Though physically, I was born an American, I was born in America to parents who were natural born citizens and whose parents were American citizens, I identify more with Canada. My dysphoria started well before Trump's current attempts to be an American Tsar.
My dysphoria started last summer when I took 2 trips to Canada. The wife and I toured the Canadian Rockies by train and bus. Then just as Fall began, I spent around 5 days in Montreal while the wife was with her sister. I have written about the first trip in an article last year. I noticed how Canada was civilized while the US was arrogant--and that was before Trump became President. I noticed how even bicyclists obeyed traffic laws. Canadians are more polite than Americans in part because they exercise more self-restraint. And I noticed that we Americans, myself included, talk too much and listen too little.
Canadians tend to be modest about their nation. When I told them that I was jealous of those who have a Canadian citizenship, they were quick to point out that their country has problems too. I sometimes responded by saying that their response shows one of the differences between Canadians and Americans. For if I was a Canadian who said that I was jealous of those who had an American citizenship, the American response would most probably be somewhere along the lines saying, 'of course you are.'
With Trump, the differences between Canada and the U.S. could not be more stark. As seen in Trump's treatment of USAID and his proposal to Ukraine, he seems not to be interested in providing any compassionate aid if there isn't a buck to be made out of it. The Canadian government is not that way.
Right now there is a pause in applying the tariffs that Trump threatened. The Canadian government should take this time to expand the markets for their businesses so that if Trump either implements the tariffs at a later date or attempts to economically threaten Canada again, Canadians will not be put at risk by economic attacks on its sovereignty. And please remember, Canada, the kind of person Trump is. He seems to have an insatiable lust for self-recognition, power, and money. He is not one to be trusted. I am especially now jealous of those who have a Canadian citizenship. Yous guys might have to live next to him, but we have to live with him. And he is a reflection of many of us Americans.
And for Trump, don't think that there will be no economic responses despite the pause in tariffs by Canadians. They rightfully feel betrayed by the threats. In addition, if there is one thing I know about Canadians is that the self-restraint and politeness they show is what they expect to see returned by other people. And so, though they are relieved by the pause, what they have just felt from Trump's threats will far outlast the sunsets of a Canadian summer.
One final point should be added here. If Trump feels so free to use threats and extortion to change Canadian policies, perhaps the EU and Canada could return the favor. Perhaps the EU and Canada should threaten to put tariffs on the businesses of Trump's friends and Trump himself until the US government restores USAID in full.
No comments:
Post a Comment