Toronto group hopes to crowdfund a billboard that reminds people how rich Rob Ford’s family is
One of the many amazing things about Rob Ford as a political candidate is the disparity between his image as a “regular guy” and his family’s wealth. Most politicians in his situation—he’s the scion of a label-making empire started by his father in the 1960s—couldn’t get away with marketing themselves as men- or women-of-the-people. And yet, Ford’s uncouth, crack-smoking public image helps him avoid being considered a member of Toronto’s elite. He appears too unrefined to have come from money—and, in elections, appearances are sometimes all that matter.
Over the course of his career, Ford has rarely had to defend himself against accusations of blue-bloodedness. In fact, he and his brother are already hard at work trying to make that epithet stick to some the mayor’s political rivals, with some success.
Rabble.org, a new Toronto-based crowdfunding site (somewhat confusingly, it has no relationship with the Toronto-based indie-news site Rabble.ca) is trying to rectify this perception gap by asking the internet for $5,000 to finance a giant billboard. On the billboard—a rendering of which is above—the group plans to put a picture of Rob Ford’s face and an estimate of his family’s net worth, based on the Globe‘s attempt to figure it out using what little the public knows about the finances of the Ford-family business.
The crowdfunding campaign was started by Rabble.org’s administrators as a sort of example of what their site is designed to do. (Unlike similar sites, this one is geared specifically towards funding political advertising.) The total amount of money raised currently stands at $275, with 54 days to go. The campaign page is right here.
![](http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https://torontolife.com/city/rob-ford-millionaire-billboard-crowdfund/&title=Toronto group hopes to crowdfund a billboard that reminds people how rich Rob Ford’s family is&picture=https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/rob-ford-billboard-624x257.jpg&description=[caption id="attachment_264339" align="alignnone" width="654"] (Image: Courtesy of Rabble.org)[/caption]
One of the many amazing things about Rob Ford as a political candidate is the disparity between his image as a "regular guy" and his family's wealth. Most politicians in his situation—he's the scion of a label-making empire started by his father in the 1960s—couldn't get away with marketing themselves as men- or women-of-the-people. And yet, Ford's uncouth, crack-smoking public image helps him avoid being considered a member of Toronto's elite. He appears too unrefined to have come from money—and, in elections, appearances are sometimes all that matter.
Over the course of his career, Ford has rarely had to defend himself against accusations of blue-bloodedness. In fact, he and his brother are already hard at work trying to make that epithet stick to some the mayor's political rivals, with some success.
Rabble.org, a new Toronto-based crowdfunding site (somewhat confusingly, it has no relationship with the Toronto-based indie-news site Rabble.ca) is trying to rectify this perception gap by asking the internet for $5,000 to finance a giant billboard. On the billboard—a rendering of which is above—the group plans to put a picture of Rob Ford's face and an estimate of his family's net worth, based on the Globe's attempt to figure it out using what little the public knows about the finances of the Ford-family business.
The crowdfunding campaign was started by Rabble.org's administrators as a sort of example of what their site is designed to do. (Unlike similar sites, this one is geared specifically towards funding political advertising.) The total amount of money raised currently stands at $275, with 54 days to go. The campaign page is right here.){kind=link}
I understand the site trying to make Rob Ford contradict on what he said about being average, but who cares? How did his family get rich? Did they steal taxpayer’s money for their own personal use as the mayor in Quebec and even in Brampton? I dont care how this man got rich..and Im glad he is. That means he using less of taxpayer’s money to write off purchases and trips that have no need in Toronto.
Wow… This is the perfect example of a bunch of controversy addicts with nothing better to do. So what if he inherited some substantial sum? Who cares? In what way could this knowledge stand to benefit any taxpaying Torontonian? It doesn’t mean anything. Especially politically.
Also, being an “average family man” is not affected by how much money one has. Average in net worth? Probably not. Average in values of the family relationship? Absolutely plausible.
I hope this crowdfunding charade succeeds, though. Then, whoever funded it can humiliate themselves by having funded an ineffective billboard… And in doing so, enriching whoever owns the billboard, who is probably already wealthy. Perfect example of how the rich get richer.
get a life hipsters.
I’m sending them money. Anything that educates the electorate about Rob Ford is a good thing. As for the comments from the elites below, I say go knock on doors for Robbie. It’s a democracy so do your best. I hope none of your kids ever get involved with drugs or alcohol like this mayor. It would be a shame if they saw him as a role model because of your support.
I don’t want him re-elected. I dislike him and what he’s done to Toronto, but this billboard comes across as sour grapes. It’s not his money that makes him an awful person. Soooo much better material is available to use on a billboard.
Berating him for being born into a rich family is stupid. He can’t do anything about those circumstances. And he really does like football, beer and greasy spoons like Steak Queen. It’s not an act. This will come off as people envying him for having money. It would take too long to explain in a billboard ad why he isn’t an average guy.
The reason he’s not an “average joe” is that he doesn’t really know what it’s like to be scared about money. He’s never truly been worried about his finances, about some incident like an illness or layoff from his job wiping him out. Even people who appear comfortably middle-class stay awake at night staring at the ceiling and worrying about the fact that they’re only breaking even; that no matter what they do, they can’t seem to get ahead. (let alone those who are really poor and have to think about not having enough food or being evicted on a monthly basis.)
Wow.. This is the perfect example of a form mail spam. The rich get richer because they can buy more for less.
Maybe its a good form of shaming for the billboard he had up before using city letterhead and “he who througheth the first stone” blather all over it.
I doubt anyone is begrudging him for being wealthy. More on the issue of needing less of the twelve ring circus.
A man with so much wealth, but couldn’t get an education.
It’s because his following, who are from low-income neighbourhoods, admire him for being an average guy, and feel they can relate to him. It’s his image and it’s what gets him a loyal voting base. But he’s not average, he’s from a rich family and votes against policy that would support low-income wage earners. It’s all about debunking the myths he and his brother keep spreading.
it’s because he spreads this myth that he’s an average guy to rope in votes from low-income earners. it wouldn’t mean much if he wasn’t going on about that.
A better approach would have been a headline alongs the lines of “Inherits $50 million …and this is the best he can do?”
Who are they speaking to? His hard core base will not care and may be offended for blaming their Robbie for something he can’t help — being born into a rich family. He’s average guy stuff is real because he is actually referring to “cultural habits.” On that score he has a lock on a sort of out-dated old school lower middle / working class anglo Don Cherry Land Canadian. If the they are speaking to an imagined segment of 20% of those who voted for him and might swing, then attack him on his record. There’s ample material.
I checked the site, 2 things:
First – it looks like its not just political campaigns, but charities too.
Second, theres a campaign creation button to submit ideas. Sounds like you could help steer them in the right direction and they are open to suggestions.
I love the idea for crowdfunding billboards, but I went tot the site, I dont know what this article is talking about, there are hardly ANY political camapigns, it seems to be all charities and causes.
you are forgetting….Ford Nation cannot read.
What you fail to realize is that those people that come from low-income neighbourhoods won’t begrudge him because he’s rich…if anything they aspire to be as rich as Ford. Thus, pointing out his large inheritance only serves to reinforce in their head that even an average guy can come into a ton of money.
There are so many things the anti-Ford camp could have used on this billboard, but *this* was all they could come up with?! Sorry, I don’t want these kind of uncreative idiots overseeing Toronto, either.
How does this educate the electorate about Rob Ford? Ford provided AMPLE material for his rivals to pick him apart on a billboard, and THIS is all they came up with? SERIOUSLY?!
I hate the ass-clown as much as the next person, but the money on the billboard would be better spent on pamphlets itemizing all the ridiculous shit he did in office, instead of using a single sentence, taken out of context.
They are not berating him for being born into a wealthy family, they are pointing out how disingenuous he is by trying to pass himself off as a work-a-day average guy.
Worried are we Torontonians?
Ford money is private money.
Olivia and Jack lived off TAXPAYERS money..why don’t people demand givers instead of takers like chow and layton and even laytons son. All porkers at the trough.
The more the antiford people do….the more people think he is being BULLIED by dumbasses…the more support he gets.
Antiford people are so ignorant they don’t realize this fact.
He doesn’t live the life of an elistest like turdeau does or any other stereotypical wealthy person.
He lives his life like an average blue collar worker.
Dumbass. ..the word is Throweth .
like Throwing a ball.
Any bullying against ford is creating more support for HIM… .why don’t antiford people understand that?
stop your immature bullying.
Ok, duly noted.
Agreed. Ford Nation doesn’t care how much money he has. They care about how much money they THINK he’s putting in their pockets. So his record that he keeps bleating about is what needs to be attacked, not Rob Ford himself.
You took that well. Kudos.
This will harden people to vote FOR him. The problem isn’t his money, it’s his record. His attendance, his paying a family friend double, abusing his office to have staff coach his football team and do liquor runs for him, for the amount of motions he’s failed to get passed, for his inability to get along with ANYONE and for the lies he’s told about what he’s accomplished and how little that actually is.
I thinks its time people face the fact the the average joe in Toronto IS the intoxicated(drugs or drink or Tim Horton’s) wife/ child/ homosexual-beater(sorry, threatener) that would kick a homeless person in the head to save a nickel.
Alight. I’ll take a look. Thanks Gordie. :)
And the average blue collar worker drives an Escalade?
Lives in a large house on a big lot mortgage-free?
Can score a trip to LA for the oscars and go on a tux-buying spree?
Holidays in Florida at one of the family homes there, or at the Muskoka hide-away in the summer?
He says he’s just an average guy, but his life looks pretty elitist to me.
Rob Ford is not your friendly neighbourhood borrow your lawnmower guy, he’s a rich kid who never had to grow up.
And turdeau? Seriously? Did you think that up yourself?
He spent it all in a drunken stupor.