Thread by @sunnshiiny

Populism is a dangerous weapon used by autocrats & ideologues to manipulate the public into making decisions that are not in their best interests. They use rage and fear. Scheer has mastered this technique, along with many Con fed & prov politicians.

When political rhetoric is emotionally charged, many choose to believe the lies that best suits and reaffirms their political beliefs and values. This is called confirmation bias.

For example:

Many studies show that murderers who take personal responsibility for their crimes, (personally process the devastation they have caused) are far less likely to repeat that crime. Recidivism reduction protects society as a whole.

There are no guarantees, just an overall reduction of repeating the same crime. Influence vs control.

Emotional charged rhetoric re the punishment criminals DESERVE reduces public support for programs aimed at recidivism. This is counterproductive to public safety as a whole.

We witnessed this in 2018. Tori Stafford’s father wrote an impassioned plea to the PM to return McClintic, the woman who helped murder his daughter, to maximum security. She was in medium security accessing a program to take responsibility for the heinous crime she committed.

Programs to reduce recidivism are not offered in maximum security.

Maximum security is where the most dangerous convicts are housed; i.e. those at who have limited self control & high risk of violence. Their actions & personal movements are strictly monitored & controlled.

Medium security prisons are for prisoners who have committed violent crimes, but retain self control of their personal behaviour. They are able to access therapy to address responsibility because they are at the stage of personal awareness required to benefit from it.

Maximum security prisoners neither possess the self awareness or self control to benefit from therapy. Medium security prisoners do.

The punishment delivered by the penal system is removal from society. Capital & corporal punishment is not used in the Canadian penal system.

If you have ever personally benefitted from therapy, you know it’s gruelling and difficult work. Facing a heinous crime & taking responsibility for it would be no easy task. It takes courage and commitment to face such an ugly crime and understand your role in it.

McClintic was assessed to be ready for medium security and therapy. She possessed the self awareness & self control of her violent behaviour to address her crime and take personal responsibility.

But now, she’s back in maximum security, surrounded by other violent prisoners who have no personal awareness or self control. Thanks to the political rhetoric and false accusations offered by Scheer and many CPC MP’s intent on smearing LPC & the PM.

McClintic’s punishment isn’t increased. Neither maximum nor medium security allow access to mainstream society. But the availability of therapy and the primary characteristics of the fellow prisoners has changed. That’s the only change.

It isn’t unexpected or unusual for a parent of a murdered child to have such a visceral emotional response and demand maximum punishment for the person who destroyed his child’s future. I imagine I would be one of those parents if it were my child that was murdered.

It’s also NOT expected that a grieving parent would understand more is at stake than punishment for past crime. But leaders of federal political parties are REQUIRED to know the difference. The future safety of society is at stake.

Mr. Stafford wanted personal justice now. Penal systems aren’t designed to offer personal justice for victims of crime. Precisely the reason so many feel disappointed when criminals are convicted and sentenced. There is no restitution or revenge doled out on behalf of victims.

The penal system is designed to protect current & future victims from the convicted criminal, not punish the criminal to the personal satisfaction of the victims.

Populism taps into instinctive emotions elicited by rage and fear to manipulate group behaviour.

Scheer latched on to Mr. Stafford’s overwhelming rage & grief. He used it to drum up populist support for returning McClintic to maximum security. Scheer manipulated public pressure to INCREASE, not reduce, the likelihood of a similar crime when McClintic is released from prison.

Clearly, this is not in the public’s best interests.

McClintic will be released. She was in her early 20’s when convicted. She’ll be in her early 50’s or late 40’s when released. Returning her to maximum security blocks her from therapy to try to “fix” her flaws.

Emotional decision making does NOT increase the safety of society.

But that’s what Scheer used to paint LPC & the PM as callous and indifferent to Mr. Stafford’s anguish. McClintic is back in maximum security. Currently the public is protected, but not so, in the future.

Government is required to make decisions in the best interests of the public as a whole, not to aid one understandably devastated parent in achieving what he desires as justice for a heinous crime.

Scheer and CPC undermined Canadian society’s safety by using emotionally charged political rhetoric to sway public opinion to “punish” rather than rehabilitate a dangerous murderer prior to her release back into society. He manipulated a mob of supporters to endanger us all.

That’s the power of emotional discord being introduced into political discourse. People are easily swayed to support decisions that aren’t in their best interests, but make them feel powerful & “better” in the moment.

That’s populism.

Are Scheer’s dimples and baby face charm hiding a manipulative, dangerous demagogue intent on achieving power at any cost? Or is he the Andy Doody buffoon, clearly inept at leadership?

Trump is and oaf. Andy is cartoonish.

Both are very dangerous men intent at obtaining power at an cost to democracy or society.

Don’t be fooled by dimples and awkward public engagement. It’s part of the grift. He’s a dangerous man who will use any tactic available, like populist politics, to win the next election.

The next thread will demonstrate what those dangers are.

Like Trump, Andy is communicating his plans with dog whistles and coded targeted language.