Canada and the World, Ep. 28: Talking ‘shit’ in politics

A new podcast series from OpenCanada.org and the Balsillie School of International Affairs

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15 February, 2019

https://soundcloud.com/canada-world/talking-shit-in-politics

After the use of the word “motherfucker” by US Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib against President Donald Trump earlier this year, podcast host Bessma Momani asks her guests to leave their politeness at the door and help listeners understand when dropping an f-bomb or two matters in politics. From Trump’s reference to “shithole” countries to spats between Lyndon B. Johnson and Lester B. Pearson to a memorable outburst from Stephen Harper, this week’s guests break down moments in history that stand out and the context that matters when evaluating the usage of swearing in political discourse. It’s an episode you won’t want to miss.

Our host

Bessma Momani is professor at the Balsillie School of International Affairs and University of Waterloo and a senior fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation. She’s also a non-resident senior fellow at the Stimson Center in Washington, D.C. and a Fulbright Scholar. She has been non-resident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. and a 2015 Fellow at the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation. She’s a frequent analyst and expert on international affairs in Canadian and global media.

This week’s guests

Aaron Ettinger is an associate professor at the University of Waterloo, specializing in international relations and US foreign policy. Aaron has published on US and Canadian foreign policy, and the private military industry. His current research project focuses on continuity and change in US foreign policy since 2001 and its implications for world order.

Emma Dreher is a Ph.D. candidate at Syracuse University. Emma is a graduate of the Balsillie School of International Affairs where she earned her Master’s in International Public Policy. Her current research interests centre on the politics of US policymaking and the policy implications of (new) media polarization within contemporary politics.

Christopher Bennett is a lecturer at the University of Waterloo. His research interests cover a wide range of topics in political theory, climate ethics and the history of ideas.

Canada and the World is produced and edited by Matthew Markudis. Each episode can be found on iTunes and other podcast applications.

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Journalism in Canada has suffered a devastating decline over the last two decades. Dozens of newspapers and outlets have shuttered. Remaining newsrooms are smaller. Nowhere is this erosion more acute than in the coverage of foreign policy and international news. It’s expensive, and Canadians, oceans away from most international upheavals, pay the outside world comparatively little attention.

At Open Canada, we believe this must change. If anything, the pandemic has taught us we can’t afford to ignore the changing world. What’s more, we believe, most Canadians don’t want to. Many of us, after all, come from somewhere else and have connections that reach around the world.

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