During the 12 years I ran ARC, I always made an effort not to provide an uncritical platform for the people who I wrote about (usually using humour and mockery) as these people also craved attention and validation they believed that attention brought to them. 1/25
They hated being laughed at and shamed.
But there were always those who were shameless and sought any sort of attention. Those cases proved to be especially challenging. 2/25
One of those cases was, and continues to be, Kevin Johnston. An absolutely shameless self-promoter and liar, he seems to thrive on negative publicity. 3/25
Nothing has really stopped him from continuing to engage in campaigns of harassment, intimidation, and defamation which wins him more fans among the extremists and encourages him to escalate his antics. 4/25
The escalation was on full display in a live stream from a couple of nights back.
Johnston has styled himself as the "mayor elect" of Calgary and has made a number of claims about what he will do WHEN he becomes mayor. 5/25
It also seems clear that he doesn't seem to understand the limits a municipal mayor actually has as he appears to believe that being mayor grants him rather extraordinary powers. 6/25
To be clear, Johnston will not be elected mayor of Calgary. It is unclear whether or not he has actually deluded himself into believing he has a chance or if it is simply part of his self-promoting grift.
Still, there are real damaging consequences to his rhetoric. 7/25
That same night Johnston began a rant about the Alberta Health Services which was especially unhinged. 8/25
Johnston has targeted AHS because he claims one of his campaign offices was shut down. In a rant in which he also accuses @nenshi of unspecified financial crimes, Johnston suggests he will be attacking employees of the AHS and will force the agency out of the city. 9/25
Now it turns out that the campaign office is likely part of a harebrained scheme, unsupported by any actually legal backing, to subvert health regulations as a result of the pandemic. 10/25
He further claims he will have AHS employees who enforce bylaws arrested, publish their personal details, and serve them $5 million lawsuits on social media.
It is all laughable bravado, but given his history of harassment, the harm he could cause is real. 11/25
Regardless of whether we like it or not Johnston has a small following that could, if they following his rhetoric to a logical conclusion, harm someone.
Because of this accusing members of the AHS of literally murdering people is dangerous. 12/25
Keep in mind this article when looking at the next two videos. 13/25
Finally, Johnston claims he will target the families, including children (though he suggests only those 18 and older) of AHS workers. 15/25
As a person who continues to defame an individual who was awarded a $2.5 million judgement and who has recently committed an alleged assault on camera, it is important to take the threat Johnston poses seriously even if his mayoral campaign isn't. 16/25
Another person who has been craving attention is Artur Pawlowski. Pawlowski also made an unhinged video of himself screaming at bylaw and members of the CPS. 17/25
Most would look at the video of Pawlowski's histrionics and view it for what it was, however, as Pawlowski seems to be getting away with flagrant violations of health protocols and that the CPS and bylaw officers did leave after being screamed at has increased his profile. 19/25
In fact Pawlowski is SO "humbled" that he feels the need to post every mention of himself found in the media including the extremists conspiracy platforms that often deny there is a pandemic or that it is part of some other plot. 20/25
Does he know what the word humble actually means?
I mean, this seems rather prideful which seems to be the antithesis of what a Christian pastor should be professing, right? 21/25
And the "humbled" Pawlowski has not started selling t-shirts to commemorate the event that has made him temporarily famous in the far-right echo chamber. 22/25
Like Johnston, it might be tempting to say we should ignore Pawlowski. Both crave media attention so it makes sense to starve them of the oxygen and that platforming them does a disservice. 23/25
While I am sympathetic to this line of thinking, I believe that in these cases to ignore them results in people like them feeing enabled and escalating regardless of the attention being paid to them. 24/25
In the end, it is important to be informed of the dangers people like Johnston and Pawlowski represent and we can't simply stick our head in the sand because to ignore it results in it this cancer metastasizing in darkness. 25/25
Meant to post this one here.
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1. By now I'm guessing that most of my Twitter followers are aware of the most recent threats against Trudeau and the subsequent of a suspect. I think there is an even more important story though related to the poisonous influence of social media
2. Dawid Zalewski was arrested for making death threats against the Prime Minister. The following video was posted to his second Facebook profile. Be warned that it may be triggering as it promotes graphic violence against the PM and others.
3. Zalewski is clearly not well, but I think would be wrong to dismissively call him "crazy" move on without further examination. There is a reason why he got to this point and I believe we can learn a great deal from his social media footprint.
1. I’ve been enjoying my summer break and have not been paying a lick of attention to the Olympics. Until today however since Twitter has collectively lost the plot.
2. Earlier boxer Imane Khelif defeated her Italian opponent in the first round when Angela Carini quit after 45 seconds stating that she had never been hit so hard.
To be fair, I don’t enjoy being punched in the face either so I can at least sympathize with Carini.
3. Now a preliminary fight would never be important enough to make international news under normal circumstances however we are, as the saying goes, living in interesting times.
1. Stephen Yaxley-Lennon (aka Tommy Robinson) was arrested in Calgary on an immigration warrant apparently. He may have since been released, though he has to turn in his passport and remain in southern Alberta.
I'd prefer that he be kicked out immediately.
2. Despite claiming to have been a "political prisoner" many of Yaxley-Lennon's criminal convictions his Islamophobic "activism" and a number of convictions since have had nothing to do with his political views.
3. In 2005, he was convicted assaulting a police officer who intervened during an argument Yaxley-Lennon was having with his then girlfriend.
1/ It's been a while since I've done a thread here, but the recent focus on Pat King got me to wondering what was up with his own Salacious Crumb, Tyson "Freedom George" Billings.
2/ Last time I looked at Billings he was a part of the efforts to set up a permenant camp outside Ottawa so there could be daily protests, though the original plan involved surrounding the police and arresting politicians.
Suffice to say it didn't go anywhere.
3/ Billings and Ron Clark soon headed home, but they both soon got involved in other protests including the anti-carbon tax protests occurring in the province. The numbers at these events have been small but that hasn't stopped from politicians from courting the fringes it seems.
1/ Though I'm not especially active these days, I'm still sometimes gobsmacked by some of the ridiculous (though sadly effective) rage farming by some on the right. Harrison Faulkner of "True North" is just a recent example of that.
2/ So a bit of background. Musical artist Karan Aujla won the 2024 TikTok Juno Fan Choice Award at the award ceremony this past weekend.
I think it was this weekend. Truth be told I don't pay a lot of attention to awards shows.
3/ It should be noted that Aujla has been in Canada for years emigrating as an orphan. He graduated from high school in Canada. The album was produced by a Canadian on a Canadian label.