Author: Bambi

Bambi is happy to read this text by one of our big and lucid brains in this country, Dr. Mathieu Bock-Côté. Bambi’s faithful readers know that she has the utmost respect for him… and perhaps now more than ever. Not only he has a brain. He has a spine when it is the time to defend democracy.

Without further ado, here is his thoughtful article published today in the Journal de Montréal (https://www.journaldemontreal.com/2021/03/03/le-risque-antidemocratique-des-reseaux-sociaux).

How can Bambi not agree with Dr. Bock-Côté when she spent her life reading all opinions and media (even in a country torn by civil war when it was much easier to choose to hate others for their different opinions… or bombs)?

Same for her youth in Québec. Collectively, her friends do not share the same political opinions about Québec (the second referendum and its aftermath). Her own opinion changes also, etc.

So, why are we falling into the trap of narrow-mindedness, censorship, intolerance, and even totalitarianism?

All different opinions/voices matter in life… It is called democracy.

Plus, we learn from others. We challenge our thoughts.

Yes, we learn from those whom we do not agree with.

We also learn from those we agree with on this or that topic.

We learn, period… and we can de-learn and re-learn. It is called critical thinking.   

We even learn from enemies, so-called enemies (of a country or a cause)… or so-called racists.

Perhaps this is why Bambi likes to take the time to check the primary source of information. She reads what this or that person is saying, and not only what she is reading about this or that person.  

All this being said, here is a quick translation Dr. Bock-Côté’s article:

“Donald Trump wanted, in recent days, to start his comeback. We don’t know if he really plans to show up in 2024: that would be surprising. We know, however, that he wants to exist politically.

The man is energetic, of course, but he struggles to renew himself and mentally locks himself in the myth of electoral fraud. His speech was laborious. Trump is making the same mistake he made in his 2020 campaign: he is stepping forward, but not carrying an agenda that could, beyond a few slogans, sketch a vision for the future for the United States.

Whatever people think of him, he remains a central figure in American politics. He still dominates the Republican Party. He even embodies, for the moment, the main opposition to Joe Biden.

Trump

This raises the question of his presence on Twitter.

A few weeks ago, Trump lost access to his Twitter account. He was banned for life. In other words, knowing the role that social networks play in contemporary politics, he was kicked out of public space. A little too quickly, several applauded.

But it is more than a man, as troubled as he is, who has been driven out: it is a whole political movement that is targeted through him.

Because Trump, let us not forget, gathered around his name more than 74 million voters last November.

And even though many Republicans are tired of him, he remains the spokesperson for a large part of the American people, who cannot be confused with the fanatic weirdos who stormed the Capitol on January 6.

But the essential is elsewhere.

Is it really up to social networks, these supranational digital empires of our time, to decide who has the right to access public space? Do they really have to master the public debate?

Can they sort between legitimate opponents and those who are not? Are they entitled to ban from the city, according to the ancient laws of ostracism, a whole political stream of democratic debate?

And who will be the next to suffer the same fate, and in which countries? Because they will come.

This is not about loving Donald Trump, but about remembering that in a democracy, no one has the right to muzzle or dissolve someone they don’t like.

Above all, social networks show a terrible arbitrariness in their definition of what is acceptable and what is not.

Twitter

If they see hate speech in a tough or even subtle critique of diversity ideology (I’m not talking about Trump, here, who is less muscular than garish, and especially not subtle!), They don’t see it in those who hate to hate him the wicked white man, turned into the scapegoat of our time. Against them, hatred is allowed.

One thing is for sure, this takeover of the public debate by Twitter and the like is far bigger than we would like to say.

There it is, the real coup against democracy.”

Les moulins de mon coeur in French and Arabic.

Ne me quitte pas by Jacques Brel… what a moving song. Perhaps the most beautiful French love song in the world?!

Avec le temps va… Bravo and thank you Ms. Hiba Tawaji for your talent!

Thanks Canada for your continuous support to tiny yet eternal Lebanon.

Bambi learned from Naharnet that our Canadian Ambassador in Beirut, Ms. Chantal Chastenay visited “Lebanese Army Logistic Brigade“, along with Brigadier General Michael Wright, Commander of Joint Task Force Impact and Defence Attaché Lieutenant Colonel David Jones and a delegation of our Canadian soldiers:

http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/279853-canadian-ambassador-visits-lebanese-army-logistic-brigade

Thanks to our men and women in uniform for supporting the Lebanese Armed Forces (or Forces Armées Libanaises) in keeping Bambi’s loved ones as realistically safe as possible.

Bambi will conclude this post with the comment of one Naharnet reader (in Beirut): “Oh Canada” :)!

Bambi adores Mr. Georges Moustaki!

He left our world in 2013 (at age 79)… but luckily, music is immortal.

Mr. Moustaki was born under the name of Giusseppe Mustacchi in Alexandria, Egypt. His parents, originally from a charming Greek island called Corfu (or Kerkyra), were both francophile.

Thank you Mr. Moustaki for your beautiful song called “Ma liberté“.

Like Mr. Dumont, Bambi also noticed the sad change in Amnesty International. Here is a very quick translation of his interesting article published in the Journal de Montréal yesterday:

https://www.journaldemontreal.com/2021/02/27/amnistie-internationale-a-perdu-sa-boussole

“As a CEGEP student [CEGEP refers to professional or pre-university college system unique to Québec], I had participated in a few Amnesty International activities. The organization played an important role in exposing the plight of prisoners of conscience and challenging authoritarian regimes to secure their release.

I liked this organization, as I liked the offensive it led to defend the rights of Raif Badawi. Badawi is a glaring example of an individual who has committed no crime and finds himself incarcerated strictly because of his writings [absolutely!!]. Because his political convictions tarnish the image of the Saudi regime.

How surprised I was to read this week that Amnesty International no longer considered Russian opponent Alexei Navalny to be a prisoner of conscience! Yet Navalny is probably the number one prisoner of conscience right now.

After having denounced Putin

As he returns home after receiving treatment in Germany for a “mysterious” poisoning, his plane is hijacked and he is taken to an airport where he is stopped. The Russian authorities have nothing concrete against him except that his words could stir up Russian revolt.

Indeed, he broadcasted the images of what appears to be the royal palace of Vladimir Putin on the shore of the Black Sea. Putin denies it, but no one can clarify who really belongs in the ultra luxurious domain. All this in a country where assassinations and poisonings of opposition leaders have almost become commonplace.

According to the latest information, not only will he be jailed without valid justification, but he will be transferred to a labour camp. Material for Amnesty International.

So why, after certain steps to obtain his release, does Amnesty International no longer consider him a prisoner of conscience? Because he would have made nationalist and anti-immigration remarks twenty years ago. Positions he no longer holds today anyway. He is jailed for his opinions, but Amnesty International no longer considers him a prisoner of conscience because it dislikes his opinions … from twenty years ago. Odd, right? [absolutely, the issue is not this or that topic. The issue is freedom of expression or free speech, period!].

The breadth of the causes that are heard

What must be understood is that Amnesty International has lost its compass and has become a ninth movement of the so-called “woke” left [she does not know about you, but like Mr. Mario Dumont, Bambi misses the more beautiful left of her youth. It has genuinely been about protecting people’s rights and about truly standing up for justice]. On the organization’s website, there is less and less talk of prisoners of conscience and more and more of all the leftist themes in vogue.

The environment, racism everywhere, police violence, logging, all wrapped up under the guise of human rights. One more organization to repeat the refrains of this left which is radicalized. One less organization to defend the most fundamental causes for anyone who believes in democracy and freedom.

Let us recall the fight of Amnesty International against Bill 21 on secularism in Québec. Amnesty is more worried about an elected government that frames secularism for its employees in authority than it is about an opposition leader imprisoned in a labour camp under an authoritarian regime. Welcome to 2021!”

For Bambi, freedom of expression starts with self-tolerance.

Yes, tolerating our own freedom of thought. By this, Bambi means giving ourselves the freedom to use our brains to think, to question, to agree with, to be open to the world. This means tolerating our own thinking processes and brain plasticity, so to speak. We allow ourselves to be wrong, to be stupid, or to be wise.… and from ourselves, we extend this tolerance to others:

Tolerating their thoughts on this or that topic, whether we agree with them or not.

Why can’t we allow others to be wrong anymore?

Why can’t we allow others to be stupid anymore?

Why can’t we allow others to think differently anymore on this or that topic? The topic does not matter here. It could be related to politics, science, religion, arts or to anything else.

It is the intolerance that underlies them all…

Why should we mob, harass, cancel, vilify, exclude, destroy, and throw under the bus others when they express another opinion?

Freedom of speech is first and foremost about tolerating different speeches, precisely those with which we do NOT agree with.

There is a reason why freedom of expression is protected in our Canadian Charter and NB laws/charters, etc.

The laws are all beautiful on paper, but when a society does not feel the urge to stand up for freedom of expression anymore (especially of those with different opinions), the boat of tolerance sink… and we all drown with it.

Is it normal for a society to tolerate the harassment, mobbing, or vilification of citizens, professors, or politicians when we disagree with their expressed opinion?

Bambi wonders about how many of those who are repeating clichés, taking words out of context, making false accusations, and/or threats have taken the time to read this blog?

Why are they condemning the messenger if they did not read or like the message?

When one of us is under attack because of his or her opinions, we all lose. Yes, collectively, we lose our freedom. Collectively, we lose our tolerance. Collectively, we lose our compassion…

In addition to mobs trying to suppress a voice they do not like or endorse, is it compassionate to harass, mob or throw under the bus people we do not agree with?

Is it normal in Canada to tolerate abuses like that done to Dr. Jordan Peterson, Ms. Lindsay Shepherd, Professor Verushka Lieutenant-Duval, and many more… now even Bambi!

Is this the Canada that we want? If it is done to one of us, will it be done to all of us?

This is perhaps the main difference between the people of Lebanon and Canadians… There, people stand up for each other when freedom of expression is under attack.

Some risk their lives to defend it. Some literally give their lives. The latest victim was called Mr. Lokman Slim…

Ironically, in this tiny bankrupt, and extremely vulnerable Lebanon, and despite the power of one group over the others, there is more tolerance and more freedom of expression than now in Canada… Can you imagine the irony? There, you can write whatever you wish in media comments (always open by the way) and online. When people see threats to their freedom, they denounce it collectively… and keep it protected. We are talking about a country that was in war not a long time ago. We are talking about a neighbourhood with dictatorships…and yet, there is a light of democracy in Bambi’s birth country.

Where is the light of freedom, tolerance, and compassion in Bambi’s beautiful Sackville, New Brunswick, and Canada?

Bambi adores listening to her preferred internet radio station (out of LA). Well, an advantage of working from home is that we do not disturb our colleagues whilst singing [badly and in a weird language :)].

Below, you can hear one of the songs that played today. It is a Lebanese love song (The Voice TV show in France).

This talented artist is called Ms. Aline Al Katrib. She is the daughter of the great Ms. Salwa Al Katrib who left our world too early many years ago. Bambi grew up appreciating the voice of her mom (it is her song actually). It is only recently that she discovered the daughter’s talent. What a beautiful tribute to her mom!

Mr. Biden changed his position about China’s current genocide of the Uighurs (https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/account-02242021183743.html).

Bravo to Mr. Biden for having the wisdom of changing the rhetoric (i.e., much more logical than “cultural norms” to justify the abuse) whilst keeping many if not most of the policies of his predecessor about China (e.g., Huawei, etc.). This ensures continuity. Plus, if something seems to be working well, why revert it?

It is Bambi’s hope that Mr. Trudeau will learn something from Mr. Biden.

It is Bambi’s hope that Mr. Biden will learn something from Mr. Trudeau (yes, it is possible ?) when it comes to Iran.

Bambi worries about Iran’s hegemony in the Middle East (that directly affects her birth country and its neighbourhood). What will happen with the nuclear saga, she wonders? What would be the consequences on Lebanon?

To conclude this post, dealing with countries intimidating other sovereign entities requires leadership. Good leaders need to be courageous (in addition to other skills like wisdom, etc.). In the end, whether acts of intimidation are occurring at the macro- or at the micro-levels, Bambi sees a similarity: Omitting to interfere to stop an abusive process between two (or more) countries/entities, or empowering the source of the abuse, becomes part of the abuse, even with the best intentions in the world.

You may wonder why Bambi is asking herself this question…

The answer is unfolding right now in front of her and your eyes.

Is this the Canada you want for yourself? For your children?

Or do you prefer to have your own opinions and let others have theirs?

That is the real question our society is facing.

Mr. Lokman Slim was a talented Lebanese publisher, political commentator, and film maker. He was assassinated in Beirut because his opinions bothered those who did not share them.

Bambi paid tribute to him, and through him to all the critical thinkers of our world (sadly many have been also eliminated in tiny yet courageous Lebanon).

If she may, she will dedicate a song to his memory called “un berger vient de tomber” [or a “Shepherd has just fallen under arms“] by Mr. Enrico Macias. This beautiful song was originally written for President Sadat on the second day after his assassination in 1981(lyrics by Mr. Jacques Demarny and music by Mr. Macias):

That was the tragic story of Mr. Slim… and before him many other intellectuals.

Now, what happened to Mr. Dany Turcotte from Radio-Canada (the French CBC)?

His story is well described below by Mr. Mathieu Bock-Côté. His article was published three days ago in the Journal de Montréal. Bambi will quickly translate it to you below.

Who knows? Perhaps like Bambi, you can also see the similarity between the stories of those killed in the Middle East and those cancelled (or silenced) in Canada? In both cases, the underlying issue is the same, even if the degree is (luckily for us) different: It is all about the intolerance (of another opinion we do not necessarily agree with). Yes, a lack of critical thinking fuels intolerance. Of course, there is sometimes malice on top of all this absurdity.

Anyhow, here are the words of Mr. Bock-Côté about this story. It is nice to see his support of Mr. Turcotte at the very end (https://www.journaldemontreal.com/2021/02/20/dany-turcotte-victime-des-pros-de-lindignation):

“Dany Turcotte victim of the pros of indignation

Dany Turcotte has just left his position at Tout le monde en parle. Rumor had it that he was uncomfortable with the new live format.

But we can understand that he is paying the price for his joke on the last show that he made with Mamadi Camara [Bambi does not know the person in question or his story. She just read his own message online, telling Mr. Turcotte that he did not mind the joke. Imagine he is the person concerned here, but yet the CBC did not have the courage to stand up to the mob]. The lynching pack of outrage professionals, specializing in media caning and public humiliation, pounced on him. On Twitter, he was singled out for public revenge.

Twitter

It wasn’t his first joke, though. Not even his first awkward joke, if you want to.

But apparently, in our egalitarian world, some social “groups” are outside the scope of humor. Whoever does not respect the prohibition commits a sacrilege. The awful culture of lynching, which turns a clumsy joke into a culprit, has had its skin. He was to serve as an example.

Some say he should have resisted the pack. They might not know how grueling it can be to have an army of aggressive and malicious little canines on your back. The latter never miss an opportunity to spit in your face. Not everyone knows how to resist a permanent public defamation campaign.

Whether you are left, right, centre, sovereignist, autonomist or federalist, we should be worried.

TLMEP [name of the French show “Tout le monde en parle”]

Please allow me to come back to a recent event.

At the beginning of December, during my time at TLMEP, I had a small heated exchange directly with Dany Turcotte. It received some attention. There was nothing personal about it. And I would be remiss if I did not say that I am sorry for his plight. There was a benevolent, quintessentially Québecois humor about him that fitted in well with the show [indeed, Bambi has always appreciated his humour, like all his guests including our own Mr. Trudeau. Indeed, Bambi posted about this specific beautiful show where even our PM seemed to have had fun and… in this show, he was fun to watch].

I sincerely hope that we will see him again on our airwaves soon, in a project where he can show all his talent” [Bambi too!].