PM Justin Trudeau Regrets ‘Peoplekind’ remark: "I Made a Dumb Joke"

NOTE FROM DICK: I was equally taken aback and fascinated by Prime Minister Justine Trudeau's introduction of a new word "peoplekind" during a recent town hall meeting. My take on the incident is that he used political correctness to make a very bad joke and quite honestly, because I have a weird sense of humor, it is exactly the same ill-advised thing that I might have done under the circumstances.  I have friends who are down the middle on our Prime Minister...they either love him or hate him and react accordingly. I reproduce the following article by Yonette Joseph of the New York Times because of its balance and fairness, a perfect example of reporting excellence on an awkward incident in controversial media times.  With a better appreciation for what actually transpired and resultant opposing views,  readers can make up their own minds on what to believe.

By YONETTE JOSEPH

LONDON — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada is known for pushing boundaries on how politicians deal with gender and the language surrounding it. And he appeared to have done it again recently when he told a woman she should use “peoplekind” instead of “mankind.”

But on Wednesday, days after video footage of the exchange spurred accusations of sexism, Mr. Trudeau told reporters he had made a "dumb joke."

"You all know that I don't necessarily have the best of track records on jokes."

What was all the fuss about? Here’s a primer: The exchange occurred on Thursday in a town-hall-style meeting in Edmonton, Alberta. The unidentified woman complimented him for recognizing the “ability and power that women actually possess.” Then she said, “Maternal love is the love that’s going to change the future of mankind.”

The prime minister interrupted her: “We like to say ‘peoplekind,’ not necessarily ‘mankind.’ It’s more inclusive.”  The crowd cheered, footage shows.

“We can all learn from each other,” he added, with a beatific smile. But others were not having it.

Christina Sommers, the author of “Who Stole Feminism?” and a resident scholar at American Enterprise Institute, posted on Twitter: “Dear @JustinTrudeau Using the word “mankind” is fine. Publicly embarrassing someone for using it is not.”

Much of the derision came from British, Australian and American commentators, and from the conservative and far-right fringes. They accused Mr. Trudeau of “virtue signaling” and political correctness run amok. A conservative tabloid, The Toronto Sun, accused Mr. Trudeau of “mansplaining” and unfurled footage of what it called the “gaffe-tastic” prime minister’s top three malfunctions.

The American political commentator Ben Shapiro lobbed insults like “idiotic” and “sycophantic.” The Australian conservative commentator Rita Panahi said Mr. Trudeau’s use of “peoplekind” was an attempt to “appease those desperate to find offense where none exists.”  Even Donald Trump Jr., a frequent critic of foreign leaders like Mayor Sadiq Khan of London, jumped into the fray, tweeting: “How dare you just assume somepersons (sic) gender???”

Robyn Urback, a columnist for CBC News, and Michelle Rempel, a Canadian politician, also scolded Mr. Trudeau. On behalf of Parliament, to the woman he interrupted, I apologize for his behaviour. Ps. I’d love for him to try to interrupt me like that. 

In an appearance in Ottawa on Wednesday, Mr. Trudeau acknowledged, “I made a dumb joke a few days ago that seems to have gone a little viral. It played well in the room and in context. Out of context, it doesn’t play so well, and it’s a little reminder to me that I shouldn’t be making jokes even when I think they’re funny.”

Why all the vitriol?...When Mr. Trudeau and his Liberal Party took control of the government in 2015, the scion of a political dynasty was seen as a breath of fresh air. Suddenly, Canada became hip. Young, tall and athletic, he was the emoji politician North America craved. He quickly became one of the world’s most “viral” leaders: A video of him schooling a reporter on quantum computing has been viewed more than 1.8 million times; a photograph of him hugging panda cubs in 2016 set the internet aflame.

His “bromance” with President Barack Obama enhanced the idea that Mr. Trudeau could do little wrong. (Mr. Trudeau’s alternative description for their relationship? “Dude-plomacy.”)

But the Trudeau magic has worn off, and conservative critics accused him of being smug and possibly staging public outings for their viral factor, which his administration strongly denies.

His policies on more substantial issues have also drawn scrutiny. He had to backtrack on what seemed like an open invitation to Syrian refugees during an address to the United Nations amid a surge in migrants fleeing the threat of deportation from the United States.

In Trudeau’s defense: A Washington correspondent for The Toronto Star, Daniel Dale, said that the “pile-on” about “peoplekind” was misleading: Mr. Trudeau had merely been “lightly ribbing a woman who was rambling about the power of women.”

Indeed, the woman herself laughed at the time. “There you go, exactly. Yes, thank you,” she told Mr. Trudeau.

A political analyst Drew Brown, posted a full video of the meeting, which ran for nearly two hours. “After watching the extra three minutes around the clip in question, it seems like this is less a snuff film of ‘common sense’ than it is the prime minister doing a reasonably good job of handling an intensely religious Christian-adjacent heretic,” Mr. Brown wrote. He added, “It’s a good example of the right-wing propaganda pipeline in action.”

The debate comes as Canada has been pushing other gender neutral verbal expressions, including a Senate bill making the national anthem gender neutral. Though Mr. Trudeau wasn’t behind it, he was supportive.

Fans note he is one of the first male leaders to brand himself a feminist. He nominated a woman to the Supreme Court and defended gender and social equality in a recent speech in Davos, Switzerland. His cabinet has an equal number of men and women. In 2016, he announced that a Canadian woman would be the face of the country’s newest bank notes, expected in 2018.

But still, some people can’t seem to let go of “peoplekind.” And that raises a question.
Is ‘peoplekind’ even a word?
No...

But 'humankind' is.