Men and Tariffs
"When you know bro won't have your back" politics
If you dear reader don’t already know, I am from Canada. I came here when I was 7 years old and have lived here all my life. Technically my country of origin is from South America, but spiritually I’m pretty Canadian. If I go back to South America I would be rightly called a “gringo.” Which is fine, it’s kind of true. I was raised here, my family is here, my life is here. I can’t fight it.
Usually I don’t get patriotic, Canada Day is just a chance to go hang out in the middle of summer for me. I sometimes question the whole culture of Canada, when I ask people and myself what makes Canada different or unique to other countries, most people will respond a mix of “politeness”, “hockey”, and that we’re not the US even though we share a lot of similarities. I learned a lot about Canadian history during my University days and because of that I cling on to the idea of Canada to one fundamental truism about Canada: We like to sweep things under the rug and ignore them until they’re too big to ignore.
Canadians hate conflict, I also hate conflict. I’m pretty passive, maybe my Canadianism showing. But truly what makes Canada Canada is our penchant to roll over and try to patch something to make it work when it clearly doesn’t. What other country tried to make two nations that absolutely hate each other like the English and French try to co-exist? Every part of Canadian history is a theme of “sweeping things under the rug and ignore them until they are too big.” Canadians are also known to be the more tolerant country. Even though if you live here, it’s more passive aggressiveness than tolerance.
So it’s interesting, fascinating even, seeing the nation not try to sweep something under the rug, or use it’s passive aggressive niceties to fight back Donald Trump’s tariffs. A lot of the rhetoric (outside of Alberta it seems) is very direct, very aggressive, and with a tone of “you cannot push us around.” Almost un-Canadian, maybe even American!
Along with Canada winning the Four Nations Cup of hockey with a goal from Canada’s golden boy Connor McDavid, even I was like “Fucking let’s go Canada.”
But it was so unlike me, and this is so unlike the Canada I know. I wrote a piece recently about the American election that politics has to do with masculinity, and take this post as a part 2 of that conversation. Because this aggressive posturing that Canada is doing, and the response from Canadian people has I think a lot to do with how we look at our politicians. That we want them to be, first and foremost “masculine.”
There have been many explanations as to how tariffs may or may not effect the economy. People are a bit worried as how their bottom line is going to be affected, and with worry and stress and anxiousness comes insecurity.
And think about where this comes from, Donald Trump, the alpha and omega of modern bully politics. He is the modern personification of toxic masculinity. We can try to reason as to why politically he may be doing this but the feeling around it, teh vibes, is this idea of the strong man, the bully who is going to get his way with all his riches.
And bullies when you talk to them face to face will justify their actions through grievance. The feeling of being taken advantage of regardless of their huge privilege. In this case that the US being the richest nation on earth is being take advantage of by other smaller nations.
Bullies also understand this feeling that they can push people around and we’ll get what we want. Anger will win in the end. Chaos is the way. That’s undoubtedly what a bully wants to do, is cause confusion, fear, and disorder. The jabs at Canada, the instability, that’s all part of the plan.
All of this is very obvious from Trump, and it’s the playbook that a lot of populists, specifically right wing populists play. Trump pretty much popularized this for the modern era, and it’s unfiltered toxic masculinity in political form. Of course this is the reason why a lot of men in the US love Trump, they see him as their unfiltered toxic self, the man who just bulldozes his way through the government with reckless abandon. Any interview you read from people who love Trump, you will get some sort of version of this view. This is not new.
But a power move against Canada just seems weird right? Even Joe Rogan was confused.
But if you look at this through the bully mind, of course a trade war with your closest ally, is 100% the bully move that a person who personifies toxic masculinity would do. Political and economical excuses aside, especially for someone who acts on a whim like Trump does, this makes sense. And the whole “51st state” thing that he started as a joke but now it’s becoming a political action, yeah that’s a bully toxic masculinity move. Just think about your bully at high school, and he would 100% make his little joke that worked once on his best friend, his whole persona. Typical.
What is fascinating to me is the pissing contest that ensued afterwards and how people have reacted (including little sickos like myself).
One of the things that has endeared the new Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, is that he’s been seen as the strong confident arm to fight against a bully like Trump. In the middle of a federal election, Carney has been consistent in his message that Canada will be strong against Trump. Politically I have no idea how this would play out, financially less so. But vibes wise? Absolutely it works. And vibes is what people go on in regards who they want their leader to be. Lest we forget that maybe a short few months ago, the Conservatives had a 20 point lead and coasting to a majority win in the election.
This graph shows what the polls looked like from 2019 to now. That blue line is the Conservatives and the red, the Liberals. The Conservatives had a huge gap in the lead for a few years now. But look at that little red spike that starts 2025. That little spike in the end there, that’s when Trump started saying things about how Canada could become the 51st state, which co-incited when Justin Trudeau stepped out as leader of the Liberals, and when Mark Carney won. Astonishingly the Liberals are now leading the polls. My how quickly that has changed, and a lot of it has to do with the perceived weakness or strength the leaders and the parties have to the “bully.” Again this has nothing to do with politics or financial advice. It’s the perception that the Conservative party are only big and tough when it comes to fighting Trudeau and weak puppies when they faced an actual big bad bully like Donald Trump and the US. And like I stated before, this has all to do with how “masculine” we see these leaders. Traditional western masculinity will tell you that you try not to start fights, but you also end them, usually with your fists.
Many “alpha sigma men’s advice” bull crap you see will be along the lines that men have to always be prepared for violence.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford, a conservative mind you, who has lead the charge in his Canada Will Never Relent strategy has looked strong and poised. He knows this the best, he’s always had this vibe that he’s able to push and bully someone if he is threatened. That’s why I think his response has landed very well with people. He looks like a guy who has no problems delivering a punch.
On the other hand, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith whose strategy has consisted of going to the US and shaking hands with people like Ben Shapiro and stresses that trying to go hard against the US is a bad strategy and that we need to be respectful and pleading instead, has looked really weak in comparison. This looks weak, this looks passive, and this looks like when push comes to shove, they rather take their punches than fight back.
The worst thing you can be as a politician leader is weak just like the worst thing as a “masculine man” is weak. See how it parallels. Any guy will tell you the ick when you see your buddy be weak in front of another guy.
You can also look at Federal Conservative leader, Pierre Pollievre, a career politician whose entire policy has seemingly been “Trudeau is bad!” But in regards to his persona, someone whispered in his ear and clearly said “you have to look more ‘manly’.” Because look at this, he looked like a nerd before and now he looks like a guy that’s trying out a style he saw in GQ in 2015.
And you’re telling me masculinity has nothing to do with this election and politics? Politics is ultimately a pissing contest, and masculinity is an expert on pissing contests. This whole trade war, like all wars, are strategic pissing contests. However, vibes wise, the people know what they want. They want the strong smart dad, not the weak one. It’s clear that the people would rather pick “Mean” over “Weak.” And right now Canada needs a win vibes wise. Connor McDavid provided a win after the American team tried to punch their way to victory. And I, a man who thinks about gender and masculinity a lot, still had a chance to say “fuck yeah let’s go!”
I don’t know anything about finance or politics or why fighting against tariffs is good or bad. I don’t! No one has really given a good answer. You know what I’ll direct you to David Moscrop’s newsletter, a smarter man than I am in regards to politics in Canada.
But I do know a bit about sociology and even I felt a bit of national pride when McDavid scored, when Canadians are taking back their Maple Leafs as a symbol from the idiots at the Freedom Convoy.
I’m glad Canada is staring at this economic threat and possibly existential threat head on rather than sweeping it under the rug like we always do, like what Danielle Smith is doing right now.
Even with a learned man like myself I can afford a little “Fuck Yeah Canada!” every once in a while (as a treat).