[Canada] Canadian Politics Redux

[Neil]

evil criminals are being set free due to a shortage of prosecutors

Is that an accusation 

They're doing their best, but the collapse of oil and the steadfast refusal of the government to hang criminals has produced a boom in crime.  More men are needed.

[Barrister]

evil criminals are being set free due to a shortage of prosecutors

Is that an accusation 

It's true:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/edmonton-court-case-stayed-complainant-alberta-justice-1.4005922

[Barrister]

It's been a rough time in Alberta.  Trudeau is holding court in Calgary, evil criminals are being set free due to a shortage of prosecutors and Jason Kenney is about to become the next premier of the province. 

We can only hope!

[Neil]

It's been a rough time in Alberta.  Trudeau is holding court in Calgary, evil criminals are being set free due to a shortage of prosecutors and Jason Kenney is about to become the next premier of the province. 

We can only hope!

Do you prefer him to Jean?

[Barrister]

It's been a rough time in Alberta.  Trudeau is holding court in Calgary, evil criminals are being set free due to a shortage of prosecutors and Jason Kenney is about to become the next premier of the province. 

We can only hope!

Do you prefer him to Jean?

Yes.

Jean wins the "guy I'd like to have a beer with" vote.

But Kenney wins the "guy who knows what the fuck he's doing" vote for me.

[Neil]

Do you prefer him to Jean?

Yes.

Jean wins the "guy I'd like to have a beer with" vote.

But Kenney wins the "guy who knows what the fuck he's doing" vote for me.

Fair enough.  He does have a fair bit of experience in the federal government, that's undeniable.  I guess I think of him as a bit of a carpetbagger.  Still, it's not like there's not a history of a prime minister's political enforcer taking over the top job somewhere and putting his mark on things.  He also seems to be a bit loose with the facts.  But I guess that's the merger I was always talking about:  Wildrose partisans can come back to the mothership. 

We'll see.  I guess I'd vote for Starke at the convention.

[Barrister]

So I've seen a bit of chatter on teh interwebz about the latest Maxine Bernier promotional move:



Now red pill / blue pill are obviously a reference to The Matrix.  But as of late it has been co-opted by the pick-up artist / Mens Rights Activist types as well (you have to take the red pill to see how women control the world or something).

Can a cultural reference be so co-opted by a second usage that it co-opts it?  Can Pepe the frog ever have a non-Trumpian use?

[viper37]

Can a cultural reference be so co-opted by a second usage that it co-opts it?

Over time, yes. The swatiska is a good example.  It doesn't mean what it used to, even if it's displayed in the proper direction.
In this case, I've never heard blue pill/red pill to anything else than the Matrix and his costume makes it clear that's the reference he intends to use.
And for once, I agree with him.

Can Pepe the frog ever have a non-Trumpian use?

don't even know of that one.

[Barrister]

To give Trudeau credit where credit is due: our new foreign minister, Chrystia Freeland, had been banned from Russia due to things she's written about the country as a journalist. 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jan/10/canada-chrystia-freeland-foreign-minister-russia-critic

Apparently the Russians really don't like it.  A number of reports have appeared in Russian-controlled media about how Ms. Freeland's maternal grandfather collaborated with the Nazis in POland during WWII.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/freeland-warns-canadians-to-beware-of-russian-disinformation/article34227707/?cmpid=rss1

[Josephus]

Like the Russians are innocent of any wrongdoings in Poland.

[Jacob]

Now red pill / blue pill are obviously a reference to The Matrix.  But as of late it has been co-opted by the pick-up artist / Mens Rights Activist types as well (you have to take the red pill to see how women control the world or something).

Can a cultural reference be so co-opted by a second usage that it co-opts it?  Can Pepe the frog ever have a non-Trumpian use?

If you want to counter-co-opt you better be diametrically opposite from the people you're counter-co-opting from. If you have even the beginning of hints of alignment then there's a high risk of it coming off as clumsy dog-whistling.

[Barrister]

Now red pill / blue pill are obviously a reference to The Matrix.  But as of late it has been co-opted by the pick-up artist / Mens Rights Activist types as well (you have to take the red pill to see how women control the world or something).

Can a cultural reference be so co-opted by a second usage that it co-opts it?  Can Pepe the frog ever have a non-Trumpian use?

If you want to counter-co-opt you better be diametrically opposite from the people you're counter-co-opting from. If you have even the beginning of hints of alignment then there's a high risk of it coming off as clumsy dog-whistling.

It's not counter co-opt though.  I know the "red pill" = MRA stuff from online, but just how widespread is that kind of knowledge.  I'm pretty sure Mrs B, who is online every day but mostly on Facebook (and not talking politics) wouldn't have a clue.

So should I put you down in the "clumsy dog-whistle" category for Bernier?

[crazy canuck]

I just thought it was an outdated reference.  I guess it really is a dog whistle of sorts if people more on the right end of the political spectrum pick it up.

[viper37]

Now red pill / blue pill are obviously a reference to The Matrix.  But as of late it has been co-opted by the pick-up artist / Mens Rights Activist types as well (you have to take the red pill to see how women control the world or something).

Can a cultural reference be so co-opted by a second usage that it co-opts it?  Can Pepe the frog ever have a non-Trumpian use?

If you want to counter-co-opt you better be diametrically opposite from the people you're counter-co-opting from. If you have even the beginning of hints of alignment then there's a high risk of it coming off as clumsy dog-whistling.

It's not counter co-opt though.  I know the "red pill" = MRA stuff from online, but just how widespread is that kind of knowledge.  I'm pretty sure Mrs B, who is online every day but mostly on Facebook (and not talking politics) wouldn't have a clue.

So should I put you down in the "clumsy dog-whistle" category for Bernier?

Imho, it's not that widespread outside of Alberta.  I've never heard of this before today.

[crazy canuck]

A dog Whistle for Albertans.