16: Winding Down the Long Weekend Edition
Plus: 1970s bookbanners, protesting Loblaws, aggressive insurance ads, and more
Sometimes, one speaks too soon.
Take the last edition of this newsletter, where I appeared to be recovering from a nasty cold/viral infection.
Within a day or two or sending the newsletter out, I relapsed.
Oh joy.
Since then, there have been longer stretches of good health punctuated by occasional relapses into coughing fits and fatigue. I doubt I’ve ever had an unwanted houseguest stick around for so long. During the growing stretches of feeling better, I’ve mixed reconnecting with the outside world and playing catchup with work affected by four weeks of on-again/off-again illness.
Time, April 13, 1953.
With summer approaching, it’s time to also get reaquainted with drives outside the city, which provide a brief escape from the city and, if I’m driving solo, a chance to collect my thoughts. I snuck in a short trip this weekend, driving through Stouffville, Uxbridge, and Port Perry. It was nice to take some favourite routes, discover new ones (I imagine that Brookdale Road in Uxbridge is beautiful in the fall), browse early season farmers markets, and see roadside produce stands returning to life.
Since I was in the area, I had to check in on a back road near Blackstock that’s named after my ancestors.
As the use of social media changes and things like “Twitter walks” are beginning to feel like a thing of the past, I’m considering returning to what I did years ago: chronicle drives and other adventures into the outside world via blog posts. It might be a good opportunity to experiment with my writing, or reawaken my long-abandoned journaling habits.
What’s New
Windsor Star, October 21, 1966.
Two pieces this week for TVO as I attempt to get back on track workwise. First up, I looked at consumer boycotts and picketing targeting Loblaws for perceived price gouging during an inflationary period…except we’re talking 1966, not 2024. Based on reaction and feedback, I think this piece struck a nerve, showing that current concerns are nothing new (though it feels like current management of Loblaws may be more oblivious to public complaints). Lots of interesting things came up during my research, such as how A&P believed in fewer promotional gimmicks than its competitors, or how tangled the branches of the Weston/Loblaw corporate tree were during the mid-1960s. Also: Garfield Weston really liked investing in white minority ruled countries in southern Africa and was blunt about how he felt the black majority was not well-equipped to govern themselves. Ouch.
Sault Star, March 2, 1976.
To mark the passing of writer Alice Munro, I looked at censorship battles she was involved in during the 1970s - one case where her book Lives of Girls and Women was removed from the reading list of a Peterborough high school, the other where she defended three books fundamentalists wanted removed from classes in Huron County.
Sadly, this piece is a relevant one these days, especially when it comes to the types of work targeted (anything mentioning human sexuality is suspect in some eyes) and those doing it (efforts spearheaded by religious evangelicals/fundamentalists). Which made me consider the notion of what motivates people to push to ban/censor certain types of artistic works that most people are generally OK with?
My theories:
They grew up in repressive environments and are perpetuing those environments.
Some people who feel powerless enjoy wielding power over others or making a big stink that draws attention to them. I wonder when I see declarations that the innocence of youth (which, in the case of these books, were 18- and 19-year olds) if the people making these statements have (purposefully?) forgotten what it was like when they grew up.
They have something to hide, or are trying to repress feelings they’re embarassed to make public. Think public officials, usually on the right wing and often proud of their Christian credentials, who are caught doing things they’ve crusaded against.
Curio Collection
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_720,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffb6112ba-ca11-493f-932e-bd6570ae5cc5_1092x1550.jpeg)
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_720,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F34693bb2-ad26-4699-a0e4-2228abe660d2_640x861.jpeg)
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_720,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Facebe560-14e7-4661-ba83-1a0b686b64c2_640x882.jpeg)
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_720,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F63ca3cf2-a60e-4362-87d4-9f80babb3139_640x880.jpeg)
While these days Liberty Mutual may be known for the chirpy jingle at the end of its commercials, back in the early 1950s the insurance giant took a grim, aggressive approach to its advertising, as this quartet of ads published in Time magazine between 1951 and 1953 show.
Time, January 19, 1953.
I doubt encouraging physical violence following a fender bender would be a good advertising technique today, at least among rational customers.
Hire Me
Seeking a writer/researcher/editor for your latest project? I am always taking on new work. Beyond my historical niche, which often leads in surprising directions, I want to expand my horizons and explore new ways of utilizing my skills. I am interested in working on general projects in the corporate, educational, and non-profit sectors where clear communication and presenting solid facts is a must. Privately message me at jamiebradburnwriting[AT]gmail[DOT]com if I can assist you.
***
That’s all for this edition - stay healthy, and see you next time!