Steph Guthrie, Meet Gord Perks

We expect stoicism from people in power, not tears and tied tongues.  Flaherty's supposed to be able to answer any question.  He's supposed to be measured, or angered, or dismissive, as required.  But his friend is going through something no one knows how to handle, and it was all he could do to struggle through a sentence or two.

Politics is a blood sport, or so they tell us.  So, what do we know about blood sports?  They inflict wounds, for one; you can make a lot of money if you cling to the notion of being the last man standing, but what are you left with?  Brain damage, physical injury - an fractured shell and all the trials that come with it.

Jim Flaherty has dished out his fair share of political poison, full-well knowing he'd receive his hits in return.  He was playing by the standard rules of the game; they die, or you die, in ad infinitum.  

But Flaherty is also a man who has faced unexpected and undeserved adversity in his life.  He soldiers on, because there's not much else any of us can do - on our own.  

Are we, though?  On our own, trying to live up to survival-of-the-fittest model, putting the health of the economy before (or at the expense of) the people it is meant to bolster?

Here's Steph Guthrie:

If we want more gender diversity in politics, we need to understand that a) a good politician can come equipped with a wide variety of character traits, not all of them about cutthroat aggression and cold calculation, and b) there is immense diversity within genders and no trait is "naturally" masculine or feminine - we choose to understand and value traits in these binary ways, and if we want, we can choose to change that.

Gender diversity, ethnic diversity, etc. and so on - what we want, if we really believe in democracy, is representation of the population.  That doesn't mean a narrow selection of financial policy targets or a tug-of-war between binary partisan views; it means a true reflection of the various lineages of our country and perspectives that inform them.

You don't get there through anger; in fact, anger gets you the exact opposite; entrenched views, dehumanization of The Other and a tendency to ridicule and attack rather than listen and contemplate.  

Now for Gord Perks:

I want to ask you to count to 10.  When you are angry at your government, remember that quick, anger-fuelled solutions usually make problems worse.  When a neighbour expresses anger over a real or pereceived failure of the government or public servants, speak up and remind them that so much of what holds our society together depends on those same public servants.  They work to make sure that we have the comforts and community we all enjoy.  When government does not solve the social problems that bring suffering to neighbourhoods, resolve not to grumble but instead to learn, participate, and organize for a better government.

This hasn't been the way we do politics for some time.  In fact, politics is about seeking out and attacking opponents before they even think about lining up at the starting gate.  Politics-as-usual isn't very democratic, is it?  Which is why our democracy crumbles.

To the elbows-up practicioners of War Room politics, I say this is the end.  Hold your breath and count to ten.  Feel the earth move?  

It doesn't mean the sky will fall; in fact, like with any birthing pains, it means new horizons lie just beyond vision.

Don't be afraid.  As the walls come down between us, we'll realize there's more than just blood between us - and together, we will stand tall.