What Albus Dumbledore and Justin Trudeau don't have in common

Two of my favorite characters in the Harry Potter Series, after Severus Snape, are Albus Dumbledore and Lord Voldemort. While the superficial one will look at Dumbledore and Voldemort as two polar opposites, I'm gonna tell you right now that it ain’t the case.

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These two are a Venn Diagram in so many ways. Here are just a few things Dumbledore and Voldemort have in common:

They were resourceful, but they ultimately acted and operated alone

One sought to kill Harry, the other sought to sacrifice Harry

“Like a pig for slaughter.” - Severus Snape

Both were powerful wizards who, at one point or another, sought wizard supremacy

Both made immoral decisions regarding other people

Voldemort’s are self-explanatory, as he was never afraid to kill

Dumbledore didn’t mind tossing others aside. For example, he had no problem with the Ministry sending Sirius Black to Azkaban without trial

Both were, without a doubt, the brightest wizards in their respective times at school and afterward.

That said, it still doesn’t take a genius to realize that, despite his ultra-flawed nature, Dumbledore was the better man for one reason and one reason only: He stopped pursuing power when his sister, Ariana, was killed. Dumbledore knew that, because of the actions in his younger days that ultimately led to Ariana’s death, couldn’t be trusted with power.

It’s why he never accepted the post for Minister of Magic. Hagrid let Harry know that the Wizarding World wanted Dumbledore for Minister on multiple occasions, but stated something along the lines of, “He could never leave Hogwarts.”

Yeah, it wasn’t until Book 7 did we find out why that was. And this brings me to the current discussion and how we can intermingle fiction with real life, following Justin Trudeau’s decision to resign (at some point, the last I heard) as Canadian Prime Minister. A few days back, I came across an article at FEE by Patrick Carroll outlining Trudeau and his ultimate legacy. And it got me thinking about one of Dumbledore’s most notable quotes in Harry Potter:

“It is a curious thing, Harry, but perhaps those who are best suited to power are those who have never sought it.” - Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

What the Justin Trudeau Experience can teach everyone, not just Canadians

Before I go any further, I should point out that I’m not Canadian. That said, the entire Trudeau lesson should apply to everyone, not just those north of the border. I’m saying this because I’m sure there’ll be ‘gatekeepers’ out there asking this: “Yeah, well, are you Canadian?”

Seriously, that ill-advised mindset would be akin to those telling me I can’t comment on Napoleon in France, Hitler in Nazi Germany, Mao in China, or Stalin in the Soviet Union, just to name a few. I can even roll with more current names, like Maduro in Venezuela. Or, if we could put a decent human being in there and someone who actually knows how to lead, Javier Milei in Argentina.

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Anyway, Trudeau is the picture-perfect example of what a corrupt human being is: Someone who sought power when they were young and, unlike Dumbledore, attained, and got so drunk on it that it led to some atrocious decision-making.

As libertarians, we can look no further than Trudeau’s response to the Freedom Convoy a few years back. If you need me to give you a layman’s summary on the issue, Trudeau threatened to freeze bank accounts of protestors and those associated with them for openly opposing mandatory You Know What jabs. Yeah, the man basically turned into a dictator reminiscent of something outta the CCP if he wasn’t already one to begin with.

I was kind of shocked Carroll didn’t include this tidbit in his article (maybe I just missed it). But whatever. Trudeau’s shortcomings in other areas summed up his tenure as PM that maybe Carroll just didn’t feel like reminding people. Let me give you a rundown of what Carroll wrote, and I’m linking much of what he linked in his article:

Support for the Liberal Party clocking in at a whopping 16 percent

Implemented a gender-balanced cabinet just for the sake of implementing a gender-balanced cabinet 10 years ago, “Because it’s 2015.”

Scandal after scandal plagued Trudeau’s tenure as PM

Canada’s GDP numbers have stagnated under Trudeau

Justin Trudeau should’ve idolized Albus Dumbledore

Quoting Patrick Carroll’s piece directly, and, by extension, Douglas Adams, we get this.

“…[I]t is a well-known fact that those people who most want to rule people are, ipso facto, those least suited to do it,” writes Douglas Adams. “…anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job.”

It’s something that Trudeau, in all of his arrogant posturing, couldn’t figure out himself. Now, he’ll leave a tarnished legacy in Canada, much unlike Javier Milei in Argentina, whose policies are making the place a viable country again.

Anyway, the point here is, Dumbledore knew about his shortcomings, so he limited his power to that of the Hogwarts Headmaster, though he did hold a few other titles. A position that, considering if you’re the safety-first crusader these days or the liberty lover, garnered mixed reviews from both those living in the Wizarding World, and real-life readers here in the Muggle World.

Dumbledore knew he’d likely abuse any power he attained, so he wisely stayed away from it. Trudeau had been so drunk on power that I’d be surprised if he didn’t receive a massive dopamine rush every time he managed to implement draconian measures in Canada.

Of course, we can contrast many politicians all over the world with Dumbledore, and it’s one reason why he’s one of my favorite characters in Harry Potter, despite his flaws. But, for those we contrast, we can come to one conclusion: Dumbledore is by no means perfect, but he’s a heck of a lot better than most of the garbage that plagues our capital cities.