It is against the law in Canada to impersonate a police officer; you can also go to jail for impersonating a doctor, lawyer, or any government official or private citizen.
UNLESS you are an actor, mimic, drag queen .. or Tory advertising strategist. Then, impersonating someone you are not is actually an art … a skill designed to entertain, through deception.
I was surprised, while driving in my car, to hear on the radio a new open line host, with an unfamiliar voice, say “We’ve got Sue on the line talking about Stephane Dion’s carbon tax.”
“Well, we’ve got another politician with another trick up his sleeve,” commented “Sue”, followed by the radio host egging her on with “The Dion tax trick?” and quips like “You’ve got that right” and “Well, put” as “Sue” railed against the federal Liberal proposal.
Michael Campbell, I wondered? No … at the end of the piece came a quick disclaimer that what we had listened to was “Authorized by the registered agent of the Conservative Party of Canada.”
Oh … so that’s the Tory way! Impress Canadian voters by misleading them: without a clear disclaimer at the start, impersonating a radio host and impersonating actual radio callers.
There are three such ads, each in their own way actually belittling and denigrating a highly popular form of radio entertainment across Canada … the talk show … where Tory candidates themselves flock to before elections, but are seldom heard after being elected and appointed to cabinet.
What makes the ads particularly interesting is the low esteem the Tories themselves seem to have for politicians. In the Tory ads, “politicians” are described as people who trick us, and who also say one thing.. but then “change their mind”.
I have never liked ads … on radio or television … where hucksters feign being reporters, and on the radio, without a setup line, it really is deceptive advertising.
And I’m sure the Tories would be horribly upset to see themselves, and their message, relegated to the same category of impersonators as actors, comics and drag queens. Or would they prefer to be included in the other category of impersonators: crooks and criminals?