Few people would argue that our world has not changed in the past few years, especially post-pandemic. In my view, we are less tolerant of others, more focused on what we believe to be our individual rights, and quick to put down those who disagree with us. Cancel culture has become an acceptable form of dealing with our past and a “my way or the highway” attitude has become more prevalent in our present-day genre.
Underlying all of this is a sense of anger, discontent, and entitlement that has crept into our society and is being played upon by those of all political stripes who want to advance their own particular agendas, which, while often promoted as freedom, is in many instances more about control.
Some examples.
In Wisconsin, first graders are now banned from singing a song called Rainbow Land, by Dolly Parton because it is about accepting others.
In Utah, a parent has utilized a new law that permits the removal of “pornographic books” from libraries to demand the removal of the Bible from those institutions, citing incest, bestiality, and infanticide.
In Canada, issues such as abortion and the breakup of this country are raising their ugly heads again because people think they can get away with it now. A conservative backbencher wants to revisit the right of a woman to control her own body and her leader has agreed to support it. This is a matter that even Stephen Harper’s government stayed away from.
This past week, the leader of the Bloc Quebecois compared the relationship between Quebec and the rest of Canada to that of the relationship between Russia and Ukraine and between China and Taiwan. And so far, he has gotten away with that.
And then there is the Liberal government that passes legislation that controls beyond libel and slander laws, what we can say, what we can read or hear, and what we can see. At any other time, this would have been condemned as censorship.
In this age of populism, we just don’t seem to care. Let people and governments do what they want. Just leave me alone to do what I want. That seems to be the attitude, and it bothers me.
It bothers me, especially in relation to young people. What are they learning these days about tolerance and self-discipline—about what is right and what is wrong? And what does this mean in terms of what they believe and how they act as they grow into adulthood?
I was shocked, as I know many others were, to learn this week about a teenage girl who was attacked by two other girls outside of Huntsville High School, forced into a vehicle, taken to a small park, beaten, partially disrobed, and then had chlorine, diluted by water, poured over her head in an attempt to change the colour of her hair. Her phone was confiscated so she could not call for help.
The teenager eventually got back to the High School and called her parents. She was taken to the hospital by her father to be treated for a minor concussion and bruises on her face and ribs.
I had allowed myself to think that this sort of thing would never happen in Huntsville but it does, and, in fact, may be endemic here.
Bullying of course is not a new phenomenon but the level and frequency of violence is disturbing as is its acceptance, and that is indeed worrisome. Huntsville Councilor Scott Morrison noted examples of bullying in other areas and spoke to the unfortunate behaviour of bystanders videoing the occurrences instead of intervening.
I cannot help but think that the current wave of populism in our society encourages young people to believe that anything goes—that strictures that once applied to what you can or cannot get away with have been lifted. That this is happening in Huntsville is an eye-opener. But clearly, it is not just happening here and that is a societal problem that must be addressed.
One person who commentated on the senseless beating in Huntsville said this. “I am speechless, saddened, sickened, and worried. Clearly, the perpetrators and victims need help; that’s an understatement. This is a mental health issue and probably, way beyond that.”
No doubt, there are serious mental health issues here. But what happened here and what happens elsewhere in similar situations should not be diluted with excuses or political correctness or needing to dig into the root cause of these actions.
Even in this populist era, there needs to be a clear understanding of what is right and what is wrong. Young people must not be led to believe that all boundaries have been removed. They must learn that there are consequences for their actions.
The two teenagers who were involved in the malicious beating of one of their peers in Huntsville have been charged by the Ontario Provincial Police. This is as it should be. They should of course also be treated fairly but a message must be sent that there are serious consequences for behaviour and actions that are outside of the boundaries of civil society.
Our world may be going through a period of rapid change but our standards about what is right and what is wrong, or what is true and what is not, should not be part of that change.
No amount of political correctness or populism should prevent us from vigorously upholding these standards, with serious consequences for those who do not.
Hugh Mackenzie.
Hugh Mackenzie has held elected office as a trustee on the Muskoka Board of Education, a Huntsville councillor, a District councillor, and mayor of Huntsville. He has also served as chairman of the District of Muskoka and as chief of staff to former premier of Ontario, Frank Miller.
Hugh has also served on a number of provincial, federal and local boards, including chair of the Ontario Health Disciplines Board, vice-chair of the Ontario Family Health Network, vice-chair of the Ontario Election Finance Commission, and board member of Roy Thomson Hall, the National Theatre School of Canada, and the Anglican Church of Canada. Locally, he has served as president of the Huntsville Rotary Club, chair of Huntsville District Memorial Hospital, chair of the Huntsville Hospital Foundation, president of Huntsville Festival of the Arts, and board member of Community Living Huntsville.
In business, Hugh Mackenzie has a background in radio and newspaper publishing. He was also a founding partner and CEO of Enterprise Canada, a national public affairs and strategic communications firm established in 1986.
Currently, Hugh is president of C3 Digital Media Inc., the parent company of Doppler Online, and he enjoys writing commentary for Huntsville Doppler.
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2 points
1. populism is emotional abuse of the electorate, antecedent to civil war. Following a pandemic in which many have lost their minds, if not their bearings – populism is used to continually prod emotions to anger.
It is exhausting. Brains are turned off, as are questions, critique, and analysis.
2. I find it horribly hilarious that Conservative rhetoric is loudly condemning David Johnson. Prior to being appointed by Stephen Harper as Governor General, Harper had asked Johnson to form the terms of reference for the Oliphant Commission inquiry into the Mulroney airbus scandal. Now, we are supposed to believe DJ has changed because he knows Justin Trudeau? Give me a break.
Re: the airbus scandal, I think that the program Air Farce said it well, why a commission that will tell us that at the bottom of it all, Mulroney was greedy.
The world has indeed changed. During my early working years in the 60s and 70s, corporations and businesses generally had a stronger social conscience. Neighbors and farmers helped each other and employees were expected to get involved in United Way, service clubs, etc. That all changed with the Koch brothers and the rise of the extreme right in the US. They created a billionaires club called Citizens United, an oxymoron if there ever was one. Citizens United lobbied to change election campaign contribution laws so they could buy their congressmen and senators and change tax laws to their own benefit. It now costs an average of $26 million to elect a US congressman and big money is solidly in control.. Then politicians had to grovel to the ultra rich to get elected and it became all about maximizing and keeping profits, too often at the expense of average citizens and society.
The Great Reset discussion at the World Economic Forum is about re-establishing corporate and business social responsibility. After all, the fossil fuel business, the gun business, the social media business, etc. helped to create today‘s societal problems, so they should now help to solve them. For some bizarre reason, Poilievre wants no part of these discussions at the WEF or in our own parliament. He loves to just sit back and criticize and smirk at whatever the WEF or the government comes up with instead of helping to solve problems. Is that what politics has come to?
One would hope that all parties could occasionally cooperate to come up with some sensible regulations to mitigate the rapidly escalating effects of climate change, violence (especially gun violence), the harmful effects of social media (particularly on our young people) and a register to curb the negative influence of foreign agents.
Thank you for stating the issues very clearly Hugh. I particularly appreciated the following statement you made: .You wrote–“Our world may be going through a period of rapid change but our standards about what is right and what is wrong, or what is true and what is not, should not be part of that change.”
The violence you have described is horrifying. Even more horrifying is your depiction of bystanders doing nothing. Video recording such an incident can sometimes be very useful. But being present and not doing anything to intervene and stop the harm being done–that is compliance. But before we get too uppity and set ourselves up as judges, let us recognize that we are a society full of compliance with wrongdoing in so many little ways that many of us have simply lost our moral compass. I am concerned for everyone involved here–the victim, her bullies and the bystanders. What a sad mess! And while I agree that consequences are important–so is understanding the root causes of such violence and such apathy. What is happening to cause young people to act this way? And what can we learn from this to prevent it from happening again?
The only problem with commentaries, is the reader thinks there is something being done to change these atrocities that keep happening in our society. We now blame every bit of violence on poor mental health. Our society has evolved through politics and leftist leaning thoughts that punishment for your actions should be virtually non existent. Our children naturally believe that anything goes. I had a conversation with one of my grandsons this weekend about his friends. I mentioned that one of the boys he use to hang with is not coming around as much. My grandson said that they had a conversation about the way he treats people, by bullying them or calling them names and that my grandson would not be his friend or play with him unless he changed his ways. This is a young man of 8. His parents have taught both him and his brother that they must stand up for what is right, treat all the children with tolerance and respect, but to also let them know when they are out of line. People who instead of stopping a crime, takes out their phone and starts videoing it, these people immediately become part of the problem rather than helping reduce this bad behaviour. The incident you referred to with the students was not a spur of the moment event. This crime was premeditated and the charges against them should be tried in an adult court. This one is just the tip of the iceberg, kids social media is full of this crap. These are the adults of tomorrow. Quit talking about the problem, start talking to your children and grandchildren about their values and how they can change those around them. Don’t accept WHATEVER, be part of the solution, be part of the positive change.