By Heino Molls
One of the most cherished rights we have in our democracy is the right to complain.
We can gather in a corporate board room or somebody’s basement and speak openly about how wrong our government is about anything, any time we want. Given the Gomery Commission and all the other shenanigans that are going on in Ottawa these days, I must admit we have good reason to complain.
But I fear that our complaints have increased in frequency and in mean spirit these days. I fear this attitude has crept into our daily lives.
We need look no further than our television sets any night of the week to see people getting hurt, presented as comedy in “funniest home videos”. There are also shows for voyeurs who like to see people in emotional trauma facing their personal “fear factors”.
That’s not entertainment, that’s just plain meanness.
Many years ago we had great talent shows like the Ted Mack Amateur Hour out of America and some wonderful programming on the CBC that provided all kinds of opportunities for new actors and singers desperate to perform before some very forgiving audiences.
We still have many young people desperate to perform before a television audience, but today we watch them get insulted by judges. They are humiliated and thrown off the show because it is their pain that passes for entertainment, not their talent.
How in the world are we going to encourage young people to make an effort when we constantly show them how ready our society is to offend them with mean and hurtful criticism that is not the least bit constructive?
How in the world are we ever going to make this world a better place when we position ourselves far too quickly to complain bitterly about anyone brave enough to step forward with new ideas or present themselves as candidates for elected positions in our government, or even in our business community?
Maybe that’s where we should start to get things right again. Our business community.
It seems to me that the real estate community has always taken a leadership role both in business and in community consciousness.
I remember Realtors coining the phrase “equal housing” back in the 1950s when Dr. Martin Luther King first began demonstrating for civil rights and human dignity.
I remember that it was the real estate community that led the way in sharing information that set the foundation for technology to compile data and distribute it fairly to all members of a “co-operative”.
The real estate business community did a lot more talking and a good deal less complaining years ago. It seems to me that Realtors still have that spirit of camaraderie in their nature. That’s just the kind of person it takes to be a real estate professional.
The MLS system, specifically the Canadian MLS system, is the best system of its kind in the world. And here we are complaining about it. This system could be taken to an even greater level through co-operative dialogue, not through complaining. Who better to do that than Canadian Realtors? They are the ones who set the bar to begin with. They are the ones who can once again set an example for all other businesses and other communities.
I dare you to do it.
As for me, I make no excuses for shamelessly promoting the grass roots Realtors across Canada. I believe in them. I envy what they do for a living and quite frankly I enjoy their company.
I also enjoy the company of the many good people who work as their staff and executive officers.
I could think of nothing better to do on a Sunday afternoon than sit around drinking coffee with anyone who works at a board or association office, swapping anecdotes and telling stories about the great characters that have been in this business. They are good people who take the brunt of unjust complaints.
Having said that, I confess that in recent years past, I have not always carried a good impression of some people who are in charge of things at CREA.
Well maybe I shouldn't complain about them.
I could be wrong.
What if they’re really not that way at all? What if they really care about the industry that they work for? What if they are just simply misunderstood?
Maybe I should call them up and tell them that I do not want to complain about them. I might find out that we share an interest in this industry that is sincere and genuine.
We could have coffee. We could talk. We could work things out. We could share new ideas.
Just like Realtors did in the old days.
By the way, if you would like to complain about this column or talk about it anytime, please contact me. I would be pleased to hear from you and I promise to respond.
Heino Molls is publisher of REM.
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