Commentary
When I read that our government despises us, I’m tempted to respond that the feeling is mutual. But as Andrew Breitbart warned, politics is downstream of culture. So there’s a “Picture of Dorian Voter” problem here.
Certainly when a “Security and Intelligence Threats to Elections Task Force” study
calls us misinformed conspiracy-minded kooks who hate politicians, I want to shake the morning paper at them. On March 25 alone I encountered
our finance minister asking senators to pass a money-shredding bill unread. And in addition to $59.5 million to consultants, federal
bureaucrats clocked 134,000 hours of their own highly-paid pensionable time on the wretched ArriveCan app.
OK, the 96,000 more public servants that
I learned last week we’d hired since 2006, net, must be doing something. Like
concocting another IT disaster, while
in nine years the Trudeau administration has hiked yearly business subsidies from $17 to $40 billion, “almost three times higher, compared to ‘just’ a doubling of overall program spending” and counting.
Mad? You bet I am. Mad that it’s such a mess, they’ve apparently given up trying to fix it, and they’re so smug. On March 23, our prime minister
called the latest Russian missile strikes on Ukraine “abhorrent” and preened, “they serve as a reminder of how vital our support for Ukraine’s defence is.” Right. Like the anti-missile system
we promised in January 2023, claimed was “en route” that April, and it’s still not there.
Sorry. I seem to be stoking my own rage and possibly yours. Whereas I set out to warn that people in power are soaring about on mighty gusts of self-esteem, rather than making any real effort to control anything, primarily because since the 1960s the mainstream mantra has been authenticity.
Forget self-control and self-improvement involving external, time-tested standards. Instead “be yourself,” say politicians, celebrities,
self-help gurus, journalists, academics, and, well, everybody. No more repressive social standards. Let it all hang out, man.
We did. And some of it manifestly needs to be tucked back in, including DEI, a classic of naval-gazing resentment where everybody hates everybody because we focus on our “needs” not how we might brighten others’ lives. Or the time I reproached a Canadian academic for tweeting endless obscenities, saying a foul mouth proceeds from a foul mind as a false mouth from a false mind, so he… blocked me. None shall obstruct his potty-mouthed authenticity.
Thomas L. Masson warned, “Be Yourself is the worst advice you can give to some people.” But
he died in 1934 so it’s been a long time coming. And to violate Godwin’s Law, Richard Brookhiser’s “Rules of Civility” said, “Surely Hitler could have used more repression in his life, not less.” So could you.
Instead, with classic serendipity, while researching this column the Microsoft start page
offered me “30 things that should be more socially acceptable” from something called StarsInsider that, surprisingly unsurprisingly, included “Men wearing women’s clothing” and “Having an STD.” No thanks.
We need things that should be less socially acceptable. Dressing down to show others disrespect. Being rude because manners take work. Gobbling from the government trough because “I’m worth it.” Promiscuity. Sending loathsome notes to politicians because you’re authentically a creep.
Some predictably blame the “right,” “far right,” polymegagigaright, etc.
But it’s everywhere, including “City council in Surrey, B.C., says it is restricting public access to its meetings after persistent disruptions from pro-Palestinian protesters.” It’s no longer about being heard. It’s about being obeyed, including that others not be heard. Me me me!!!
We apparently don’t believe in original sin anymore, which is odd given how it has burst loose with glaringly awful results. Someone recently explained that his mother used to tell him that a gentleman didn’t act that way, and his sister that a lady didn’t. Talk that way today and brace for incoming hate. But if you fly an obscene anti-Trudeau flag, especially in front of kids, you’re not part of the solution.
The intelligence report says, “Violent rhetoric routinely fixates on elected officials – with particular hostility towards high-profile women.” And instead of grumping about more wokeness I’m going to say if you saw what people send female politicians you’d ask in horror if their mothers know about it… and hope their feeds aren’t worse.
Certainly, government is infuriating. But so is this increasingly vile tidal wave of openly menacing rhetoric, some clearly hideous fantasy and some terribly plausible. At least in the good old days they had to type and stamp it, and they self-identified with a combined black-red ribbon and CAPS LOCK so you saw it coming. Now you have to look at it to know, and then it’s too late.
So all you politicians beware. Desist from advocating disastrous policies in a fatuously obnoxious manner or I shall march to the polling booth and vote you out.
Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
