It’s time now for Two Minutes with Lex Murphy, published every week in your hometown Nugget newspaper. Sponsored by the Country Lard Store, where 'Fat is fine, anytime!'
Country Lard! Country Lard!
It's always soft and squishy!
It's never cold and hard!
Yee haw!
---
Two Minutes with Lex Murphy
The Two Justins: A young boy and an older one that should know better
It must be incredibly difficult for the two Justins. Both have a large fan base. Both are in the news constantly. And because they get a lot of media attention, people hang on their every word.
For this discourse, let's get the younger Justin out of the way. He's young, dumb and full of himself. I cannot blame him. Oh, to be nineteen, rich, and surrounded by girls! For that reason, if he doesn't kill himself with drugs or alcohol, or at the wheel of a fast car, he should mellow in time and lead a quasi-normal existence. He's sowing the wild oats that fame and fortune give to so few. For that reason, some of the bad press may stem from envy. Either way, his days in the sun will fade. One has to hope that he has a good financial planner.
Justin Bieber doesn't know enough about the world yet to realize that his words and actions will come back to haunt him. He doesn't recognize the significance of his public missteps. In a nutshell, he's immature and likely too full of himself to heed any counsel. Twenty years from now, when he's a teeny has been, some television show will dredge up the past and let him relive it, in all its embarrassing glory, once again. For that, we'll just have to wait.
But then, we have the other Justin. He's different. He should know better. He's a forty one year old teacher turned politician, who heard and witnessed Bieber-like antics everyday at the school where he taught. Because of that, he should be used to dealing with the silliness of young boys, and not make those same mistakes himself.
Because of the family into which Justin Trudeau was born, he had people advising him his whole life. His father talked to him about politics and how to live in the public eye. It's certain that his father's friends had similar conversations with Justin as well. One can say with absolute assurance that he's had close to thirty years of intelligent, cogent counsel from family and friends. Quite a different upbringing compared to 'the Biebs'!
Justin Trudeau is certainly intelligent, having earned two undergraduate degrees. He's from a famous bloodline, being the son of the most well known Canadian politician of our modern age, Pierre Trudeau. And politics aside, one can only imagine what it would be like to sit at daddy's feet and listen to the things he has seen and done.
Justin is married with children, and has the responsibility of looking after his family, coupled with leading the Liberals to victory in the next election. That's a tall order for anyone to fill. But can Justin pull it off? The Liberals are staring into a political abyss and the ground is shaky. There's a lot riding on Trudeau the Younger to triumph over the Conservatives in the next election. If he cannot, "the natural governing party" may well disappear completely from the face of the earth.
Despite what Liberals may say to defend him, he's a neophyte when it comes to public affairs. He's only been in politics since 2008. He has held no responsible appointments in that time. He has no leadership experience of the kind that's necessary to govern the Liberal party. He's used to dealing with children, not politically motivated adults with agendas. While comparisons might be drawn to his father's quick rise to power, Pierre Trudeau had several advantages that his son does not.
First and foremost, Justin's father was born in an age where there was more respect shown to members of Parliament. It was an unwritten law that the media would look the other way for non-political errors in judgment. In short, there was more camaraderie between the press and Ottawa years ago.
With the invention of satellite television, the Internet and Twitter, all bets are off. Public mistakes and arguments, both real or imagined, are instantly spread around the globe to everyone.
When the press is wrong, and that seems to be more of an issue these days, it falls squarely on the politicians to defend themselves. In that regard, the damage is done, and is rarely reversed. Texting and Twitter are a double edged sword, when the messages or tweets are misinterpreted or misunderstood.
The downside to instant communication and the press was seen during the Boston marathon bombings: There were many false reports of foreigners being arrested, unexploded devices being found downtown and terrorists in the streets. These turned out to be untrue, but proved yet again that irresponsible reporting or tweeting can hamper investigations and spread fear. Certainly, time that would have been better used finding the perpetrator was wasted answering ad nauseum questions from the press. That wasn't a problem when Pierre Trudeau was in office.
I am not a technical Luddite, but am angry that today's journalists don't spend enough time confirming the accuracy of their sources.
But back to Justin. When it comes to the press, he's been getting the lion's share of the headlines lately. The Conservatives and the NDP, less so. Is that bad for the other parties? Shouldn't Harper or Mulcair be on camera making their own noise? I think not. Some would suggest that these two leaders aren't taking Trudeau seriously, and keeping quiet is a political mistake. Others may recommend a more proactive approach and go on the attack. Therein lies the difference between Justin Trudeau and his counterparts in the Conservative Party: Trudeau and his advisers are green. Harper's people are not.
The Conservatives know the election is a couple of years off. Let the youngster sputter and pop. It's not worth the time to respond to his every media comment or quote. The public has a very short attention span. Two years from now, no one will remember what Justin said in April, 2013. Wise counsel says wait for the election, when it counts.
For Justin, it's an ignorant perception: voters remember more bad things about politicians and less of the good. Say something out of turn and the sound bites ill nip you a second time. It would seem that Justin's handlers are too inexperienced themselves to realize that. But there is a second possibility. Perhaps Trudeau is purposely not taking any advice. He could be trying to fire from the hip, like his daddy, or Justin Bieber... That's a bad idea, Mr. Trudeau. Based on what we've seen of you so far, your father was the political talent in the family.
Regardless of the why, no one will take the fight to Mr. Trudeau just yet. It's too early. They'll let him make more mistakes and burn off a lot of useless energy. The reason is simple: successful politicians and fighters have all learned it's not how hard or how often you hit, but when.
Country Lard! Country Lard!
It's always soft and squishy!
It's never cold and hard!
Yee haw!
---
Two Minutes with Lex Murphy
The Two Justins: A young boy and an older one that should know better
It must be incredibly difficult for the two Justins. Both have a large fan base. Both are in the news constantly. And because they get a lot of media attention, people hang on their every word.
For this discourse, let's get the younger Justin out of the way. He's young, dumb and full of himself. I cannot blame him. Oh, to be nineteen, rich, and surrounded by girls! For that reason, if he doesn't kill himself with drugs or alcohol, or at the wheel of a fast car, he should mellow in time and lead a quasi-normal existence. He's sowing the wild oats that fame and fortune give to so few. For that reason, some of the bad press may stem from envy. Either way, his days in the sun will fade. One has to hope that he has a good financial planner.
Justin Bieber doesn't know enough about the world yet to realize that his words and actions will come back to haunt him. He doesn't recognize the significance of his public missteps. In a nutshell, he's immature and likely too full of himself to heed any counsel. Twenty years from now, when he's a teeny has been, some television show will dredge up the past and let him relive it, in all its embarrassing glory, once again. For that, we'll just have to wait.
But then, we have the other Justin. He's different. He should know better. He's a forty one year old teacher turned politician, who heard and witnessed Bieber-like antics everyday at the school where he taught. Because of that, he should be used to dealing with the silliness of young boys, and not make those same mistakes himself.
Because of the family into which Justin Trudeau was born, he had people advising him his whole life. His father talked to him about politics and how to live in the public eye. It's certain that his father's friends had similar conversations with Justin as well. One can say with absolute assurance that he's had close to thirty years of intelligent, cogent counsel from family and friends. Quite a different upbringing compared to 'the Biebs'!
Justin Trudeau is certainly intelligent, having earned two undergraduate degrees. He's from a famous bloodline, being the son of the most well known Canadian politician of our modern age, Pierre Trudeau. And politics aside, one can only imagine what it would be like to sit at daddy's feet and listen to the things he has seen and done.
Justin is married with children, and has the responsibility of looking after his family, coupled with leading the Liberals to victory in the next election. That's a tall order for anyone to fill. But can Justin pull it off? The Liberals are staring into a political abyss and the ground is shaky. There's a lot riding on Trudeau the Younger to triumph over the Conservatives in the next election. If he cannot, "the natural governing party" may well disappear completely from the face of the earth.
Despite what Liberals may say to defend him, he's a neophyte when it comes to public affairs. He's only been in politics since 2008. He has held no responsible appointments in that time. He has no leadership experience of the kind that's necessary to govern the Liberal party. He's used to dealing with children, not politically motivated adults with agendas. While comparisons might be drawn to his father's quick rise to power, Pierre Trudeau had several advantages that his son does not.
First and foremost, Justin's father was born in an age where there was more respect shown to members of Parliament. It was an unwritten law that the media would look the other way for non-political errors in judgment. In short, there was more camaraderie between the press and Ottawa years ago.
With the invention of satellite television, the Internet and Twitter, all bets are off. Public mistakes and arguments, both real or imagined, are instantly spread around the globe to everyone.
When the press is wrong, and that seems to be more of an issue these days, it falls squarely on the politicians to defend themselves. In that regard, the damage is done, and is rarely reversed. Texting and Twitter are a double edged sword, when the messages or tweets are misinterpreted or misunderstood.
The downside to instant communication and the press was seen during the Boston marathon bombings: There were many false reports of foreigners being arrested, unexploded devices being found downtown and terrorists in the streets. These turned out to be untrue, but proved yet again that irresponsible reporting or tweeting can hamper investigations and spread fear. Certainly, time that would have been better used finding the perpetrator was wasted answering ad nauseum questions from the press. That wasn't a problem when Pierre Trudeau was in office.
I am not a technical Luddite, but am angry that today's journalists don't spend enough time confirming the accuracy of their sources.
But back to Justin. When it comes to the press, he's been getting the lion's share of the headlines lately. The Conservatives and the NDP, less so. Is that bad for the other parties? Shouldn't Harper or Mulcair be on camera making their own noise? I think not. Some would suggest that these two leaders aren't taking Trudeau seriously, and keeping quiet is a political mistake. Others may recommend a more proactive approach and go on the attack. Therein lies the difference between Justin Trudeau and his counterparts in the Conservative Party: Trudeau and his advisers are green. Harper's people are not.
The Conservatives know the election is a couple of years off. Let the youngster sputter and pop. It's not worth the time to respond to his every media comment or quote. The public has a very short attention span. Two years from now, no one will remember what Justin said in April, 2013. Wise counsel says wait for the election, when it counts.
For Justin, it's an ignorant perception: voters remember more bad things about politicians and less of the good. Say something out of turn and the sound bites ill nip you a second time. It would seem that Justin's handlers are too inexperienced themselves to realize that. But there is a second possibility. Perhaps Trudeau is purposely not taking any advice. He could be trying to fire from the hip, like his daddy, or Justin Bieber... That's a bad idea, Mr. Trudeau. Based on what we've seen of you so far, your father was the political talent in the family.
Regardless of the why, no one will take the fight to Mr. Trudeau just yet. It's too early. They'll let him make more mistakes and burn off a lot of useless energy. The reason is simple: successful politicians and fighters have all learned it's not how hard or how often you hit, but when.
Last edited:
