BARBER: Here's good advice, don't go looking for a fight

One of the major differences between growing up as part of the Baby Boomer generation and the generations that followed, is that the Boomers were raised in a time with far less adult protection for children. The equipment in the schoolyard was known to break limbs and knock heads, beginners’ chemistry sets given as gifts contained harmful substances and many children received a Daisy rifle when they turned twelve.One of the other differences was parents were not particularly concerned if their child was involved in a street fight, as long as no weapons were present. These fights usually started at school, but everyone knew you weren’t supposed to fight on school grounds, so they would walk to the nearest parking lot, field, or whatever was convenient to have their bout. It is understandable that, given how things have developed, parents are more concerned today about such exchanges among their children, but there are still many lessons to be learned from street fights.Recently, various media commentators and politicians are speaking ever louder about the need for Canada to fight Trump. So, as one with plenty of experience in street fights, let me explain a thing or two to those who haven’t.There is a world of difference between the bravado in the boys’ locker room and an actual fight. Everyone is a superhero in the locker room, but most will end up cowering when they realize the advantages the opposition has.Don’t go looking for a fight. No matter how good you think you are, there is always someone bigger, badder and better than you. You will often find this out too late and be picking your keister off the ground.Don’t think you are going to outsmart the other guy just because you have a well-formed plan. Mike Tyson, in his prime, was a machine in the ring. His record is outstanding, with 50 wins and 44 by knockout. He had only 7 losses. This is a man who knows fighting and is one of the best fighters in the history of boxing. But he is known for this quote: “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face”.Trump is a proven fighter. To change the skyline of NYC, he had to fight with city bureaucrats, politicians (many of whom were corrupt), trade unions, neighborhood councils and much more. He did not do this once, but repeatedly. The Democratic Party and the judiciary threw everything they could at him, and he still prevailed and returned to the White House. After he was shot, the first words he said with raised fist were, “Fight, fight.” This was not theatre but raw Trump.The US president has considerable authority to levy tariffs based on long-standing statutes. This is not a case of building up a consensus in both houses to get a favorable vote. It is much more personal. As we have seen before, Trump is willing to put insults and indignities aside to get a deal, but he does not forget them, and his response may come when least expected. Fighting with Trump will only be a loss for Canada. How much larger is the US economy compared to the Canadian economy? The larger the economy the easier to withstand tariffs. If the politicians and media think they are smart, then they should come up with a deal Trump can buy into. Think outside the box and stop doing everything PM Trudeau and his team, Freeland and Carney, have been trying. All of them are globalists, and Trump is anti-globalist. 'Mr. Wonderful' Kevin O’Leary, an outstandingly successful Canadian, has proposed an economic union with the US. He is correct in saying there are considerable advantages to such a union. However, there is also a downside that needs to be discussed. The important point, though, is that at least he is a voice offering something different ― something outside the box ― to address the current situation. How much more could we Canadians accomplish if our media and politicians were publicly making creative suggestions to address the possibilities of tariffs? A whirlwind of ideas from which real possibilities could rise to the top. Would that not be better than now, with soy-boys thumping their chests?Dr. A.W. Barber is the former Director of Asian Studies at the University of Calgary. He is internationally active and has wide-ranging interests.

BARBER: Here's good advice, don't go looking for a fight

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