Sutcliffe: Rob Ford debacle veers from comedy into tragedy
Channel: GroundHog News
Date: 2013-11-15

http://www.peoplestandup.ca
OTTAWA — A few days ago, American comedian Stephen Colbert referred to Rob Ford as a "Chris Farley tribute mayor." It was a clever line that perfectly captured what Toronto's political farce must look like to outsiders.

For much of the past two weeks, people have been making light of Ford's situation. And it's hard to ignore the comedic quality of the story. For late-show writers, it must be like shooting fish in a barrel. Ford is a cartoon character who is in such an astonishing state of denial about the severity and consequences of his behaviour that his daily apologies are filled with unintentional punch lines. Just when you thought he had peaked, Ford managed to outdo himself with Thursday's crude comments.

But whether intended or not, Colbert's comparison says as much about the tragedy of the story as it does the comedy. Chris Farley died young of substance abuse problems. And if Ford continues down the same path, there are high odds that he will too. And unfortunately, many of those who are trying to demonstrate their support for him may be prolonging his career but hastening his personal downfall.

The Ford situation says a lot about how our society views alcohol and drug use. Being drunk or stoned is still considered funny at parties and in movies. So when a public figure is seen with a bottle or a crack pipe in his hand, the default is humour.

And yet addiction ruins and ends lives, rips apart families and costs billions in productivity. While we shouldn't begrudge anyone some weekend fun, a line must be drawn between recreation and abuse. By all indications, Ford is on the wrong side of that line. No one who is serious when he utters the line "in one of my drunken stupors" is fit to lead any organization, let alone face the pressures of big-city politics and public life.the company of drug dealers, let alone be one of their clients.
But those who defend Ford are just as much a part of the problem. They wilfully ignore his misbehaviour because they don't want their cause to suffer a setback or worse, their enemies to achieve victory. They encourage Ford to keep up the fight, as though it's his opponents in politics and the media, and not his own actions, that have caused this crisis.
Unfortunately Ford's own family is in as much a state of denial as the mayor himself. His sister says the mayor doesn't have a problem. His mother claims his only issue is his weight. Doug Ford continues to portray his brother as a blameless victim.

Offering support and pretending there's no problem is the path of least resistance; it takes real courage to provide tough love. What Ford needs is a strong message from someone he trusts that his life is worth more than his job and that he's in danger of losing both

It's unfortunate that we continue to view the Rob Ford story as a battle between political factions or a source of humor. Both reactions overlook the underlying truth: it's a human tragedy playing out before our eyes. Barring an intervention from someone who truly cares about Ford and not just his politics, his life — not his career, his life — will continue to unravel with catastrophic consequences. And too many of us — especially those who claim to be his supporters — will have enabled his behavior and therefore contributed to his demise.

The day started with Ford -- who admitted last week that he had smoked crack cocaine in a -drunken stupor- about a year ago -- facing explosive new allegations of drunkenness, drug use and the verbal and physical abuse of aides. In the course of answering the allegations, he denied a female staffer's allegation that he sought to perform oral sex with graphic language of his own, stunning the reporters who surrounded him.
Soon afterward, his wife at his side, Ford went back before reporters to say he had been under -tremendous, tremendous stress- and was getting unspecified support from -a team of health care professionals.- But he called the latest allegations -100% lies.-

-When you attack my integrity as a father and as a husband, I see red. Today I acted on complete impulse in my remarks,- Ford said. He took no questions from reporters, who shouted sharp inquiries at him as he entered the office.

-Mayor Ford, why should we believe you? Why would you subject your family to this?- one asked.

-What's the matter with you, Mr. Mayor?- another said.