Wow, I must say this election has shown me a lot about people on Facebook; mostly that they’re insane. Whether they were posting memes making fun of Trudeau or Harper, my newsfeed was literally rife with political rantings and mad ravings.
When discussing politics, as my Uncle told me, I’m very good at riding the fence. I’m of the belief that you vote for you who you vote for and you don’t ask someone else who they voted for. It’s one of those subjects. Although I like discussion of politics, I would never straight out ask who you’re voting for, I just want to know what you think of the parties.
This year, as a grade nine girl pointed out to me, because of social media, this is definitely not the case anymore; although, she said her mom still told her it was impolite to ask, much like asking someone how much money they make.
Regardless of who got into power, democracy works. The majority of Canadians wanted a change and that’s what Canada got.
Let us look at this from that perspective. In Canada we have the right to vote. We have a right that so many people are fighting for in the world today. We have the freedom to discuss politics and form opinions, and yes, create memes making fun of our political leaders. Can you imagine what would happen in some of the countries around the world if you were to bash the person in power?
This is part of what makes us Canadians, our rights and freedoms which we rely on constantly without really grasping the bigger picture. We don’t know how to live without these freedoms and often take them for granted. We fail to appreciate the fact that we all live our lives in peace as long as we’re not hurting or infringing on someone else’s rights. This is what it means to be Canadian to me, to live in peace and be good to each other regardless of race or religion.
“Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything,” George Bernard Shaw, a Nobel Prize winning playwright, has said.
I’m not saying it would have been the worst thing in the world for Harper to stay in, but having different and new ideas is important. It’s why the majority of Canada decided they wanted change, they simply wanted progress which they felt wasn’t happening anymore under the Conservatives.
As I looked at Facebook statuses following the election I was greatly disappointed in my Facebook “friends” saying they wanted to move now or one who even said “Canada get f***ed.” Sorry, but whether our government is being run by Conservatives or Liberals or the Green Party. We are Canadian and there’s more to it than the political parties leading our country.
At least there were gleams of hope as well, shared was a local girl’s status who recently finished high school, she was too young to vote by a few weeks, but this was her take on people’s reactions to the election which I thought provoked a sense of patriotism and understanding lacking by many:
An open letter to Canada:
Oh Canada,
recently I visited a hospital where a young girl sat on a bed waiting for an IV that she would not receive because her family could not afford the $10 for the needle. Did I mention the bed was in the hallway which is the ICU? A few months ago I visited a prison where people are being detained for car accidents that were not their fault. I see kids everyday that sit on the sidewalk because they can't afford to go to school. So before we talk about how Harper ruined our country, or how Trudeau is about to, let's take a chill pill (probably paid for by the government) and remember all the things that make Canada AWESOME!
Let's all stock up on maple syrup, bacon, and get ready for hockey season. We are more than America's hat, we are the second largest country! So let's raise that flag with true patriot love and be those polite, moose loving, polar bear riding, igloo living, friendly Canadians we all are!
Sincerely,
A 17 year old 3 weeks short of voting eligibility
