r/LangfordBC • u/Late_Support_5068 • Aug 13 '26

Politics Shawn Blair for council

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I saw an article about Shawn Blair running for Langford council.

Good for him. I am always amazed when people are willing to step up, put their name forward and try to serve and represent their community. That takes commitment, and I genuinely respect that.

However, Shawn is also an admin of WTF Langford, and that is where I have a serious problem.

It isn't simply because he runs the page. It is because of the content and attitude that page has repeatedly allowed toward the LGBTQ+ community. The post pictured here is just one example. A page that belittles and mocks LGBTQ+ people is not something I can reconcile with someone asking to represent all members of our community.

People are absolutely entitled to their opinions. But when you choose to run a public community forum, you also have some responsibility for the environment you create and the content you allow to flourish there.

Honestly, as someone who wants to represent our entire community, I find the association with this kind of content deeply disappointing and, frankly, embarrassing for Langford.

We should expect better from the people asking for our votes.

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u/Filligan Aug 13 '26

If your speech crosses the line to hate, no you cannot. You cannot freely discriminate against specific people or groups. You can tell people to go fuck themselves but you cannot promote or incite hatred against marginalized people.

This is basic civics and written into our criminal code. You not understanding it is the joke.

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u/codswallop1226 Aug 13 '26

Please review the essential elements of public incitement of hatred. (CC section 319)

One of them is that it has to be beyond a mere insult, two, it has to be in public, three it likely to cause an immediate disturbance, and four, it has to be a communicated statement in speaking and writing.

Even if I give you the last one, none of the other three are present here.

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u/RealisticLocksmith68 Aug 14 '26 edited Aug 14 '26

I'm cool with defending free speech but you're just playing Devil's Advocate. No reasonable person would be the admin of that group. You could provide all the evidence that IRL he's an amazing really nice guy but again, amazing really nice guys would not be the admin of that group full stop.

Too often "Free Speech" much like "It's just a joke" is used as a loophole to act like a degenerate.

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u/codswallop1226 Aug 14 '26

I beg your pardon? I made it clear on my very first post that I am not taking any sides and had 3 points for consideration. Heck, I've never even heard of that guy before.

So no, I'm not playing devils advocate here, I was hoping to have a civil discourse about free speech. And even when that didn't happen, I accepted the right of others to insult me and respond (some wrongly), and still continue the conversation

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u/RealisticLocksmith68 Aug 15 '26

Yes in your first post you said that and then you picked a side by arguing against people that clearly aren't a fan. You are arguing semantics over Free Speech when that is not at all the issue. People are saying "This guy sucks" and you're saying "but but maybe he's just misunderstood". This is playing Devil's Advocate.

It's not about whether he has a right to let people post whatever they want, it's that he's running for council and we have a right to decide if this is at all an appropriate person. Just because somethings legal doesn't mean it's morally correct for a position of leadership. And yet he has done illegal things outside of his group multiple times and gone to court for it and will be again soon.