The countdown is on.
Not only for Halloween or Christmas, but for the next federal election, now just under a year away.
That’s not a subject that most want to give much thought, as campaign signs from the most recent provincial contest still litter the side of the road. But the major parties are already giving us a preview of what is to be expected.
Conservative leader Andrew Scheer was recently speaking to supporters in Ottawa and predicting that his opponents would opt for the low road this time around.
“The Liberals are going to throw everything they have at us. It’s going to get worse, it’s going to get nasty,” he said, quoted by CBC News.
Election campaigns in this country are historically, pretty civil and low-key in an international sense, even more so when contrasted with recent contests in the United States. While we may have our heated battle over pipelines, language rights and other issues, it’s hard to imagine an insane carnival sideshow like the 2016 Republican primaries happening in Canada.
While the polarized performances put on south of the border can leave us with a sense of superiority, the perils of political discourse in the social media age are just as real here as anywhere else.
Politicians have found that they can pitch their ideas directly to the populace through social media, which has turned out to be more of a curse than a blessing. Aggressive, visceral messaging, with a focus on style over actual policy, is the red meat that the online users crave, and demagogues of all stripes have become adept at giving the mob what it wants.
In addition, now that everyone with an axe to grind and a social media account feels that they can affect change from behind their keyboards, they’ve been emboldened.
Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson was recently sued by three local activists because he blocked them on Twitter.
In a statement responding to the suit, Watson put his foot down:
“This is my personal Twitter account. I have the right not to be attacked and harassed by the same individuals on a regular basis. I believe in civility in public discourse, and this type of behaviour would not be tolerated in a face-to-face debate.”
This is exactly the crux of it: due to relative anonymity, online political debate is far more hyperbolic and extreme than any anything people would say in person, and its radicalizing effects often spill over into the real world.
People that wouldn’t berate their local official in person will go after them relentlessly on Twitter. Those that can’t be bothered to attend a public meeting can now pen viral Facebook screeds about local politics.
Everyone has an equal right to an opinion, and the equalizer of social media is an incredible tool to express these views.
But that doesn’t mean that all opinions are equally valid, or should be considered with the same weight. Politicians are not obligated to put up with badgering trolls on social media any more than they would be obligated to put up with someone yelling on their front porch at sunrise.
This election, take some time to research before you post, and think of the person on the receiving end of your keystrokes.
As much as popular culture has moved online, we’re still only human.
Caleb Nickerson
