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PAGE 10, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11, 1984, WH1TBY FREE PRESS CARRI ERE' S COIFFURE IS PLEASED TO INTRODUCE PETER VINICENT (FORMERLY 0F HAIRBENDERS) PEER EXTENDS A SPECIAL INVITATION TOALL HIS FRIENDS & CLIENTS 110% OFFI 122 BYRON ST. N. WHITBYý ON YOUR FIRST VISIT 668u491 I *T. Arnts Loam Supply Ltd. 1 Mlles North Hwy.2 6308 Brock Rd., Pickering 6 3O 8 Writer Len Peterson speaks to students RAISED B BUSINESS CARDS *LETTERHEADS EENVELOPES By JONATHAN LOCKE Free Press Staff If you have gumption and independence, you'l live longer. That was part of the message given to a group of grade 13 students at An- derson Collegiate last Thursday. Leni Petersôn, a Canadian dramatist and writer, spoke for about an hour on subjeets ranging from prejudice and discrimination to the modemn literary scene. "People with*in- dependence and gum- ption aren't always the nicest-people, but they survive," he said. Peterson chastised Canadians for being self-centered and, in- sular. "Instead of saying everybody else is nothing, why not say I arn everything? I am Chinese; I arn French Canadian; I am Catholie; I am Protestant; I am Bud- dhist. That way you have 'no enemies. Whenever anything happens ini any of those tribes it happens to you."P Canada is an "oc- cupied country", Peter- son contends, that has a history of embracing the literature and arts of other. countries instead of developing our own. "Canada is the most sulent country I know," he said,- and he feels there- are specific reasons why. Most of this country's early immigrants were conservative and respectful of authority. They feit threatened by original thinking, and SO, developed a society "who remembered" . "People who came from the old country clung to the memories they came with,"' he said. "Though in the old country itself things were, changing, things stayed exactly the same here." When Peterson was growing up inl his native Saskatchewan, he said Canadians thought in imperialistie terms. "The things we studied in history and literature were supposed to make your heart go pitter-pat every time they men- tioned the empire." "Then one day the empire disappeared. The centre of the empire moved across the Atlan- tic from London to. New York and Washington. And once again we're clinging to it - borrowing Our culture from the United States."1 Peterson feels that historically, the American way of thinking is drasticaily different from that of Canadians. To illustrate his point, he said that when the Massachusetts Bay colony was first established in the U.S., the immigrants arrived with a printing press on their ship. "The Massachusetts Bayý colony started' at about the same time as Quebec," he said. "But the French did not get a press until after they were conquered by Canada has had "en- dless opportunities"' to get educated people from other countries to make their-home here, Peterson says, but we cidn't want them because we were afraid of new ideas. "We have to fight against that attitude," he said. "It's much more exciting to be a person who asks questions. It can get you into a helI 0f a lot of trouble, but it's in- teresting trouble." Peterson stressed that there are stimulating things in every culture, and that we must each ask' ourselves, "Do I want to lose any of this stuff ?"' The key to resisting a self-centered cultural attitude is to understand why it exists, he said. "'Our culture, ie a lot of cultures, likes to set up a single unity to which everything is bound. That unity can be a king, a religion, or whatever. Everything that doesn't relate to that single unity is to be rejected."' Peterson started thinking in global terms when he realized the potential impact of China, with its huge population, on « the rest 0f the world. "II figured I'd better start spreading the rumor that I'm haif Chinese, 50 that when they get here I'm half in." It is largely the in- fluence of modern pop culture that prevents us from, expanding our sphere of knowledge, he said. "We have so many pipelines that feed us pop junk. We're 'in a very . dangerous situation; pop culture is keeping our minds 80 empty that when power people want to zap us in-' to a particular pattern 0f behaviour it would only take them about three days. " Bus shelters considered The provision of five new bus shelters is being considered by Whitby Town Council. The locations proposed by the public works department are Lupin Drive in front of the Blair Park Plaza, the fire hall downtown, Kendalwood Rd. and Dundas St. by the Texaco gas station, Brock St. and Manning Rd. (northeast corner) and Garrard Rd. and Gadsby Dr. The shelter located at the fire hall wil be especially helpful, Dick Kuwahara, director of public works,, told the operations committee at their meeting last week. "People have been going into the fire hall to wait for buses," he said. "We hope to alleviate this with the addition of a new shelter. " Kuwahara expects that the installation of the five shelters would cost $10,500. Bridge resuits The following are. the results of last week's play at the 'Whitby Duplicate Bridge Club as reported by Mrs. Jim Whomre. North and South: Mr. and Mrs. Harvey Win- ter, 85%; Dr. and Mrs. Richard Ketchell, 78; Mrs. Hugh Baker and Mrs. Jack Frost, 74; and, Bert VanNoord and Henk Hellendoorn, 711½. East and West: Louise Peltenburg and Grace Swan, 84½; Betty Harlander and Trudi Ruest, 81; Mrs. Jacoba Schram and Mrs. Henk Hellendoom, 591/; and, Mrs. P.N. Spratt and Mrs. Donald Wilson earned a tie with Mr. and Mrs. George Gauslin, 58. The results of each week's play at the club are reported in the following issue of the Whitby Free Press. 7 WaENYou DONTMKow IURNIÃ"s do for you by attending oneCootour open~ houses on April l7thi. Or get our free bookiet by writinig tG: Srnall' Clatirs Court', (i'on iunications Ofhicc, Nflinistry of the Attorney General, 18 King Street East, l2th Floor, lobrorito, Ont1îrio MN5C1(25. Ontario Striait Clams Courts W1/hen you don'rkoihr to tturn. Turn t LIs. Ministry of the Attorney General (5Ontario Roy McMurtry. Attorney General William Davis. Premier * ~ d I Len Peterson (above), a noted Canadian dramatist and writer, spoke to a group of grade 13 students at Anderson Collegiate and Vocational Ini- stitute (A.C.V.I.) last Thursday. Free Press Staff Photo Peat Loamn *Compost eSand *Stone m INTERLOCKING PAVING STONE DELIVERED & OR INSTALLED Ontai() SiiLUCLaùims Courts TheY're often called the-- "people's courts"' When you' re involved In Il dispute with someone, you doni't need to have your problem wrapped in red tape or legal language. You simpi> want justice. And sinmIe justice is what Ontario's Small Clai'ms Courts arc ail about. They'll seule daims involving up to $1,0XX). And they'll do it with ai minimum oftbuss and bother. You probaibly wýon't even need;a Iawiyer. Lcarn more;tabout what Onta.rio's Small Ch*1ùms Courts can I ýa