If you'll forgive the cliche "Adulthood is realizing that Cheese is expensive and SO many people are on cocaine".
I'm an old man, but I'm 90% sure I'm saying this right: Fucking Based.
"What gender are you?"
"Lovecraftian nightmare tentacles"
"But what pronouns do you use?"
"It/Insanity Screeching"
"Hmm, I'm starting to think we mortals might be using restrictive definitions of shit"
That woman, is a dangerous gang member? THAT woman? And her screaming, terrified 18-year-old daughter who had the audacity to demand cops show a fucking warrant.
If you aren't filled with rage at this point, you're either evil, or painfully ignorant.
There's a couple reasons -
In a perfect world, the fact that America is committing violence in other nations and is not realistically reigned in by International Laws or Treaties would be a point worth getting upset about. But that fact is over 100 years old and has been successfully normalized. The idea of incompetent buffoons operating the Department of Defense like a bunch of frat boys trying to organize a kegger is marginally newer and more impactful on the national psyche.
This is the key element of incel culture - if one member of the group tries to improve themselves in anyway, it's an attack on the whole group and they are ostracized from what feels like their only social group.
"What? You started exercising and showering? Who do you think you are? Who are you trying to kid? You're just playing the slut's game, man"
All social bubbles are at least a little harmful - but incel culture is more than that, it's purposefully self-destructive. You have to be sad, miserable, and let your life fall apart to belong. It takes advantage of social instincts in the worst possible way.
Man, Charlie Angus has really been the man of moment here. He's doing the same speech all over this country, seen it in a bunch of places. I know that sounds like a criticism - how can he be genuine when he's repeating himself and refining the message? Isn't that just a stump speech?
But it's not. First of all, anyone who knows Charlie Angus' record knows this isn't new territory for him.
Second, the reason this feels so genuine is because it's how WE feel. We aren't being told what to think, we're having our feelings put into words right in front of us.
And finally, these lines aren't stupid slogans or focus group tested pablum. These are things I've heard other Canadians say to each other, things I've said, way before any political leader was saying it. He's speaking in plain and easy language, in the exact terms Canadians think about this.
Populism and patriotism are heady, dangerous drugs. So quickly, they can pour over into mob-mentality, anti-intellectualism and nationalism. We have to be careful, and we have to be smart. But right now, man, I am riding this high. Elbows up!
I have never known a man who needed to get punched in the face worse than Donald Trump. I am not a violent man. I detest "online tough guys" who treat every situation as an excuse to advocate for violence. And I'm not saying I endorse a bullet or a guillotine or something like that. I'm not even saying I'd punch him.
But this man has clearly never been punched in his shit-talking mouth, and if someone had done it 40 or 50 years ago, we wouldn't be here now.
That story is absolutely heart-breaking. It's funny to me that reading that story, I can just tell I wouldn't like Jasmine Mooney. We wouldn't get along on a personal level. Her humour isn't my kind. Her view of things doesn't line up with how I perceive the world. We wouldn't be friends. And yet, I'm so incredibly moved by her story and I really respect the humility she shows in highlighting the stories of the other women she met in that system. I'm going to share this around, this feels really important.
I'm not sure we need to waste a lot of time on the lunatics that make up that 10%. You can't get 90% approval for fresh baked cookies, or friendly golden retriever puppies. While it would be nice for there to simply be no traitors within our borders, it's not really a realistic goal.
Instead, let's celebrate that by and large we're all on the same page. Elbows up. One way or the other, old age or a bullet, we die Canadians.
It's honestly a little reassuring to here that the reason for these tariffs is "We want to tax the ever-loving shit out of our citizens so we can give money to billionaires, but we don't want to call it a tax."
At least that means that it wasn't meant to be an act of betrayal and pre-text to war with Canada. I mean, it still was an act of betrayal creating massive hardship and permanently damaging our relationship. But the idea of a Russian/Ukraine remake happening along the 49th parallel seems less likely than it did.
I believe the way it worked was - the middle and lower class tax cuts had a built-in sunset and the upper class tax cuts were permanent. That way it looked like everyone got a cut, but really it was just a temporary relief for the poors and a real transfer of wealth to the upper echelons.
I don't believe they're engaging in such pageantry this time. But I'm not an American, maybe someone will correct me.
A BBQ with friends, after sleeping in late - the good life. Happy Canada Day.
Patriotism is a tricky thing in the modern world. Swirling nationalism and co-opted symbols abound. Always remember that loving your country is about knowing she can be more than she is, more than she was, but also appreciating her today.
There's all kinds of bad news, and worse people, out there. Tough times for a lot of our neighbours. But we're free. To worship as we choose, be who we are, love who we choose, go where we want and say what we like. It's a rarer and rarer thing today. So let's celebrate. Raise a glass, a fist or your voice and cheer on this great nation. Go Canada!