Others thought the prime minister should’ve just found a better way to express himself.
Christina Sommers, the author of “Who Stole Feminism?” and a resident scholar at American Enterprise Institute, posted on Twitter: “Dear @JustinTrudeau Using the word “mankind” is fine. Publicly embarrassing someone for using it is not.”
Robyn Urback, a columnist for CBC News, and Michelle Rempel, a Canadian politician, also scolded Mr. Trudeau.
TFW a man tells you you’re the wrong type of feminist https://t.co/wQ8CkmXwa5
—
Robyn Urback (@RobynUrback)
Feb. 5, 2018
On behalf of Parliament, to the woman he interrupted, I apologize for his behaviour. Ps. I’d love for him to try to interrupt me like that. https://t.co/z9m8ECenEo
—
Michelle Rempel (@MichelleRempel)
Feb. 6, 2018
In an appearance in Ottawa on Wednesday, Mr. Trudeau acknowledged, “I made a dumb joke a few days ago that seems to have gone a little viral.
“It played well in the room and in context. Out of context, it doesn’t play so well, and it’s a little reminder to me that I shouldn’t be making jokes even when I think they’re funny.”
Why all the vitriol?
When Mr. Trudeau and his Liberal Party took control of the government in 2015 in a stunning rout of the Conservatives, the scion of a political dynasty was seen as a breath of fresh air.
Suddenly, Canada became hip. Young, tall and athletic, he was married to a former TV host, Sophie Grégoire. With their three children, they made for a photogenic first family.
Mr. Trudeau was seen as the emoji politician North America craved.
Justin Trudeau on Quantum Computing
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada offered an explanation of quantum computing during a news conference on April 15, in Waterloo, Ontario.
By CBC, via REUTERS on Publish Date April 26, 2016.
Photo by CBC, via Reuters.
Watch in Times Video »
He quickly became one of the world’s most “viral” political leaders. A video of him schooling a reporter on quantum computing has been viewed more than 1.8 million times. A photograph of him hugging panda cubs in 2016 set the internet aflame.
Someone later turned it into a butter sculpture.
Today I had the pleasure to unveil the names of @TheTorontoZoo’s panda cubs! Say hello to Jia Panpan & Jia Yueyue: pic.twitter.com/iFCAlID7bc
—
Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau)
March 7, 2016
His “bromance” with President Barack Obama enhanced the idea that Mr. Trudeau could do little wrong. (Mr. Trudeau’s alternative description for their relationship? “Dude-plomacy.”)
But the Trudeau magic has begun to wear off, and conservative critics accused him of being smug and condescending and possibly staging public outings for their viral factor, which his administration strongly denies.
His policies on more substantial issues have also drawn scrutiny. He had to backtrack on what seemed like an open invitation to Syrian refugees during an address to the United Nations amid a surge in migrants fleeing the threat of deportation from the United States.
In Trudeau’s defense
A Washington correspondent for The Toronto Star, Daniel Dale, said that the “pile-on” about “peoplekind” was misleading and that Mr. Trudeau had merely been “lightly ribbing a woman who was rambling about the power of women.”
Indeed, the woman herself laughed at the time. “There you go, exactly. Yes, thank you,” she told Mr. Trudeau.
The US-right-wing pile-on re Trudeau’s “peoplekind” is pretty misleading.
He was lightly ribbing a woman who was rambling about the power of women, “God the Mother,” and how the world needs womanly love. Fox excluded her response to him: “There you go, exactly. Yes. Thank you.” pic.twitter.com/Wl4QIumWrA—
Daniel Dale (@ddale8)
Feb. 6, 2018
A political columnist for Vice, Drew Brown, posted a full video of the meeting, which ran for nearly two hours.
“After watching the extra three minutes around the clip in question, it seems like this is less a snuff film of ‘common sense’ than it is the prime minister doing a reasonably good job of handling an intensely religious Christian-adjacent heretic,” Mr. Brown wrote.
He added, “It’s a good example of the right-wing propaganda pipeline in action.”
The debate comes as Canada has been pushing other gender neutral verbal expressions, including a Senate bill making the national anthem gender neutral. Though Mr. Trudeau wasn’t behind it, he was supportive.
Fans note he is one of the first male leaders to brand himself a feminist, and he has said that he’s committed to gender equality. He nominated a woman to the Supreme Court and defended gender and social equality in a recent speech in Davos, Switzerland, in which he referred to the movements galvanizing a sea change in gender dynamics.
“MeToo, Time’s Up, the Women’s March — these movements tell us that we need to have a critical discussion on women’s rights, equality and power dynamics of gender,” he said.
His cabinet has an equal number of men and women. In 2016, he announced that a Canadian woman would be the face of the country’s newest bank notes, expected in 2018.
But still, some people can’t seem to let go of “peoplekind.” And that raises a question.
Is ‘peoplekind’ even a word?
No.
No, it is not.
The big thing about Trudeau’s #peoplekind comment is that it’s not a word. It’s not in any dictionary. The man is so painfully politically correct he literally invented a new word just to chew out some woman. But I guess it was also her fault for asking him a question.
—
J.J. McCullough (@JJ_McCullough)
Feb. 6, 2018
Be the first to comment