The moral deception
Author: scott pettigrew | contributor
Here at the University of Regina, there is a left-leaning bias that is so strong that it is a complete anomaly to even hear a fiscally conservative perspective. From the course material taught in the classroom, to the social climate outside of the classroom, the roots of leftist ideology runs deep. Outside of these doors, however, things get flipped completely on their head. Yes, roughly 30 per cent of our population are vocal advocates of the NDP, but over 56 per cent are not.
According to the CBC, over 56 per cent of this province supports the same political party that I do – the Saskatchewan Party. However, despite the fact that Saskatchewan Party supporters vastly outnumber the opposition, Saskatchewan Party supporters are often far more timid to assertively state their views. The main reason for this is the methodical misrepresentation and demonization of the political right. Saskatchewan’s center-right population is bombarded with cries of cronyism, allegations of apathy, and schoolyard name-calling on a daily basis. Examples of this can be seen everywhere, from day-to-day political interactions online and in person, to gargantuan smear campaigns claiming that our premier is somehow a ‘racist’. It’s time that we openly call out this erroneous and malicious misrepresentation of political perspective, misconstruing of moral fortitude, and social coercion that is the social demonization of the political right in this province.
By far, the largest blatantly ignorant and logically inconsistent attack of character is the implied association of cultural and fiscal conservatism. As I wrote in my last article, social conservatism is something that I openly and enthusiastically oppose in every scenario. I am a proud women’s rights advocate, a strong LGBT+ rights advocate, and am a vocal opponent to the war on drugs. In short, I, like so many on the political right in this province, am a social liberal. The implication that the political right and political center in this province (and by extension, the Saskatchewan Party) are socially and culturally conservative entities is simply fallacious and deceitful. Would a socially conservative government proudly fly the pride flag in front of their provincial building? Would a socially conservative government boast the largest immigration rates in Saskatchewan history with pride? Would a socially conservative party run on a platform that doesn’t include a single social issue? I think not. The association of Brad Wall and the Saskatchewan Party with the toxic and socially backwards underpinnings of the American right is completely unfounded and slanderous.
Another accusation of the political left that holds no water is that the Saskatchewan Party is simply an agent of constant cuts and divestment in public services; this could not be farther from the truth. With historic investments in infrastructure, health care, disability support, youth retention, and senior citizen support services, the ‘political right’ has been awfully accountable to meeting and exceeding the needs of the underprivileged; and when compared to the truly dismal NDP record of years past, it becomes immediately obvious which party is most capable of caring for the vulnerable in our society, while still keeping as much of our hard earned money in our own pockets as possible. A related implication is that the political right in this province is made up of only the financially privileged in our society; by implying such a thing, the political left is inherently implying that 56 per cent of our province are part of the 1 per cent. At the very least, they are implying that 56 per cent of the population are so mind-bogglingly stupid that they are voting for a party that exists for the sole purpose of working against their interests. Yet again, the political left’s ability to do basic arithmetic when it comes to their implications is utterly nonexistent.
The final category of slander that is laid against the political right in this province is what I like to call the ‘totally and utterly unfounded and ridiculous’ category. Namely, the persistent and slanderous accusations of racism, sexism, homophobia, and xenophobia directed at the political right in this province. The association of these claims with fiscal conservatism is an idea so factually inaccurate, morally repugnant, and historically ignorant, that it is absolutely bewildering (and terrifying) that people still regularly make this correlation. The fact that the political right in this province is made up of people from every race, gender, and religion doesn’t even occur to the types of people who launch these types of attacks. Since they see the world through such a warped ideological perspective, they are unable to recognize the observable fact that their claims are simply ridiculous and have no basis in reality. This type of claim more eloquently showcases the malicious agenda of the political left than any other; and it clearly demonstrates that the political left sees facts and reason as mere obstacles in their path towards ideological realization.
Ahead of the upcoming election, it is time for the political right to fight back against these persistent character attacks; and it’s time that we stop tolerating these types of accusations, and stop taking the people who make them seriously. The best way to fight against a bully is to stand your ground and let them know that their words can’t hurt you. My challenge for those of you that feel intimidated about sharing your political views for fear of attack is to do one simple thing. It’s time to stand up to the political bullying of the left, and to assert the fact that fiscal conservatism is not something to be ashamed of, and that voting for the NDP doesn’t make you cooler, kinder, or more compassionate. On the contrary, voting for a government that will continue to push our province forward into the modern global economy is something that nobody should be ashamed of. Rather, we should be proud to support the Saskatchewan Party, and proud to be brave enough to stand up to the ideological bullies on this campus that want to stifle discussion through name calling.
Very well-written.
You sound like a very intelligent and well spoken person. I think it is unfortunate that your political experience has been so stigmatizing. The cultural environment you live in is admittedly left slanted but if you do step out of the campus walls, you are certain to have a very different experience. Agreed there is no excuse for slandering our premier with accusations of racism, sexism and xenophobia. But some of your other comments seems bit naive. Try calling mental health services tomorrow and see how long it will be before you can get in to see a clinician. Visit the ER tonight and note how the service is. Go visit a nursing home. Talk to the workers in a transition house and talk to the workers. Try to find an addictions treatment facility. Ask your MLA how many youth treatment centres they have closed since the Sask Party has been in place and ask what happened to the sexual abuse treatment center Saskatchewan once had. This party by their actions are not socially liberal and have not been spending responsibly on social programs during our financially good times. Now when times are difficult we don’t have a social net to rely on. Outside of the campus it seems to me that the Sask Party supporters are much more aggressive than the left and the farther you drive outside Regina or Saskatoon, the much quieter left supporters become.
Good article. I always appreciate hearing intelligent discussion on local politics.
That’s your opinion.
As for the statement that there is a leftist slant at the U of R, I agree with Scott Pettigrew, I saw the same thing too at times when I spent 6 years and two degrees there. I feel that this leftist slant is completely justified. Instructors and professors with masters degrees and even Ph.D’s, they have learned about the world and how it works through a high level of academia, time and thought.
You make your own connection as to why they lean to the left, considering the level of education they have backing them. They have masters, and even doctorates, yet they don’t know what they are talking about? Yes they know quite well what’s going on, and they have their educational letters beside their name to back them, unlike the vast majority of Sask Party supporters and politicians.
Poor Brad Wall – being “bullied” by academics that can back up what they say with clear facts.
You support the most popular politician in the country. You’re not being persecuted for that. On campus are you in the minority? Most definitely. But everywhere else? Not so much. You take a vocal minority on campus and treat it as though it is representative of the entire political left. This reads like a Sask Party supporter trying to get a job for the party.
Ironically you slander social conservatives In this article while whining about the left’s slandering of Brad wall and the sask party. I don’t even like the ndp and will be voting sp. But if you’re seeing ideological bullies everywhere perhaps it’s because you’re looking in a mirror.
Everything you state can be proven false by simply reading the comments on Brad Wall’s page. The perception people have is one that is generated through demonstrated and qualified statements of Sask. Party supporters. I have regularly taken screenshots of these comments which are not outliers but the norm. These are not ad hominem attacks: these characterizations are based on solid facts. You are the anomaly. You are the Mexican Trump supporter. You are the gay Republican. You are the Palestinian Likud Party supporter. I could provide links conclusively proving your erroneous reasoning but I know from experience nothing I can say or do will change your mind so all I will say is good luck to you.
Thank you all for your coherent and productive dialogue. I wish I had the time and the characters to engage with every one of you. So glad to see so many people concerned about real issues and participating in our provincial conversation. I’m going to adress a couple of you.
Yes Graham, you are completely correct about me not being a minority in the country. However, I would challenge your claim that leftist bullying is a vocal minority. Although it may be pronounced more clearly on campus, slander is an underlying thread throughout much of the left in the western world, and I couldn’t even begin to count the instances where that was the case. For example, the NDP’s accusation of Brad Wall “making his buddies rich” is a clear implication of corruption which has no basis in fact. It is very typical of the left to make slanderous implications en masse in order to create several “big lie” ‘s that fall apart under the most minute amount of scrutiny. The whole Sask Party is homophobic and racist thing is so persistent and so patently false. I LITERALLY was at a rally just this Friday surrounded by open homosexuals, religious and ethnic minorities, and people of all economic backgrounds. It’s just a lie.
“Sick of Sask Party BS” I would challenge you to question your understanding of academic certifications. Much of the campus’ more vocal leftist population (for a prime example, Marc Spooner), has spent little to no time working in the real world, and spent the vast majority of their life in social circles surrounded by opinions similar to their own. Because of this, several of their political presumptions simply go unchallenged. I wouldn’t argue that these professors aren’t intelligent, I would argue that they are wrong.
JohnC, I do not in any way slander social conservatives. Identifying my views is not slandering opposition. Also, pointing out the reality that the Sask Party is NOT the GOP is not slander, it’s just black and white fact.
I’m just wondering how you justify the SAsk Party transactions in which the Global Transportation Hub, which normally does not purchase land at all, paid $21 million to an Alberta businessman for land that figured to cost barely a tenth of that amount a few years earlier. Then they tried to stifle any discussion by referring the matter to the provincial auditor’s office — presumably with the hope that her investigation won’t be completed until after the election. This is not a lie. This is a real issue with real consequences on real people’s lives. If they weren’t involved in some corrupt activity, why don’t they immediately clear up the questions?
Scott – do you remember the PC staffer video where Brad Wall clearly mocked Roy Romanow and his Ukrainian heritage? Real classy gesture for the person poised for a third election win. And this guy is running our province. I don’t care how long ago that was or that he apologized for it – its a clear indication of his character, this is bigotry that would have made Archie Bunker proud.
Karyn- I’m not sure I do justify it. I’m waiting for more clarity, just like anybody else. I suspect after election we will get more concrete answers, and not just off the cuff comments from both sides of the aisle. I have faith in Brad and party to provide detail, and if need be own up to mistakes.
SOSPBS- I couldn’t care less about that video. The day you can look me in the eye and tell me that you haven’t made an edgy joke while among friends is the day that anybody can stand on their high horse and judge Brad for that. With the advent of all of our horrible decisions as humans becoming public online, I guarantee the public will stop caring about poor choices. Humans make mistakes. Before you look a man with a splinter in his eye…
You are insinuating that social conservatism, which is an ideology found in many countries, is somehow backwards, American and ‘toxic’. Socially conservative beliefs are well thought out, deeply held and are genuine political positions which are misrepresented both by socialists and social liberals. So-cons in Saskatchewan share a lot of the same beliefs as so-cons in America, Australia, Britain, etc. What you are trying to do with this article is distance the right from social conservatism. I get that you are using that argument to try and get social liberals to back the party. But you don’t need to beat up on so-cons to do it.
Education in North America is completely leftist. Probably more as job security than anything. The biggest joke in education is tenure, which values time in over competence…the exact same reason unions are useless in today’s day and age.
According to the CBC, over 56 per cent of this province supports the same political party that I do – the Saskatchewan Party.
You can’t quote something and then not give me a link to that source of information! How many people were polled?! Is that number an accurate representation of our province?!
Hi Steph,
I actually had linked to the statistic, it seems as if it didn’t go through. It was linked to the CBC poll tracker, which at the time of publication, was 56 percent support in aggregate over several polls.