Y’know all those bluestate Americans who were talking about moving to Canada after the election?
"NOT SO FAST," SAYS ONE BLUESTATER WHO’S ALREADY LIVING THERE.
Excerpts:
I moved to Canada after the 2000 election. Although I did it mainly for
career reasons — I got a job whose description read as though it had
been written precisely for my rather quirky background and interests —
at the time I found it gratifying to joke that I was leaving the United
States because of George W. Bush. It felt fine to think of myself as
someone who was actually going to make good on the standard
election-year threat to leave the country.So I could certainly identify with the disappointed John Kerry
supporters who started fantasizing about moving to Canada after Nov. 2.
But after nearly four years as an American in the Great White North,
I’ve learned it’s not all beer and doughnuts. If you’re thinking about
coming to Canada, let me give you some advice: Don’t.Although I enjoy my work and have made good friends in Toronto, I’ve
found life as an American expatriate in Canada difficult, frustrating
and even painful in ways that have surprised me.
In the wake of 9/11, after the initial shock wore off, it was common
to hear some Canadians voice the opinion that Americans had finally
gotten what they deserved. The attacks were just deserts for years of
interventionist U.S. foreign policy, the increasing inequality between
the world’s poorest nations and the wealthiest one on Earth, and a
generalized arrogance.I heard similar views expressed after Nov. 2, when Americans were
perceived to have revealed their true selves and thus to "deserve" a
second Bush term.Canadians often use metaphors to portray their relationship with the
United States. They describe Canada as "sleeping with an elephant."
Even when the elephant is at rest, they worry that it may suddenly roll
over. They liken Canada to a gawky teen-age girl with a hopeless crush
on the handsome and popular boy next door. You know, the one who
doesn’t even know she exists.Part of what’s irksome about Canadian anti-Americanism and the
obsession with the United States is that it seems so corrosive to
Canada. Any country that defines itself through a negative ("Canada:
We’re not the United States") is doomed to an endless and repetitive
cycle of hand-wringing and angst. For example, Canadians often point to
their system of universal health care as the best example of what it
means to be Canadian (because the United States doesn’t provide it),
but this means that any effort to adjust or reform that system (which
is not perfect) precipitates a national identity crisis: To wit,
instituting co-payments or private MRI clinics will make Canada too
much like the United States.The rush to make comparisons sometimes prevents meaningful
examination of the very real problems that Canada faces. As a Canadian
social advocate once told me, when her compatriots look at their own
societal problems, they are often satisfied once they can reassure
themselves that they’re better off than the United States. As long as
there’s still more homelessness, racism and income inequality to the
south, Canadians can continue to rest easy in their moral superiority.
(NOTE TO BILLYHW & OTHER CANADIAN READERS: Present company is obviously excepted!)
Sad but true.
🙁
We’re almost as kooky as those crazy people in California.
😛
I have to agree with billyhw on this one. If the USA did ot exist, it would be necessary for many many canadians to invent it. Maybe we would make such remarks about the English instead.
I have to agree with billyhw on this one. If the USA did ot exist, it would be necessary for many many canadians to invent it. Maybe we would make such remarks about the English instead.
But in what language would y’all be making such remarks? Ha! 😀
(justkidding)
I have visited Canada only once and then only briefly, but what it seems to me to lack is an identity forged by common ancestry and common history. America has glorious and romantic history from Jamestown to the Alamo. Are there such stories in Canada? Make no mistake, we are losing our identity here in the lower 48. But I’m not sure Canada ever had one. Perhaps the best thing would be a break up. Interesting to RC’s btw, is the british purge of the Catholic Arcadians (the poem, Evangeline) , a story I only learned of in the last five years or so. Also–I’ve always said that Canada is a good cultural barometer or where the US will be in a decade or so–socialized medicine, laws against spanking, sodomy isn’t a sin and it’s a crime to say so, etc…
We would probably be making those remarks in French or English 🙂
This is the most patronizing pile of nonsense I’ve heard in years. I could write pages about what’s great about Canada, but keep this in mind from someone who has done some world travelling. The canadian maple leaf opens doors for you, and extends hospitality. A good number of americans quickly learn that it very often pays to get one and pass as a canadian. What’s refreshing about Canadians is that despite our love and consumption of american culture (yes we love you yanks)- we are not americans. It is a place of relative tolerance, where the government stays out of the bedrooms of the nation, where it mostly ok to be what you are and go about your business (who cares if you smoke some dope in your own home or if gays get married) where religion knows its place, a personal choice not a politcal dogma. Were a low key bunch who mind our own business, like to help others, take pride in an international perspective (we don’t mind wearing the United Nations colors on military or peacekeeping missions) and hell just like to get along whether we we like you or not. Frankly, if the world were a bit more like Canada it just might be a better place to be. In conclusion, an american friend of mine once said America is the best place to live if your rich, and Canada is the best place for the rest of us. Besides, the beer is great. Cheers
Frankly, if the world were a bit more like the wimpy Canada you just described, evil would have an easy time of it and no one would be free. But don’t worry; we Americans will stand up to evil. Go back to your stupor.