I’ve tried my best to ignore the the so called truckers convoy. The convoy that somehow morphed into a homeless encampment with country music, barbeques, bouncy castles and all kinds of people that aren’t truck drivers. I’ve tried to ignore them because we have kind of a tradition in Canada of ignoring stupidity until it goes away. But they persisted until they got the spectacle they were looking for, and so I’m paying attention now. I’m paying attention because the debacle they managed to generate likely means that copycats are going to appear and that would suck in a monumental way.
Although I’d be interested to see how the Premier of Alberta would react if a couple of thousand environmentalists drove all their Priuses to Fort MacMurray and blocked the traffic in and out of the oilsands.
Anyway.
I wish that I’d continued to ignore them, because now I can’t decide if I’m embarrassed or pissed off with this gathering of confused morons. A little of both I guess, and so here’s why I find them embarrassing and exasperating in about equal measure.
Their assumptive entitlement.
I’ve heard a variety of protestors claim in interviews that all of Canada is behind them. One woman loudly proclaimed as much, and added that it’s the Canadian people against the politicians. Somehow she seems to have forgotten that we voted for those politicians, and that no one voted for her. But she’s perfectly fine ignoring the will of the voters and claiming that she and her motley crew of morons are the real representatives of Canadians. Somehow the haze of hubris that envelops this stupid bitch has prevented her from realizing that the demands of a couple of thousand people to dictate policy for millions is hardly the FREEDOM that she claims to champion. So here’s a newsflash for freedom lady. The vast majority of Canadians are not behind you. Except maybe in the drive through at MacDonald’s, or a lineup at Walmart as you struggle to grasp the intricacies of a menu or a self service check out.
The majority of Canadians are vaccinated. The majority of Canadians wear masks. The majority of Canadians have accepted covid restrictions because they have concern for their fellow Canadians. The majority of Canadians believe that the temporary acceptance of some restrictions is going to allow us to reopen the country with our healthcare system mostly intact. The majority of Canadians are willing to sacrifice for the sake of the their fellow citizens. The majority of Canadians believe that we’re close to a state where covid will be manageable, and all we need is a little bit more patience and discipline. But not you, no, you’re special. Fuck the majority, I’m going to Ottawa to honk my horn for three weeks because I have to wear a mask in Tim Hortons.
Their mangled messaging.
Let’s start with the flags. If I put on a team Canada hockey jersey it doesn’t mean I made the team, so stop with this horseshit that you’re a patriot because you’re wearing a Canadian flag as a cape. But somehow the protesters have determined that waving a flag makes them above reproach. That they can’t be challenged or arrested without that challenge or arrest being an affront to Canada and to democracy. Because they’ve got a flag, and that flag gifts them with magical powers that imbibes them with wisdom, righteousness and complete immunity. I can’t speak for the rest of Canada but I find but I find their co-opted use of the flag disgraceful, and I look forward to seeing how a judge reacts when they decide to sing the National anthem as their defense strategy in court.
Speaking of flags.
What the fuck does a Donald Trump flag signify at a protest in Canada? This is what I mean by mangled messaging, because it appears that Tucker and Jesse have confused these intellectuals to the point that they’ve forgotten which country they’re in. That confusion would explain the protesters complaining that their first amendment rights are being violated, and the bizarre demand that the senate dissolve the government.
Some of the protesters demanded that Trudeau resign, which means they have zero respect or regard for the results determined by the Canadian voters. Maybe I’m wrong but that sentiment doesn’t seem very democratic or patriotic to me. What it does sound like is sedition. It sounds like they demand an overthrow of the legally elected Canadian government. I’m not sure exactly how that stance jives with their insistence that they’re patriots, but apparently they’re comfortable with all kinds of incongruity. I guess It’s easy if you’ve mastered the ability to just ignore the parts of an argument you don’t like.
Some of the protestors are demanding no jabs, no mandates and no masks. I assume no jabs means just the covid vaccine but who knows? Maybe they want all vaccines gone. Also, the last time I looked the vaccine and mask mandates were Provincial and not Federally mandated, but let’s not let reality disrupt your illusion of repression. As far as the mask goes, these people need to fuck right off. Wearing a mask is a minor inconvenience. It’s not the end of the world, and your rage over mask mandates tells me something about you. It tells me that you aren’t willing to shoulder even a minor responsibility if that responsibility provides you any inconvenience. It tells me that you possess the social maturity of a poorly behaved child.
Those children added a meeting with the Prime Minister to their list of demands, and whined incessantly when he wouldn’t accommodate them, because as they saw it, Trudeau was a coward. It’s amazing to me that they still live in a world where fourth grade schoolyard name calling is a strategy they’re comfortable with. I mean for Christ sakes, the demand itself is childishly insane. Did they expect that Justin would be swayed by a face to face with the Facebook scholars among them? Did they think that their fuck Trudeau flags would provide Justin an epiphany? An epiphany where he suddenly realized that every nation and most scientists on the planet were complicit in the covid conspiracy? Did they expect that after meeting with the P.M. that from that point on Justin would call up whoever was their child in charge and obtain their permission before his government made any policy decisions?
I can picture it now. The Liberals would like to make a statement regarding Canada’s response to Russia invading Ukraine, but they’re delayed because they haven’t gotten a thumbs up yet from Tamara.
Did I mention that the estimates for policing this shitshow were estimated over a week ago at three hundred million dollars? That’s a tab that’s going to be picked up by the Canadian tax payers and it’s just a fucking estimate. It doesn’t include cross border trade losses or the dollars for a continued police presence in Ottawa. It’s not inconceivable that the final bill is going to be in the billion dollar range. That’s a few Loonies, and so I hope to hell that someone in government introduces legislation to deal effectively with the next blockhead blockade before the emergency act is seen as the only option to manage a bunch of Facebook fringe fools.
And to conclude.
I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at the Pikachu surprised faces of the protesters when the police finally moved in and made them go away. What the fuck did they expect? It was pretty obvious by week three that the rest of Canada wasn’t going to flock to their cause, and it amazes me that someone in the group didn’t conclude that maybe they should just go home. Why wasn’t there a group realization that the majority of Canadians didn’t give a shit about them, or thought they were a bunch of assholes?
But that realization never happened because the unearned entitlement of these people is and was off the charts. They honestly believed that they could do whatever they wanted for as long as they wanted regardless of the lawlessness or cost and consequences to their fellow Canadians. And let’s not forgot to mention that any attempt to curb their enthusiasm was communism or a dictatorship.
I don’t know if the press that attended the protest went out of their way to only interview idiots, or if all of the protesters were actually genuine idiots. But I can say with certainty that all of the protesters that got some air time were precisely the kind of people I don’t want making decisions that would impact me.
Ever.