Today I’d like to tackle the subject of fear. Not the sort of fear most of us feel when confronted with a life threatening situation. That fear is just our body’s natural survival instinct doing its best to hone our senses and keep us on our toes. The fear I speak of today is a phobia, Aquaphobia or, to be more precise in this case, (I’ve had to define a term to fit the situation) Salt-Aquaphobia.
Definition: The fear of traveling over salt water.
It’s clearly not a well known phobia (thus the need to coin a new term to describe it) and it’s certainly not something that’s often spoken of in the general population, but my instincts tell me it’s far more prevalent in Canadian society than most of us realize.
So called “mainland” Canadians may never recognize the problem but living on the island of Newfoundland it’s something I’ve seen first hand on countless occasions.
There is no scientific proof of the existence of the disorder but I know it must exist.
What else could account for the number of times Newfoundland is excluded from so called “Cross Canada” activities.
The latest example is the case of Loblaw’s which is promoting a “Cross Canada BBQ” this summer but, while holding events in more than 50 locations in Canada, will not be conducting even one such event in Newfoundland and Labrador or in PEI?
Just one isolated (and perhaps unthinking) case you say? Not so. It happens all the time.
I’ve lost track of how many companies have ignored Newfoundland and Labrador (I’ll let the PE Islanders speak to their own situation) over the years. Everything from Tim Horton’s promotions to Air Canada abandonment and even walks for charitable causes, and it isn’t just private companies or NGOs that suffer as a result.
How many of you remember the widely publicized “Cross Canada - Town Hall Tour” conducted by Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff a year or so ago, a tour that brought him from BC to Nova Scotia, but not to Newfoundland and Labrador (and I don’t believe to PEI but I stand to be corrected).
I know the people planning tours for these politicians, companies and charities must have a psychological issue with traveling over salt water. What else can explain it? I mean they wouldn’t intentionally ignore the donors, voters and product consumers in an entire province and still expect those same donors, voters and consumers to support THEM would they?
This is clearly an issue that needs to be addressed so I put out the call today to the general public, if you or someone you know suffers from Salt-Aquaphobia please come forward and speak out so we can get this problem out in the open.
Don’t hide in the shadows. A treatment will never be found if we don’t shine the light of day on this clearly debilitating mental problem.
As for Loblaws management (and others with this chronic condition) please bear in mind that the Labrador portion of the province is situated on the mainland of Canada. It’s a beautiful place and well worth visiting (no travel over salt water required.)
