To find Justin Trudeau a nauseating poser?

[OhThisbloodyComputer]

I remember seeing a film about the competitive world of american cheerleaders.

One chant went like this: "We're sexy!, We're hot! We're everything you're not!"

I loved that wit, especially the juxtaposition of self promotion and diminishing the opponent.

It's not enough to praise your own merits. To really make yourself stand out, you have to put everyone else down.

There are many examples of what I'd call Juxta-posers in modern life.

They sing their own praises, and try to widen the morality gap further by implying you are some sort of reactionary yokel.

For example, we were talking about a mutual acquaintance at work who happens to be gay. Our office poser at work says: "He's gay. But I haven't got a problem with that."

As if to imply I did!

Strike a Pose! Vogue!

Of course, I was too dim to be able to articulate why this made me angry. It took me ages to spot the subtle way it was insinuated that The Office Poser was good and that I was a troglodyte! I'm more of an 'esprits d'escalier' type. In fact, words often don't come to me until three weeks later, never mind on the staircase.

Which brings me on to Justin Trudeau.

He's the worst Juxta-Poser ever. In the latest example of his Vogueing, he condemns men for, wait for it, 'Bro Culture'. He then goes on to lecture 'men' that they have to follow his example and be great feminists. Like him.

(What he was really saying was "look at me everybody. Just look at me!"). What an utterly cynical, selfish little creep.

What on earth is Bro Culture? If there is something like that, I've never been informed. I'm clearly not on the mailing list of 'The Patriarchy', because I never seem to get any updates on the manly conspiracy to control the world.

What annoys me about Trudeau is that he's demonising other men, just so he can look good by comparison.

I never trust men who declare themselves a feminist. Surely that's an accreditation that has to be earned anyway. You can't just appoint yourself can you? Isn't there an examining board?

Don't get me wrong, I am slowly being educated by feminism and I don't wet the bed about it any more (well not as much anyway) but I can't hack show boating male feminists.

What a ghastly poser this man is. I hope it all ends badly for him.

To quote another chant from those American cheer leaders: "That's alright, that's OK, but you're gonna pump our gas some day."

Am I being unreasonable to not like Trudeau, his straw man arguments and his ghastly moral exhibitionism?

Advice puh-lease!

When was that ruled offensive? Why is it offensive? Please accept my apologies on behalf of all the indigenous people on whose behalf you have taken offence.

I think you probably mean the Inuit people of Canada. And you probably mean the language Inuktitut. Which doesn't have 32 words for snow BTW. Or even the 52 words you are misquoting. www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/inuktitut-words-for-snow-and-ice/ if you are interested.

If you would like me to recommend a book on the Inuit and how they were forcibly displaced from their land by Europeans, killed in large numbers by that displacement, disease and the depression/addiction/suicide following it, I can. It also talks about how small children were removed from their parents, isolated and forced to speak English. How they weren't returned for years, killing their culture and language and destroying their communities.

'Eskimo' is one of a number of racist terms used to describe the Inuit, First People and Métis people. I'm sure you've heard some of the others. I'm not offended on behalf of people. I'm really angry that some people are ignorami that cannot stop themselves casually using an entire people as a talking point while disregarding the inherent racism and colonialism it is part of. I'm fortunate to be an honoured guest of the First Nations whose land I share.

I'm utterly convinced you won't give a shit about any of this but I know that MNers are a curious bunch and some people will think this information is interesting.

MrsTerry I found that extremely interesting, thank you . Which book would you recommend?

Quite.
What an arse.

@exLtEveDallas I loved The Long Exile by Melanie McGrath. Specifically about Inuit people and their exile. There are also a couple of books by Joseph Boyden that are good about First Nations (Cree and Ojibway) people.

I will warn you that the first book caused me sleepless nights and lots of tears.

If you are interested in what I consider to be the most shameful part of Canadian history, the residential school system, wherearethechildren.ca/en/ is a good place to start. I actually know the man who made this witnessblanket.ca/

OP, you didn't remotely "hurt my feelings".
In assuming that you did, you're assigning yourself power and impact that you simply don't have - you're just some random spouting shit on the internet.
(Didn't get far with the rest of your post, not worth my time.)

Thanks for your information MrsP, very helpful and interesting.

Thanks MrsTerry, I've just sent the McGrath book to my kindle. I have the feeling I'm not going to 'enjoy' it at all after reading the sample... I am woefully ingnorant of this part of history, but always happy to be educated.

I have the feeling I'm not going to 'enjoy' it at all Your feeling is right. But I'm glad I read it.

The Long Exile by Melanie McGrath

Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee by Dee Brown is also a sterling read. Again be prepared for tears and upset ...

@AuntyElle

I'm glad you are not offended. I never intended to offend anyone

Thanks for reading my post and taking the time to respond to it. That's outstanding work for someone who is disinterested. Thank you.

Why @MrsTerryPratchett is so angry about an outdated word which I unwittingly used, I don't know.

I probably wasn't ware of it because I'm not the one whose ancestors stole the Inuits land and killed their people. And I'm not continuing to live on land stolen off the Inuits. While lecturing people on semantics.

I would have thought the Inuits would prefer me not to steal their land and kill their ancestors and continue to live on their land, rather than make some mild criticism of the narcissistic poser who runs the country. Or indeed, the use of a silly outdated word, expressed on a web site read by people 3,500 miles away.

I'm sure you are intelligent enough to know the point I was making. But just in case, here it is:

I was making a simple point about the fact that people to whom snow is very important, because they live in a snowy environment, will often have multiple ways to describe it.

By the same token, people who like to suppress unorthodox opinions will have multiple ways of stigmatising those whose views they cannot tolerate. In which case, they misappropriate words like Sexist, Misogynist and Fascist, and apply them to anyone whose views fall outside of their acceptable spectrum.

I like to think I'm progressive thinking (no one emerges from the womb as a perfect liberal, we are all works in progress).

I like to learn from other people, and I had high hopes of @theancientmarinader and @madge, both of whom showed enormous promise and were schooling me in some ways.

But sadly, I feel let down by both, as they've descended into the name calling behaviour that is a hallmark of those who have run out of all better options for debate.

I'm disappointed.

Anyway, we can't sit here talking all night. Let's have a more constructive conversation, puh-lease!

I'm not the one whose ancestors stole the Inuits land and killed their people. And I'm not continuing to live on land stolen off the Inuits. While lecturing people on semantics. Neither am I.

You're a dreary troll OP.
Your posts are unreadable; succinct you are not.

lol OP it's just words on a screen, hun, no need to get so aerated

maybe you should stick to football or whatever and leave the politics to women

Just a thought, like

It's always worth being aware of who is writing, and a cultural awareness of who has the right to tell their stories. Joseph Boyden is a powerful writer, but has been subject to accusations of cultural appropriation whereby he may have been guilty of overstating his indigenous roots. Richard Wagamese is also fairly big on the CanLit scene ('Indian Horse' is a novel that centres on the residential school system). I've had the privilege of working with residential school survivors (and their children - in the context of ensuring their voices and stories are heard in the literary sphere) and there is sometimes an anger that their voices are being appropriated. There is a difference between being able to tell your own story/ having your own voice heard, and having a privileged other appropriate and tell your story. (I'm not commenting on the rights and wrongs, just suggesting that in your reading it's worth noting whose voice you are listening to). In the writing realm, identity politics and fiction writing are a complicated business .

Christ on a bike op. I thought you were British? Who the fuck do you think ran the bloody empire, and provided the governance?
Sins of the fathers and all that jazz. Go dig up some colonial guilt and stop being facile.
Who the actual fuck do you think masterminded the Indian Act?

Boyden is interesting. It may or may not be Columbusing. I know more than one person with an Aboriginal child or sibling who feels they can talk 'on behalf of' First Nations people. It's a weird and uncomfortable thing.

There is also the issue of constantly asking survivors to tell their story so that it is authentic. I've heard a few very moving talks by survivors and taken training run by Aboriginal facilitators, which of course is vastly more appropriate. But unlikely to be available to people in the UK

Wise words @madgemidgerson wise words indeed.

I'm learning a lot though.

Many of these combatants are entering the debate high on Dudgeon, with a highly attenuated sense of umbrage that can see offence in a knat's body language at a thousand metres. They can strip down a simple word and reassemble it as a lethal pejorative in seconds, wearing a blind fold.

I don't have a chance.

Ach never mind. It's always a mistake to engage with trolls who try to pretend they are merely ignorant, rather than just shit-stirring for fun. I have better things to do with my Sunday, one of which happens to be reading a Michael Ondaatje book .
Have a pleasant evening, op. Maybe less in the way of denying actual sexism and racism would help your claim to be merely an innocent, next time round.

Lol babe what's a knat when it's at home?

Go have a lie down love

I know what all those words mean. But... what?

@theancientmarinader

Yes, you are right. We all suffer from the guilt of the empire. (Even though I wasn't born then) But if you used a silly word about the welsh, say, while trying to make a point about something entirely different, I wouldn't nitpick about it.

I have many Indian friends. None of us has ever mentioned the Indian Act while drinking a together after a game.

It may disappoint you to know that many people in my neck of the woods have common interests, pubs to go to, work and play together and generally celebrate our similarities, rather than worry about what went on in the past.

I'm aware of the empire, don't you worry. I've stopped wearing sackcloth and ashes about it though, as my friends don't want me to.

Yes. It's a complete gong show. I spent Wednesday discussing reconciliation in a room full of white people, tripping over themselves in an effort to not offend, but effectively stymying any possibility of either accepting responsibility or placing it elsewhere. One voice was adamant that it was not appropriate to insist on aboriginal voices telling their story or being involved in the process, (that in itself would be perpetuating colonial violence) others believed that First Nations MUST take the lead on what happens next. I don't envy any politician who is seriously attempting to make amends and unravel the current inequalities to enable the country to move forward.
I am both aghast and appalled, the more I learn.

I have enjoyed reading your posts, ancient marinader.

Robert Jago (Coast Salish) writes v interesting things about reconciliation, often on twitter but also in the Globe and Mail amongst other places

Ah, cringe OP.

It would have been far more mature to thank MrsTerry for correcting your absolute ignorance and for providing you with information so you don't continue to look like a nincompoop.

It seems like you are determined to be one though.

@madgemidgerson

A knat is a spelling mistake. How I got the G an the K mixed up is puzzling.

Anyway, I'll stop boring you now.

I still have high hopes for you.

You will notice, I hope, that I have never insulted anyone here, or called them Trolls.

I was genuinely interested in what people thought of Trudeau.

How I ended up being blamed for the fate of the Inuit is anybody's guess. I must have fallen asleep at the wheel.