so I asked him if the clinic had started ( I seen a bunch of people stretching inside). In a thick Portuguese accent he told me that it had not, and to wait about 10 minutes. The accent kind of gave it away, and he sat next to me while he took out his black belt, another hint. He said he didn’t remember seeing me before, so he asked me how long I had been training BJJ for, where I am from (he hadn’t heard of PEI), why I moved here, etc. A very nice and genuinely friendly guy, he made me feel confortable in what could potentially be an uncomfortable situation, especially for an introverted guy like myself, generally alone in a massive city undertaking a new martial art outside of my comfort zone. While he seemed genuinely interested in what we were talking about, these small-talk situation always get awkward before they upgrade to “medium talk”, so he told me to go stretch. Stretch I did, and the clinic began.

Before I go any further, I just want to point out (that if it isn’t obvious already) I am very new to this sport. Although I have experience as a grappler from  freestyle wrestling, “submission wrestling”, and the 5 seconds on the ground they allow in Judo, BJJ is on an entirely different level that I’m not used to. That’s not a bad thing, it’s actually a great thing, as I’m learning something very new every class but yet it still feels somewhat natural to me. However, feeling that the movements are natural to my previous experience doesn’t mean that I am fully comprehending them, or properly executing the techniques, nor can I explain them in an effective fashion either. I actually came across ScottOnTheNet’s blog, he’s a fellow student at TO BJJ who is blogging about the same things I am, except he has (from what I can tell on his belt: the color blue and a shitload of stripes) lots of experience. He also has specific sections devoted to technique, something I don’t anticipate to incorporate until I am much, much, more experienced than I am now. Furthermore, the new focus of my blog is more for my personal tracking, and perhaps a way to keep me motivated when I feel I am low in confidence after a bad class, or maybe a competition, eventually. So if you want proper explanation of technique, or just the perspective of someone from Toronto BJJ who’s been at it for years, check out Scott’s blog.

Seminar – Oct. 22, 2011:

Prof. Eduardo is supposed to be amazing when it comes to chokes from his back, hence the reason he’s the one hosting the clinic. From what I could tell, this reputation is not unfounded. Mostly white belts, peppered with a few blues, and a purple, Eduardo took us through the logical steps to attempt each subsequent choke he would eventually teach us. First, we focused on breaking the posture of your opponent, something I’ve been learning in my first two classes, but he added something I wasn’t aware of : Proper hip control. He was showing us a counter to your opponents attempt to stand up in your guard, basically you pull your knees toward your chest to put him off balance, effectivley bringing his body back to your chest. However, when I did it in my first tow classes I was allowing my ass to leave the floor, and I wasn’t arching my back properly. He explained that you need to keep your ass on the floor, and pull up with your knees while arching your back in a small “C” shape… like I said, small details these black belts immediately sniff out.

We examined roughly four ways to break your opponents posture and transition into a choke attempt:

1) when your opponent tries to stand in your guard do the small “C” arch and pull your knees into your chest (after your opponent posts with his first foot, and is about stand completely upwards with his second), this should bring your opponent back down into your guard, breaking his posture, allowing you to work a gi choke

2) in the event that your opponent isn’t going to try and stand up, he may try to posture up and break your guard by pushing an arm on your quad. To do this an elbow is usually out further than required in a solid defensive posture. To counter this and break him down you grab his lapel (on the same side as the elbow you are about to attack) and use your elbow to break down hi, allowing you to pull him into you, breaking his entire defensive posture

3) if he is aware of keeping his elbows in, you can go for a double armpit grip by grabbing the back of his gi behind the armpits. Once you have the grip, pull him forward (always using your knees as well) and spreading him out. You can then control his neck by placing your left arm over his should and sliding it down deep into the back of his lapel (horribly explained, I know), and work the choke from there.

4) By far the easiest, and probably the most intuitive. Simply cross grip his lapel, pull yourself up, and post on your opposite elbow while turning on your side. While posting and turning, this should give you the leverage needed to go even deeper into his lapel (your hand should be gripping the lapel at the back of his neck at this point). Once you get deep, pull your arm down, with our elbow going toward your ribs. His posture is completely broken and a choke is wide open.

The chokes were variations of the gi cross collar chokes for the most part. After the posture is broken just reach across, curl your wrists, and pul your opponent into you (tight, I was making the mistake of pulling my arms outward). I cant really go into detail because I don’t have technical expertise to explain them. Trust me, I remember how to do them… for the most part.

However, one interesting technique was obtaining the choke against an opponent blocking your free arm (the arm not gripping his lapel). Using breakdown #4, your opponent blocks the free arm by posting his arm on your bicep with his palm. Keeping your grip, you hip escape away from the attacked lapel, as this allows you to bring your knee into his arm and break his block. You also swing your left leg over his shoulder for control (like an armbar set-up). At this point his grip is broken, and you use your free hand to grab the other side of his lapel, or the bunched fabric by his trapezoid. Once you have both grips you shimmy your hips back to guard, and complete the choke like normal.

He also showed us a triangle choke variation, however my fellow white belt partner felt it necessary to tell me not to bother trying. Was my technique that bad? And how will I learn if I don’t try? All good questions. Perhaps, as an expert white belt, I’ll ask him for guidance on these profound philosophical dilemmas next class.

I had my second full class. Here’s the quick rundown.

DAY 2 – Oct. 20, 2011:

Warm up wasn’t nearly as bad. It was the same routine, but I find that my body adapts to cardio exercise pretty quickly, so it didn’t feel as taxing as on Tuesday. I’m still quite out of shape in that regard though, hopefully that will change in a month or so.

Anyway, the technique we learned today was a gi choke from closed guard. Pretty basic submission, very similar to the lappel chokes I learned in Judo, but this is from your back. I’m getting the feeling that, as a white belt, the majority of our techniques will done from our back, but maybe that’s the just the art in general.Regardless, the technique was pretty basic, although there was a variation the instructor showed us that was a bit more complicated, which I actually had trouble following. I may ask him to show me again next week.

This is essentially what I learned today, although the set up was quite different from the video:

I did really well in “specific” today which gave me a boost in confidence. Rules: guy on bottom wins if he submits or sweeps, guy on top wins if he breaks his opponent’s guard. I won every round against 3 different opponents, on both top and bottom. I tapped my opponents out with a triangle, arm triangle, and surprisingly, a gogoplata (shin choke). I was able to break my opponents’ guard with relative ease, but we drilled the shit out of that in Judo, so I probably have a distinct advantage over my fellow white belts in that regard. Overall I’m feeling really good with my defence and my thought process regarding submission attempts. It’s only day 2, but I feel like I’ve finally found my niche when it comes to martial arts.

I’ve also decided to scrap my previous workout routine and replace it with something more suited to BJJ. No more weights for the sake of weights; I want to actually train with a purpose. Essentially my new plan is going to involve powerlifting techniques for explosiveness and strength, as well as incorporating a workout with high reps for cardio and muscular endurance. Here’s what I’m thinking:

============================================

Monday – Strength/Explosiveness:

Squat 3×5
Press/bench press 3×5 (alternating)
Deadlift 1×5/Powerclean 5×3 (alternating)

Tuesday - BJJ

Wednesday – Cardio/Endurance: Team Quest grappling circuit

Thursday – Strength/Explosiveness (morning):

Squat 3×5
Bench press/press 3×5 (alternating)
Pull-ups: 3 sets to failure or add weight if completing more than 15 reps

BJJ at night

Friday – Rest

Saturday – Sprints:

10 sets of 100m sprints/jog backs or hill/stairs sprints with jog back

Sunday – Rest.

=====================================================

I hope this will get me into fighting shape. Currently I weigh roughly 195-200lbs, probably over 15% body fat. I would like to get down to 180 or so, but I hope my strength doesn’t diminish significantly in the process.

My current ORM’s are:

Benchpress: 295lbs

Squat: 365lbs

Leg Press: 1005lbs

Deadlift: 455lbs

Military Press (barbell): 145lbs.

I’m curious to see if these go down after a few months of my new routine.

Anyway, I’m out for now. I signed up for a choke seminar on saturday, so I’ll likely update then.

I ended up joining “Toronto BJJ” on Bloor, and although it’s kind of pricey, I’m convinced that it’s worth it. I’m getting world class instruction and, as a result, a very real chance to fight at the IBJJF world’s and Mondial competitions should I eventually progress far enough. The head instructor is Jorge Britto, a former IBJJF world champ, and has been fairly successful in MMA competition as well (CCF champ I think). Shogun Rua’s Thai boxing coaches instruct there full-time, and even though that doesn’t affect me, it shows that the school takes itself  very seriously, as it is intent on hiring the best teachers available. Shogun himself is friends with Britto, so when he’s in town he actually teaches seminars and classes. However, the best thing about the school is that it’s Saulo Ribeiro’s program, not only a very decorated BJJ fighter, he is also world renowned as a great teacher, and it’s reflected in the way instruction is given at the club. He and his brother Xande occasionally instruct there as well.

The overseer of the program, and instructor when he's in Toronto, Saulo Ribeiro. Multi-time world champ (Gi and No-Gi), and multi time ADCC champ.

Here’s a brief review of what I have done so far:

Initially, I had what was creatively called “first class.” They were originally going to let me skip this because of my judo/wrestling background, but I ended up participating nonetheless. Basically, at TO BJJ, this is an introductory class where you’re isolated with a lower ranked instructor and the other newbies, and you get a quick rundown of the very basic techniques. I thought it was pretty useful, mainly to feel comfortable with grappling again, but I was already versed in the techniques from grappling in Judo, and to a larger degree, from my experience with Shr Fu Eric Bertelsen and Thomas Dalziel in Kajukenpo Chuan Fa Kung Fu. We went through mount, guard, and side control positions, as well as learning the Americana.

We then played an awesome game called “specific” (BJJ is very imaginative with their names), where two opponents face off with specific goals in mind, and when you accomplish your goal, you win. For me, starting on the bottom in open guard, my goal was to end up on top of my opponent via sweep or any other method that comes available. My opponent, starting in my open guard on top, wins only when he taps me with an Americana. In both rounds I won quite easily.

That was pretty much it for day one. I got my feet wet and loved it right away. So much so that I immediately dropped some serious cash to sign a contract. Got a free month of classes and a new gi out of it (they also waived the initial membership fee, which was nice).

Unfortunately, I had to delay my first actual class since I went to North Bay to visit family for Thanksgiving/York reading week. BJJ was pretty much all I thought about until last Tuesday, when I joined the other beginners.

Day 1, Tuesday October 18th, 2011:

Show up at 7pm and get a loaner Gi from the front. Get changed, head to the mat to get acquainted. Surprised by the low class size, as I’ve heard that a major criticism of the club (due to its popularity) is it’s large class sizes, resulting in a lack of one to one instruction. But that wasn’t the case, I was accompanied by maybe 10 other white belts, a couple of them as new as myself, which is a comforting feeling.

Not a lot to say here, I basically warmed up and class began. We learned how to do an arm-bar from the closed-guard, which was actually quite fun, and very very different from how I was taught in Judo. Essentially in Judo when you attempt an arm-bar from the bottom, you typically end up completing the move by extending your legs across the face of your opponent, making a kind of ‘T’ shape with your bodies, both of you likely on your stomachs at that point (its been a while, so any Judokas that have stumbled upon this post, feel free to correct me). In BJJ however, it felt much more intuitive.

Then, in “specific”, the guy on top had to pass guard into either side control or mount, while the guy on the bottom had to submit the guy on top (or for new guys like myself that don’t know anything, it was considered a win to successfully defend guard). It was pretty fun, and I was encouraged by my ability to defend from the bottom: I only lost once, and almost submitted my first opponent with an armbar and a triangle choke. On top I did quite a bit better. I was able to pass most of the other white belt’s guards, but some ended in stalemates as I was not submitted when I didn’t pass.

Pretty good class, I just wish they were longer.

1) I live in Toronto now, I really like it here. I wish I wasn’t living on campus, but it’s convenient and apparently pretty nice compared to most grad residences (we have an apartment set-up where nothing is shared).

2) I like my classes and I’ve become far more left-wing than I had anticipated. I knew York was very left-leaning when I accepted their offer, but I figured I could hold steadfastly onto my foundation as a centre-left sort of guy. Perhaps I could still be classified as such, but never have I actually questioned or lashed out at capitalism and it;s systemic problems like I do now. I find myself agreeing almost entirely with Marx these days, well, mainly with his criticisms of capitalist society, but not necessarily the solution (believe it or not, private property is a good thing). Both of my classes this semester are very critical of neo-liberal economics, and Marx is frequently cited. Even in my class with Dr. Saeed Rhanema, which is primarily discussing the growing role of religion in a presumedly “secular” society, neo-liberal Marxist critique pops up more frequently than you’d think. My next semester lineup is pretty similar: “The Welfare State and Social Provisioning”, “Indigenous Peoples and the ‘Fourth World’”, and “Making of the Modern Middle East.” I know the last one doesn’t sound very left-leaning, but the professor is actually a PhD from the University of Frankfurt, a traditional hub of European critical theory. I actually wanted to go to U of T instead because of York’s leftist reputation, but I couldn’t have a made a better choice (sorry, Dr. Germain).

3) I’m FINALLY taking BJJ. To me this is a very big deal, as I’ve wanted to learn this martial art for a long time, but due to it’s relatively short history, it’s not widely available outside moderately or large sized cities (both of which escape the description of Charlottetown). So not until I moved here was I able to do what I’ve always wanted to do: learn how to make a larger man submit via dry-hump.

Some context: My desire to learn BJJ has dictated my previous martial arts experience to a certain degree. It’s basically the only reason why I studied Judo for about a year, and the very reason why I quit. Judo is actually a stylistic variation of traditional Jiu Jitsu, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu owes its heritage to Judo (Helio Gracie adapted the grappling aspect of Judo – which he learnt from a travelling sensei named Mitsuyo Maeda – to a style of fighting that favours technique over strength, to an even greater degree than Judo. An even gentler, gentler way, if you will). So I figured that I could use my previous freestyle wrestling background (undefeated in provincial competition in Jr. High and High School, lulz) to get past the throwing part, and get to the nitty gritty I loved about wrestling: the grappling and control on the ground. But Judo was especially appealing because, unlike wrestling, there are submissions involved, essentially the same submissions used in BJJ (minus leg-locks). So thinking that this was the closest I’d get, I slogged through the throwing part, and looked forward to the ground game aspect. I even bought a black BJJ competition gi despite being illegal in Judoka tourneys, as I always figured I’d use it if BJJ was made available on PEI. Anyway, while my wrestling seen me progress relatively fast (made yellow belt in about 4-5 months and beat a brown belt in my first comp), I was thoroughly disappointed with the lack of attention to the ground in competition. I fought at the NB provincials and finished third behind two white belts, in large part to the total lack of ground work allowed, and also to my horrible fitness. What was irritating wasn’t the loss, but rather the rules concerning ground work: you have no more than 5 seconds to secure a submission, otherwise you restart from standing. At least twice in the gold medal match I almost had an armlock sunk in, only to have the ref wait 5 seconds and stand me up. Not only is this frustrating, but it’s quite exhausting. Needless to say, I lost, went home early completely gassed, and found out later that I finished third instead of second, because the guy I beat, beat the guy I lost to, and since I wasn’t present for the rematch I was given the bronze. That was the last time I participated as a judoka. Later I heard that the reason for the lack of time given on the ground is due to the fact that a lot of BJJ guys enter Judo tourneys and clean up, mostly by way of submission, and a lack of time on the ground takes away that advantage. This only reaffirmed my desire to quit and wait for the “real” thing. I ended up with every competitive victory by submission.

Helio Gracie, originator of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

Then I re-joined Kung Fu. This wasn’t really for any expectations of ground work, but I knew they had informal grappling classes for those interested, as the former Shr Fu Eric Bertelsen is ranked in a style of submission wrestling. Eventually that’s where I tried to focus most of my activity, and had a lot of fun doing it. Lots of people began coming to the grappling classes (we rolled on a bare concrete floor in the top floor of a church) as word was getting around. I was fairly decent at it, as I tapped out some high ranked Judokas from Summerside area that wanted to make the switch (but ultimately didn’t) and even the two of the current Shr Fu’s that still teach the system (it should be noted for my future personal health, that this was a very rare occurrence). However, class sizes diminished and grappling died down, and altogether stopped for a long time. I opted to take time away to focus on soccer and lifting weights instead. Despite my friendship with the instructors, and being ranked (briefly as a student-teacher – Shr Hing, I think) I didn’t end up going back.

I then heard about some online ranking system that the Gracies allow (Gracie University or some bullshit). They actually give you rank based on submitted video if you feel you are ready to pass the belt tests. However, without guidance, and the general “McDojo” vibe a program like this gives off, I didn’t go further than my “white belt” trial period.

I haven’t practised martial arts since then, well, until now that is. I bought 7 months worth of classes at Toronto BJJ, and I’ve been to two classes so far. It’s actually quite a bit better than I expected, and I look forward to each class immensely. I hope I can progress to blue belt relatively quickly so I can get the most out of it before I go back to BJJ-less Charlottetown for the summer, but if not, that’s fine too since I plan on moving back after I finish my thesis from home.

Anyway, that’s about it for now. This is most likely going to end up being one of the many BJJ blogs out there, as it will surely dominate future posts, and even though it’s a little cliched, I feel it’ll be useful to track my progress and keep motivated.

Anyway, that’s it for now.

Note how Borden and Wood Islands are conveniently to the left and right of campus

To this:

Not pictured: the largest concentration of criminal gang activity in Canada

I finally get to embark upon the next step of my long academic journey: a Political Science MA at York University. I leave tonight for Rothesay, NB and then start the drive to Toronto, ON the next morning. Classwork on my MA starts on Sept. 7 and ends sometime in April, however, I’ll be writing my MRP through June. I guess I’m writing this to let all my real homies know that I’ll miss y’all, and most likely won’t see you again until July, as my paper-thin budget most likely won’t allow funds for a flight home at Christmas. I know I didn’t see much of you this summer, but I was glad we got to hang out a bit before I left. See you in July, or in the case of a few of you, in a couple of weeks when you return to TO and the surrounding areas.

Peace.

PS: I don’t know if you can tell, but York is way bigger than UPEI. And theoretically more dangerous, you know, with the rapes and shootings, etc.

The political right and righteous rock have united to crush the Liberals.

After the election, many Canadians who swing a little to the left of centre cried foul about the results. Most commonly, the complaints generally revolve around the notion that the public at large was not properly represented. While I sympathize (and mostly agree) with that viewpoint, I don’t necessarily agree with one of the most common arguments.

While I watched the election results with a feeling of impending social-democratic doom, Facebook (and I’m assuming Twitter, as well) was alight with woebegone status updates like “I don’t feel rightfully represented” or simply, “I’m moving to North Korea.” But many on the defeated side are up in arms over the fact that roughly 60% of the popular vote went against the Conservatives, therefore claiming that Harper’s majority is not legitimate. Here’s a little excerpt from the “National Day of Action for Electoral Reform”‘s Facebook page:

“Only 40 percent of Canadians supported our government in the May 2 election, and yet we wound up with a Conservative majority. The fact that Stephen Harper now controls Parliament after gaining only 1.8 percent more of the popular vote than in 2008 is a testament to the arbitrary and antiquated nature of Canada’s Parliamentary system.”

Does anybody else see the fatal flaw with this statement?

While the low pop-vote percentage is statistical fact, Harper won a majority that’s constitutionally legitimate, no matter how far left you sit from the aisle, and our electoral system is hardly arbitrary since its designed to produce clear-cut winners and losers. I’m undoubtedly just as irritated that our system allows a majority to be won with such a low percentage of the popular vote, and I agree that the first-past-the-post system is no longer suited to accommodate the wide variance of political views in a society as pluralistic and multiethnic as Canada’s. However, the fact that 60% of the electorate voted against the Conservatives does not weaken Harper’s legitimacy. Why? Because the left is unfortunately fragmented into four parties, which obviously spreads the popular vote. Many who attack Harper’s majority on these grounds neglect to point out that, while 60% of the pop-vote did go to leftist parties, they by no means are counted as a unified anti-Harper vote. Plus, if you break down the pop-vote by party, the Conservatives come out on top. It hurts to say, I know, but statistically they were the most popular party. They may represent (arguably) Canada’s statistically least popular ideology, but that doesn’t mean anything when you have a consolidated Conservative party that owns the right end of the spectrum, and a fragmented left consisting of the Bloc, NDP, Greens, and Liberals all fighting for votes amongst themselves.

Now don’t get me wrong I am by no means a Conservative supporter, and I’m not of the National Post’s “our system has always failed to fully represent its electorate, so we should get used to it” philosophy,  but you can’t have a fractured left and expect results in any situation. If perhaps the NDP and the remaining Liberals merged, I think there could be a regime change in four years, however it seems that both the Grits and Democrats are resisting this idea. But why? They’re very similar ideologically, and the only major differences with their campaigns was fiscal policy. Perhaps the Liberals still have a distorted view of themselves as a “natural governing party” when it’s obvious that the country disagrees. Historically as a centre-left party they were able to transform themselves to adapt to changing political tides in order to expand the tent and capture (or maintain) votes, but that was before the rise of hard-line Alberta (C)onservatives who are effectively polarizing Canada’s political landscape. Shifts in political culture are no longer reserved in Canada to moving from centre-left to slightly further centre-right, as we’re seeing a clear divide between centre-left and hard-right. This leaves very little place for the Liberals as a centrist party, as it just seems like they lack conviction in political beliefs (I don’t necessarily agree with this either, but I can understand the viewpoint). On the orange side,  Jack Layton must feel like he finally one-upped the Liberals after years of failing to be taken seriously (I recall in particular one moment during the english debate where he responded to Ignatieff with “here we go again, typical Liberal arrogance!,” or something). In the short term there is really nothing for Layton to gain by allowing the remnants of a battered Liberal party to ride on the NDP’s recent success; Jack handily won battleground Quebec while the Liberals are largely restricted to the Atlantic provinces. But in the long-term I think a unified left leads to a far more effective social-democratic voice in Canada, and the only real hope of prevailing against Conservative wedge-politics and smear campaigns.

Besides, mergers have happened before. The Progressive Conservatives had to merge with the Canadian Alliance for conservatism to survive in Canada, and I think liberalism has to do the same, especially in a newly divided political culture. History could be a hard thing to throw away, and the Liberals have lots of it, but it seems as though a centrist party is exclusively a thing of the past, and history is exactly where the left will stay if that side of the aisle remains broken, with or without electoral reform.

While I’m not necessarily embarrassed about it, I’m not proud of it either. It’s just very frustrating that the only  thing Charlottetown has to offer a UPEI grad at the top of his class, with over 3 years of federal and provincial work experience, is an entry level tech position at call-centre. There isn’t anything wrong with the idea that someone can make a career out of this work, and I’m not claiming to be of a higher echelon than those who do, but its just not MY ideal situation. I was glad that my employer realized this and didn’t turn me away because of my education, future plans, or previous work. It seems that on PEI having a BA is like a double-edged sword, except the problem is that neither edge provides a benefit: you’re either too qualified for most available positions, or you aren’t qualified enough. Thankfully, my employer seen my education as a form of merit (not necessary for the job of course, but proves that I’m not a retard, at the very least), and hired me two days after the interview. Oh, did I mention that I work for  a call-centre that’s extremely desperate for bodies?

You see, regardless of what you think of call-centre work, I can’t imagine a call-centre of any type would ever assume that this is a first choice career for anyone. At my current job I’ve met people who have been there for time periods ranging from 2 months to 3+ years, but not one has ever said that it was their goal to work there. In fact, almost all feedback about the work is negative. What do you expect? Call-centres are generally a stop-gap or a last resort, which is reflected in the work’s nature and the extremely high turnover rate. It’s just a fact of life that call-centres always need people, so they’ll generally hire anyone with a pulse. Do you honestly know anyone who has pursued higher education or gathered relevant experience with the end goal of attaining an entry level call-centre position? Didn’t think so. I believe that most call-centres are aware of this, and as such, don’t make judgment calls based on education or experience. Thank God, because I’d be broke otherwise.

However, one Charlottetown call-centre didn’t get the memo. You know, the memo that states it is common knowledge that no one actually wants to work for a call-centre.

You see, last month my EI was running out and, as a UPEI graduate, I’m no longer eligible to work for Service Canada, so my desperation meter was going off. I had saved money to give myself breathing space in case a job didn’t come my way, but I’d rather not dip into it. So, I applied to the only jobs available in Charlottetown: call-centres and retailers. Retailers rejected me (citing “over-qualification” when asked), so I was banking on call-backs from the two call-centres I applied for. One called and offered me an interview, and let me tell you, it was a fucking train-wreck (I’m not going to say the name because I have a few friends who’d probably be pretty insulted with this post).

This was unfortunate because I was fairly enthusiastic about the interview. Why wouldn’t I be?  I heard that they pay a minimum of $15 for entry level employees (extremely high for PEI standards) and they don’t deal with the usual “my Ipod is broken” or “my email doesn’t work” tech bullshit. In all honesty, I really didn’t know anything about the company other than that they don’t deal in tech support and they are some sort of financial company. Strike 1, of many, many strikes.

Back to the train wreck part. So I arrive, and after waiting almost 30 minutes for the supervisors to greet me, I’m taken to a dimly lit office that’s mildly reminiscent of  a police interrogation room. This is fitting, because as an unruly adolescent (God bless the Young Offenders Act!) I’ve been interrogated a few times, and this interview was much worse than what the RCMP had to offer. The interviewers actually opened by apologizing in advance for what may be taken as rude, but I would classify it more as insulting, arrogant, and condescending.

Right off the bat they bombard me with questions about my work history, which is very standard, but the level of detail they require is something that I’m not used to. An example: they asked for a situation in which I was faced with a large problem, and what I did to rectify the situation. Given that most of my recent work experience involved either office work, research, teaching 1st year UPEI students, or speech writing (not to mention very little interaction with other co-workers), I didn’t exactly have a good example, but what am I supposed to say, that everything was always great? So I cited an instance 3 or 4 years ago when a kid tried to rip us (EB Games) off by taking in his buddy’s defective Xbox with a receipt that listed a different serial number, and tried to claim that it was his own. Obviously the kid had just bought one from us, and his friend seen an opportunity to get his out of warranty console replaced, yet he didn’t consider that generations of retail experience would have produced various safeguards against this type of activity. Anyway, this is how the questioning went:

Interviewer: so why do you think the customer did this?

Me: because he probably seen an opportunity to either get a free Xbox or cash back.

I: That’s a pretty cynical view. Do you generally have this view of your customers?

M: Of people that try to steal from the store? Yes, of course. How else should I view them?

I: I don’t know, that’s why we’re asking.

M: well, you have my answer. He was trying to steal from us,  obviously I’m not going to view them in a positive light.

I: (writing a shitload of notes) OK, how do you know he was stealing?

M: because he didn’t buy the console from us, he was claiming he did, he was demanding cash, and had absolutely no evidence that the Xbox was purchased at our store.

I: That doesn’t sound like stealing.

M: It doesn’t?  OK, (big pause) I’m not really sure what else it’s called when you attempt to take something that isn’t yours.

I: he must have bought it if he had possession of the Xbox. I just don’t understand why you thought he was stealing.

M: When the serials don’t match on the receipt, we can’t take a console back for any reason. When you claim that it was bought at our store, can’t provide any evidence that it was, and demand cash or another console in spite of this, you are trying to steal from us.

I: well, what was the serial number?

M: I don’t know, a series of numbers and letters located on the machine.

I: but what was it?

M: (laughs) are you serious? It had numbers in it and a few letters. I honestly can’t tell you exactly what the number was. It was almost 4 or 5 years ago.

I: OK, but why did you assume he was trying to steal from you?

And on and on. Here’s another great piece of the interview: I mentioned that I had recently put in my notice at EB, just to let them know that I would have no scheduling conflicts if offered a position. This, for some reason, was a big mistake. Also, I mentioned that I was recently hired at another call-centre a week before the interview, just to avoid any surprises during the interview process, another huge mistake, I guess.

A line of questioning about my work history ensues until one of the interviewers cuts in.

I: OK, I’m sorry, but something is chewing at me here, and I have to bring it up. Why are you putting in your notice at EB Games?

M: I just don’t feel like working double shifts anymore. I don’t know, why would I keep a position there when I can be offered full-time elsewhere?

I: I understand, but it just doesn’t make sense…

M: excuse me?

I: well, it says here that at one time you worked as a tutor at UPEI, worked for Service Canada, worked at EB, all while pursuing full-time studies. Why now? Why quit EB?

M: (laughing) I honestly can’t keep up working three jobs my whole life. I’m just not in a position where I need to do that stuff anymore.

I: but why now?

M: I just told you. Look (pointing at the resume in front of him), I needed money to survive and I wanted experience in the federal government, so I worked three jobs at once. Do you want me to give you a breakdown of my schedule from that time?

I: yes.

M: OK. (telling them my schedule). May I ask why this is relevant to my qualifications as a (company name) employee?

I: (starts to answer).

M: excuse me, but I also don’t appreciate the implication that my resume is fabricated. Look at my references, call them, and get them to verify my employment history. I was under the impression that that was to be done before the interview process.

I: we weren’t implying anything…

They then question why I’m even at the interview if I was hired elsewhere (keep in mind, I’m growing more aggravated and becoming more aggressive in my response):

M: because I’m looking for a good job.

I: but you have one.

M: no I don’t.

I: OK. But why are you here? You told (the HR lady) that you only worked at EB.

M: no I didn’t. She asked why I was leaving EB, and I told her that 8 hours a week are not sufficient.

I: according to our notes…

M: I don’t understand why its expected of me to update you on my employment history pre-interview, especially when there is a huge gap between the time I submitted my application and the call-back date. I was not once asked if I had found employment, I was only questioned on the information listed in my resume.

I: OK, but I don’t understand why you’re here.

M: you called me back for a job interview. That’s why I’m here.

I:OK, but I still don’t understand…

There were a lot of things they didn’t seem to understand, like why I went to university:

I: so tell me why you don’t have a job in your field.

M: I don’t know. The only explanation I can give is that PEI lacks these types of opportunities. Plus, it seems that a BA is becoming less valuable by itself, and that a Master’s is more necessary now. Besides, work in my field could be anything, ranging from admin assistant work, or research assistantships. A BA can get me into government, but unless I’m an authority on my subject, I won’t get to do any work within my specific academic field.

I: OK, so why did you go to university? It seems like a waste of money if there is no work.

M: well, (laughing) I’m not sure. I was naive? I don’t know, maybe you don’t value higher education, but at the very least it has helped me improve in a lot of areas. About the money: it was not a waste because it was free, I was on an external scholarship my whole time at UPEI.

I: ok… but why did you go?

M: to earn a degree in Political Science/History, as listed on my resume.

I:OK… but why?

M:besides earning a degree? I don’t know, to work at a call-centre (laughs).

I: excuse me?

M: I’m just kidding. I would rather work in my field, as you suggest.

I: (writing a ton of notes).

I: do you have any plans to go get an MA?

M: Well, seeing that my BA was a waste of money, I don’t think I have a choice.

I can’t believe that the interview didn’t end there, but they went through the motions. We even went on a break (the interview was 2.5 hours total) for 15 minutes and then came back with another interviewer. During the break I was feeling very offended at the line of questioning and almost walked out, but I stuck around for some reason. The questioning got better as they asked a few more doozies towards the end:

I: so does anything interest you about the job?

M: yeah, I get to answer phones.

I:that’s it? Nothing more than that?

M: no, I like the idea of establishing a rapport with clients (more bullshit here).

I: OK. (writing). How long do you see yourself working here, if offered a position?

M: I don’t know (big pause). Well, are we talking weeks, or months?

I: well, we’d prefer years.

M:(laughs) oh, um, I don’t know If I can do that. Wait, yeah, let’s say… 1 year, maybe? If I enjoy the position.

I: OK (fast writing), what would you need to enjoy the position?

M: what do you mean?

I: like, salary wise? What do you think would make you happy?

M: and you expect a long term employee, correct?

I: Preferably.

M: OK, um, nothing really below 50K. (laughing)

I: I’m sorry we can’t offer that. Typically we start off our level 1 employees with $27500/ year.

M: hmm. That sounds good. I can see myself here for a long time with that salary.

I: well, there are always opportunities to move up.

M: I would obviously be aiming for that.

I: well that’s good. We’re about to wrap up here, but a few more quick questions. Do you think you are suited for this type of work?

M: answering phones? Yeah.

I: It’s a bit more than that.

M: well, I have a BA, I can handle answering phones, plus some other stuff.

I: OK. Last question then: Is (company name) a good fit for you?

M: Of course, I’ve always wanted to work here.

I: Thank you for your time.

The interview was just a joke for me by the end of it. A 2 hour long grill session that insulted my intelligence, questioned my integrity, and mocked me for my educational choices. I don’t take well to people like the mentioned interviewers, and it was pretty obvious. The most appalling thing was not the insulting nature of the interview, but the arrogance of this company to expect me to be satisfied with a meagre $27000 a year on a long term basis. What did they expect? For me to jump at the opportunity to ride the poverty line for the rest of my life? I left feeling nothing but relief after it was over and didn’t expect to get a call back at all. And why would I get a call? I didn’t exactly display myself as the type who would feel privileged to make $15/hr, even though I already made more than that as a fucking undergraduate student.

The best part was the email they sent me to confirm my rejection post-interview. It ended with a very funny line: “Unfortunately we have decided not to include you in the next stage of the interview process. We thank you for your interest in (company name), and we wish you luck in your future career endeavors.” Yes, because we all view call-centre jobs as careers…