Sunday, April 01, 2012

Sting Like A Bee


Let's keep it real, you could probably count on one hand those that actually thought Justin Trudeau stood a chance in his charity bout against Senator Brazeau. Just a boxing match, offensive to many, but in the final analysis the outcome is not without consequence.

In one evening, Trudeau has managed to obliterate all the stereotypical notions that surround him. The silver spooned prince, born of privilege and entitlement, forever within the long shadow of his father, there was always an element of the man that people didn't quite take seriously. There are many people who hate Justin Trudeau, and much of the loathing is based on what they perceive he represents, rather than observations about his true character. In a shocking performance, Trudeau defied the odds and will now benefit from a newfound respect that will forever change the way he is viewed, make NO mistake about it.

Sport is always fickle, and it is true Trudeau was one punch away from losing in the first round. However, that acknowledgement is irrelevant, Trudeau persevered, he countered, he excelled, he showed real GRIT, he kicked ass in a primal way and no matter your opinion of the sport, he is a more formidable political force because of it. The kid who grow up in the closest thing Canada has had to its own "royal family", went behind the schoolyard and won the fight, leaving his detractors in shambles, all the preconceptions utterly destroyed. Again, in terms of image moving forward, last night is not without consequence.

Time will tell what a charity boxing match means to Canadian politics, but Brazeau's black eye this morning, at the hands of the critics who called him "Justine", translates to a recalibration, at least on the perception front. Justin Trudeau is a bad ass....

12 comments:

Omar said...

Apparently one of the first things Sonny Liston noted upon entering the ring for the first time against a young Cassius Clay was, "Just how big he was". I would imagine after that first round, Senator Big Mouth, noted the same thing. This win is huge and I believe a political game changer, in one form or another. I also think Justin Trudeau never doubted he would win. Who does THAT self–assuredness remind you of? This is the best I've felt about my country in quite sometime. Amazing what a little victory in a barbarian sport can do, eh?

Steve V said...

The best part, all the wingers who despise the guy are in full stunned mode this morning! LOVE IT.

liberal supporter said...

Yes, that sound you hear is megabytes of sneering sniggering posts being flushed, unpublished, all over BT land.

Omar you are correct. I doubt we'll ever hear smirking about "Dauphin", or "latte sipping" or "privileged son" again except from the fascist deadenders. It's always nice to see someone named Patrick get his comeuppance, no?

Justin just stepped out of his father's shadow and handed some overconfident righty his ass.

Steve V said...

No more "lightweight" comments.

Jerry Prager said...

A great moment for Canadian democracy.

DavidA said...

Stamina will always win out in a fight, I think. Who knew Justin had it in him?

Also, you'd think beating the shit out of a senator would be more popular over here, but there's a lot of ridiculous tribalism in politics.

JimmE said...

Invention triumphs over dogma

sharonapple88 said...

Politics: Part theatre. Part policy.

I do remember reading something a few months back on how Trudeau's political future would be in trouble if he lost. He challenged the Conservatives, so it would have shown poor judgement on his part. Anyway, he won. Good job too.

There were a few Conservative MPs at the fight -- Ambrose, Moore, Poilievre, and Aglukkaq. Hope they enjoyed the show. Especially James Moore. :D

John Twigg said...

I was just about to start writing something on my dailytwigg blog about the fight when I saw a tweet which led me to check this out and it's very much what I was going to say too, and the comments. The only naysayers were those losers with predisposed conclusions. Yes IMO too this was a major game-changer. For example, now Justin can run for leader in his own right, or talk of electoral arrangements in his own right, or revive the Liberals in his own image, etc. / John Twigg

Judith said...

If I were Justin's publicist I would have said to him "Justin, this country needs a champion. Go out there and find yourself a big Conservative bruiser and lay a public whuppin' on him. It will be just what the people need to see, that there is fight yet in the Liberal party. And to boot, you will step out of your father's shadow and become your own man."
You would've thought that the Conservatives would take pause to wonder why on earth Justin was going around asking for a public humiliation. They didn't calculate that he had to have been pretty sure of his own prowess to lay down the challenge in the first place. Of course they didn't take him seriously; hey, it's just Justin, Pierre Trudeau's little-too-flamboyant drama-teacher son. Right? Wrong. You can be sure that in some primitive part of the human brain that still remembers the tribe being led by the alpha male who would be regularly challenged for his leadership Brazeau stands for Harper. Justin has just become a contender.

Steve V said...

The optics of the Senator walking around with a black eye and getting his impressive mane cut, pure gold for Trudeau.

900ft Jesus said...

I’m one of the few who believed Trudeau had a very good chance of winning. I was married to a martial artist – a good one, and I trained for a few years myself. It is very difficult to switch fighting styles if you have been training in one for quite awhile. Trudeau is an amateur boxer, so in a boxing match, that would be a big advantage since in an actual fight with things moving fast and adrenaline flowing, it’s the old style threatens to surface and slows you down.

As anyone who watched the fight could see, three inch height difference makes a big difference especially if the shorter guy is not very fast. I didn’t think Brazeau was fast. He doesn’t look light on his feet. That would also cause him to tire quickly.
And another big reason I thought Trudeau could very likely win is because Brazeau was so sure he would massacre Justin. Based on what little I know of brazeau, I figured he wouldn’t train as hard as he should because he greatly underestimated Trudeau and was so convinced of his own ability to easily wipe out a softie. You could see the shock in his face during the fight as he realized he’d made a mistake.

So barring a lucky, very powerful punch to the head by brazeau very early on in the fight, Trudeau had the better chance.

Anyway, I am just so damn happy we won’t have to listen to the CONs boast and brag in their petty manner all week in the House. I especially loved seeing Ezra eat his words.
This win has been very good for Trudeau. Nutters will still hate him – maybe even more because he again shines, but overall I think this has helped his image in the public’s eye for reasons Steve V. Explained so well.