Gerald Butts

speaker

1,669 appearances 11 recordings 1 series first heard Apr 2026 last heard 15 Sep

Gerald Butts’s voice in public audio — every appearance, attributed to the second.

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recordings per month · last 12 months

Recordings per month over the last 12 months — 11 in all, peaking in Aug 2026 with 3.

Appearances

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The Bridge with Peter Mansbridge · MOORE BUTTS Encore Episode: Disagree Better - Is That Even Possible? · 1 Jul 2026 podcast

Do you want to pick up on that, James?

In today's political world, I think, I don't think it is possible.

I don't think it's possible to at least be, um, not be cognizant of what's happening on social media.

Otherwise you risk not being relevant to, because that's the, this is the arena of politics these days.

And we built that arena and we've got to figure out ways to make it more, uh, less of a, the Roman Coliseum and more of a hockey rink, I think.

But, um,

I think it's impossible.

And I, I, as someone who has two teenagers, myself, Peter, I think about this all the time.

Uh, terminally online has a darker meaning this week than it did last week.

And there are big rabbit holes that you can fall down, but I don't think, and I've never thought that that kind of dare I say it, Luddite impulse to reject technological advancement is going to save the world.

Um,

I don't think it's practical.

And I think for most young people, and certainly young people that I know through my kids, it's the way they communicate with each other.

And when adults come along and say, you know, it's a dangerous place out there, you shouldn't be on your phone.

As one of my kids pretty poignantly said to me many months ago, having a similar conversation, he said, this is like your parents telling you not to listen to heavy metal music, dad.

It just makes you sound old.

And I think that's right.

And we've got to figure out a way to live in this world we've made for ourselves.

I think that too often people in politics feel like the technology is overwhelming and it creates their voice, but you're responsible for your own voice in politics as you are in daily life.

And it's subject to be shaped by the participants, not just the platform.

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