Every single time I have heard MP Whalen speak, I realize his privilege is utterly overwhelming and he hides behind the Liberal disguise to get by.
He has no creative thought when it comes to policies or procedure. His political platform is based on YouTube videos of Trudeau and reading from the Liberal website.
Whalen has been standing behind the Liberal agenda without a creative or individual idea of his own since he started his campaign. I went to the debate regarding the needs of Persons with Disabilities and he had a freaking binder with Liberal quotes to use as his staple.
The issue is Newfoundlanders are a whole other commodity compared to the rest of Canada. We need a government that shakes his fist in the face of the Prime Minister, who recognizes that the federal government may not have our island’s best interest at hand because honestly, they do not know what it is like to be a part of the East Coast. We need an MP that will stand up for our rights, our needs, and our people.
Instead, Whalen is constantly trying to impress the federal government and is incapable of understanding the needs of this province.
He reminds you of the guy you mock at a high school party to get in with the hockey team and the whole time you’re Holden Caulfieding them in your mind thinking “wow you are such a phony.”
In a nutshell, Whalen is the political representation of the loathing expressed in Catcher in The Rye.
The biggest display of misunderstanding he had of the people as a whole was at the Vigil for the victims of Charlottesville.
Whalen decided to take the stand to push his Liberal party agenda down everyone’s throats. I mean it’s frustrating enough that a white guy without any natural engagement abilities and without an actual understanding of minorities took the stand to use his voice, in a time when everyone likely wanted to hear lived experiences but to then toot your liberal horn while you’re at it? Come on man.
First, the speech seemed to veer in the typical direction with general statements about human rights etc. Then it took a slight turn.
“As Canadians, white or not, we enjoy immense privilege and opportunity. An opportunity to be prosperous and to live without fear and to go to school and to raise our families,” stated Whalen.
So the super rich white straight man decided he knows what kind of opportunities and privileges are available to Canadians across the board? Maybe he should travel up north and buy a $100 bag of lettuce before he considers the immense “privilege” we all have. Maybe he should look at the suicide rates in Nunavut compared to the rest of Canada before he can speak on behalf of everyone.
It’s really tiring to hear white people talking about what everyone without any knowledge or understanding of them, it’s getting a little boring.
When he brought up the Liberal agenda and managed to mention his own office, the people got exhausted with his BS and asked Whalen to pass the mic.
Instead of being considerate of the crowd and sensitive to the situation at hand, while also mindful of his own privilege, Whalen took it personally and said: “this is ridiculous!”
He had a stomping fit and complained that he never got respectful air time.
He was all “I got the conch guys! It’s my turn!”
but man, it’s always your turn. That’s the thing. Don’t be a piggy, you always have the conch.
When a man who tells the people of Labrador to eat less fish while he plans to destroy their lands and food source, has a petty fit that his voice isn’t given a fair chance….do you think he has a concept of the people of Newfoundland and Labrador? Does he really understand how often the people of Labrador have their voices silenced?
This vigil is not YOUR thing Whalen. It’s not about the Liberal party or what the red consider to be Canadian or how awesome you guys are for letting refugees in or tooting Trudeau’s horn. It’s about hatred and separation of people. It’s about Heather Heyer and the loss of life. It’s about racism.
Of course, we are not sure if you are able to represent this fight properly since you can’t relate to it in any way, so maybe people want to hear from POC on this matter instead of another freaking white dude with a government agenda.
Next time you stand in front of your voting people and they are tired of your rhetoric and lack of empathy, maybe don’t get mad at them for not listening to you but rather take the time to listen to them.
When @NickWhalenMP is as excited as you are about @StJohnsPrideNL; nice moves! #loveislove #LPC pic.twitter.com/3d1G9J3qwc
— Ryan Steeves (@RyanAlanSteeves) July 7, 2017
3 Comments
#ShouldHaveElectedJack!
Gina,
Thank you for this. From a newfoundlander who has called Nunavut home the last 15 years. This resonated deeply.
Interesting article. I certainly agree with many of the points you made, but it felt like you shoe-horned in your comments about Nick being white. That did nothing but detract from the article.