All politicians should be held responsible for the actions they take both before and while they are in office. How should the public respond when those chosen to run governments and lead nations have their problematic pasts exposed?
This question came up again last week regarding Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
On Wednesday, pictures arose of Trudeau wearing brownface makeup back in the early 2000s. He apologized almost as soon as the story broke, while at the same time admitting that he had also worn blackface back in high school. Since then, more instances of Trudeau wearing blackface have emerged and no one seems to know how many more will follow.
Similar revelations about other politicians have emerged throughout the past year. Governor Ralph Northam of Virginia was caught up in a scandal surrounding a racist picture in his college yearbook. Joe Biden seemed to brag about working with segregationists while in the U.S. Senate.
Now Trudeau is under the same scrutiny. How should we, the people, respond? What action should be taken? These are questions that, in this case, I do not have concrete answers for.
Trudeau’s message as prime minister has been anything but racist. He has championed inclusion and acceptance. He is one of the most renowned liberal leaders in the world, a young and charismatic figure who is seen as Canada’s future.
I have struggled with how to react to the recent news surrounding Trudeau. His past actions were clearly wrong. Brownface and blackface have clear racial undertones and Trudeau should have known better. The fact that he didn’t says a lot about our society.
I have always been taught to not judge people by who they once were, but instead on who they are now. All people make mistakes and all people can learn from their mistakes. I believe that Trudeau now realizes the history of blackface and why it has no place in today’s society.
Regardless, I am not in a position to state whether or not Trudeau should have to face political consequences for what he did. As a white male, the racial undertones of brownface and blackface are not directed at me. No group has the authority to tell others how to think about a certain situation when they themselves are not the ones who have been impacted by the history surrounding it.
If Trudeau were to be removed as leader of the Canadian Liberal Party, however, it’s implications would have global consequences. Other than changing the face of Canadian politics, Trudeau has altered Canada’s place on the global stage and their policies on trade, immigration, and climate change greatly influence the rest of the world. Without him in power, no one knows how Canada’s policies will change.
While this scandal has challenged my views on global politics, one thing I do fully realize is that politicians need to stop trying to use scandals in order to make political gains. As soon as the story about Trudeau broke, other Canadian political parties came out to say that he was unfit to lead. It is clear they were just looking to make headway going into Canada’s federal elections next month.
This phenomena has become more prevalent in the Trump era. One of Trump’s favorite slogans in the 2016 election, “Crooked Hillary,” was based in Hillary Clinton’s email scandal while she was the Secretary of State. Some would argue that it was Trump’s continuous mentions of the scandal that won him the presidency.
We live in a world which is quick to blame, a world where it seems like forgiveness is something which no longer applies. We also live in a world that is quick to forget. Instead of trying to push our own agendas and block out others, we need to begin to listen and learn from each other in order to become more educated.
If Trudeau had just listened and been more historically educated, he probably wouldn’t have worn blackface in the first place.
If you examine Trudeau’s record on Indigenous rights, and his treatment of women who spoke up against corrupt practices in his government, then his liberalism begins to appear very performative/fake. This isn’t too much of a surprise, to be frank.