Canadian Politics Today

You can say tough things in a way that doesn't come off stupidly ignorant.  Saying natives are lazy is one of those.  If that letter said "some natives are lazy" then I'd have no problem with that, just don't generalize.

I mean say things that true but difficult, not generalizations.  For example, that Climate Change could help Canada's economy.

Ah, well... I wasn't thinking about that.  You could never make a generalization about any group anyway, even 30- 40- years ago.  Those days are gone.

I completely disagree. You certainly CAN make generalizations. As long as you bear in mind there is no such thing as a homogeneous community wherein everyone believes and acts the same way.  Generalization means 'in general'. It does not mean 'every single member of this group'.

I completely disagree. You certainly CAN make generalizations. As long as you bear in mind there is no such thing as a homogeneous community wherein everyone believes and acts the same way.  Generalization means 'in general'. It does not mean 'every single member of this group'.

You and I can, but I meant politicians can't.  Couldn't 30-40 years ago and can't today.  Considering their goals are to persuade people, they undercut the goal by generalizing as people take offence, rightly or wrongly.

Of course. Generalizations are perfectly fine as long as they are about a politically incorrect group. i.e. all men are rapists, all white people have privilege, etc.

I don't want to be anal, but if you put 'all' before it it ceases to be a generalization, and can be disproved by simply finding a single man who has not committed **** or a single white person who is not privileged.

Well, except the term 'privileged' used in this context is entirely subjective.

If you upset a blonde she will cry. If you upset a redhead, she will make YOU cry. Are these generalizations? Sure. Not entirely untrue, though...

Pffft.  You are overreaching here.  Give me a politician who said 'all men are rapists'.  'All white people have privilege' is a little less extreme but I doubt you can find me a mainstream politician who said that.

I probably should have said 'all men contribute to **** culture'. Politicians may not say the words themselves but they certainly seek the support of people who do say such things. They certainly do not condemn people who make such comments which should be contrasted with the immediate condemnation that is heaped on people who say things that generalize about an "approved" victim group.

I probably should have said 'all men contribute to **** culture'. Politicians may not say the words themselves but they certainly seek the support of people who do say such things. They certainly do not condemn people who make such comments which should be contrasted with the immediate condemnation that is heaped on people who say things that generalize about an "approved" victim group.

Well, ok but whatever you are saying here... I would have to look back at the thread to see how it applies.

The point is that they have to watch what they say.  If the people who vote for them can say whatever they want... I don't see how that plays into it ... for Trudeau, for Trump, for anyone...

Then when you make a generalization, you have to first qualify it by saying "in general, natives are...".

Doesn't everyone here pretty easily recognize a generalization? Unless you put 'all' in front of a word it's clearly not intended to include every single person.

Well now Scheer has a problem. The problem is that her version sounds more convincing than his, and that it makes him sound like an ****. On top of that columns in the major papers from conservative columnists are starting to question whether the tories made the right choice, calling him boring, bland and unappealing, and questioning what, if anything, he stands for.

In a lengthy statement released on Monday, Ms. Beyak portrayed herself as a defender of free speech. She said neither Mr. Scheer nor anyone from his office told her to take down a letter from her website that contained comments that Mr. Scheer, opposition MPs and Indigenous advocates have called racist and offensive toward aboriginal people. She also denied refusing Mr. Scheer's request to take the content down.

"Contrary to his statement, that he asked me to remove content and I refused, neither I nor my staff ever spoke with Andrew Scheer or anyone from his office, at any time," Ms. Beyak said.

Ms. Beyak said the first she learned of her removal from the Conservative caucus was when the Tory leader released a late-night statement last week.

She said Mr. Scheer's office also released talking points to the Conservative caucus saying she admitted to posting intentionally racist correspondence about Indigenous people on her website.

"That statement is completely false. I would never say or do such a thing," she said.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/beyak-denies-scheer-asked-her-to-remove-letters-from-site/article37524866/