Love Notes ~ We should expect better

There’s a lot of questions I ask myself when it’s just me alone in my head.

Like why Ylvis would write a song inquiring what the fox says when the real question is what does the rabbit say? Or why, why would Arnold agree to do a movie as un-Schwarzenegger-like as Junior?

But now the big question on a lot of people’s minds is what else is Toronto Mayor Rob Ford hiding? Absolutely nothing. Not one more thing. There’s definitely no way he could air any laundry that’s dirtier than what he threw out there last week. After a bombshell revelation like that, it’s just not possible for him to have any more horrible secrets. Right?

Oh, except for that one last video that came to light a short time after the public apology – the one that shows him on another drunken rant about ripping someone’s throat out and swearing profusely.

But he also expressed embarrassment over that and explained he was “extremely, extremely inebriated.”

He was drunk when he was making the death threat? Well, that explains everything. We understand, Mayor Ford. Carry on.

Good ol’ Rob seems to be taking a page out of Hollywood’s play book. Celebrities have discovered there’s no such thing as bad publicity. As long as you’re in the media, that’s all that matters.

Ford, however, decided to turn around and accuse the media of making false claims about him, then came forward with the truth only when he had no other option but to apologize.

He simply stated the media weren’t asking the right questions about his crack use. That’s a pretty sad excuse that Torontonians should take note of. Obviously little Robbie’s mother didn’t teach him about lying by omission, or maybe he just chose to ignore the advice.

There’s no question about it. It should reflect poorly on leaders’ characters and abilities if they’re making terrible personal choices. A good leader shouldn’t condone substance abuse, affairs or any other disgusting behaviour (including public urination… which Ford also apparently didn’t get the memo about).

Lead by example, and if you fail to, the public should hold you accountable. You should be shamed into behaving appropriately.

Shockingly, many of the residents of Ford’s neighbourhood are still voicing their support of the mayor, applauding his coming forward with the truth. They’ve used the excuse that his personal life and professional life should be kept separate.

It’s interesting that they don’t seem to think alcohol and drug abuse could possibly hinder his ability to run the biggest city in the country. But reasoning like Ford’s followers are using is partly why we’re seeing poor actions made by leaders. If no one expects them to clean up their act, why would they?

I don’t care how great a job any politician has done in serving the people, if they’re making a fool of themselves they’re making a mockery of their constituency. In this case, Ford’s actions have not only embarrassed the city, but the whole country as his confession made headlines around the world last week.

Torontonians should expect better. Canadians should expect better.

In a time when privacy is rare thanks to cell phones, cameras, web-cams and other recording devices, public figures should be working extra hard to keep their names and reputations clean.

Because as Ford’s story has proven, there’s nothing buried so deep it can’t be dug up.

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