It's all so ironic. The people who are supposed to be the experts in media, marketing, communications and PR are making themselves look awful.
They have lost all control of the narrative.
For so long they took for granted they could impose whatever interpretation they wanted onto reality and everyone would buy it. So when working class Canadians finally rose up in defiance of the authoritarian COVID controls they defaulted to the old playbook. They made up a story that depicted anyone challenging the absolute power of the ruling class as cartoonishly evil.
Take a moment to reflect on what we were expected to believe: A hitherto unknown cabal of evil Canadian truck drivers suddenly deciding to draw massive attention to themselves by crossing the country in a huge convoy in the dead of winter in order to overthrow the government of Canada.
It sounds like an hilariously awesome comedy sketch from the days before funny Canadians were banned from doing comedy.
The funny thing is that these were not comedians. This ludicrous narrative was being propagated by supposedly serious journalists, politicians, doctors, lawyers and academics.
Stephanie Carvin is an Associate Professor of International Affairs, National Security Issues, Terrorism at Carleton University. And she really likes writing in all caps:
Dr. Lesley Bikos is a professor in the Social Sciences department at Western University. Oddly, she sounds more like a 20 year old student excited about regurgitating the clichés and talking points of her first year social justice course.
When people outside the bubble of academia talk about the universities being ideologically captured... this is what they mean:
Dr.JenniferRobson is an Associate Professor at Kroeger College, Carleton University where she teaches Political Management, Public Affairs and Policy Management. And apparently she can't tell the difference between the weird subjective preoccupations in her head and the real world where the rest of us live:
At this point you would be justified in wondering if there is some kind of IQ test you have to fail to qualify as a professional academic in Canada. At the very least you may be nervous about who is being paid to shape the minds of young Canadians.
Here's journalist Tasha 'My fellow Canadians are living petri dishes' Kheiriddin:
Tasha, who fancies herself as having a good shot of becoming the next leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, is boasting about how she would unleash the military on civilians if she got her hands on power. It would make quite a campaign platform.
Aaron Wherry, CBC's Parliament Hill bureau parroting the government's premise that protesting for the return of the rights that were taken from you is "anti-democratic":
Garry Mason of the Globe and Mail trying very hard to keep a straight face while claiming the use of the word 'freedom' to refer to the freedom people had before and now want returned to them is "undermining democracy":
Of course Gary and the Globe are simply doing their bit to propagate the latest generic propaganda campaign. Here's the CBC, an allegedly completely separate Canadian media outlet, using the very same Orwellian 'Freedom is Fascism' construct:
Andrew "antisocial yobs" Coyne making the case that because another media outlet used the words "determined and volatile" it means his pompous condescension is justified. The image of a smiling woman draped in the Canadian flag while sauntering past the word 'freedom' doesn't exactly sell the premise though, does it?:
Andre Picard of the Globe and Mail promoting the Toronto Star's hilariously implausible claim that Canada is now perceived internationally as the "far-right capital of the world":
Dr. Andrew Boozary is the Executive Director of Social Medicine (whatever that is) at Toronto's University Health Network:
As you can see, we were assured by the brightest lights of the Canadian intelligentsia that we were dealing with a dark force of racist, misogynist, Islamophobic, anti democratic (did I mention racist?) violent, awful, bad, dumb, racist, dangerous, racist, insurrectionist racists.
If all that wasn't bad enough... they were also racists!
The problem was that the images of the protests didn't match their description at all.
The torrent of pictures and video streaming from Parliament Hill in Ottawa showed thousands of extremely normal looking Canadians of every race and background, all of whom seemed rather... cheerful.
It's the relentless good humour that really seems to be driving the establishment nuts. They keep telling us to see a hostile overthrow of government while we're looking at something with the vibe of a winter carnival.
It's totally backfiring on them.
Reality is refusing to conform to their narrative and it's making them look feckless, mean-spirited and absurd.
For example:
The media breathlessly implies protesters are up to something sinister by building a small makeshift structure. Establishment types like former Global Affairs, CSIS employee and terrorism expert (!) Jess Marin Davis freak out and say it "can at best be described as a massive public hazard, or something far, far worse."
Turns out it could "at best be described" as a popup soup kitchen.
Media reports breaking news that people are moving fencing from around the National War Memorial. And because the police aren't rushing in to break heads, lifelong political/media establishment apparatchiks like Bruce Anderson (Abacus Data, CBC, Globe and Mail) spout conspiracy theories about the cops being "compromised":
It turns out to be veterans clearing the snow and ice from the monument.
Like I said, these guys are supposed to be Canada's PR and communications geniuses. You wouldn't know it when their marketing campaign amounts to... 'Join the side of dismal, cheerless, angry snobs who resent seeing happy, free Canadians!'
Here's Evan Solomon from CTV whining that the police aren't being used to suppress entertainment and Porta Potties:
Susan Delacourt of the Toronto Star oozing sanctimony and condescension:
Bruce Anderson demonstrates just how personally they are taking this. It's an affront to the absolute authority of the ruling class and Bruce identifies with that class. When Bruce says "making a laughing stock of our country", he means making a laughing stock of the people in power. It's emasculating to him:
The Ottawa Citizen. The same 'More Cops Less Partying' mantra:
You have to wonder: Is Robert Fife, The Globe and Mail's Ottawa Bureau Chief, genuinely concerned about the threat posed to the government by these scary "anarchists" splashing around in their inflatable hot tub?:
It's hilarious seeing uptight urban professionals expressing such sourpussed resentment at the sight of normal Canadians being spontaneous and having fun.
Meanwhile, something quite extraordinary is happening in front of us. Something of genuine historical significance. Despite what they want you to believe, it is inspiring people around the world. And it's all being generated from Canada.
The sad thing is that middle class professionals in this country are so invested in the official narrative, so overly identified with the state and so conditioned to believe that obedience to government makes you a good person they are managing to miss the whole thing.
Despite what they want you to believe, Canadian truckers and their supporters are inspiring people around the world: