About a year into his tenure as Conservative Leader I joked that Pierre acts like he’s trying to advertise his future as a podcaster rather than trying to pitch his potential as Prime Minister but nowadays I do wonder if that actually might be the case
Very well observed. We have an outrage machine in full swing on the UK at present which threatens to steer us off course because writing about it is much more fun than reporting boring quiet achievements.
I am now 83 and had a professional career writing reports on property, expert witness statements and huge amounts of correspondence dictated via my secretaries. That means I knew it was not what could be said, but how I said it that mattered. It was even sometimes possible to use the same facts to give opposite opinions. My children and grandchildren are now using AI to guide or "improve" their writing. Having listened to them request of AI that an essay should be given a new slant and out it comes in a few seconds. That seriously worries me because there is no check on content and the users are losing the skills to verify what is sent out. If I had done that, my clients would assume my experience was good to trust and pay my fee, right or wrong. Professional insurance could become even more expensive than it is already. Also, why would one AI based report be worth more than another just because it has a more senior person signing it? Rage misdirection is bound to creep into AI unless the data input is 100 percent correct and how will it automatically update as tes change without more human input? AI could be setting us up for a huge and dangerous dumbing down. We appear to be racing down the road to full manipulation by a few super-rich individuals or corporations. A virtual return to medieval dictatorship or monarchy or theocracy. I sincerely hope our children are bright enough to stop that drift.
Every test done to date onEVERY AI system show they are completely wrong 75% of the time and there is NO way to stop the hallucinations AI has. As the systems currently sit they are virtually useless in almost every capacity they have been tried in. They are THE most expensive idea ever and they are virtually useless. As the Father of AI said they are just faster, better built computers with more information. They are not going to change the world.
AI is neither the miracle its biggest fans claim nor the disaster its biggest critics predict.
What I do know is that I've written more articles, done more research, and learned more in the past two years using AI... than I could have managed on my own.
I think that right wing playbook, that was used to bring down Keir Starmwr is being used here as well to attack Carney. And if course a lie can be around the world twice before the truth gets its boots on (Thank you Sir Terry Pratchett) so the lies will be spread before they can be countered with the facts.
This is a very good and objective article, Fred. Yes, outrage politics is now ever present on the Canadian scene. And our country like so many others face misinformation, disinformation and increasingly polarized outlooks.
Canadians, as you say, must be sceptical of all social media, AI generated falsehoods. And vote accordingly at subsequent elections to the successes or failures that governments have “achieved”.
As usual you are right Fred. I have seen so much nonsense online these days that is just not true. And Canada deserves better. We need our media to weed out the bs or even explain why it’s bs. And now with the Conservatives constantly on the attack and using AI to create commercials it is even worse. We all need to use Critical Thinking and do some research before we form our opinions. Hell, Google it!!!
That is because the conservatives have nothing to offer. They do not offer any policy choices or alternatives. They are just relying on the feeble minded to express outrage before they think. They are just rodents following the leader unquestionably
Brian, you are correct. In fact, across this country, 'Conservatives' are no longer recognizable. They are a new brand called 'Populists' and very grievance focussed. No ideas/policy to offer the country or province as the case may be - just grievance on the most bizarre, obscure things - like picking on Trans folks - less than 1% of the population.
Currently, 'Conservatives' are not the sharpest knife-in-the-drawer just the loudest.
What is occurring in almost every country on Social Media is designed to create chaos and distrust
People appear to have lost the minimal critical thinking skills they had prior to SM.
SM has made the population lazy in their thinking
The people of the world need to reflect on what they are being fed by Social Media and ask “why is it being published”? “How can this benefit me and my community?”
If you can’t find an obvious answer to either of these questions - you must stop engaging with them and their authors & highlighters.
Context matters. Chasing the outrage as the CBC is prone to do is equally disturbing. Giving oxygen to the outrage is not balanced reporting and also promotes division. Mainstream media needs to do some serious navel gazing.
Very well administered Fred! PP, in my opinion, is a mental case like his orange hero! He is ripping our PM apart for $200,000.00 spending, for many things, yet, he spends well over a million in travels, luxury, while living in a mansion of 19 freakin rooms that he feels entitled to & is maintained by tax payers, while the PM's accommodations are far less comfortable than PP's! He whines constantly like a spoiled brat that most of us loathe! He isn't endearing himself to anyone! I feel sorry for his family having to listen to this negativity 24/7. His wife must be a saint, I woulda flushed him down a toilet years ago LOL
You are so right Fred- can admit that at 70 have always had a curious mind, always hesitant to fully trust that what I am reading is fact based. Was almost fun at first to read various perspectives on the same topic/event . But a few years ago the frustration/concern for the amount of click bait disinformation began to set in. It created anxiety and a lot of sadness that our communities were falling victim to the rage baiting. I joined Substack 2 months ago and found solid, grounded journalism like yours. Am so grateful to read articles, relaxed, with my curiosity back to being in a safe place
About a year into his tenure as Conservative Leader I joked that Pierre acts like he’s trying to advertise his future as a podcaster rather than trying to pitch his potential as Prime Minister but nowadays I do wonder if that actually might be the case
Leadership is about building support Kyle.
Influencing is about harvesting outrage.
Sometimes those two things can look very different.
Very prescient Kyle. Loved the way you framed it.
Very well observed. We have an outrage machine in full swing on the UK at present which threatens to steer us off course because writing about it is much more fun than reporting boring quiet achievements.
I think that's the real danger Richard.
Citizens become experts on every outrage and completely miss the achievements, failures, and policy decisions that actually affect their lives.
Politics becomes entertainment instead of governance.
I am now 83 and had a professional career writing reports on property, expert witness statements and huge amounts of correspondence dictated via my secretaries. That means I knew it was not what could be said, but how I said it that mattered. It was even sometimes possible to use the same facts to give opposite opinions. My children and grandchildren are now using AI to guide or "improve" their writing. Having listened to them request of AI that an essay should be given a new slant and out it comes in a few seconds. That seriously worries me because there is no check on content and the users are losing the skills to verify what is sent out. If I had done that, my clients would assume my experience was good to trust and pay my fee, right or wrong. Professional insurance could become even more expensive than it is already. Also, why would one AI based report be worth more than another just because it has a more senior person signing it? Rage misdirection is bound to creep into AI unless the data input is 100 percent correct and how will it automatically update as tes change without more human input? AI could be setting us up for a huge and dangerous dumbing down. We appear to be racing down the road to full manipulation by a few super-rich individuals or corporations. A virtual return to medieval dictatorship or monarchy or theocracy. I sincerely hope our children are bright enough to stop that drift.
Richard, that's exactly why I view AI as a tool, not an authority.
A calculator doesn't make someone a mathematician and AI doesn't make someone a thinker.
The value still comes from the human asking the questions, checking the facts, and applying judgment.
If people stop doing those things, we'll have a lot more information and a lot less wisdom.
That's the part that concerns me too.
Every test done to date onEVERY AI system show they are completely wrong 75% of the time and there is NO way to stop the hallucinations AI has. As the systems currently sit they are virtually useless in almost every capacity they have been tried in. They are THE most expensive idea ever and they are virtually useless. As the Father of AI said they are just faster, better built computers with more information. They are not going to change the world.
Alexis, I think we're still in the early innings.
AI is neither the miracle its biggest fans claim nor the disaster its biggest critics predict.
What I do know is that I've written more articles, done more research, and learned more in the past two years using AI... than I could have managed on my own.
The tool matters.
The human using it matters even more.
Very well said sir! Thank you.
I think that right wing playbook, that was used to bring down Keir Starmwr is being used here as well to attack Carney. And if course a lie can be around the world twice before the truth gets its boots on (Thank you Sir Terry Pratchett) so the lies will be spread before they can be countered with the facts.
Well said, Keith.
Social media has turned speed into an advantage and accuracy into an afterthought.
A false claim can reach millions before the first fact-check is written.
That's exactly why Canadians need to slow down, ask questions, and resist the urge to share first and verify later.🍁
'PP' is a phony sham of a man and deserved to lose his seat. The Conservatives made a huge error in judgement by letting him take someone else's seat.
Losing an election is one thing Susan.
Losing your own seat while leading the party is usually a pretty strong message from voters.
The question is whether anyone is listening.
I'd say nobody in the Conservative party was listening
This is a very good and objective article, Fred. Yes, outrage politics is now ever present on the Canadian scene. And our country like so many others face misinformation, disinformation and increasingly polarized outlooks.
Canadians, as you say, must be sceptical of all social media, AI generated falsehoods. And vote accordingly at subsequent elections to the successes or failures that governments have “achieved”.
Well said, Scott.
The challenge today isn't a shortage of information.
It's a shortage of context.
We're bombarded with headlines, clips, memes, and outrage 24 hours a day.
Somewhere in all that noise, we still need to evaluate governments based on what they actually accomplish rather than what happens to be trending.
As usual you are right Fred. I have seen so much nonsense online these days that is just not true. And Canada deserves better. We need our media to weed out the bs or even explain why it’s bs. And now with the Conservatives constantly on the attack and using AI to create commercials it is even worse. We all need to use Critical Thinking and do some research before we form our opinions. Hell, Google it!!!
Thanks, Shelagh.
The irony is that we have more information available than any generation before us, yet finding the truth often requires more work.
That's why I keep coming back to the same idea... slow down, check the facts, and don't let outrage do your thinking for you.
That is because the conservatives have nothing to offer. They do not offer any policy choices or alternatives. They are just relying on the feeble minded to express outrage before they think. They are just rodents following the leader unquestionably
I don't worry about Canadians asking tough questions.
I worry when politics becomes all questions and no answers.
At some point every party has to explain not just what it's against, but what it's for.
Brian, you are correct. In fact, across this country, 'Conservatives' are no longer recognizable. They are a new brand called 'Populists' and very grievance focussed. No ideas/policy to offer the country or province as the case may be - just grievance on the most bizarre, obscure things - like picking on Trans folks - less than 1% of the population.
Currently, 'Conservatives' are not the sharpest knife-in-the-drawer just the loudest.
This is a great reflective read, Fred Ferguson
What is occurring in almost every country on Social Media is designed to create chaos and distrust
People appear to have lost the minimal critical thinking skills they had prior to SM.
SM has made the population lazy in their thinking
The people of the world need to reflect on what they are being fed by Social Media and ask “why is it being published”? “How can this benefit me and my community?”
If you can’t find an obvious answer to either of these questions - you must stop engaging with them and their authors & highlighters.
Thank you, Deirdre.
Curiosity used to lead people to ask, "Is this true?"
Today we also need to ask, "Why is this being pushed in front of me?"
That's not cynicism.
That's digital self-defence in 2026.
Too true!
Context matters. Chasing the outrage as the CBC is prone to do is equally disturbing. Giving oxygen to the outrage is not balanced reporting and also promotes division. Mainstream media needs to do some serious navel gazing.
I think that's a fair criticism, Larry.
The media's job isn't just to report what was said.
It's to help people understand what it means, whether it's accurate, and what context is missing.
Without that, outrage gets a free ride and facts end up sitting in the back seat.
Very well administered Fred! PP, in my opinion, is a mental case like his orange hero! He is ripping our PM apart for $200,000.00 spending, for many things, yet, he spends well over a million in travels, luxury, while living in a mansion of 19 freakin rooms that he feels entitled to & is maintained by tax payers, while the PM's accommodations are far less comfortable than PP's! He whines constantly like a spoiled brat that most of us loathe! He isn't endearing himself to anyone! I feel sorry for his family having to listen to this negativity 24/7. His wife must be a saint, I woulda flushed him down a toilet years ago LOL
Thanks, Patsy.
I've reached the age where constant outrage just makes me suspicious.
Whenever I see a headline designed to make my blood pressure rise, my first question is...
"What part of the story am I not being told?" 🇨🇦🍁
Exactly, there's plenty amiss in cases like that!
I agree with you, Patsy.
I couldn't imagine hearing that screeching voice not even 2 minutes,
never mind 24/7.
His wife must be a saint indeed.
Haha, exactly Carol-Ann!
Well said Fred, critical thinking and bot checking
Thanks, Audrey.
Verify the facts.
Verify the source.
And sometimes verify there's an actual human on the other end.
Welcome to 2026. 🇨🇦🍁
You are so right Fred- can admit that at 70 have always had a curious mind, always hesitant to fully trust that what I am reading is fact based. Was almost fun at first to read various perspectives on the same topic/event . But a few years ago the frustration/concern for the amount of click bait disinformation began to set in. It created anxiety and a lot of sadness that our communities were falling victim to the rage baiting. I joined Substack 2 months ago and found solid, grounded journalism like yours. Am so grateful to read articles, relaxed, with my curiosity back to being in a safe place
Thank you, Shelley.
I think a lot of us feel that same fatigue.
There was a time when exploring different viewpoints felt educational.
Today it often feels like navigating a minefield of outrage and misinformation.
If GeezerWise can be a place where curiosity wins over anger, then we're doing something worthwhile.
Glad you're here.
So well presented Fred. Don’t know how you keep doing it but greatly appreciate it.