OPINION: ‘FREEDOM CONVOY’. YOU DON’T SPEAK FOR ME

Despite years of knowing that a serious pandemic could install itself locally or globally, in 2019 the government lacked coherent nationwide emergency plans, the ability to manufacture its own vaccines and PPE and the provinces’ healthcare systems were in tatters.

Covid is born and as it trickles into Canada the circus starts.

For the past two years, I have listened to a “mass formation psychosis” of conspiracy theories and horror stories that have failed to materialize. Protesters have protested for the freedoms I already have and social media sharks have bloodied the waters of rationality. Fringe healers and dealers, politico hacks, legal predators and soulless pray-ers have gained remunerative followings and attention, and fundraising platforms like GoFundMe take their cut from the relentless greed of opportunity seekers.

And much of it at the expense of people with largely good intentions who have been lied to, radicalized and scammed.

The truckers convoy aims to smash vaccine mandates with its plans to shut down Ottawa while their Memorandum Of Understanding (dissolving the current government) is negotiated.

While they may make a terrible mess in Ottawa and while people may get hurt in the process, the initiative will fail. The Canadian government won’t negotiate with a mob. The US government will maintain the vaccine requirements for cross-border trade.

The bigger exploiters will distance themselves from the movement when it fails and the smaller parasites will fan the sputtering flames to their advantage.

And everyone will conveniently ignore some of the possible underlying reasons for this and or simply fail to consider them in the excitement.

We have massive inequality in Canada and around the globe. In first-world countries, the fairy tale concept of trickle-down economics (the rich get rich making the poor less poor, somehow) doesn’t work. It never did. This global system chugs along because of the relentless exploitation of poor countries and natural resources.

The uber wealthy should be taxed according to their wealth, making the world a better place for those they exploit. We need tax reform.

A huge proportion of Canadians (and Americans) can’t live decently on their salaries let alone support a family. This creates enormous instability and frustration and it adds to money hoarding and corruption.

We have uneven representation. It’s still ‘white men rule’.

We have enormous corruption in plain view with no repercussions.

We have managed to disastrously impact every aspect of our planet’s ecosystem resulting in: climate change, massive species die-off, unprecedented pollution on land, sea and air et cetera…

We have no control over mis/dis information. Anyone can say anything and who cares? Political extremists like Randy Hillier and Maxime Bernier use their platforms to radicalize followers with lies and exaggerations to win their moment in the political spotlight. This attention grab has reached a level of insanity where Erin oh Tool is jumping on board for his piece of the pie and Donneee Trump Junior endorses the convoy and denounces Trudeau’s “tyranny” while his “buy patriotic merch” button hovers nearby.

The truckers involved in this convoy are just people. All kinds of viewpoints. All kinds of reasons for being involved. Same goes for those who support them. However, as a group or movement, they lack a coherent and sane message. They promised a peaceful protest and then some of their spokespeople admitted that they want to shut Ottawa down and some who are involved openly advocate for violence. Initially they were against mandates for truckers, then it became about freedom and now it’s about dissolving a democratically elected government.

Whatever your motives are as people – as a movement – I am telling you as loudly as I can:

 – YOU DON’T SPEAK FOR ME.