Culture

The “Demos” and The Truck Convoy

February 4, 2022 by wagraham Leave a Comment

As the truck convoy made its way to Ottawa, it planned a pit stop right next to where I live. I decided to check it out. I do not know what I was expecting. But here is what I saw: Canadians streaming down the streets with Canadian flags, in vehicles, and all protesting for their freedoms.

I also saw F Trudeau flags. Later, I found out that some nearby also had upside-down Canadian flag(s). Elsewhere, some protestors used other gross and unacceptable symbols. As Pierre Poillievre said, however, one must avoid guilt by association. That some used unacceptable images and behaviour does not invalidate an entire group.

Despite these negatives, the protest that I saw mostly comprised passionate Canadians. There was a sense of patriotism, excitement. After living in a Canada that has felt beaten and broken, the optimism felt right. [Read more…] about The “Demos” and The Truck Convoy

Suspicion Leads to Fear and Anger

October 11, 2021 by wagraham 1 Comment

We have become increasingly suspicious of others over the past decade, no doubt connected to the internet’s constant flow of information. Spend a few minutes on social media, then you will hear every opinion under the sun. The most sensational it is, the more we stare or leer. Soon, we find that government and friend alike must be up to some nefarious ends.

Such suspicion makes us fear others (and so isolate) and be angry at others who fail us.

Suspicion Is a Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

In the latter case, our expectation of the government or group or person’s failure becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Since we do not think they will succeed and are nefarious at the core, we do not contribute or join them to make a positive change. Then time passes and tribes develop. A group falls or fails, and the accuser says, aha! I told you so.

But then what if we started without a baseline of suspicion? What if we committed to mutually support each other? Would we not see government or group as part of who we are, a community of people whom we can affect and work with?

Government Overreach in Canada and the USA

October 7, 2021 by wagraham Leave a Comment

The current pandemic has reignited a time honoured argument about government overreach. Given the commonality of this argument, I wanted to share a few thoughts about perceiving government overreach as a Canadian and from the perspective of Americans.

You should ignore this article if politics are not your thing or if you feel very passionate one way or the other the question. These thoughts are meant to be light, easy thoughts, not an article for argument.

I am more-or-less working out how Canadians and Americans perceive government overreach.

Being a Conservative in Canada

September 23, 2021 by wagraham 1 Comment

If liberalism (in its inception) emphasized individual liberty, private property, and minimal government intervention, then our friends to the south and even some parties in Canada will basically be liberal—in this first generation sense.

If conservatism (in its modern inception) countered the excessive individualism and memoricide of the past (think of the French Revolution), then we probably don’t have a traditionally conservative party in North America that stands a chance of winning office.

Five Books Conservatives Should Read

September 22, 2021 by wagraham 2 Comments

The last few years have shown us how important political thinking is to our way of life. Politics affect everything—whether that means actual policy or simply the newest political topic that spills into social media.

I have found myself in the past as a political outsider, not seeing my own face in conservative nor liberal parties in North America. And yet I assume that I am a conservative. It turns out that by receiving a whole set of traditions, assumptions, and ideas as I did, I was being a conservative.

A number of books have helped me to understand what it means to be Conservative, and they showed me why I often did not see myself or my views within the current political parties in North America. Here are five: [Read more…] about Five Books Conservatives Should Read

What We’ve Lost by Over-sexualizing Male Friendship

January 9, 2021 by wagraham 4 Comments

One-hundred years ago, men customarily wrote each other letters, used words of affection for one another, and even slept in the same bed while travelling. No one would have even suggested anything by these actions but male friendship. In fact, in some churches, friends would publicly vow before the church to befriend one another. Now, however, most of these actions seem overly sexual and men avoid them. But in so doing, it seems that something has been lost, namely, the ability for intimate male friendship. David and Jonathan loved each other, hugged, and wept with each other. John laid upon the bosom of Jesus during the Last Supper. This is what friends did. Not so today.

Of course, the way in which we show friendship changes over time. I do not think we have to somehow go back to 18th century standards of friendship! Rather, here I want to discuss very briefly the effect of an overly-sexualized view of male affection. That is: men used to freely show love and kindness to one another because that is what friends did. Today, that openness seems utterly lost because it seems to mark a sexual advance. [Read more…] about What We’ve Lost by Over-sexualizing Male Friendship