Big Shiny Takes

It's been an incredible run and we've read some truly terrible columns, but the time has come to say goodbye. After five years of covering the worst opinions Canadian media has to offer, Eric, Marino and Jeremy are moving on to greener pastures – hopefully there aren't any copies of the National Post lying around. Thanks to all of our guests, listeners and supporters. You made this show so much fun to do over the years.We're not going to read a column this episode, which makes this the first and only episode where we won't suffer through someone else's terrible writing. It's actually pretty nice. Make sure to stay in touch and follow us on social media to see what we're working on. EricRead Eric's work for PressProgressFollow Eric on BlueSkyFollow Eric on TikTokJeremySubscribe to The Orchard, Jeremy's SubstackRead Jeremy's work in The Progress ReportFollow Jeremy on BlueSkyFollow Jeremy on TikTokMarinoFollow Marino on BlueSkyFollow Marino on TikTokIf you enjoyed this episode, make sure to leave us a five star review on Apple Podcasts and give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram.

Are Canada's universities being feminized? It's a topic that's been consuming Leigh Revers – so much so that he wrote about it at length in the bad takes newspaper of record, the National Post Men are foregoing higher education and instead chopping wood in the forest and spending all their money on beard oil. This leads to an imbalance in education levels, which fuels the ongoing birth rate epidemic. Or something like that.Edmonton-based writer and educator Dani Paradis (@DaniParadis) joins us to uncover the depth of this pressing crisis. Plugs and RecsEdmonton Edge – MacEwan students confront president over refusal to address Palestine, financial disclosuresEdmonton Edge – MacEwan University considers removing fall reading break in 2025-26National Observer – Alberta's ruling party votes to dump emissions reduction plans and embrace carbon dioxideFamily Ties: How a Ukrainian Nazi and a living witness link Canada to Ukraine today by Peter McfarlaneThe Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York by Robert CaroALSOSubscribe to The OrchardCheck out UnriggedThe Hoser's Grocery TrackerBuy Jeremy's bookIf you enjoyed this episode, make sure to leave us a five star review on Apple Podcasts and give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram.

At this time of increased antisemitism, who better to give Jews free advice than Dr. Order and Chaos himself, Jordan Peterson?The problem is his piece, published in the Spectator (London), is riddled with antisemitic tropes and basic misunderstandings of Jewish liturgy.Polite Conversations host Eiynah (@nicemangos) joins us to talk about why Peterson might want to sit this one out.Plugs and RecsPolite Conversations - “The Gaza Ghetto Uprising w/Rev and Reve”Polite Conversations - “Pinker's Pernicious Politeness”The North State - “One Year of October”Tech Won't Save Us - “Data Vampires”ALSOCheck out UnriggedThe Hoser's Grocery TrackerBuy Jeremy's bookIf you enjoyed this episode make sure to leave us a five star review on Apple Podcasts, and give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram.For more Big Shiny Takes, sign up to our bonus feed here.If you enjoyed this episode make sure to leave us a five star review on Apple Podcasts, and give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram. For more Big Shiny Takes, sign up to our bonus feed here.If you enjoyed this episode make sure to leave us a five star review on Apple Podcasts, and give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram. For more Big Shiny Takes, sign up to our bonus feed here.

Jews are under attack on campuses! Actually, Zionism is, but that's good enough for Michael Geist to write about an apparent scourge of antisemitism at Canada's universities. We're joined by University of Alberta English and film professor Mike Litwack (@mikeylitwack) to take a look at a piece that purports that nobody who supports Israel can feel bad about things, ever.Plugs and RecsRifqa by Mohammed El-KurdGet Ghassan Kanafani: Selected political writings, OUT NOW!Keep an eye out for Muna Saleh's study on anti-Palestinian racism in the Edmonton school system ALSOCheck out UnriggedThe Hoser's Grocery TrackerBuy Jeremy's bookIf you enjoyed this episode make sure to leave us a five star review on Apple Podcasts, and give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram.For more Big Shiny Takes, sign up to our bonus feed here.If you enjoyed this episode make sure to leave us a five star review on Apple Podcasts, and give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram. For more Big Shiny Takes, sign up to our bonus feed here.

Fancying himself some sort of Judge Dredd of protecting Canadian culture, Christopher Dummitt writes in a special to the National Post how such actions as land acknowledgments or taking a plaque down in an art gallery are giving China an edge. Canadian patriot Nora Loreto joins us to explain why having a deep-seated sense of national pride probably doesn't matter that much.Plugs and RecsNora Loreto | SubstackA political podcast. Just Listen. | Sandy & Nora Talk Politics (sandyandnora.com)Reserve The Social Safety Net – Canada in Decline Book One by Nora LoretoPathways Alliance knows it can't back up its claims | Canada's National Observer: Climate News by Jeremy AppelUK ‘tried to suppress criticism' of alleged UAE role in arming Sudan's RSF militia | The GuardianAs Revue Cinema faces closure, the fight to save Toronto culture reaches crisis point | The Globe and MailALSOCheck out UnriggedThe Hoser's Grocery TrackerBuy Jeremy's bookIf you enjoyed this episode make sure to leave us a five star review on Apple Podcasts, and give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram. For more Big Shiny Takes, sign up to our bonus feed here.

"Are all these bisexuals for real? Or is this 'el gee bee tee cue' stuff just a fashionable trend? I'm just asking questions." That is about the extent of the analysis in this week's column from the Phoebe Maltz Bovy in Globe and Mail. Nevertheless, we torture ourselves and writer/pal Sarah Rieger by unpacking it. Join us for yet another incoherent boomer moment.Plugs and RecsListen to Expats & Allies | A Podcast on Nazi RefugeesThe Hoser | Taking On a Grocery Empire: Understanding the Loblaw BoycottSurveillance and interference: Israel's covert war on the ICC exposedDiddy's Ex-Friends, Bad Boy Artists Detail Alleged Abuse, ViolenceWatch I Saw the TV GlowGo volunteer! If nothing else, there's likely free pizza.ALSOCheck out UnriggedThe Hoser's Grocery TrackerBuy Jeremy's bookIf you enjoyed this episode make sure to leave us a five star review on Apple Podcasts, and give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram. For more Big Shiny Takes, sign up to our bonus feed here.

Oakville Town Hall is under siege from a red scourge and Sun journalist Joe Warmington is on the case after a hot tip. Can the People's Champion make sense of the situation? Will anyone talk some sense into these misguided youngsters? Freelance journalist Scott Martin (@YouCaughtScott) helps us unpack what really went on that day, since Joe failed to notice that he was actually just at the Fightback table at a pro-Palestine rally. Plugs and RecsScott Martin - The Catch (readthecatch.ca)Read Resisting Eviction by Andrew CrosbyRead Blackshirts And Reds by Michael ParentiNew 9/11 Evidence Points to Deep Saudi Complicity - The AtlanticSpacing | Canadian Urbanism Uncovered | SpacingWatch Trailer Park BoysALSOCheck out UnriggedThe Hoser's Grocery TrackerBuy Jeremy's bookIf you enjoyed this episode make sure to leave us a five star review on Apple Podcasts, and give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram. For more Big Shiny Takes, sign up to our bonus feed here.

Stop being mean to grocer oligarchs. Stop it! We're waring you. You should be thanking them, they stock your treats and only gouge you a to a moderate degree. Everybody's gotta make a living, and besides, they're probably creating your job anyway.Toronto-based writer Luke Savage (@LukewSavage) joins us to take in the view from the National Post and be properly tut-tutted as we learn about the success story that is Galen Weston being born at the right time.Plugs & Recs (The Rinse)Buy The Dead Center by Luke Savage from your local booksellerWatch Eric talk Loblaw boycott on This is Vancolour Is a previously unheard-of First Nation just Canada's latest Pretendian case? | The GuardianCheck out UnriggedThe Hoser's Grocery TrackerBuy Jeremy's bookLuke says read War and Peace, Marino says read One Piece. Go to your library! Rex Murphy, sharp-witted intellectual and columnist, dies of cancer | National Post (lol)If you enjoyed this episode make sure to leave us a five star review on Apple Podcasts, and give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram. For more Big Shiny Takes, sign up to our bonus feed here.

American icon Noah Kulwin (@nkulw) joins the pod to talk about one of the most obnoxious Twitter personalities of the past several months, Joe Roberts. Roberts, co-founder of the Democratic Socialists of America - Canada and former co-host of New Left Radio, has gone full neocon since Oct. 7. So much so that he wrote a column for the National Post, where he's now a regular contributor, waxing nostalgic about George W. Bush, the guy everyone famously loves. Oh, and Sarah Palin too, because he's trying that hard. Plugs & Recs (The Rinse)Anatomy of a Moral Panic - Jewish CurrentsPol Pot: Anatomy of a Nightmare - Phillip ShortThe Artist's Way - Julia CameronBound (1996), dir. WachowskisUniversity Of Toronto Encampment Organizers Call For Community Support Thursday Eve: "We Will Not Leave" - The HoserCheck out UnriggedThe Hoser's Grocery TrackerBuy Jeremy's bookIf you enjoyed this episode make sure to leave us a five star review on Apple Podcasts, and give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram. For more Big Shiny Takes, sign up to our bonus feed here.If you enjoyed this episode make sure to leave us a five star review on Apple Podcasts, and give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram. For more Big Shiny Takes, sign up to our bonus feed here.

We love whinging about the fertility rate, don't we folks? The implications are grave, lowered birth rates could mean fewer DoorDash employees to bring columnists treats. BST Institute fellow Stephen @Magusiak of @pressprogress returns to pick apart a Globe and Mail opinion piece by John Ibbitson. According to Ibby, the ever-dwindling number of babies Canada produces threatens to tear the country apart. Scary stuff!Plugs & Recs (The Rinse)Get news coverage from PressProgress: Sign up for the ShiftWork newsletter and listen to the Sources Podcast Columbia Professor Shai Davidai's Family Tied to Weapons Manufacturing - CounterPunch.orgViolent Crackdown at Land Day March - The Grind MagazineDozens of International Students Are Dying in Canada. The Federal Government Isn't Doing Anything. (pressprogress.ca)Check out UnriggedThe Hoser's Grocery TrackerIf you enjoyed this episode make sure to leave us a five star review on Apple Podcasts, and give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram. For more Big Shiny Takes, sign up to our bonus feed here.

Executive Director of @Wisdom2Action and @QueerMomentum and unstoppable dynamo @FaeJohnstone joins us to discuss how Sydney Sweeney's breasts fortell the death of wokeness – according to the National Post.In a column that reads like a horny Looney Tunes cartoon, Amy Hamm, who is a nurse apparently, brings the bizarre discourse around the young actress to a crescendo. Plugs & Recs (The Rinse)Read The new generation of gay Conservative sellouts by Fae JohnstoneGo to +972 Magazine for news from Israel & PalestineBuy Kenneyism by Jeremy AppelCheck out UnriggedThe Hoser's Grocery TrackerGo read Dragon Ball, One Piece and BerserkIf you enjoyed this episode make sure to leave us a five star review on Apple Podcasts, and give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram.For more Big Shiny Takes, sign up to our bonus feed here.If you enjoyed this episode make sure to leave us a five star review on Apple Podcasts, and give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram.For more Big Shiny Takes, sign up to our bonus feed here.If you enjoyed this episode make sure to leave us a five star review on Apple Podcasts, and give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram. For more Big Shiny Takes, sign up to our bonus feed here.

The Big Shiny Takes Institute has returned to read a real stinker of a column by Rick Bell. Rick, a traditional dumb guy with a column, seems a little upset about how mean people are being to Calgary Chief of Police Mark Neufeld. We dig into this column (a glorified vanity piece about how the police are good, homeless people are super-criminals and everyone needs to shut up)  with friend of the Institute, Drug Data Decoded's Euan Thomson. Plugs and Recs  Kenneyism - Jeremy Appel UnriggedDrug Data DecodedIf you enjoyed this episode make sure to leave us a five star review on Apple Podcasts, and give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram. For more Big Shiny Takes, sign up to our bonus feed here.

Polite Conversations host and leading Intellectual Dark Web scholar Eiynah, a/k/a @NiceMangos, joins us to scrape the bottom of the IDW barrel. Gad Saad, who is now a National Post columnist, is a marketing professor who fashions himself as an expert in the defence of Western Civilization. He wrote a piece in the Post about how happy conservatives are, in which he informs the reader that he is very much not mad about the woke left.Plugs & Recs (The Rinse)Listen to Jeremy on Polite Conversations, part 1Listen to Jeremy on Polite Conversations, part 2Pre-order Jeremy's book, KenneyismEiynah's Woking Up seriesCheck out UnriggedThe Hoser's Grocery TrackerIf you enjoyed this episode make sure to leave us a five star review on Apple Podcasts, and give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram. For more Big Shiny Takes, sign up to our bonus feed here.If you enjoyed this episode make sure to leave us a five star review on Apple Podcasts, and give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram. For more Big Shiny Takes, sign up to our bonus feed here.

Mount Royal University academic, Al Jazeera columnist and Al Shabaka fellow Muhannad Ayyash joins us to discuss how Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek cancelled Hanukkah. Calgary pundits lost their goddam minds over Gondek's decision to back out of at a totally apolitical menorah lighting ceremony that was billed as an opportunity to demonstrate "SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL." And according to reporting from Aryn Toombs at LiveWire Calgary, it didn't disappoint. Calgary Herald columnist Don Braid, who joined the paper as a filthy scab in 2000, went as far as to say the mayor isn't fit for office because of her disloyalty to Israel. Plugs & Recs (The Rinse)Decolonize Palestine reading listRead some of Muhannad's Al Jazeera columnsEmma Paling - CBC featured more Israelis even as Palestinian casualties rose, data showsVincent Bevins - If We Burn: The Mass Protest Decade and the Missing RevolutionTareq Baconi - Hamas Contained: The Rise and Pacification of Palestinian ResistanceThe Deprogram - Free Palestine (ft. Decolonize Palestine)James Clear - Atomic Habits: Tiny Changes, Remarkable ResultsIf you enjoyed this episode make sure to leave us a five star review on Apple Podcasts, and give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram. For more Big Shiny Takes, sign up to our bonus feed here.If you enjoyed this episode make sure to leave us a five star review on Apple Podcasts, and give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram. For more Big Shiny Takes, sign up to our bonus feed here.

Chuka Ejeckam joins us again, this time to discuss the ongoing horror in Gaza and how Canadian pundits have assumed the role of IDF spokespeople.There's no better example of this trend than Andrew Coyne, who wrote a column boasting of how little he's learned since 9/11. Plugs and Recs UN Director for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights Resignation LetterThe Hoser Grocery Tracker Blood Meridian - Cormac McCarthyTech Won't Save Us - Elon Musk Unmasked, Ep. 1If you enjoyed this episode make sure to leave us a five star review on Apple Podcasts, and give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram. For more Big Shiny Takes, sign up to our bonus feed here.If you enjoyed this episode make sure to leave us a five star review on Apple Podcasts, and give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram. For more Big Shiny Takes, sign up to our bonus feed here.

The Big Shiny Takes Institute has returned after the editor (Eric) spent the last month traveling the world in search of the shiniest takes. It turns out they were all right here in Canada.This week we return to an old favourite, the people's champion Joe Warmington, for a column about remembering police officers who passed away this year. Before you ask, yes Don Cherry is featured in the column for some reason. This episode was recorded in late September and is a classic example of the Nightscrawler's obsession with venerating the police. Some people need heroes, other people are fully-functioning adults.  Plugs and RecsJeremy at the Progress ReportThe Hoser Grocery TrackerIf you enjoyed this episode make sure to leave us a five star review on Apple Podcasts, and give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram. For more Big Shiny Takes, sign up to our bonus feed here.

Jeremy and Marino are joined by The Breach co-ordinating editor Emma Paling (@emmapaling) to discuss a column from Carson Jerema, the National Post's comment editor, who in accordance with Post traditions doesn't seem to do much editing. According to Jerema, Pierre Poilievre's shrieking about the globalistsat the World Economic Forum isn't a conspiracy theory at all. In fact, it's exactly like Chrystia Freeland's tepid criticisms of the WEF in her book Plutocrats, which Jerema adds is a Marxist conspiracy theory. Read The Breach and subscribe to its newsletter.If you like our work, please consider donating to our Patreon. You'll get to join our community on Discord and hear occasional bonus episodes.Plugs and Recs (The Rinse)Emma: Listen to the band Wednesday and read Killernova by Omar Musa.Marino: Watch Ronin (1998), Little Miss Sunshine (2006), Frasier (1993-2004) and read Bullshit Jobs by David Graeber.Jeremy: Visit Banff and Jasper, subscribe to The Orchard and preorder Kenneyism: Jason Kenney's Pursuit of Power to your local independent book store.Big Shiny Takes is a proud member of the Harbinger Media Network, which includes other great shows, such as Tech Won't Save Us (produced by our beautiful boy Eric), Darts and Letters and The Progress Report. If you enjoyed this episode make sure to leave us a five star review on Apple Podcasts, and give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram. For more Big Shiny Takes, sign up to our bonus feed here.

Things are so good in Canadian media. There's layoffs nearly every week. There's talk of the Toronto Star merging with Postmedia. The Online News Act was passed and as a result Google and Facebook are pulling Canadian news content from their platforms. (The Act isn't great and doesn't help independent media that much to begin with, but Google and Facebook pulling this move is baaaad). To celebrate the robust and healthy nature of our industry, Marino and Eric are joined by old j-school buddy Hunter Crowther (@HunterCrowther) to read some schlock from The Hub. The Hub is a relatively new publication, but they're not breaking any new ground with their work. Now I don't want to tell any tales out of school, but the more I hear about them, the less I care for them. The Hub was founded by former Postmedia employees and has plenty of space on their site for pieces from all sorts of right wing think tanks, lobbyists, and consultants. This week the Institute takes a long look at a bewildering column by Ginny Roth, proposing a way to solve our "National Identity Crisis (tm)", as well as our labour shortage in long-term care homes and in childcare with mandatory service. Lol. We spent a little extra on this one, so we hope you enjoy. We have not been keeping up with our recording schedule lately, and we're sorry but now that Eric is one job lighter, there's going to be way more time for this show. There are so many bad pieces being published, and we want to talk about them all. Plugs and RecsEmma Paling - Toronto strangers turned a Twitter chat into a mayoral election forceLegend of Zelda - Tears of the KingdomNot My Party - The rise and fall of Canadian Tories, from Robert Stanfield to Stephen Harper"Indian" in the Cabinet - Jody Wilson-RaybouldIf you enjoyed this episode make sure to leave us a five star review on Apple Podcasts, and give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram. For more Big Shiny Takes, sign up to our bonus feed here.

What do opinion columnists in this country think about strikes? Nothing worth reading on your own. In this episode the Big Shiny Takes Institute takes a look at an awful column on the PSAC strike that took place near the end of April and extended into May. The conventional wisdom of punditry was that the public would not support a public sector strike, but in hindsight (and at the time) we could very clearly see how incorrect that opinion was. Globe and Mail columnist Andrew Coyne had some choice things to say about the strike but it was very interesting to see - in the 20+ paragraphs Coyne had to work with - what he left out. The Institute was joined by friend of the show Abdul Malik to suffer through this incredibly useless piece of writing. Plugs and RecsThe Act of Killing The Orchard Hilary Agro - In defence of drug dealers' humanityJay Cockburn - Where did the gargoyles go? Toronto's architectural boredom is a problemThe Hoser Municipal Election Fundraiser If you enjoyed this episode make sure to leave us a five star review on Apple Podcasts, and give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram. For more Big Shiny Takes, sign up to our bonus feed here.

The unthinkable has happened in Canada. A public body has offered new health recommendations and people are overreacting. How will society even function on two drinks a week? According to some, not at all. This week we are joined by author James Wilt (Drinking Up the Revolution, Do Androids Dream of Electric Cars) and co-founder of The Hoser Kevin Taghabon to read an abysmal column from Peter Shawn Taylor in the Financial Post. In this column Taylor accuses the Canadian Centre for Substance Use and Addiction, and anyone who repeats their findings of moralizing and scolding, of ignoring all the positive benefits of alcohol. Luckily Taylor is here to explain exactly how great he thinks alcohol is (very). Plugs and RecsDrinking Up the Revolution - James WiltThe Hoser:  How To Reclaim Working Class Joy In The Face Of Big Alcohol - Leah Borts-KupermanThe Hoser:  In Memory Of Angie Austin - Jacob PesarukStation 11 - HBO The Last of Us Part IIIf you enjoyed this episode make sure to leave us a five star review on Apple Podcasts, and give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram. For more Big Shiny Takes, sign up to our bonus feed here.

The Big Shiny Takes Institute has returned! This episode, while Jeremy is in his self-imposed book-writing exile, Eric and Marino are joined by Kristen Pue and Kyla Hewson of the Pullback podcast to read a baffling column by Jesse Kline. Jesse spends valuable column space concern-trolling about the Liberal's new luxury tax on vehicles, applicable to cars over $100k and boats over $250k. He admonishes the government for this reckless new tax, and claims that this will impact the working class much more than prospective boat owners. We examine these claims and come to some different conclusions. Editors note: Some names had to be removed from a story Eric shared early in the episode to protect their identities as nobody would ever trust them again after learning that they did not deliver on their cowboy boots promise. Plugs and Recs Pullback PodcastIPCC Report 2023 The Persuaders: Anand GiridharadasDrinking up the Revolution: James WiltIf you enjoyed this episode make sure to leave us a five star review on Apple Podcasts, and give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram. For more Big Shiny Takes, sign up to our bonus feed here.

Our old pal Abdul (@MarxGasol) joins us for a public policy thought experiment courtesy of UBC business lecturer Adam Pankratz in the National Post: Should we destigmatize stigma? Maybe if drug users and unhoused people simply understood that what they were doing is bad and they should feel bad, we'd all be better off!Kidding aside, this perverse serving of inhuman hogwash from a dude whose kids will surely grow to hate him was the worst thing we've read in a while. We're always saying that, aren't we folks?Plugs and RecsThe Dead Center by Luke SavageThe Orchard cast: It's the End of This World As We Know ItLast Chance U on NetflixGo play Metroid Prime: Remastered. I'm not linking to the eShop, figure it out.If you enjoyed this episode make sure to leave us a five star review on Apple Podcasts, and give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram. For more Big Shiny Takes, sign up to our bonus feed here.

The last Kino standing, Evan Macdonald, joins us to talk about Dr. Jordan Bernt Peterson's latest made up scandal. The College of Psychiatrists of Ontario is asking him to take social media training, because he sucks at posting. The National Post's opinion page says this the greatest injustice of our day, but do any real people actually care? Tune in to find out!Plugs and RecsListen to Kino LefterSubscribe to The OrchardTove Lo - Dirt FemmeSZA - SOSNeedle Drop - Best Songs of 2022If you enjoyed this episode make sure to leave us a five star review on Apple Podcasts, and give us a follow on Twitter and Instagram. For more Big Shiny Takes, sign up to our bonus feed here.

Esteemed Twitter user and Dog Island alum Andrew Neville joins us to mock one of, and I'm not mincing words here, the worst pieces we have read. The culprit? None other than our old pal, Adam Zivo.In this piece (published in the Daily Hive lol) Zivo tries to use statistics to argue that crime is out of control. The problem? It's based on an opinion poll. It gets so much worse. Plugs and RecsThe Myth Of Affordable Housing In TorontoDubious crime statistics: a disturbing trend of police and media misleading the publicPressProgress Short Circuit Podcast - Police across Canada are investing in “copaganda” reports that criticize the social safety netPlay Overwatch 2/Warzone, go see Avatar 2, listen to Metallica and do purple city in Edmonton

The Big Shiny Takes Institute is back! We're joined by political researcher and new Friend of the Institute Chuka Ejeckam to read a very anti-union piece by the one and only Jesse Kline. Kline, the author of galaxy-brained takes about privatizing parks, is back and trying to frame striking workers as a malignant force threatening your children. To give you an idea of how emotionally damaging this column is, it starts by comparing unions to COVID-19. This episode was recorded Monday November 12th, which was before CUPE let us know they were heading back to the picket line. Solidarity to the workers and we'll see you at Queens Park. Plugs and RecsCulture War By the Numbers - (FREE BIG SHINY TAKES NEWSLETTER)Exterminate all the BrutesTraumaZoneToy Company Slammed For Getting Greedy With Magic: The GatheringAND Worried that Twitter's days are numbered? Looking to build a community with like-minded lefties? Head to our discord! People have been saying it's the new hot place for discourse and you should find out why. 

Environmental lawyer and former Liberal Party of Alberta leader David Khan joins the Institute to talk about the ongoing rehabilitation of Jason Kenney's image. National Post pundit John Ivison writes that the reason Kenney failed as Alberta premier wasn't because he was a total slimeball who pandered to the far-right but was too much of a coward to go all the way, but because he was just too great a guy. It was a real Shakespearean tragedy, as Ivison says without irony. Plugs and RecsPalestine advocates face 'organized, funded intimidation,' finds new reportThis Is Life in the MetaverseWhy Google's Toronto Smart City FailedOur old episode stunting on Adam ZivoSon of Elsewhere

Luke Savage, author of the new book The Dead Center: Reflections on Liberalism and co-host of the Michael and Us podcast , joins us to read a column from ur-smug centrist and National Observer "lead columnist" Max Fawcett. In this piece, Fawcett outlines how he thinks Pierre Poilievre is attempting to appeal to the far-right (true) and far-left (lol) by opposing vaccine mandates and talking about "elites". Naturally, it's his beloved Liberal party which has found the perfect balance in all things. Plugs and RecsThe Dead CenterJust how bad will Pierre Poilievre be for the climate?Conspiracy Theorist Danielle Smith Is Leading in Alberta's Conservative Party RaceIn Hasidic Enclaves, Failing Private Schools Flush With Public Money

The gang invites Megan Linton of the Harbinger Media Network podcast Invisible Institutions to slog through an incredibly lazy piece by Brian Lilley. It's a column that contains much hand-wringing about masks and requirements to have them. It's also basically the same as the column he wrote the week before.Also, a discussion about a certain monarch's death, its dominance of the news cycle and why that does Canadians a disservice – especially on a week that saw another mass killing event mishandled by the RCMP.Plugs and RecsInvisible Institutions Briarpatch Sept./Oct. 2022 – The Disability Justice IssueFighting for the right to fuck“We are fed the same way caged animals are”Canadian mining companies rejoice as Chileans reject new constitutionEducation fraud experts raise alarm about Calgary police ties to unaccredited collegeThe Queen Represented Racist Violence As Much As She Did Glamour

The Big Shiny Takes Institute has returned! This week, Eric, Marino and Jeremy are joined by Fae Johnstone (Executive Director of Wisdom2Action, writer and activist) to read some absolutely horrendous transphobia published in the National Post. The National Post, seemingly taking their cues from the transphobes down in the US and UK (TERF Island) are now pushing "gender critical" talking points as a way of limiting access to care. It's bullshit and whoever wrote it should have rotten produce thrown at their head. Unfortunately for us, this column doesn't have a name in its byline. The bigot who felt compelled to write this pseudoscientific trash was too shy to include their name in the byline. Listen to the episode and find out why.Despite the fact that all of us are well accustomed to the low standard for what passes as a column in the National Post, this column pissed us off.NOTELess than an hour after recording this episode, failed actor and hack fraud journalist Sue-Ann Levy released a hatchet job piece on Fae for the True North Centre. The piece is stupid and pretends that Fae calling people TERFS is bad. We're not going to link to that piece. Instead, read this piece from Fae that she wrote for the Star on the optics-based approach of the Liberal Party in regards to 2SLGBTQI+ issues: Fae Johnstone - Six years in, Trudeau government's work on  2SLGBTQI+ issues is still underwhelmingPlugs and RecsMaelys McArdle - Transphobia in the National PostDragon Age (every single one but especially Origins)The OrchardKino LefterBreath of the Wild

The Big Shiny Takes Institute is reporting live from the frontlines of the climate war (Eric's living room). This episode we are joined by Mitchell Thompson from PressProgress to take apart an incoherent screed written by a senior fellow of the Macdonald Laurier Institute - Jamil Jivani. The column suggests Trudeau's cultish fixation on saving the environment is causing real world suffering. We, as readers and people who exist in reality, are left to try and figure out what on earth he is talking about. 

The boys are back with another terrible column! This week they are joined by Alex from Haus of Decline to read another awful piece by Adam Zivo in which he makes the argument to let the police march in the Toronto Pride Parade. I say he makes the argument, but really what he does is list all the very valid reasons people don't want the police there and shrugs. This episode was recorded in early July, so during Plugs and Recs Jeremy talks about a fundraiser for his substack. It's over now but that shouldn't stop you from supporting his journalism. The fundraiser was a success by the way, here's a link to the article the fundraiser was supporting. Plugs and RecsInvisible InstitutionsAnthony Bourdain: Kitchen ConfidentialStar Trek Deep Space NineSupport us on Patreon!

The Big Shiny Takes Institute has returned! Joined by Friend of the Institute Gordon Katic the boys read a particularly awful column by Vinay Menon about the aftermath of the horrific school shooting in Uvalde. Instead of having something useful to say, Vinay decided to write a column about Matthew McConaughey's moral obligation to run for president. We feel like he's sort of missing the point.Plugs and RecsDarts and LettersImperial News - Bad Books by Bad PeopleTech Won't Save Us - Privatizing the internet was a mistakeThe Hoser - Short CircuitGulliver's Travels - Jonathan SwiftThe BoysThe Dig - The New Democrats w/ Lily Geismer

Jeremy's Forgotten Corner co-host Scott Schmidt joins BST this week to talk about pensions and starving seniors to buy shitty fighter jets.Plugs and RecsListen to The Forgotten CornerGo see Peace by ChocolateJeremy - Canada's Noxious Conservatives Are Duking It Out for Party Leadership Jared Sexton - The World They Wish To Build

If you read the latest IPCC report, you know it's time for the latest episode of Big Shiny Takes. This week, the Big Shiny Takes Institute is joined by columnist and writer David Moscrop to read an insufferably bad column from Conrad Black. Yes, we are aware that doesn't narrow it down. This temper tantrum is directed at the federal NDP and Liberal parties for unparliamentary behaviour (acting like parties in a parliamentary system). Thankfully, Conrad breaks up the monotony by expressing dismay at Canada's slide towards socialist oblivion with promises of means-tested dental care and clean jobs training centres. He also manages to jam in some genocide denial and transphobia because, believe it or not, the Lord of Crossharbour is not a good person. Plugs and RecsThe Jakarta Method - Vincent BevinsDo Androids Dream of Electric Cars - James WiltJust Watch Us: RCMP Surveillance of the Women's Liberation Movement in Cold War Canada - Christabelle Sethna and Steve Hewitt The NDP is run by a consultant class geared toward capitulation - Martin Lukacs Justin Trudeau's F-35 Fighter Jet Acquisition is a Miserable Circus - David MoscropFormula 1 - Drive to Survive

Good news everyone, the pandemic is over because the government said so! Everything is great! Of course, like all responsible adults, we know better than to let ourselves get tired of winning so much so we are punishing ourselves with another insipid Jon Kay column. This one was published in the Wall Street Journal. In this latest instalment of Canadian pundits explaining Canadian politics poorly to an uninterested audience, Dog Shampoo Boy writes about Justin Trudeau being a "Woke Donald Trump".  It's stupid and our lives are worse for having read it. We're joined this week by the great Mitchell Thompson of PressProgress, who has subjugated himself to reading a lot of Quillette. For those who don't know, Quillette is an awful website that pays Jon Kay to write for them. Quillette has a habit of talking about race science, and Jon has written about wokeness and frisbee golf for them.Plugs and RecsScience for the PeoplePierre Poilievre - Harper but with fangs bared - by Mitchell ThompsonWhy John Mearsheimer Blames the US for the Crisis in UkraineWhen Prophecy FailsImperial NewsThe Hoser Presents - Short CircuitJoin the Discord (but be nice there)Jeen-Yuhs (Kanye doc)Elden Ring

Do you hear that horrible honking sound? No my friends, that is not the sound of freedom. It's the sound of another episode of Big Shiny Takes!This week, Canadaland Commons host Arshy Mann joined us to talk about the dumbest political action in the entire world: the Trucker Convoy. This convoy, which is not astroturfed at all, is demanding that avowed Marxist-Leninist Justin Trudeau remove any vaccine mandates for truckers.  This conveniently ignores the fact that 90% of truckers that cross into the United States from Canada are fully vaccinated. It also ignores the fact 900,000 people in the United States are no longer alive because of the abysmal COVID response in the US. This week we read a column in the Edmonton Journal from a newcomer to the shitty takes game, Nathan Steinke. Steinke, a noted political loser, spends a few hundred words fetishizing truckers as a symbol of working class purity. He also compares the convoy to Woodstock (the festival, not Woodstock Ontario).It should be noted that this episode was originally recorded on Friday February 5, 2022 - the night before the counter protests in Toronto. If anything changes in convoy news and it's missing, please keep that in mind before you yell at us for not talking about it.  Plugs and RecsCanadaland CommonsVincent Bevins - The Jakarta MethodMayor Gondek's chief of staff Stephen Carter out, sources allege bullying in city hallCJN - What is the future of Progressive Zionism (ft. Jeremy Appel)CAHN - The Freedom Convoy is nothing but a vehicle for the far-rightThe Breach - What the Left can learn from the “Freedom Convoy”It Could Happen Here - Canada Convoy UpdateJoin your new group of friends in the Big Shiny Takes Discord!

It's 2022 and things are bad! We're kicking off a new year of reading bad takes with Shama Rangwala. Shama is an Assistant Professor at York University and co-host of Replay, a new podcast on the Harbinger Media Network. The column we read this week is one of the dimmer takes in the National Post's year-end series called The Capitalist Manifesto, and was written by Joanna Baron. Baron runs the Canadian Constitution Foundation, a group of idiots pushing for important things like no mask/vaccine mandates, choice in health care (privatization) and free speech (lol). Plugs and RecsReplay Mitchell Thompson - The Secret to the Weston Family's Wealth Is Exploitation, Not Hard WorkThe Witcher III: Wild HuntVincent Bevins - The Jakarta MethodBig Shiny Takes is a proud part of the Harbinger Media Network. Theme music is by Jack Dump.If you like our show, give us a follow on social media, @bigshinytakes, leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts, or give us some money at Patreon to unlock bonus content!

Nora Loreto makes her triumphant return to BST and she's got a new book! As the title suggests, Spin Doctors: How  Media and Politicians Misdiagnosed the COVID-19 Pandemic deals with how the media created a sea of confusion that obscured the major fault lines of the pandemic. To illustrate Nora's case, we brought an absolutely reprehensible column from Matt Gurney at the website Ontario's public broadcaster, TVO. He wants you to know that he cares about COVID deaths, he really does, but at the end of the day people die of all sorts of causes, and that's a-OK.We then read a Rupa Subramanya piece about how vaccine hoarding is cool and good, but that'll be in our bonus feed.  For just $3 a month, you can access that episode and our entire back catalogue of Bonus Shiny Takes! Plugs and RecsBuy Nora's bookThe academic report Nora co-authored on excess deathsV.S. Wells: Independent Canadian Media Directory PressProgress: An Angry Mob of Anti-Vaccine Extremists Swarmed a Children's Toy Store in West Edmonton MallJeremy: The Powerful Oil and Gas Executives Opposing Canada's Climate Commitments Jeremy's Orchard newsletter Big Shiny Takes is a proud part of the Harbinger Media Network. Theme music is by Jack Dump.If you like our show, give us a follow on social media, @bigshinytakes, leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts, or give us some money at Patreon to unlock bonus content!

That is the question asked by a column written by Diane Francis in the Financial Post that talks about the risks Covid-19 and one Vladimir Putin both pose to our beloved economy.Yes that is a stupid question. But this is a very stupid column. Marino, Jeremy and Eric read this column on Russia's involvement in Ukraine written by the impartial observer Diane Francis, who just so happens to have helped found the Canadian-Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and also is a senior fellow on the Atlantic Council. Weird. To unlock the full episode sign up for our Patreon! For only $3 a month, you can get access to double the amount of Big Shiny Takes content, and every subscriber brings us a step closer to achieving our (Eric's) goal to become the first think-tank/podcast hybrid. 

The Big Shiny Takes Institute is back with a great episode with the incredible Aaron Giovannone. We read a lot of terrible columns, but we rarely get to take a deep dive into the psyche of one of the country's more established columnists. Aaron brought an essay Rosie Dimanno wrote in the late 90's about growing up in Little Italy in Toronto. We go into it, and talk about the points she fixates on, and the points she may have missed. This is a super fun episode and you shouldn't miss it! Plugs and RecsThe Breach - Aaron Giovannone - Leonard Cohen, Cold War Troubadour Green Majority Radio - The Substance and Spectacle of Climate TalksCBC - WE Charity misled donors about building schools in Kenya, records showKino Lefter - Mayor Pete: Liberal ASMR with Alex from Haus of DeclineBig Shiny Takes is a proud part of the Harbinger Media Network. Theme music is by Jack Dump.If you like our show, give us a follow on social media, @bigshinytakes, leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts, or give us some money at Patreon to unlock bonus content!

We are back, and have an episode for you that we recorded in person! Jeremy came back to the very nice and fun city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada for a visit, so instead of hanging out we recorded an all-timer episode. We were joined by the amazing Bronwen Tucker (@bronwentucker) from Climate Justice Edmonton and the incredible Stefan Hostetter (@Steho)_ of Green Majority Radio to talk about Canadian punditry's pathetic attempts to talk about the climate. The first column we cover this week is one written by Jesse Kline. Kline desperately attempts to use the Liberal Party's new environment minister Steven Guilbeault as a way of framing the current government's environmental policies as radical.  Of course, this is pure fantasy.  We then dive into a Rex Murphy climate change denial column, but that's in our bonus feed.  For as little as $3 a month, you can get access to that episode, and our entire back catalogue of Big Shiny Bonus Takes! Plugs and RecsSix hours of oil and gas CEOs getting owned in CongressMorgan Campbell: If Edward Rogers referred to Masai Ujiri as 'arrogant,' he gave the game awayDan Darrah: “Foreign Investors” Aren't Causing Canada's Housing Crisis. Capitalism Is.Follow us on TwitchMarino's inferior TwitchJeremy's SubstackBig Shiny Takes is a proud part of the Harbinger Media Network. Theme music is by Jack Dump.If you like our show, give us a follow on social media, @bigshinytakes, leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts, or give us some money at Patreon to unlock bonus content! 

Future Alberta Senator Duncan Kinney (@duncankinney), whom you also may know from fellow Harbinger pod The Progress Report, joins us to talk about the hellish nightmare of Alberta's COVID response. ICUs are overflowing, people are dying, but the Edmonton Journal's David Staples — always with his finger on the pulse — wants to know what this means for Premier Jason Kenney's political fortunes.Staples has devised nine rules for political life, all of which he says Kenney has violated. To hear part two, where we review a similarly-themed column in the Calgary Herald, sign up for our Patreon to have it in your feed next week. Plugs and RecsArthur Manuel: Unsettling CanadaMelissa Mbarki: Out of the residential schools, into the prison and foster care systemsClayton Thomas Muller: This National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Canada should commit to a Just Transition for Indigenous PeoplesBrian Fauteux: Music in Range Marino retro gaming TwitchBig Shiny Takes TwitchThe Orchard (Jeremy's super cool newsletter)Big Shiny Takes is a proud part of the Harbinger Media Network. Theme music is by Jack Dump.If you like our show, give us a follow on social media, @bigshinytakes, leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts, or give us some money at Patreon to unlock bonus content!  

In case you missed the 12 hour livestream telethon to raise money for Harbinger Media, here's the audio for our part of the event! Big Shiny Takes (minus Eric, he was at a wedding lol) took part in this great event.  Our friends from PressProgress Stephen Magusiak and Emily Leedham joined us to read a column arguing for the platforming of fascists in mainstream media. If you missed this insipid column by John Ibbitson (a "national treasure" according to Justin Ling) and the subsequent blowback on social media for even considering to write a piece like that, you should listen to this episode. Keep in mind that this episode was recorded prior to the very important and necessary federal election we just had.Plugs and Recs Subscribe to the Orchard (Jeremy's substack) and Shift Work (Emily's newsletter)And support us on Patreon! 

It's our opinion at the Big Shiny Takes Institute that billionaires have it too hard. Yeah sure they have unlimited access to resources, are able to shape policy to benefit themselves and have the power of small nation-states – but have you considered how difficult it must be to have someone be mean to you on the internet? Paris Marx (@parismarx), host of Tech Won't Save Us (@techwontsaveus) explains why there should be room for criticism of all billionaires while we read through one of the most tedious pieces of unfettered PR for Elon Musk that has ever been written. It's a piece in the Guardian by Canadian Gen X icon (lol) Douglas Coupland, so we're allowed to make fun of it.  Plugs and RecsTech Won't Save UsThe Appel Orchard (Jeremy's Substack, everyone subscribe!)Worst Columnist in Canada Contest (Final begins Monday!)Rawan Abdelbaki: Erin O'Toole is no ally of labour - he's a con-manRobert Hiltz - The Communist Party Benefits Us All and of course, Spiderman 2

Head to patreon.com/bigshinytakes to unlock this and all of our other bonus episodes for as little as $3 a month! Rob Rousseau joins us to read one of the most fun columns we have had the pleasure of reading in this very grim timeline.We go through Josh Freed's column in the Montreal Gazette on why customers should be paid by supermarkets for using self-checkouts. Now this isn't a typical Big Shiny Takes infuriating read. Josh actually has a bit of fun with the column. He also brushes up against a very strong point (that businesses use automation as an excuse to fire people in order to maximize their profit margins). Unfortunately, this seems to just be an accessory to the main point, which can be summed up as, "I'm old, minor inconveniences I experience are serious problems, and computers scare me".We also tell the story about how a National Post idiot messaged us very late at night to sarcastically applaud us for making fun of his weak attempts at writing.Stick around to the end for some talk about the election. I know this is a controversial opinion, but I think maybe a pandemic is a bad time for an election. 

This week we've got Rob Rousseau (@robrousseau) on the show to talk about the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan after taking a detour through volunteer scabs, Calgary Herald ace Licia Corbella and who Rob thinks will take home the gold in our Worst Pundit contest. Former British soldier David Mack writes in the Globe and Mail that the U.S. must stay in Afghanistan for at least another 20-30 years, crying crocodile tears for all the Afghans who will now be under Taliban rule. We've let down Afghans, he says, ignoring completely everything that's happened in the past 50 years that contributed to the Taliban's rise. If you'd like to hear part two, where we discuss automation by way of a piece in Rob's hometown paper and decide which is worse, sign up for our Patreon to have it in your feed next week. Plugs and RecsMarino joins Haus of DeclineThe Rob Rousseau ShowEduardo Galeano: Open Veins of Latin AmericaJeremy: Can Systemic Racism In Policing Be Fixed?Kim Stanley Robinson: a climate plan for a world in flamesImperial Newz on Twitch Big Shiny Takes is a proud part of the Harbinger Media Network. Theme music is by Jack Dump.If you like our show, give us a follow on social media, @bigshinytakes, leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts, or give us some money at Patreon to unlock bonus content!  

Aliya Pabani of the Encampment Support Network, and host of We Are Not the Virus, joins us to talk about Toronto Mayor John Tory's "reasonable, firm, but compassionate" war on homeless encampments in the city. We come by this through a column from newly-minted National Post ghoul Adam Zivo, who writes that the violent displacement of unhoused people from the city's encampments, like the one at Lamport Stadium, were in fact a victory for the working class, as if no working people are unhoused. In case you're wondering what kinda guy Zivo is, he describes himself as an LGBTQ activist, "with a focus on incremental change and private sector sponsorships." Plugs and RecsSupport the Encampment Support Network!Follow our Canada's Worst Columnist contest!We Are Not the VirusBrett Story: How Does It End? Story and the Property FormVincent Bevins: The Jakarta MethodDanielle Paradis: The UCP Knew the Inequitable Impacts of COVID-19 All AlongThe Bottlemen: Victims of Victims of CommunismBig Shiny Takes is a proud part of the Harbinger Media Network. Theme music is by Jack Dump.If you like our show, give us a follow on social media, @bigshinytakes, leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts, or give us some money at Patreon to unlock bonus content!  

Head to patreon.com/bigshinytakes to unlock this and all of our other bonus episodes for as little as $3 a month! Jeremy, Marino and Eric continue their conversation with Erica Ifill for a hilarious read of Jon Kay's latest anti-diversity screed. Dog Shampoo Boy scolds Sobeys for its "Woke Initiatives," then he gets distracted and starts rambling about churches burning.For just a few dollars a month you can get double the Big Shiny Takes content, and we would really appreciate it. We love making this show, and we hope you enjoy it too. ALSO! Keep your eyes on our twitter feed to help us determine the worst columnist in Canada. 

Erica Ifill (@wickdchiq) of the Bad + Bitchy podcast joins us to talk about ex-CBC host Wendy Mesley's woe-is-me shtick in the Globe and Mail after she got canned for getting caught saying the n-word repeatedly over two years. How many times over her 40-year career did she say it without getting caught?Melsey argues that firing her alone won't solve systemic racism at our state broadcaster. True, but it's not like it would it would hurt either.  To hear part two, where we talk about dog shampoo enthusiast Jon Kay, sign up for our Patreon to have it in your feed next week.  Plugs and RecsBad + BitchyBarney Ronay: England the country — not the football team — needs to take a look at itselfErin Anderssen: Can racism cause schizophrenia? Jeremy interviews the PMJaclynn Ashly: The Canadian Mining Company Dominicans Call 'Worse Than Columbus'Kevin Metcalf: I Was Fired For Criticizing Israel. Now I Dig Holes For A Living Big Shiny Takes is a proud part of the Harbinger Media Network. Theme music is by Jack Dump.If you like our show, give us a follow on social media, @bigshinytakes, leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts, or give us some money at Patreon to unlock bonus content!  

We're back for hopefully the last time reading one of Rex Murphy's ramblings. Literally the day after a Muslim family was murdered by a white supremacist, Rex is here to tell us about the real scourge of our time — anti-white racism.  While he denied last year that there was systemic racism in Canada, he appears to have changed his mind. We also talk about Postmedia's role in fomenting the hatred that continuously leads to Islamophobic murder.Plugs and RecsFrank Magazine - Portapique 911 calls reveal what RCMP knewRobert Hiltz - Frank Magazine Was Right To Publish Portapique 911 CallsAbeer Khan - Racist jokes, fear of my hijab being ripped: As a young Muslim, I know Islamophobia in Canada is nothing new Jeremy - Are Calgary police favouring some protests over others? Big Shiny Takes is a proud part of the Harbinger Media Network. Theme music is by Jack Dump.If you like our show, give us a follow on social media @bigshinytakes, leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts, or give us some money at Patreon to unlock bonus content!   

Canadian media does a lot of things poorly. Its cowardice when it comes to talking about Palestine is right at the top of the list. We're joined by our Palestinian friend Hammam Farah (@HumHum83) and our Israeli friend Eytan Tobin (@RabbiDieHardman) to talk about how Israel, like Canada, is a fake ass genocidal settler state.For those who haven't been paying attention, Israel attacked Gaza recently, killing about 250 people, including dozens of children, after provoking violence at al-Aqsa Mosque. This time something feels different. People are actually taking Palestinian perspectives seriously.But over at Postmedia, of course, it's business as usual. We talk about two Sun columns that regurgitate the usual Hasbara talking points about how Israel is never wrong and you're all a bunch of anti-Semites.It is our hope that "it's complicated" begins to be seen as an unnacceptable response for news organizations that are supposed to be informing the population about what is going on in the world. Plugs and RecsBDS Movement Donate to Palestine Children's Relief FundDonate to UNRWAPetition for Javier DavilaOff CourtDrum Circle JerkThe Onion - AP fires journalist at Palestinian civilians Big Shiny Takes is a proud part of the Harbinger Media Network. Theme music is by Jack Dump.If you like our show, give us a follow on social media @bigshinytakes, leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts, or give us some money at Patreon to unlock bonus content!