editor's voice: Between Mexico and Bladerunner, I say 'slow down'
David Wilson-McLeish, Graphics Editor

I was once involved in an exchange program with a group of kids from Vancouver and Mexico. During my Mexican exchange partner's visit, I brought him to see the movie Airforce One. It started two hours before we needed to be at a picnic with our fellow exchange kids, so I thought we'd have enough time to see the whole thing; unfortunately, the movie was longer than expected, and in keeping with my Western anal retentiveness, I dragged him out of the movie before it finished. To this day, I still don't know if the American president outsmarted the terrorists and saved the free world. But I digress.

If any of you have ever been to Mexico, you'll realise what a faux pas rushing out of the movie was. Mexicans tend to be far more relaxed about time and scheduling. While in Mexico, my host family and I would often arrive at events thirty or fourty minutes late.

Since the trip, I have longed to return to this type of schedule, but the hectic, fast-paced culture we live in has prevented that. Nowadays, there is an emphasis on speed, efficiency, and quantity.

The latest example of this would be the Liberal government forcing a protracted sitting of the legislature so they could pass their bills as quickly as possible, and slashing public services to apparently increase efficiency and lower costs. Little attention is being paid to the benefits of leisure time.

Recently, the National Post ran a series about a small but growing movement in Europe that is trying to change all that. This movement, based in Italy, is attempting to slow down the hectic pace of life. Known as the Slow movement, the philosophy grew from the Slow Food chains, which were a reaction to the fast food invasion of Europe.

Slow Cities have emerged in various parts of Europe, implementing policies such as thirty-five hour work weeks, longer lunch hours, closing stores on Thursdays and Sundays, banning supermarkets and cars, and e-mail-free Fridays. How decadent! How fabulous! The thought of lounging around some gorgeous European village by the sea, drinking wine and gossiping about local affairs seems too good to be true.

Althought the movement does seem a bit luxurious, it may have something to teach our hyperactive culture. For starters, it has proven that policies with an emphasis on people rather than profits can be beneficial to the economy. France has experienced economic growth since it implemented its thrity-five hour work week.

It also demonstrates that there is an alternative to our current lifestyles.

I often feel overwhelmed by the whole globalisation/technology thing, and find myself longing for a simpler life. I imagine it will take several decades for the Slow movement to reach North America in any significant form, and I don't imagine SFU, with its emphasis on online education, will have much to do with it.

Actually, the Slow movement my never reach our fair coast if our government continues to put the interests of big businesses ahead of people.

One of the main ideas behind the slow movement is an emphasis on small, locally owned and operated businesses, which provide quality, local products. Combine that with a shorter work week, and (theoretically) you'll lower unemployment and raise the number of consumers with disposable incomes.

But nah, we'll just give the rich folks a tax break and put 11,000 people out of work. At least they'll have more leisure time.

Although the Slow movement may be slow in establishing itself, the very fact that it exists is comforting. The prospect of a distant future which is not modelled after Bladerunner or The Matrix is a welcome one.

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