Great, clear article. As a dual US /Cdn citizen I was dismayed to think about the talking points Maga types are using and comparing it to the current ad Poilievre is flooding the airwaves with as he stands in front of fields of sunny wheat and no oil drills or destroyed prairie in site
I work in agriculture in the prairies. And this my be obvious but those sunny wheat fields only look good like that for about a month. The rest of the year it is a bleak wasteland.
Now that is really too bad. I’m sure the rest of the year 5he bleak wasteland look would be improved by not having a Con ad superimposed on top of the view
Thank you Justin! I enjoy your articulate perspective that really mines down deep into the issues which impact our lives. Your sense of humour is refreshing too. Keep up the great work.
Thanks for the clear perspective. Scary stuff! I've been following the US election very closely, with true horror and disbelief. Vance in particular gives me the creeps. I don't know if other women have noticed, but he speaks with such smarmy condescention, especially to women. My misogyny spidey-sense goes on red alert every time he opens his mouth. It's visceral. Thank-you for the link to your other article too.
Excellent points and a moving opening with the Black Death. Totally appropriate.
It seems to me that in the future, public figures and public networks are going to have to pass a "Snopes Test" before unleashing an opinion. Believe what you want in your kitchen but before saying it to a group, you have to prove its virtue. Otherwise, we are doomed to a break-up...
Lying about the casus belli for war after war (Gulf of Tonkin, babies-in-incubators, WMDs) had only upsides and no downsides for decades on end.
Reporters struggling to deal with "how bad this is" were sentenced to their current problems by predecessors who didn't call out lies in their own time.
Working against lies now is a much heavier weight, but if you don't carry it, the situation will get even worse.
Excellent work, thank you. With a recent poll indicating Trump supporters in Canada (mostly in one political party) and Canadians watching Fox, it isn't much of a stretch to see this lying plague spreading here . Perhaps the only thing delaying it ( outside of Alberta UCP) is the limits on money in our electoral system, although Dough Ford doubled donation limits, so far we don't have a de facto candidate pumping $200 million in 3 months into a campaign for top job.
Our ability to add Fox News to our TV packages has always confused me. Here is BC with Telus I can add Fox News but can’t add our local news channel BC1. How with the restrictions of the CRTC is that possible?
I've noticed a bit of a shift in your tone recently, Justin. Despite everything happening, I've always found some optimism in your posts. Lately though, they've been a bit darker. As bad as things have been, do you think they're getting worse?
The short answer is: Yes, it's getting worse. And I'm freaked out in a way I haven't been previously.
But I'm also trying to work through what optimism looks like right now. I think there is reason to be optimistic, but it can't be naiveté. We need to believe it will get better, but understand that it *can* get much much much worse if we fail.
(I have had a dispatch on the idea of optimism in my drafts folder for some time. I hope to publish it before November 5)
Great, clear article. As a dual US /Cdn citizen I was dismayed to think about the talking points Maga types are using and comparing it to the current ad Poilievre is flooding the airwaves with as he stands in front of fields of sunny wheat and no oil drills or destroyed prairie in site
I work in agriculture in the prairies. And this my be obvious but those sunny wheat fields only look good like that for about a month. The rest of the year it is a bleak wasteland.
Now that is really too bad. I’m sure the rest of the year 5he bleak wasteland look would be improved by not having a Con ad superimposed on top of the view
Many many dopey Scott Moe faces on display out there 😂.
Thank you Justin! I enjoy your articulate perspective that really mines down deep into the issues which impact our lives. Your sense of humour is refreshing too. Keep up the great work.
Thanks Kate!
Thanks for the clear perspective. Scary stuff! I've been following the US election very closely, with true horror and disbelief. Vance in particular gives me the creeps. I don't know if other women have noticed, but he speaks with such smarmy condescention, especially to women. My misogyny spidey-sense goes on red alert every time he opens his mouth. It's visceral. Thank-you for the link to your other article too.
Excellent points and a moving opening with the Black Death. Totally appropriate.
It seems to me that in the future, public figures and public networks are going to have to pass a "Snopes Test" before unleashing an opinion. Believe what you want in your kitchen but before saying it to a group, you have to prove its virtue. Otherwise, we are doomed to a break-up...
Lying about the casus belli for war after war (Gulf of Tonkin, babies-in-incubators, WMDs) had only upsides and no downsides for decades on end.
Reporters struggling to deal with "how bad this is" were sentenced to their current problems by predecessors who didn't call out lies in their own time.
Working against lies now is a much heavier weight, but if you don't carry it, the situation will get even worse.
Excellent work, thank you. With a recent poll indicating Trump supporters in Canada (mostly in one political party) and Canadians watching Fox, it isn't much of a stretch to see this lying plague spreading here . Perhaps the only thing delaying it ( outside of Alberta UCP) is the limits on money in our electoral system, although Dough Ford doubled donation limits, so far we don't have a de facto candidate pumping $200 million in 3 months into a campaign for top job.
Our ability to add Fox News to our TV packages has always confused me. Here is BC with Telus I can add Fox News but can’t add our local news channel BC1. How with the restrictions of the CRTC is that possible?
I've noticed a bit of a shift in your tone recently, Justin. Despite everything happening, I've always found some optimism in your posts. Lately though, they've been a bit darker. As bad as things have been, do you think they're getting worse?
It's funny you ask this.
The short answer is: Yes, it's getting worse. And I'm freaked out in a way I haven't been previously.
But I'm also trying to work through what optimism looks like right now. I think there is reason to be optimistic, but it can't be naiveté. We need to believe it will get better, but understand that it *can* get much much much worse if we fail.
(I have had a dispatch on the idea of optimism in my drafts folder for some time. I hope to publish it before November 5)