“In our age there is no such thing as ‘keeping out of politics.’ All issues are political issues, and politics itself is a mass of lies, evasions, folly, hatred and schizophrenia.” – George Orwell
Election 42 is in its nascent stages, but already the tone has been set. This will not be an election of substance, of issues of importance to the lives and the well-being of Canadians, but, rather, one of emotions and partisanship, fuelled by negative campaign ads and half-truths.
In a new brand of politics, being truthful is passĂ©. Rather, being “economical with the truth,” or evasive, is preferable. But to tell half-truths is still lying, as there is still the act of deception, and, as Baltasar Gracian once stated, “(A) single lie destroys a whole reputation of integrity.”
There are, of course, good lies, those told to protect someone from some form of harm. In politics though, lies are told to gain power and control, and this is what makes them reprehensible and dangerous. In this modern age of technology, lies travel quickly through social media, repeated through partisan invective.
This all plays into a new political tribalism here in Canada, as if one’s identity was attached to the colour of a party flag. This is an irrational behaviour, subverting our sense of Canadian democracy, detracting from the facts and truth. We have attached our identity to a political brand, no different to that of any other corporate brand (such as a coffee), fearing that our individuality is at stake. And we slander those whom we feel challenge this sense of self, as if it was a personal threat to our being.
Fear is just one emotion being used to control us, to have us blindly follow. And greed is another to be played with, as we are offered incentives to continue following without question. The personal cost of this is, paradoxically, our individuality, the very thing we prize. We are no longer making rational decisions, based upon presented evidence and cogent debate, but, rather, we do as we are told. We vote for the candidate the party gave us, without question, as if they know better than us. Implied in this is that the parties do not trust us to decide our own futures, and this will cost us dearly as Canadians as we bear the brunt in these trying times.
This American-stylized politicking is undermining Canadian democracy. We have become corporatized, placed into boxes, stamped with labels, as if some form of property, because this is what is best for “them.” We project ourselves as different to our American cousins, mocking their electoral process, extolling our Canadian values of being rational, compassionate and polite, but it seems we have lost these virtues. This is not to be anti-American, but, rather, proudly Canadian, and it would be nice to have integrity returned to Canada’s institution of democracy.
John Kennair is an international consultant and doctor of laws who lives in St. Albert.
