My wife reminded me of just what pop cultural reference watching some fora of politics reminds me of. You know, that's the whole Show Trial atmosphere we increasingly and sadly witness daily in the City Council (reference re: the Social Media Code being proposed by one councillor in Ottawa), the House of Commons (Islamaphobia anyone?), the Police Station (Free Ezra!), the editorial board ("Yes, Mistah Bloomberg!") the faculty lounge ("It's 'They', Dr. Peterson!") and of course, our vapid political debates (witness the political purging of Mike Bloomberg and hizzoner's sheeplike docility).
Perhaps the most chilling demonstration of this dread phenomenon was an interview by the sadly still active Craig Oliver lecturing the redoubtable Preston Manning on Climate Change as he (who did more in his short political career to help people in this country than Oliver ever did in his 150 years as a reporter) tried gamely to point out that, whatever our views on cowfarts, no one has any business stopping interprovincial pipelines being built. As he tried to straiten Manning into a good Soldier for Thunberg, Oliver looked and sounded like the Kommissar in Dr. Zhivago who keeps bleating "Your attitude has been noted!" every time anyone crosses him about anything in a politically incorrect way. And you knew as the recipient knew that his admonition carried with it, however absurd and fetishy, real mortal danger. We are all feeling this way at some point now in our lives because They all sound so much like that Kommissar.
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