About a month or so ago, maybe longer, I noticed another publication popping up around Moncton. This is a free publication that is meant to serve as an alternative to the paper I write for, [here]. In their first issue, they were quite vocal about how they weren?t going to succumb to corporate policy or any of that stuff and just give you raw news. Well, for me, I have found the paper to be a waste of my time, and here?s why.
Having been a zine editor for 5 years, I learned a lot about what was good and what was bad. Things you should bother writing about and things no one would actually care about. In the first six issues of VAJ, I wrote Bob?s Bitchin? and ultimately cut it when I switched to music content because although the articles were blunt and funny, they had no place in a magazine like VAJ. You pick and choose your content based on the audience you are targeting.
I opened up a copy of this new paper and found little content, and mostly ads and photos. The fact that the first article in the paper was basically a big ?fuck you? to the other papers around town did not really catch me as being the most professional kind of message to write. But, I figured I?d give it, like any other paper, a chance.
About a week or so ago, Tamara said to me that she read this new paper herself and said that it seemed like they were trying to be controversial on purpose. I have since been reading the paper every week and for the last few editions I noticed an ad when you open it up. The ad basically says that the competition sucks, and we rock. Don?t go with those losers, use us. One thing that caught my attention was ?Us ? English & French content, Them ? English only?. I thought this was interesting as one of the local indie papers is just English ([here]) but the other, Mascaret, is purely French. To me, this was yet another dig at [here]. I also noticed in early editions that some of the writers were former people who were involved with [here] but left. I assume this was because they didn?t like the fact that Brunswick News had bought the local paper.
Then today I see the latest copy of this mag. I noticed it because it had a half naked woman on the front saying Happy Naughty Christmas. I opened it up and found no reference to this woman or what it was supposed to be for anywhere in the magazine. To me, it was a plain and simple sex-sells scam to try and get people to pick up the mag. I?m sure it worked. Hell, I picked it up figuring I?d see more of this nice young lady on the inside. Oh how I was disappointed. I?ll have to stick to Maxim. Regardless, the cover just reeked of low-brow tactics to get people to read your magazine.
To me, that?s pathetic. You know that a paper has already hit rock bottom when they insist on trying to use sex to sell a paper that?s free. I?ve read the actual articles and ya, those are comparable to any other free publication out there so it?s nothing against the writers. They seem to write good work. It just appears that whoever is behind the wheel of this so-called indie publication is more interested in sticking it to Irving, then producing quality journalism.
The fact is, I know that I would much rather read about local issues, local concerns, than how I can bleach my asshole with a special cream. Yup. Their sex column had a letter in it about how to bleach your asshole if you feel it?s too dark. It also had an article about pissing on people and how that was a fetish. If I want to read shit like that, I?ll pick up a dirty magazine, not a local indie paper. To me, it?s an embarrassment.
Maybe it?s my age. Having just turned 32 recently, maybe I?m not as hip as I once was. Is creaming your bunghole in now? Should I be asking Tamara for a golden shower? Maybe I should ask her to shit on my face and then I?ll puke on her tits. Then we?ll be way cool like everyone else right? Oh how I have become so prude.
But, who am I to say right? I am writing for [here] and therefore am working for ?the man?. There are plenty of people out there who hate Irving because they do own a large portion of this end of the country, and therefore have a serious pull. Do I care? Not really. It doesn?t affect my day to day life, and I have thoroughly enjoyed writing articles for [here] and hope to continue in the New Year. It just saddens me to see people who are so opinionated take those opinions to such extremes when it really isn?t necessary. I am sure there are way better ways to criticize corporate policy than to print articles that seem to want to incite controversy. Oh well. Maybe they can give me some tips on how to shave my ass without having it itch so bad!
So there. I?ve had my say!
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