The Tortured Writers Department

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BC Re-Criminalizes Public Drug Use

The Story: In a dramatic shift, The Premier of BC has asked the Federal Government to re-criminalize public drug use. NDP Premier David Eby, whose government pushed for relaxed drug laws as part of a so-called “harm reduction strategy,” is claiming that this does not represent a failure on the Government’s part and that the goal is still “compassion”. 

Police had been calling for more power to stop public drug use for some time after many public spaces became havens for drug use. BC hospitals began reporting huge increases in drug use, including inside the hospitals themselves. Some reports even stated that hospital staff were told not to stop drug dealers from entering rooms and selling drugs to patients.

BC will still allow drug use on private property and inside so-called “safe consumption sites.”

The Significance: “Compassion” is one of the most misused terms in modern times. It has been used to justify abortion, assisted suicide, prostitution, drug use, and a plethora of other destructive acts, all in the false belief that it is wrong to invite our fellow man to be better. The end result is precisely what one would expect: the destruction of human lives.

We must reject this warping of compassion and instead look to Christ’s example of true compassion. Jesus did not leave the lepers in the dirt, He healed them and ensured they were accepted back into their communities. When faced with an adulterous woman and a mob looking to stone her, He did not condemn her, but called her to conversion and to “sin no more.” His compassion never compromised the truth or left people in their sin. 

If our “compassion” leaves someone in their physical or spiritual destitution—or if it leaves them worse off—it is not virtue: it is merely a clanging cymbal.

Read More: Isaac Lamoureux, True North, “B.C. reverses decriminalization of public drug use amid outcry due to safety concerns”

Taylor Swift’s New Album Tops Canadian Billboard Charts

The Story: Following the debut of Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department, songs by the American artist now occupy nine of the top ten spots on the “Billboard Canadian Hot 100”—the 100 most popular songs in Canada. Once known as a country music artist, Swift’s redevelopment as a pop star has paralleled her meteoric ascent in the popular imagination as a cultural icon and one of the most recognizable names in the world. Swift’s “The Eras Tour,” the highest-grossing concert tour of all-time, has shows scheduled in Toronto and Vancouver later this year. 

The Significance: Taylor Swift’s stunning cultural significance cannot be ignored. Her influence over a generation of young Canadians—young Canadian women in particular—is enormous and contains both positive and negative elements. Positively, Swift should be applauded for largely shunning the hyper-sexualization that many other celebrities have embraced. Moreover, Swift’s music is more conservative than much of the outrageously provocative material available in today’s transgressive culture.

Simply because Taylor Swift is not the worst of her contemporaries, however, does not mean her music should be unquestionably celebrated by thoughtful listeners. As servants of the Lord Jesus Christ, we should always ensure that we dwell upon the things of God: the things that are pure, lovely, and beneficial. When we examine our culture, we must do so through the clear lens of God’s word and not the cloudy window of human experience. Our music consumption is not exempt from this rule. 

From this perspective, we should have some concerns with The Tortured Poets Department. The album contains more f-words (30) than all other Taylor Swift albums combined—including one song which uses the word 18 times. The album’s single, “Fortnight”, appears to glorify adultery. “Guilty as Sin” uses the imagery of Christ’s death and resurrection to extol the alternative “holiness” of a romantic relationship. Finally, the lyrics of “But Daddy I Love Him” derogatorily refer to Christians who are seemingly opposed to one of the narrator’s sexual relationships: 

“I just learned these people only raise you to cage you

Sarahs and Hannahs in their Sunday best

Clutching their pearls, sighing ‘What a mess’

I just learned these people try and save you

… cause they hate you”

Made in the image of God, human beings are fundamentally religious creatures. Even if someone refuses to participate in “organized religion”, their priorities and their speech will betray a commitment to another religion: selfism. Understandably, then, the experiential and self-focused religious framework of the Tortured Poets Department stands in contrast to the Christian Faith—which requires the death of the self in order to gain true life. So no, Taylor, God’s people do not try to save you because they hate you. They want God to save you because they love you.

Read More: Alexandra Ellison, Reformed Perspective, “Taylor Swift’s explicit evolution”

Alberta Law Enforcement Busts Calgary Human Trafficking Ring

The Story: After a year-long investigation prompted by a tip from the public, the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT) has shut down a suspected human trafficking ring, including three “massage parlours” located in Calgary. ALERT seized drugs, a firearm, and over $15,000 in suspected criminal proceeds.

Four victims, believed to be recent immigrants, were rescued and provided with recovery resources.

The Significance: We often view slavery as a relic of the past—an example of a savage time that we have outgrown. Sadly, this is not the case. Slavery, especially sexual slavery, is present in nearly every major city and many smaller communities both in Canada and around the world.

This sexual slavery can have a benign—or even glamourous—facade, as evidenced by the popularity of OnlyFans despite the many cases of human trafficking on it and other pornographic sites. This false appearance has even caused some on opposite sides of the political spectrum to defend the abuse—claiming “empowerment” on the one side and “hustle” on the other. Sadly, alleged human traffickers like Andrew Tate have been given a sympathetic ear by some conservatives, while liberals regularly push for the full legalization of prostitution. 

Thankfully, anti-trafficking resources such as #NotInMyCity are available. We should take the responsibility of learning the signs of trafficking so we can alert police if needed. We must also pray for the victims of human trafficking and be willing to assist them should that ever become necessary.

Read More: The Western Standard, “ALERT shuts down suspected human trafficking operation in Calgary, three massage parlours shuttered”

BC Student Develops New Software to Facilitate Abortion Convenience

The Story: A PhD student at the University of British Columbia has developed a new platform to help facilitate abortions for young women. The platform, titled “It’s My Choice,” uses a survey to determine a woman’s preferences and generates a recommendation on whether she should pursue abortion by pill or by surgical procedure. According to founder Kate Wahl, “at the end, you’re presented with a summary of your preferences and links to resources that help you find your preferred option closer to home.”

The Significance: Proponents of abortion have successfully used the language of “choice” to transform public perception of abortion from its reality as a life-ending practice into nothing more than an elective procedure for which you may want to find “your preferred option closer to home.” 

The introduction of this new “tool” is simply another installment in this same attempt to normalize wickedness. Like many other sins, the world views abortion as a sanitized and necessary procedure for which we must simply choose to look away. God, however, does not look away from the slaughter of precious children. For this reason, we must not either. Let us defend the preborn, preach repentance to sinners, and find hope in death’s lasting defeat. 

Read More: Science X, “Q&A: Student develops website to help Canadians choose the right type of abortion”

Quick Hit

Anti-Israel campus encampments emerge across Canada: Pro-Hamas students on the campuses of McGill University, the University of Toronto, the University of Victoria, and the University of BC are occupying their respective university campuses while calling for the divestment of corporations supporting Israel. The occupation protests include banners reading “From the River to the Sea.” After administrators at U of T argued that the students were occupying private property, the students replied that they were occupying “stolen land.” Given the encampment, the claim that the land has been stolen is beyond dispute. 

Read More: Élie Cantin-Nantel, True North, “New anti-Israel encampments at U of T, U Vic, tensions rise at McGill”

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