Reaching The Other Side
Another Step Towards an Enlightened Future.
My concern over the state of political discourse in Canada and abroad began in 2012 while working adjacent to a university campus in downtown Toronto. In addition to the progression of postmodern philosophy infecting the student body and faculty as though someone turned on a light switch, I observed the prevalence of binary thinking and framing for nearly every political issue. Whether it is on the topics of gun rights, free-market capitalism, abortion, or what we now call gender theory, it appears that these artificial political issues have been deliberately constructed with the intent of categorizing people exclusively into voting blocks. This strategy is best described as identity politics enacted by political party strategists, and I encountered it firsthand a few years later when I became a Conservative Party of Canada candidate in 2015.
All of us possess political viewpoints that may change and evolve over time, at least that is what I believe used to be the case. This transformation often stems from interactions with individuals holding differing political perspectives, which compel us to continuously challenge our convictions and subject ourselves to scrutiny with new information. This is essential because it allows us to refine a skill that now appears to be lacking in our world of political tribalism. This skill is the ability to discern and expose fake news, nonsense, or false arguments on our side of the political or philosophical spectrum, in this case, Conservatives.
That's why I was thrilled to appear as a guest on Triggernometry while I was in England. The hosts of Triggernometry, Konstantin Kisin and Francis Foster, would describe themselves as more liberal but not radical. Given Konstantin's background in the Soviet Union and Francis being Venezuelan, they are far more vehemently opposed to and confrontational with communists and similar woke philosophies like collectivism that even some "conservatives" seem to harbour. Some conservatives tend to fall into the trap of a lazy moral equivalency argument, saying, "Well, there are two sides to every story." However, I firmly believe that communism and tangentially related ideologies must be resolutely challenged in every conceivable way. Failing to do so allows for the proliferation of a kind of philosophical malignancy we witness spreading across university campuses throughout the West.
This is also why I often refrain from demonizing the philosophical term "liberal" when describing our political opposition. This practice is frequent among captured alternative news sources that are beholden to political parties or whomever writes this weeks substantial donation cheque. When we demonize reasonable individuals who may be considered politically centrist and agree with us on a variety of issues, we inadvertently empower progressives and veiled communists. Painting all liberals all with the same brush enables the extremists within their ranks to capitalize on this divisiveness, ultimately leading to the rise of extremist politicians like part-time Blackface enthusiast Justin Trudeau masquerading as Prime Minister.
While it's fair to categorize Konstantin and Francis as more liberal than many on this list, they align with the core principles of freedom. They have been staunch advocates for the right to choose regarding those of us apposed to COVID mandates and ArriveCan and the right to freedom speech to openly critique government narrative surrounding COVID. We were all skeptical, given the ever-changing narrative, which somehow consistently concluded with "safe and effective" without substantial evidence. This alignment of principles is also why Konstanin ad Francis strongly supported the Freedom Convoy.
As Classical Liberals who aligns with the principles of freedom, the represent the target audience for the Peace Love and Freedom messaging of the Freedom Convoy, and rightfully so. There's no point in preaching to the choir, which brings me to a recurring issue I observe in messaging from those with a more objective perspective. Conservative movements, Jewish communities advocating for Israel, and Bitcoin enthusiasts all tend to make similar recurring mistakes:
They fall into the opposition's framework.
They attempt to sway people through presenting facts that are quickly ignored.
They tend to preach to their own supporters exclusively.
They often use absolutist language.
Regarding point number 4, there are instances where an absolute statements may be factually correct, but not persuasive to those lacking full context.
However, there is reason for optimism. The era of being unable to engage with the other side due to excessive hostility is drawing to a close and will do so over time. Bitcoin has played a significant role in bringing this change about. It has provided a platform for individuals across the entire political spectrum who share a commitment to the principles of freedom and a desire to engage with those they may disagree with. This is precisely why I was excited to appear on Triggernometry, on my recent trip to the England currently at 320k views--a significant audience for their platform at the time.
It appears that this strategy has been effective. Since my appearance on Triggernometry, I've had numerous individuals with classical liberal leanings reach out to me. They've joined my Discord, sent me supportive direct messages (DMs), and expressed their support for Freedom Convoy. For some conservatives, there's an additional benefit to looking beyond our political echo chambers. As one supporter noted after watching the interview with Konstantin and Francis, "I now understand why BJ wouldn't let the anti-vax & political groups co-opt the messaging for the Freedom Convoy.” He now understand how I was trying to reach the other side which is what led to me communicating with Liberal MP’s who are privacy fed up with their own Blackface regime divisive politics.
Since I began publicly advocating for Bitcoin after the trucker convoy, to explain to the world how Bitcoin served as the sole online donation method to get money directly to our truckers during the Freedom Convoy, I've received love and support from a diverse group of individuals with varying political opinions within various Bitcoin communities. In various Twitter spaces, interviews, and conversations, I've emphasized that, aside from providing us with the opportunity for financial sovereignty, Bitcoin has also become a platform that enables people from across the political spectrum -- be it left or right, libertarian or social conservatives -- to engage with one another in a non-adversarial way because of our common beliefs in freedom and autonomy.
Furthermore, I've had the privilege of meeting influential and brilliant minds in both Bitcoin and the traditional financial sector who have transitioned into the realm of Bitcoin. Tech entrepreneurs like Mark Jeftovic publisher of “The Bitcoin Capitalist” newsletter is one of many examples and has written about me for Zerohedge. The two convoys: #FreedomConvoy and Political Convoy
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The Freedom Convoy and Bitcoin aim to revive the principles of Western values as they relate to freedom and individualism. These values have faced dramatic erosion due to the infiltration of authoritarian ideologies with alien values, postmodern philosophy and collectivist views that stand in opposition to the principles of respect, freedom, and individualism. While Bitcoin's core ethos revolves around self-sovereignty, there is a concern that those with these opposing values might attempt to co-opt Bitcoin, just as similar political entities co-opted the Freedom Convoy. While all Bitcoin enthusiasts understand the technical and mathematical impossibility of co-opting a decentralized protocol, the real danger lies in the potential reputational damage that could be used to demonize Bitcoin in a targeted smear campaign, something I am all I am intimately familiar with.
A growing majority of individuals from diverse political and philosophical backgrounds are becoming increasingly alarmed by the continuous encroachment of authoritarianism and centralized control. The Freedom Convoy emerged as a response to this trend. As I continue to advocate for the legacy of the Freedom Convoy across the political spectrum, there are those entrenched in the political establishment working to delegitimized and suppress its legacy in order to maintain centralized political control to protect their respective political parties. I will discuss more of that in a further substack.
Presently, we are presented with a rare opportunity, amplified by the tragic events involving Israel to reach the other side and make them aware of the anti-western philosophical world views many of them have embraced. Much like the unification and positive messaging that surrounded the Freedom Convoy, which allows me to reach individuals on the other side, the recent events in Israel have jolted a significant portion of classical liberals out of the collective indoctrination related to concepts like Diversity Equity & Inclusion laws and other ideologies tangentially connected to communist values. Perhaps it’s time to drop the pejorative labels in used by the political class to attack one another and understand and accept our differences in philosophy and focus on our similarities. We can avoid closing the door on those who seek answers and instead strive to persuade them to share the concerns many of us have been expressing for years. Friends like Konstantin and Francis will play crucial roles in bridging this divide.
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Check out Mark Jeftovic “The Bitcoin Capitalist” in his recent interview interview on the Canadian Bitcoiners podcast.