Oct 29 2008
Why Do We Allow Ourselves to be Bullied?
Something that has really annoyed me of late is the way we are manipulated from speaking or voting our consciences by the powers that be.
A prime example of this can usually be seen in elections when a politician uses fear as a reason to vote for them, rather than their beliefs or their party’s platforms.
In Atlantic Canada, a common theme used by Conservative candidates was to tell constituents that it would be better to be represented by a member of the governing party as opposed to a member of one of the opposition parties. Is this any way to garner support? Or worse, is fear of retribution a good reason to support one candidate over another?
Whenever I hear of these tactics, I always ask myself “Where is the outrage?” As parents, we always encourage our children to be individuals and to have their own opinions. Would we tolerate someone telling our kids, “You’d best side with the bully at school, because if you’re not on his side, you could be the next target.”? Of course not, the very notion of it would be sickening.
Sadly, this tactic has become commonplace in politics for one reason and one reason only - people know that it is actually a viable threat. It’s common knowledge that regardless which party has been in power, that regions represented by the government side have always seemed to be treated better. Should you be lucky enough to have a minster as your MP, all the better.
Why do the vast majority of Canadians, who are not represented by the government side tolerate this? Are we going to make our own voices heard? Or stand shoulder to shoulder with the bully for what they define as “the greater good”?
