Slogans

We’re about to have a federal election in Canada and we are going to hear a lot of them. “Governor” will no longer be around but the “51st State” has had recent attention both from Timothy Snyder and Thomas Homer Dixon – thoughtful writers and thinkers I am always eager to read. They take the threat seriously.

I was amused to have a flyer from my federal member of parliament come through the door with the slogan “Axe the Tax” on the very day that the Conservative party’sleader announced the cancellation of that same tax on carbon. Now we have a new slogan from Mr. Poilievre. It’s “More boots less suits,” referring to training of trade workers, as reported by CBC news. Such training is obviously a good thing - but should the slogan contain be “less” or “fewer”? Fewer might be more accurate but it has less zing.

I wonder about slogans. For starters, why do the idea folks that the Conservatives employ to develop their communication strategies like rhymes so much? Yes, they may be easier to remember. I wondered how long “axe” had been used as a verb and Merriam Webster says since 1674 – in the sense of “to shape, dress or trim” - so it isn’t as trendy as I thought. What is true though, is that cutting with an axe is somewhat violent. It’s much more charged that a word like “discontinue” – and I find the frequently implied violence concerning, along with the nicknames by the Conservative leader that are imitating someone else we know.. It’s a reminder of the amount of “slashing” going on to the south of us, celebrated with the image of a chain saw.

“More boots less suits” has a similar emotional charge. A re-elected premier and a new prime minister both appeared yesterday in suits – with sombre good reasons, since they were meeting to discuss the greatest challenge to our sovereignty in my life time. These were leaders dressed for the part. We do need both boots and suits to meet our current challenges. Neither of these has a franchise on either intelligence or experience.

And then there are the “Canada” slogans. “Canada Strong.” I find it straightforward, if not very catchy. It meets the moment as a reminder that we have to be both confident and disciplined. “Canada First” has cropped up again too. Anyone thinking that is a good slogan lacks knowledge of American history before the second world war – or the current situation of who wants to be first no matter what.

I’m not looking forward to violent language in the coming campaign. To hear it defended that it is used because it works, says more about all of us than we are prepared to admit. It’s easy to fall into violent thinking about others until it comes for us.