SUN News Network was launched here in Toronto Canada on April 18, 2011. It sought to provide a conservative alternative to the fairly consistently liberal media that exists here in Canada. When it first came into existence the media was in an uproar, labelling it the younger brother of the ultra-biased and ultra-conservative Fox News and smearing it as best as the media was able. On the other side, for Conservatives, this was seen as a major victory, with many doubting such a network could exist in Canada because of the existence of the state controlled Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) that is always a threat to limit free speech on the airwaves of Canada.
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I personally was thrilled by the prospect of such a network existing in Canada to address news in Canada from a strictly conservative perspective. However, after watching SUN News Network for a few weeks up to and through the Canadian federal election in April 2011, I was very disappointed in the quality of the network and the light that Canadian conservatives were portrayed in. In fact, even though I agreed with most of the perspectives on SUN News Network or even disagreed with them, but mostly because they weren’t conservative enough for me, I no longer watch the network.
Not because, unlike what the liberal media wanted us Canadians to think, that there are scantly clad woman on the network, which there aren’t, but because it presented Conservatives in the worst light possible. What I mean by that is that the stereotype that is often portrayed in the media, whether right or wrong, is that conservatives are angry and bitter folk who would sooner punch you in the face and throw old woman off cliffs (think the anti-medicare reform commercial) than be taxed. A stereotype that I felt was embraced by the SUN News Network, instead of dispelled. Seriously, relax. I feel that unlike many conservative media outlets in the United States, though not all, SUN News Network, arguably the first true conservative media outlet in Canada, lacked the vision to see this through.
What I mean by that, is that while it is true that real conservatives in Canada have been marginalized in society, even within and with the rise of the Conservative Party of Canada, and yes justified anger exists amongst conservatives; such anger should be focused into demonstrating that we are valuable members of the Canadian political landscape, because of the values and principles that we promote and hold dear. Yet, instead SUN News Network and their hosts sought to attack every single injustice that has ever been perpetrated against conservatives in this country throughout time, so it seemed. A good example of this was when they interviewed some farmer about his conflict with the Canadian government over his distribution of non-pasteurized milk that had been going on since the early 90’s.
My objection is not that SUN News Network talked about this, but it was the fact that they interviewed the guy and simply spoke of the events that had occurred at this guys farm for nearly an entire hour, with the main focus being on this guys anger over his treatment by the Canadian Government and trying to justify it. My point is this, instead of focusing on this guys anger and trying to legitimize it, why wasn’t this merely a footnote in a larger piece on the loss of freedom that is occurring in Canada, and why such events effect the Canadian populace? Why not, instead of focusing on anger, focus on freedom and liberty and the promotion of our cause by making it engaging with the Canadian populace as a whole. Cause no offence to this milk farmer, but honestly young people like me and most Canadians don’t care about non-pasteurized milk, but we do care about freedom.
Canadian conservatives need to use this opportunity in Canadian history, with the rise of the Conservative Party of Canada and conservatism to an equal level with liberalism in political circles to promote our cause, not to attack and invoke justice for every wrong that has been committed against us for the past thirty years. That just turns Canadians off, especially independents, and encourages people to buy into the liberal stereotype that Conservatives can’t be trusted because they are simply angry people, seeking justice for themselves and they don’t actual care about you. Which as a conservative I know that is not true.
It really boils down to this, If we as conservatives believe that we are correct in what we believe, in the values and principles that we stand for, then all we need to do is promote them and calmly argue for their validity. People aren’t stupid, they will make their own decisions and are quite capable at doing so (which by the way is at the heart of conservatism). So yes, let’s be passionate about what we believe, but to put ourselves at a disadvantage by clouding our own arguments in anger all the time is not only dumb, but also not conservative in any way shape or form.
It’s bad enough when you lose the game, but to lose because you beat yourself that’s the worst way to go.
As always let me know what you think in the comments section below.
- Corey S.
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