If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.
It may be an old adage, but it seems one that seems appropriate, especially in this era when any misspeak could haunt a person for the rest of their lives, thanks to the Internet and social media.
Case in point, Peace River – Westlock Liberal candidate, Chris Brown.
About six years ago, Brown made a number of Twitter posts, where he used profanity and defamatory language in reference to women.
Brown has apologized for the comments, attributing them to a personal tragedy.
In 2009, Brown lost his partner in a car accident caused by an impaired driver. He said the loss led to an alcohol dependency problem, which caused a lack of judgment when posting on social media.
He called his remarks inappropriate and that they did not reflect the level of professionalism expected from a person who is running for public office, adding that with the help of friends and family, that dark period in his life has been relegated to the past.
Brown isn’t the only wanna be politician whose social media history has come back to haunt them. Take former Conservative candidate in the riding of Toronto-Danforth, Tim Dutaud. The Conservative Party dumped Dutaud, after a YouTube videos surfaced of him making several prank calls — including one where he pretends to have a mental disability.
Then there’s the case of Shaw Dearn, communications director for NDP leader Tom Mulcair.
In tweets, made two years ago, Dearn took aim at Pope Benedict for saying Britain’s human-rights policy on gay equality violated natural law. The tweet used an offensive expletive in connection with the Pope. For both Brown and Dearn it looks like their prospective party leaders have accepted their apologies and allowed both gentlemen to resume their careers.
These are just a few of the examples in recent memory, where people in political life have put their foot in their proverbial mouths, by making comments via social media, which they regretted later on.
There was a time, in the not so distant past, when a person could do something stupid, hopefully learn something from the experience, and move on with their lives, becoming better people in the process.
As technology becomes more and more pervasive in everyone’s day-to-day lives, it is becoming clear people don’t have that same opportunity.
For Dearn and Brown it looks like their party leaders have given them that second chance. Hopefully, in the future more people will get the same chance.
However, regardless if they do or not, ‘If you don’t have anything nice to say, then don’t say anything at all,’ is good advice and something worth adhering to.
