Wednesday, November 23, 2016

This Is Real Life

I've had to write this (or some variation of it) way more than I'd like to ever admit:

"Hey all...
Thanks for the lively debate.  But there comes a point when we have to step in and start deleting comments and, in some cases, banning people from our page.  This isn't an effort to "censor" the discussion.  This is an effort to remember the rules of basic human decency.  We won't tolerate hateful, vulgarity-laced, demeaning or threatening posts in any way, shape or form.  If we wouldn't allow the comments on our radio station, why would we allow them on our Facebook page?  If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to call me. - Joe"

As most people are aware now (and it's starting to gain international attention), there have been more than a few stories done about the comments seen in the aftermath of Sandra Jansen crossing the floor from the PC Party to the NDP.

While you may not agree with the decision, and you may hate it, and you may hate her, it still doesn't give anyone the right to spew the vitriol we've seen.  In the past few days, I've screen-grabbed some of the comments.




Why?  Because these are real people throwing all sorts of comments at real people.  There's no filter.  Again, there's a difference between political correctness and human decency.  It's unacceptable.

And don't get me wrong, this has nothing to do with Liberals, Conservatives or any party or political stance.  It's unacceptable, no matter who the target.  These kinds of comments and debates stand in the way of real talk, real debate and real progress.  These kinds of comments can be seen from all sides, it just so happens that the "right" has been more guilty of it lately, and more loud about it as well.

The other part of this that I can't understand is why people believe this is a matter of growing a "thicker skin."  That's not the answer, at all.  If you want to base this debate on gender in particular, you're basically accepting that you'd be willing to tell young boys everywhere that it's okay to be demeaning and threatening to women.  You're also telling young girls everywhere that it's "tough luck" and they will have to learn to live with it.  This is no different than the discussion about sexual assaults.  Instead of focusing on the root cause, we go fishing for excuses like "she was dressed provocatively" or "boys will be boys."  No.  Not even a little bit.  We should be expecting better from everyone, and teaching our children about respectful dialogue and debate.

As I've alluded to in a past blog, I don't know why anyone would be willing to be a politician nowadays.  Not only are you putting your life out there for the world to see, but now you're also subjecting your life to keyboard warriors who have no desire to add anything to a discussion.  And those who actually want to be constructive in their comments are drowned out by the loud extremes who demand their voice be heard.  And they get to be heard, because no one is willing to call them out for their behaviour, which is further fueled by likes and retweets.  So those who actually want to be constructive leave the debate, because they're not being heard and don't feel like bashing their head against a wall because they know they're fighting a losing battle.

Here's the big problem I'm seeing: we've waged a war between social and fiscal policy.  As I've said before, somewhere along the line, these have become mutually-exclusive terms.  We're playing the worst game of "He Started It".  Apparently, you can spew hatred if you or someone you know has lost a job or feel the government hasn't helped you during the recession.  On the flipside, you can turn a blind eye to the financial realities hitting many people hard because they're not as educated as you or because they "had it coming" making a career choice in oil and gas.

Neither is correct.

At some point, we have to accept that others have differing viewpoints.  We have to engage in thoughtful discussions about these differences, to come to a better understanding of the situation as a whole, instead of constantly retreating back to our own echo chambers because it's the safest place to be.

It's why the comments I posted those screen-grabs.  The language makes you uncomfortable?  You don't like the swears?

Guess what?

They're real comments.  Directed at real people.  This isn't some game where you can belittle or threaten someone for your own enjoyment.

This is real life.
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Wednesday, November 9, 2016

A Few Post-Election Observations

I could have gone a million different ways with this.  I've written and deleted two blogs already.  It's been hard to sleep the last couple of nights, simply with all that's going on in the world.

But after reading the different stories and blogs and comments and tweets, it felt like it was time to rant a bit.  So in no particular order:

#1. Canadians need to check their egos at the door.  Anyone who claims that "we don't have US-style bigotry or hatred here" is living in a dream world.  I see it every day.  Read the comment section of any story involving Naheed Nenshi, Rachel Notley or Justin Trudeau.  And it comes from all sides of the political spectrum.  The keyboard warriors are alive and well here.  This is no "Peace & Love" utopia and stop pretending it is. (Special note: For those who say "get a thicker skin" when it comes to politicians or media or anyone else, I have a fairly straight-forward question for you.  Are you saying that we should all get used to the idea of being berated, belittled, intimidated or threatened?  Because the answer should be "no."  I don't care who you are, where you come from, or who crapped in your Corn Flakes, no one, and I mean NO ONE, deserves that kind of treatment, just because they're in the spotlight.)

#2. If you want to win in politics, simply trumpet something about "change."  If the last Alberta election, Brexit or this US election isn't proof enough, I don't know what will be.  In a weird way, I think the Occupy Movement has had a residual, albeit unknowingly profound, impact on the way everyone looks at "the establishment."  We now question everything.  The 99% are standing up and saying "if you don't serve us, we will gladly kick you out."  That being said, people might not exactly know what that change will look like, but they know the current system is stiffing them.  Which will set the bar for coming elections.  If you're the Democrats looking to take power back, you'll need to be perceived as bringing about change.  If you're right-wingers in Alberta, merging parties or not, you'll have to do the same.  You have to be "The Agent of Change."

#3. Speaking of left-wing and right-wing politics, I have a bone to pick with the vast generalizations we're seeing (and we all know how much I love generalizations).  In Alberta, just because someone is a little more right of you, doesn't mean they are a "Wildrose nutbar."  And just because someone is a little more left of you, doesn't mean they are an "NDP/Libtard shill."  I found some of the reaction from some Canadians to people claiming to be thinking about moving to Canada to be ridiculous.  "We don't need any more Liberals here" seemed to be a common sentiment in a couple of comment sections I read.  Whose to say they're Liberals?  Maybe they're Republicans who felt disenfranchised by the Trump campaign.  And maybe they are Liberals.  When did it become so cotton-picking wrong to have a civilized debate with people from other political stripes to get a full understanding of where they're coming from.  Which leads me to my next point...

#4. We gotta start listening to each other.  I have friends on all sides of the political spectrum.  Our conversations can get heated.  They can sometimes be uncomfortable.  But at the end of the day, I think we get a better understanding of why we support who we support.  Somewhere along the line, we stopped listening to one another.  There's a segment of the population that didn't feel like the system (under a Democratic president) was serving them well.  There's also segments of the population that feel like a government led by Donald Trump won't serve their best interests either.  Now, it is true that not everyone is going to be happy with every decision made.  But this campaign really felt like everyone was talking into their own echo chambers.  Instead of having civilized discussions about what was missing from each other's platforms, it turned into a giant game of "Marco Polo" where everyone was yelling, expecting everyone to find them in the sea of loud voices.  Eventually, everyone just stopped listening.  The Democrats weren't listening to those saying that the system wasn't helping them, while the Republicans weren't listening to those saying they feared the leader wasn't going to serve them.  And the more everyone pushed, the harder everyone dug in.

#5. Everyone dug into their belief that their candidate was less corrupt than the other.  And the trouble was, I don't think people realized that while they might have been standing for the good in their candidate, they were also standing for the bad.  To get something, you had to give up something else.  The candidates had a lot of baggage, which led to questions about how morally, politically, socially or fiscally bankrupt (or any combination) you were willing to be.  It's no wonder the undecided voters had a hard time figuring out where to go.  It's a dilemma that puts me to mind of this scene from The Newsroom, and how the two-party system is a little harder to navigate with shades of grey.



Don't get me wrong.  This isn't a support piece for either candidate.  Everyone has some soul-searching to do.  Democrats, Republicans, pollsters, the media, even Americans.  But it's Americans who cast their ballots, therefore they have spoken..  We might not like the outcome, but in a democracy, we have a winner and a loser.  We can continue to be as divided as we are.

Or (and at risk of sounding like a hippie)...

We can learn from this experience and promise ourselves never to let this happen again.  We're supposed to be part of a civilized, democratic world.  We don't always have to agree.  In fact, we need strong opposition in our political systems.  But make sure it's effective opposition.  Don't oppose for the sake of opposing or because "the other guys" like something.  Give credit where credit is due.  Agree when it makes sense for everyone.  Come up with reasonable solutions to problems.  Be good to one another instead of looking at our differences as a reason to hate.  And govern the same way.

"I stand with everyone who isn't an asshole.  Regardless of race, gender identity, religion, age, marital status, sexual orientation, disability and national origin."

 Image result for i stand with everyone who isn't an asshole

You can add "political allegiance" to that list, too.
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