Quote:
Originally Posted by Resolute 14
The US is, I believe, one of very few western jurisdictions where religious fervor is on an upswing. Canada is far more grounded overall, so while there will certainly be groups and individuals seeking to move the discussion that way, I think their power and voice will be limited. If anything, we're more at risk of hard left whackjobs taking control of the narrative.
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So much this. I think the worst consequence of being neighbours with the American giant is the infection of our public dialogue with American culture wars. The influence of religious evangelicals and fundamentalists on public policy in Canada is negligible. This isn't Kansas or Tennessee. I can kinda understand how growing up in the Bible Belt of the USA might turn a liberal into a hard-line culture warrior, always vigilant lest liberal policies like access to contraception be rolled back. It's another thing entirely for a young leftist in Toronto to act as though she's battling against powerful entrenched social conservationism, and any day now she could be living out the Handmaid's Tale.
Canadians are far too eager to embrace American political and social narratives, instead of taking a step back from the Colbert Report, Fox News, and the Huffington Post, and assessing the climate in the country they actually live in.