I wanted to put this up a few days ago, but I didn’t have the time to do it, so here it finally is: my opinion on Brett Ratners “gay slur” and him pulling out of the academy awards.

Brett Ratner, a director whose movies include Rush Hour and X-Men, was supposed to direct the Oscar ceremony – until he offended half of Hollywood that was. When he was asked about his opinion on the importance of rehearsals during a Q&A for his latest movie, he gave the now infamous answer: “Rehearsal is for f*gs”.
He was subsequently heavily criticized and, as a result of the incident, decided not to be part of the Oscar production. I am all against discrimination in every form, but I had hoped that he would withstand the criticism and explain his comment. Please don’t get me wrong: I have gay friends and I know what challenges they’re facing. 

I do think that our society (maybe it’s just the Hollywood part of it?) is getting way to sensitive though. If people get so upset about a single word, how are we supposed to concentrate on the real issues?
Maybe it’s just me, but my home country has quite a difficult history yet I’m not offended by any jokes or remarks people make, no matter how offending they are. I have no problem whatsoever to see past what these remarks are: simple words.

I know that circumstances might be different for other people and groups, but in the end these words and their meaning depend on one’s personal point of view. I would have hoped that the reaction was more of a “seen this before, let’s move on” one instead of the one that actually took place.

Adapting or acclimatizing can take a considerable amount of time – especially if one is going through a major change. When I moved to Canada a little over a year ago, there were numerous things I had to get used to, from different phone number formats and postal codes to university forms and regulations.

I didn’t really have problems getting used to most of these customs as most of them are somewhat similar to the ones in Germany. As long as you’re open to change, trying to understand it and, as in my case, initiated it yourself, it is easier to deal with certain changes and customs.

Some are positive, too: Even though I had heard about the Canadian politeness before but I’m still amazed how many random people actually hold doors open for strangers, at least in Nova Scotia.

There is only thing I still haven’t quite got used to. Back home, every price tag includes tax, whether it’s bread or a car. Before I moved to Halifax I was under the impression that especially computers and other electronics were a lot cheaper than in Germany, it turns out that was because of the non-included tax. I had some discussions with other international students and we agreed that the system is confusing.

I’ve heard Canadians of all ages say the same thing: “This piece of furniture was only $100!” I always wondered about that, as the real price must have been $115, at least in Nova Scotia. Personally, I don’t care what something costs before tax – everyone has to pay tax and in the end, to me, it’s what’s missing in my wallet that counts.

I realize though, that that’s probably just what Canadians are used to – or I’m not (quite yet).