(Through Rose-Coloured Glasses)
Justine Trudeau is a genius. Such a smart move.
Out of the blue, on a boring hot summer day, during an interview with a newspaper, Trudeau told the reporter that he smoked marijuana about three years ago — after he had been elected as an MP — and that he had used marijuana a handful of times in his life.
Immediately this triggered a knee-jerk reaction from the PM’s office: Mr. Harper has never smoked marijuana and pointed out he has asthma precluding smoking anything. Poor old fellow, he missed all the fun of his youthful days.
And unexpectedly, Trudeau’s admission also triggered an avalanche of declaration by Canadian politicians. One by one, they come out of the closet and announced, they did smoke marijuana in their yester-years. In other words, marijuana is for the young and restless.
At last count, these included Official Opposition leader Thomas Mulcair of the New Democratic Party, Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne, Nova Scotia Premier Darrell Dexter, Prince Edward Island Robert Ghiz , Premier of Saskatchewan Brad Wall, Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson, and minister of finance Jim Flaherty.
On the other hand, most of the PM’s cronies, denied having such an adventurous experience. At most, they admitted, they are addicted to (pots) of coffee.
When you look at research done in the past, 44% of Canadian admitted they have smoke marijuana at least once before. So if you want their vote, you better come out and confess, joint by joint.
But our PM is forced to make such an uncool statement: I have never smoked marijuana. This contrasted sharply with the cool, youthful and adventurous image of Justine Trudeau, widening further their generation gap. No matter how many tunes of Beatles you can play, the harm done is irreparable.
The line of “the have and have not” (smoked marijuana) has been drawn in the sand. The generation gap optic is subtly defined.
Mao once said: The world is yours, as well as ours, but in the final analysis it is yours. You young people, vibrant, are in the bloom of life, like the morning sun at eight or nine. Their hopes on you.
Relax, have a joint, and let the game begin.
