WARNING: If you're here expecting the usual nothing statement from a politician then you've come to the wrong place. I'm open about my life and how I've lived it. Here are the details behind my "scandal". Now, pardon me as I go travel and get the stench of hypocrisy off of me.
Two-days ago I was feeling good but uneasy.
At 7:30pm, I stood at a podium and laid out a plan for the Southdale riding as the area’s potentially new MLA. I talked about maintaining safety, bus routes, PST cuts for kid’s sporting goods, and how passionate I want to be about health care. I also talked about how I’ve been asked to run in politics before, but never felt like there was much of a point.
Then I met Rana Bokhari. In the world of politics—of which I have spent some time—she seemed different. There’s a certain realness to Rana that I believe is missing today in most political arenas; even though that realness will likely be her downfall because she doesn’t seem ready for leadership.
A minute ago I said I felt good but uneasy.
The good side of this was that I was finally moving into something that I could use as a catalyst to create change. In hindsight, I was fooling myself into believing that a minority Liberal government (of which is the best possible result) could do anything under the thumb of the Conservatives. Brian Pallister is simply too big of a bully to possibly let the Liberals have any say.
The uneasy side was that from the second I started "candidate training" I was acting. I'm not a suit. I'm not a follower. I have a problem with authority and MLA life was going to bore me to death. I was setting that aside for what I thought was the greater good but I shouldn't have.
Yesterday, it was revealed that I tweeted some words of which some people were offended. I apologized, because I never meant to offend anyone—even four or five years ago. I try to be polite and courteous whenever possible. The tweets were questioned, and I stated they were taken out of context. They were, but at the end of this blog I give them context. If you’re interested, you can read that information below.
Sharon Blady, the NDP, and the media called me a misogynist. By definition, that would mean I hate women. Nothing in these tweets spells out hate so I guess that just proves all people care about are catchy buzzwords, even if they don’t understand the English language.
Also, when evaluating a person’s character, you should look at their entire body of work; not a few tweets pulled without at least asking what they were about. That’s the rational approach, but rationale does not live in politics. No one asked, everyone attacked, and in the end, when you read where the tweets came from, it's a rather foolish story.
You can't say that though when the leader of the Manitoba Liberals, the lawyers for the Prime Minister and your fellow candidates are in a room discussing what to do next. Discussing might be the wrong word ... let's go with dictating and threatening.
Videos advertising my nightclub projects were also called into question. To be honest, image and sex sells in nightlife. This doesn’t equal hatred of women. I'd say 95% of my nightlife marketing that had sexy imagery also had comedy to balance things out.
I don’t drink or dance, so I was the oxymoron of the nightlife industry. That’s why my nightlife commercials often had a satirical element to them. I looked at nightlife, and often laughed at the ridiculous nature of it all.
Here’s an example:
I guess, if you’re going to call someone out as a misogynist for posting crude jokes then you have to look inward as well. Have you ever looked at a beer ad with a woman in it and had some special thoughts? Ladies, did you go to Magic Mike and talk to your girls about what you would do to Channing if you had the chance? Many of you have, and that’s because they sold an image to you.
There's also nothing wrong with what you did; no judgements here. Admiration of someone for any reason in a way that doesn't demean them or force them to do something they have no interest in is a pretty big building block of human nature.
Lastly, the media called into question a post where I called my girlfriend a skank because she beat me at Rummie (For the hundredth time minimum). To many in my circle, skank is like jerk. It’s not a term to be taken seriously. Also, she beat me over and over again and while smoking weed one night the term slipped out and we laughed uncontrollably. My relationship doesn't have to make sense to you. All that matters is that she feels loved and respected.
If she didn't, do you think that my girlfriend would have stood by me through all of this? Absolutely not. She is with me however, because we respect each other, have similar life experiences, and genuine passion for a life together. We can also poke fun at each other because we don’t take life too seriously. You should see me lift her up and sing The Lion King song; always a crowd pleaser.
But none of that matters because the NDP have tied everyone up in knots and the media were more than happy to play along. The same NDP that raised your PST in a cold and calculated way. The same NDP that just had a leader race because of major issues. The same NDP that … well, I could go on forever.
The NDP and the media both said I apologized after the fact and only after I had gotten caught. Well, I know I wasn’t going to apologize before I knew I offended someone. Wab apologized after too and that guy is being groomed for Premier.
Double standard much?
My tweets existed like his music, and the next step forward for him was an apology. I thought this part of my life was behind me (even though I do still swear as does almost everyone reading this blog right now).
Most of the tweets are from five years ago, and I had 12,000 followers or so. There was plenty of opportunity to get called out, but yet not one woman did call me out, and in fact many retweeted those tweets.
If anyone had been offended, I would have apologized to them just the same; not for the words, but because it’s polite to do so. Twitter is very much like a big party where people are joking around, talking about current events, and being generally casual. If someone cracks a crude joke, you don’t punch them in the face! You state you don’t like it and if the person is polite, they’ll keep their humour away from you. And that’s what we’re talking about; some quotes from a book, TV, and a few crude jokes.
I had a racy talk show called The Winnipeg Show that featured quite a bit of crude humour. I wrote a book about an alcoholic that had a horrible dating life. I wrote short stories and I'm known for writing absolute bastard main characters that get killed in the end.
We’re not talking about the issues of Southdale anymore because the NDP doesn’t want that. They want a negative campaign, and here it is. I applaud that they still have some strategy and can mount an offence. BUT, we’re not talking about Southdale and that’s sad, because all constituencies need to be heard.
I wanted to run for government to really make a difference in this new day of politics. All I have wanted to do is make my parents proud, and do something to make the world better. I've had a love, hate relationship with politics and always swore I would never run but I got caught up in the red wave and that is my fault.
I should have known better. The world of politics is nothing but bowing and tap dancing mixed in with pretending constituents don't exist. It's pathetic really and I see the err of my ways. All of this has woke me up and revealed to me that there is no new day. It's just politics as usual, voting in the same suits and ties with their hidden flaws expecting a different result.
In the end, what frustrates me is that all of the positive posts I’ve made don’t count, and my actions (working with women, having great relationships with women, etc.) are seen as less of a true window into my soul. Why do we keep doing this to each other? We beat up on our fellow humans because, what; it makes us feel good inside? I'm not sure. I don't understand the culture.
I’m not running because when JT's lawyers are threatening you, you kinda have no choice but to do as told. I don't have the political capital to fight the CRA and other government agencies for the rest of my life. I wish I did, but I'm just some guy with ideas and no family dynasty to fall back on. I also chose not to run because the attacks have turned to my mom, girlfriend, and family. I signed up for this, not them.
Whenever something like this happens, a man points to his great relationships with women, but I was told not to do that because it’s tacky. Okay, so how does a man prove he and women have respect for each other if he can’t point to the women in his life as an example? God, we’ve gotten so fucked up and sensitive.
People want their politicians to be perfect. You talk like me, but you’re not running for office, so I get the scrutiny. However, I was running because I have something to contribute to government. I truly believe that, and so too, did a lot of people. The double standard needs to die for us to progress.
Again, we vote the same people in expecting some earth shattering new way of leadership then when they mess up we act all shocked. Politicians are just people like you and me that played the game differently. In many cases they're not special or particularly intelligent. How about we elect experts and real people that don't pander? Then we'll see something great happen.
I hear the Trumpettes dancing in the background like I just admitted their guy is the right guy for the job. Nay, this new style of politician must also have great ideas that bring people together. The process of getting elected is broken, and I hope there is reform one day.
Getting elected shouldn’t be about money, and associations. The NDP shouldn’t be able to spend tax payer dollars to get elected. Politics should be about the issues ONLY.
I’d like to thank everyone that supported my campaign, those that have publicly come out on my behalf and have sent countless messages to me. You are the people that know me, and that’s why you know, that I am neither sexist or evil. I’m just a guy that loves making shit happen, that speaks in a way that some people don’t like. That’s too bad. I would have turned the Leg on its ear.
If you're offended but what I say, let's talk about it. Chances are there is an explanation. If I can't explain it in a way that you like then we just won't be friends and our political interests don't align. That's fine too. I accept that I am an acquired taste.
At the end of the day, I did this to myself. I rode the red wave straight to hell. My life is falling apart around me and I should have known better. I'm not built for politics. I'm built for disrupting politics.
Now, I found an article featuring all the tweets in question. Let’s deal with them. I’m sure there’s more that people could call me on, just like you can find something on anyone if you add a skewed perspective.
The Tweets
In the world of politics, everything’s on the table. I hope the NDP are aware of what they started, because I’m going to guess, it’s on now. So, here we go.
This is an excerpt from a fictional tale which didn't make the final draft because we cut chapters that didn't move the story. The book is a love and loath story, about a guy finding it impossible to find true love. He’s frustrated, drinks too much, and lashes out at times. I tweeted a lot of the excerpts from chapters that didn't make the final product.
Even so, this is not a post about women, this is a post about “whores” … the profession. What would be better for you? Prostitute? Hooker? Slag? Harlot?
You do know the definition, right? The media sure didn’t.
whorehôr/
noun
derogatory
1.a prostitute.
verb
1.(of a woman) work as a prostitute.“she spent her life whoring for dangerous men"synonyms:work as a prostitute, sell one’s body, sell oneself, be on the streets"she spent her life whoring”
That wasn’t a judgment about women at all, because it’s your body and you can do whatever you want with it as long as you’re not jeopardizing the safety of others. How dare you act like being a whore means someone is beneath you.
Just because you don’t like the word, “whore” doesn’t mean it’s a bad word, and it also doesn’t mean they should strike it from the dictionary.
Wanna know why you didn’t see this perfectly rational explanation in the media? Because it wasn’t a juicy enough continuation of their narrative.
I stand by this comment. It’s a statement to say that if you refer to your relationship behaviour as “very friendly”, then that’s what a guy is likely to assume. I’ve seen it, and I’ve heard it. I think it’s good to make sure some women who may not know that, do. I’m not saying it’s right, but it’s a real thing.
Also, in a lot of younger social circles it’s a virtual hookup cue. This was borne out of a conversation and it's valuable info for some nice girl who doesn't know. I have a couple of best friends who are those nice girls and they had no idea.
Hollywood … home of the odd sex scene that comes out of nowhere, except in Hitman. It was a different way to play the movie out considering what Hollywood is known for. I also have no problem with anyone's sexuality. It's none of my business what you do with your body or who you do it with.
I’m not sure how people extrapolated from this tweet that I have something against gay people. You really have to create lines to read between to reach that far. I also wasn't overly familiar with the story of Hitman so it was a legit question.
I honestly cannot remember for the life of me what she had said that made me tweet this. I went through a time in my life where it seemed that all politicians were out for their own interests. I was angry with the system. I will not be something I am not, and that’s what I thought it took to be a politician. Correction, I now know 100% that's what it takes.
After I tweeted this, I found some good people within the system again. My faith was restored. There is no one out there that can say they have been happy with politics and politicians their whole lives. We, as people, are allowed to change our minds and form ideologies.
Poorly worded, however, true. It saddens me that women would degrade themselves by posting some of the pics that come from CountryFest. The “stupid” is referring to the pics that come in year-after-year, not all girls/women everywhere. The rape culture at this event is scary too.
I stand by this post. Women are living art. Look at us guys. We’re balls of clay next to the women of the world. Women go through a lot to look good, and we should absolutely appreciate it. Of course, that’s not to say women are just there to look at. That’s ridiculous, and a shameful reporting practice. I’m dealing with a singular subject … ads. That’s it.
“The Lesbian” is a nickname for someone I used to know. She, at one point came out to every event, but then suddenly lived a life of domestication and was nowhere to be found. I believe the rest of the reference is to a child and a puppy. I dunno, I tweeted tens of thousands of times. I'm sure it made sense at the time.
There was this phase that some girls went through. I mean girls literally. They ended every sentence with “bitch”. It was terrible. I’m not too sure what I meant with the novelty T’s comment, but I did wear a lot of novelty t’s back then (shameful, I know).
I’m gonna say I probably missed the word “myself” in there. Perhaps I was editing for space? Not sure. Again, when you look back at thousands of tweets, stuff like this is just not important so it’s hard to recall what was exactly happening in that moment.
If your problem is with the word "bitch" then okay, fine. I'm sorry. But it is my feed and no one is forcing you to follow me. Another tweet no one had anything negative to say, but somehow now it's this huge issue.
I was at a birthday party. The waitress made a comment, and everyone laughed. Literally everyone lol’ed. This is not me calling all girls I dated these names. I was proud at the time that someone would say such a thing about the girl that was sitting next to me.
I think we need to examine why we pretend that politicians don't swear and why we pretend like this is a standard we should hold them to. I wasn't going to go into session dropping f-bombs, but I wasn't a politician back then; I was a young club promoter and that world is completely different than the one most live in.
The girl I dated before my ex was pretty horrible to me. She stole, cheated and thought she was God's gift. This is something I learned after the fact and admittedly I was pretty angry.
This woman is one of the sweetest people I know. Someone called her a bitch, and I was just letting her know that she is the furthest thing from.
This whole tweet is strange. It doesn’t sound like me at all. If I am to assume that this is real and not just the NDP being the NDP, then I stand by the fact that Bachman and Palin are not very good female political role models.
Those are the only two female politicians that have ever made me angry. I was running in a party with a female leader. Of the tweets that were reported, I have to say that I believe this one is fabricated, but if not, now you know what I meant.
Are you overly excited about Bachman or Palin? This is a crappy tweet to post though (the first part) and I'm sorry if it offended anyone. The problem with Twitter is the limited character account and back then tweets came from conversations. People would literally stop to tweet whatever glorious bullshit came to their genius minds. I thought I was clever. Turns out ... nope.
In response to the many statuses on Facebook, this was my satirical tweet about the various ridiculous stages people seem to go through when posting online. I think we used it in The Winnipeg Show, not sure. It's funny though and you know it.
Her role on Dawson’s Creek was that of a teenager that grew up too fast. She portrayed a promiscuous girl. This is commentary. If the word “slut” offends you, I get it. You don’t like to hear such words, but it is in the dictionary and is the apt noun for this particular comment. She was typecast in my mind.
This is a joke for The Winnipeg Show. My friend had made reference to going out for a chick flick, and how much he hated it. That’s it.
Paraphrasing a quote by a fictional character named Hank Moody.
This is a quote from somewhere. I’m not too sure where though. I heard it and thought it was humorous for the same reason that most of you do as well. I don't live in fear of the woman I'm with. That's just absurd.
I have four friends that have gone through this course. They all say that the teacher treats them like competition, and is scarce with info. Is that what a teacher is supposed to be like? Not likely.
I actually have zero idea what I meant here. Also, there’s a tongue face icon, clearly saying that the conversation was not to be taken seriously.
Conclusion
So there you have it. Am I crude at times? Absolutely. Do I swear more than some people? For sure. But does this make me a misogynist? GTFOH. Of course not.
I get it, I shouldn't have ran. I'm fully aware now that I've snapped out of it. I wasn't even happy in the lead up in the way I should have been. I'm no role model for kids so you have my word, unless something changes drastically I will not run for office again.
I know what the NDP were doing; they picked a theme and dug through my twitter to try and paint me with a broad brush. Of the thousands of tweets I made over the years, you have 19, taken with zero context. SJWs will tell you that I’m a misogynist, but that’s just another word they didn’t look up in the dictionary.
mi·sog·y·nistməˈsäjənəst/
noun
1.a person who dislikes, despises, or is strongly prejudiced against women.synonyms:woman-hater; More
There is 1 tweet of 19 where I suggest prejudice, and that is the only one I can’t remember writing. Odd, right? Now, maybe you think crudeness suggests misogyny. If you do, you’re blurring the lines.
I made fun of men, myself, my friends, movies, etc. I also posted blogs about treating women with respect that were clearly sincere. If you’re offended by the words I use, I apologize you had to read them, and in your presence I would never use them if I know how you feel.
However, I will not apologize for being crude. 69% of people say they swear regularly. I guarantee the vast majority of politicians that you have elected have said much, more worse.
At some point the people are going to have to look at their politicians without the rose coloured glasses. If the worst a guy or gal has done is swear, but his or her ideas and commitment to the people shows no wavering then I think he or she is electable. But that’s just me, or is it? I guess time will tell.
I know one thing, I was ready for the attention, but once the media and the public started attacking the people around me, that was too much. I’ll never stand for that.
So, there it is. I hope you enjoyed my TED Talk. I know I enjoy not having to watch what I say. I cannot tap dance nearly as well as Brian.
I made a mistake in running. I know that now. I belong in the world I've belonged to for a long time. I'll go back to being me because the person I am is always trying to be better and this experience has taught me a lot. I'll also go back to directly answering questions. Did you know when they train politicians they train you not to answer a question? It's terrible. I would have never made it at The Leg, but that should have been up to the people to decide ... not the mob and JT.
Links
If you really want to know what I think about women, look at these articles:
You can also go back in my blogs and get a better gauge for who I am. I'm open to any conversation and welcome the feedback that I will inevitably get.