When Jason Kenney posted a tweet on March 1, the question he posed was (likely) rhetorical in nature — especially given that he answers the question himself in the same tweet.
But that didn’t stop answers from coming in from all over Alberta, resulting in over 1,000 replies to his initial tweet over the coming days.
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- #NotAngryAB trending in Alberta as response to negative message
The question was quite simple: “Are you better off today than you were four years ago?”
Are you better off today than you were four years ago? For so many Alberta families the answer is clearly ‘no’. We can’t afford not to take bold action to bring jobs and investment back to Alberta. See our full news release here: https://t.co/rv7NWoueL0 pic.twitter.com/dURKmFtMeE
— Jason Kenney (@jkenney) March 1, 2019
As of March 5, the tweet garnered 222 likes, 91 retweets, and 1,000 replies, resulting in a classic case of being ratioed — a term (so far unofficially) defined by Merriam-Webster as indicating that: “Generally speaking, the more replies a tweet gets over likes or retweets, the worse it is.”
The majority of the replies to Kenney’s tweet were actually in support of Premier Rachel Notley and her time in government, explaining (in 280 characters or less) that they were, in fact, better off than they were four years ago.
The hashtag #BetterOffWithRachel was born.
Definitely better off. I have a great job, we reduced our electrical bill by switching to LED at lower costs, my daughters go to school where their teachers aren’t expected to snitch on them and my province is working to diversify it’s economy away from the global oil market.
— Chris Ratzlaff (@ratzlaff) March 3, 2019
Thanks to @RachelNotley the Alberta craft beer industry has expanded exponentially, growing from 18 breweries in 2014 to 125 in 2019. Alberta beer drinkers are #BetterOffWithRachel. #Craftbeer #diversification #ableg
— Peter Bailey (@Libarbarian) March 4, 2019
Been here since ’84 and this is by far the best I’ve ever had it in Alberta. NDP has actually put up schools as opposed to announcing them… Nobody’s perfect, but the NDP has done a very good job managing difficult times & deserve another term #BetterOffWithRachel
— Duncan McMillan (@tduncanmcmillan) March 4, 2019
Yes I am. I don’t have a man controlling my uterus. The education minister is banning seclusion rooms, and conversion therapy is being banned! I’m gay, and happy with it. My premiere celebrates diversity and invests in our children’s education for the future! #BetterOffWithRachel
— Brianne Fraser (@bjfraser7) March 5, 2019
By Sunday, March 3, the hashtag had made it to the top of the country, trending in Canada on Twitter and prompting more responses from Albertans.
#betteroffwithrachel is now trending in Canadahttps://t.co/fA9f4xpJy6 pic.twitter.com/mGE9EPQW6j
— Trendsmap Canada (@TrendsmapCanada) March 4, 2019
This isn’t the first time that Albertans have rallied on Twitter in 2019, either, as local blogger and author Mike Morrison created the #NotAngryAB hashtag back in January in response to former Wildrose Party leader Brian Jean.
Jean had posted a message to Facebook on January 14 painting the picture of a province filled with angry residents, a bleak future, and failing leadership.
Morrison responded with a tweet explaining why he was not an angry Albertan, and all the things that brought him joy about living in the province.
“Conservatives keep saying Albertans are furious. But I’m not,” Morrison wrote in a January 14 tweet.
“It’s never been safer for me and my boyfriend to be together. I get same-day doctors appointments. I don’t pay a sales tax. My business is successful and I’m hiring. And look at my cat. She’s so cute.”
Conservatives keep saying Albertans are furious. But I’m not.
It’s never been safer for me and my boyfriend to be together.
I get same-day doctors appointments.
I don’t pay a sales tax.
My business is successful and I’m hiring.
And look at my cat. She’s so cute. #NotAngryAB pic.twitter.com/KPRFuVjC1Z— Mike Morrison 🏳️🌈 (@mikesbloggity) January 14, 2019
The tweet prompted other Albertans to write about the positives that come with their lives in Alberta and why they aren’t quite as “furious” as they may be depicted to be.
By January 15 the hashtag had become the third most trending topic in Canada, with thousands of contributors in the first 24 hours.
With the Alberta provincial election on the horizon, odds are we’ll be seeing a few more politically-charged hashtags within the coming months.