Both can't be true - Shawn's Sense with Shawn Loughlin

There have been a few things getting my goat - sticking in my craw, as it were - as of late in the world of conservative views and now, you’re going to hear about them. This is, again, a look beyond the current real, terrifying issues, which, thanks to the 24-hour news cycle and the ubiquitous nature of smartphones, haunt our waking lives from the early morning to the dead of night. When it comes to those issues, I choose to follow the Tao of Woodcock (as in Reynolds Woodcock, Daniel Day Lewis’s character in 2017’s Phantom Thread: “I cannot begin my day with confrontation, please.”

 

The first issue with which I take umbrage is the absurd narrative taking root within (dare I return to a stone-cold classic?) a small, fringe minority with unacceptable views. Depending on the poll you read, it seems that around 10 to 15 per cent of Canadians surveyed looked favorably upon the idea of becoming the 51st state of the United States. A quick combing through on social media or holding my nose in the comments sections of YouTube videos or news articles shows a certain type of far-right conservative Canadian being open to the idea because, of course, Canada, in its current state, is so broken by the likes of Justin Trudeau, Jagmeet Singh and left-leaning Canadians.

 

These folks, you know, the ones who went and huffed gas fumes and honked horns in Ottawa for a while, adopted the Canadian flag as their symbol and yet they’re so patriotic they’d be willing to hand over this great country to one of the most despicable human beings to ever slither into the world to exploit. 

 

This way, with U.S. President Donald Trump at the helm, Canada can return to a former all-white, every-man-for-himself version of the country with closed borders that never existed in the first place. So patriotic that you’d rather be American? That one needs explaining.

 

Speaking of all-white, that brings me to my next issue. Among established, long-term Canadians who tend to be conservative, there are two mutually-exclusive narratives creeping into conversation as immigration becomes a greater part of the lives of those outside of established city centres. In suburbs and rural areas like Huron County, we’re seeing more and more faces that don’t necessarily look like ours. And, as one does when they move to a new community, these folks are finding ways to live out their dreams and make a living for themselves and for their families. So, they are opening stores and restaurants of their own, while also taking on positions in established businesses, putting down roots here.

 

Yet, people still complain. They complain that everyone opening a new business or hard at work in an existing business is a first-generation Canadian (or worse, if they embrace Trump language and most do). At the same time, they complain about “everyone” coming to Canada and are keen to give them the boot back to “their country” when Pierre Poilievre is elected, common sense is restored and the government-funded free rides end.

 

Now, all of these free-ride folks suckling at the government teat surely cannot be those who are working overtime to ensure that their businesses are successful? Hard to find time to lounge around and do nothing when you’re working so much. But sure, let’s talk about the people who are, at once, not contributing and lazy while also working all of the area’s jobs.

 

I know we now live in an era full of loud talkers and whoever yells the loudest is now the most truthful; an era without the patience for follow-up questions, but I’ll admit that this is destined to be a tough transition for me.