“The interesting thing about the Conservatives I think is the frequency with which they project their own deepest fears about themselves onto other people. You know, they accuse the opposition of being poor financial managers, yet they have the biggest deficits in Canadian history.”
Let me preface this by saying that I am aligned with no particular political party. Even so, I think the allegations put forth by Don Davies are applicable not only to the Conservative Party of Canada, but to many politicians from many parties from many countries around the world.
Considering that I majored in Psychology in university, the Jungian analysis of Davies is particularly compelling for me. You see countless attack ads on television where the candidates are saying their opponents are bad for one reason or another. There is a lot of finger-pointing, but the same finger-pointing could be just as valid if you put a mirror in front of these people.
It’s no wonder that voter apathy is an increasingly prominent problem. I still intend on exercising my democratic right to vote, but it’s easy to grow disenchanted with their false promises. It wouldn’t be fair to paint all politicians with this same brush, of course, but this is still a poignant observation.
And you can see this Carl Jung-style “projection” outside of politics all the time too. You call someone else insecure, because you yourself are insecure. You say someone is too caught up in their looks when it might be you who is spending too much time in front of the mirror.
The above quote from the NDP candidate comes from the video embedded below. It was shot during the Vaisakhi parade in South Vancouver a short while back. Naturally, Davies took the opportunity to shake a few hands and kiss a few babies.
I agree to a point with the quote. Conservatives prey on the fears of the working class. They use the world is falling approach all the time. It’s called the fire and brimstone preaching method of compliance.