Friending the Anti-Quebec Crowd

A social media experiment shows anti-Quebec sentiment is still being used for political purposes.

What if I told you about a social media experiment in which a character was created to explore anti-Bloc Québécois sentiment online?

I first heard of the Gord Tory Experiment after a paper I wrote came out in the Canadian Journal of Sociology. The paper concerned the 2008 prorogation, and was based on work published in The Mark. Contrary to some respected and well-known scholars, I had taken the position that national unity fears had been stoked and exploited in 2008, and that it had resulted in constitutional “harm” when the people’s Parliament was prorogued so that a prime minister could avoid a confidence vote. I guess others agreed.

In the first social media experiment of its kind in Canada, an international group of academics and activists created “Gordon Tory,” a fake character on Facebook and Twitter who interacted with people participating in political discussions online over the course of 10 days. Based on a satirical campaign, the character made increasingly derogatory, and ultimately threatening, statements based on the idea that those who vote for the BQ do not have the same political rights as “real” Canadians.

While the identities of those with whom the experimenters interacted were kept confidential, and were protected by deleting “Gordon’s” Facebook and Twitter accounts, anonymous comments were gathered and analyzed. Through this process, the team sought to better understand how people who became Gordon’s “friend” viewed the BQ, and to explore the nature of their concerns. It’s worth noting that at least one Conservative candidate for Parliament befriended “Gordon Tory” on Facebook. Gordon’s character was even more popular on Twitter.

If Canadians think the anti-Quebec sentiment of 2008 is a thing of the past, the 2011 federal election should be a wake-up call. The idea of coalitions and co-operation continues to be poisoned, as any agreement with the BQ is said to amount to a “deal with the devil” and a separatist-led “coup d’état.”

Fears about the role of the BQ in Canada has been manipulated for political advantage on a number of occasions. For example, responding to the idea that we should put “Canada First!” one person wrote the following on Gordon Tory’s page: “I agree 100 per cent, Gordon. Duceppe only represents the citizens of Quebec, and is only in it for what he can get for Quebec. He has no interest in the rest of Canada.” Building on this, others wrote things like, “Canada is my country, and it should never be run by a coalition with separatist thieves.”

While the worry about the influence the BQ may play in a governing coalition is understandable, the idea that those with whom we disagree should be ignored, demeaned, and undermined is worrying. It appears that anger, resentment, and even what has been called “ethnic prejudice” and “race hate” continue to shape Canadian politics. While more analysis – and much more study – is needed, these sentiments do not appear to be confined to one gender, ethnicity, age group, or region of the country. There is an audience out there for these ideas. Some politicians are making it worse.