8 Opinion EDITORIAL Lost in translation •THURSDAY , OCTOBER 1, 2015 • 1, OCTOBER , •THURSDAY There is an expected level of trust between a EWS N candidate and voters whenever someone offers HE themselves up for public of ce. • T • For the most part the candidate provides his or her beliefs, ideas and plans to the voter which can be accepted or rejected. The can- didate also lays bare who they are, sometimes warts and all, and allows the voter to judge. It can be a stark and humbling experience. WWW.HAMILTONNEWS.COM Recently, a number of candidates have ex- perienced the humiliation and embarrassment over things they’d done in the past thanks largely to social media. There was Conserva- tive candidate Jerry Bance, who was caught on camera peeing into a homeowner’s coffee cup; Tim Dutaud, another Tory candidate who was unveiled making prank YouTube videos pre- tending to orgasm. There was Ala Buzreba, a Liberal candidate in Calgary who had made cutting comments on Twitter as a teen; and Morgan Wheeldon, an NDP candidate in Nova Scotia, who made comments on social media about Israel. All these candidates eventually resigned. Hamilton West-Ancaster-Dundas NDP can- didate and public school trustee Alex John- Column stone didn’t resign in spite of the publication of a penis joke she made seven years ago on Face- book about an electric fence poll at Auschwitz. Candidates’ actions aren’t on their party If nothing else, social media has also revealed tion, while simultaneously giving no quarter er for the average voter to see through the that a quick joke or satirical comment can get to any candidate who isn’t. smoke on the battle eld and see what’s truly lost in translation in many different ways by I disdain the seeming glee with which important to them. Like an actual war, most the public. Gordon they announce in smug and gloating Face- people want no part of it. But the more troubling aspect to Johnstone’s book posts that candidate X’s actions prove However, pulling ourselves back from the imbroglio is how she and her campaign have Cameron what they’ve been saying all along that party brink requires every politically engaged per- GROUP MANAGING EDITOR handled the fallout. Johnstone blundered by Y shouldn’t be allowed to run the country. son to take a good, hard look at their own saying she has no knowledge of one of the If you’ve been following the federal elec- Then, when the shoe is on the other foot, I actions and ask if they’ve been contributing most infamous concentration camps during tion campaign at all you’ve no doubt noticed admit that I will enjoy a smirk at the specta- to the problem or the solution? the Second World War. That admission to a has that unlike any election before, the social me- cle of watching them tie themselves in knots Being part of the solution doesn’t mean prompted a national discussion about educa- dia history of candidates is coming back to to justify defending their guy or gal. having to like the other parties any better, tion, and what it takes to represent voters. bite them. Sure, they’ll have their reasons as to why only accepting that politicians and candi- Subsequent to her admission, the John- It would be easy to write a column either their candidate’s case is different, and there dates of all stripes are human and, like the stone campaign has engaged in the worst pub- chiding would-be politicians for saying stu- will be a sort of logic to it, but it doesn’t take rest of us, have said and done stupid things lic relations response a politician or any high pid things in the pubic sphere, or to say that much rhetorical skill to wipe away the shiny in our past. pro le person should take: the proverbial no what had been said/done in the past isn’t veneer and see the turd underneath. Yes, as individuals they need to answer for comment. Instead, she has issued statements necessarily an indication of anyone’s current It’s hypocrisy at it’s worst, but I don’t be- their past words and deeds, but, with few ex- through Facebook, aligning herself with B’nai thoughts, beliefs or actions. However, I’m lieve it’s conscious for most of them. Politics ceptions (party leaders), those past actions Brith, and committing to ght against racism sure that would be as boring for you to read has become less and less about ideas, vision have no more bearing on their party’s compe- and anti-Semitism. All well and good, but to ig- as it would be for me to write. and the future and more about us-versus- tency than some of the boneheaded things I nore, run and de ect questions from the media But what interests me is how people have them and there are few more innate human did when I was younger have on the quality raises doubts about a candidate’s competence been reacting to those incidents. I’d say it was impulses than to protect the righteous “us” of this newspaper. under pressure, ability to withstand stress and funny if it weren’t for the fact that it disturbs against the dastardly “them.” Fortunately for me, we didn’t have social acceptance of making a mistake and taking re- me so deeply. Friends, acquaintances, people But by tribalizing our politics to the point media back then. sponsibility. I overhear on the streets — rational, intelli- where any gaffe, from minor to major, must If a candidate can’t present themselves as hu- gent people — seem to be willing to forgive be fought over with the vigour of a do-or-die — Gordon Cameron is Group Managing man to voters, with the ability to be both posi- their preferred candidate any past indiscre- military engagement, we make it a lot hard- Editor for Hamilton Community News. tive and negative, why should they be trusted enough to be elected? Should Alex Johnstone resign as a candidate in the federal election? Vote online at www.hamiltonnews.com In last week’s editorial the number of carding Have your say Last week we asked: incidents since 2010 was reported incorrectly. The Should carding be banned? number is 9,005. 64% said Yes and 36% said No 8 Opinion EDITORIAL The next •THURSDAY , FEBRUARY 25, 2016 • 25, FEBRUARY , •THURSDAY EWS N big thing HE Hamilton’s business and political elite • T • have always latched onto the “one big proj- ect” idea that will resurrect the economy and boost the city’s reputation. In the 1980s it was to build Copps Coli- seum to attract an NHL team. The arena was constructed, but the NHL team never WWW.HAMILTONNEWS.COM materialized, leaving Hamilton with a near worthless and aging white elephant on Bay Street and York Boulevard. Next was a new football stadium. Hamil- ton did get Tim Hortons Field and the glory of the Pan Am Games, but the economic im- pact was eeting. Now the economic thinkers are saying the $1-billion light rail transit system is the big project for rejuvenation. City politicians have been up front about the project, say- ing it is for “up lifting” the downtown core’s stagnant economy. Maybe Hamilton can still transform itself despite the LRT project. The city has con- sistently been identi ed by the Conference Column Board of Canada as the country’s most eco- nomically diverse city. Agricultural, health and education sectors are slowly replacing When to jump in and when to stay silent the steel and manufacturing engines, and But I sure didn’t feel good about it. But this sort of social media posting can the west harbour could be a transformative Having been on social media since the ear- often give us more information about our project. Actually, the most important busi- ly days, I’ve seen it evolve in directions that, friends and acquaintances than we really ness to locate in the downtown is Nations Gordon looking back, seem almost antithetical to the want to know. I would have been quite happy Fresh Foods, becoming the rst grocery medium’s initial purpose. never knowing that my friend blamed the store to service what has been a limited mar- Cameron When I rst joined Facebook almost all media for covering up the “truth” about this GROUP MANAGING EDITOR ket. of the postings were about what my friends particular issue. In fact, I would have pre- But can Hamilton continue to transform Last week, while I was scrolling through were doing and what was going on in their ferred it. itself? McMaster University business profes- my social media, I came across a post that lives. It was a way to stay connected no mat- I know, it’s sel sh. I also know there have sor Marvin Ryder says there are underlining left me saddened and somewhat dismayed. A ter how much physical distance there was likely been times when friends may have economic problems in Hamilton. Yes, the friend of mine had posted a link to a story between us. been disappointed by some of the things city has a below average unemployment rate espousing a conspiracy theory that science Looking through my feed now, it’s inun- that I’ve posted, causes that I haven’t liked at 5.4 per cent, but that’s a misleading num- debunked many times over. dated with re-posts of articles, humourous or groups that I’ve not joined.