Don’t go full serial killer please. And while protesting can be helpful and at times necessary, it is only a small fraction of what is required for political and cultural change.
What would I do in your shoes, even though I don’t know their size or colour or condition or style? It seems obvious to me, but I am old and have spent time in places where Canadians have more global power than the locals.
Let’s say I move to Canada as a non-refugee, but maybe a political migrant moving out of concern. Some people are very welcoming and many seem cold or outright distrustful. Some of that seems directed not so much at me, since I check whether I am a mealy whinger or arrogant main character, and I’m not. It’s mainly about my origin and identity.
So I am going to earn trust where it counts. Not for the globally consistent 20% or so of boneheads who are always going to be authoritarian and xenophobic or supremacist in some way, fuck ‘em. Earn trust by building community in meaningful ways.
Work on making friends, while working on making up for the bullshit everyone here is now burdened with because American culture is so individualistic and religious and authoritarian and parochial and violent. Mitigate that shit for my new neighbours, in my own behaviour and by joining local initiatives that are pro-social, like volunteering at shelters or for a refugee organization.
Educate myself on history and local customs and geography. Don’t be the parochial dimwit of stereotypes. These are standard practice for any mildly courteous traveller, mind you.
Canada, however, has a special colonial relationship with the USA that affects everyone. So I pay attention, and remember that the citizens of the USA have long been friendly to, but have also long ignored and belittled and coveted and threatened and financially controlled and culturally dominated my new home… and people are going to remind me of that when I inevitably channel some of the american exceptionalism that galls most Canadians into passive aggressive mockery.
Don’t go full serial killer please. And while protesting can be helpful and at times necessary, it is only a small fraction of what is required for political and cultural change.
What would I do in your shoes, even though I don’t know their size or colour or condition or style? It seems obvious to me, but I am old and have spent time in places where Canadians have more global power than the locals.
Let’s say I move to Canada as a non-refugee, but maybe a political migrant moving out of concern. Some people are very welcoming and many seem cold or outright distrustful. Some of that seems directed not so much at me, since I check whether I am a mealy whinger or arrogant main character, and I’m not. It’s mainly about my origin and identity.
So I am going to earn trust where it counts. Not for the globally consistent 20% or so of boneheads who are always going to be authoritarian and xenophobic or supremacist in some way, fuck ‘em. Earn trust by building community in meaningful ways.
Work on making friends, while working on making up for the bullshit everyone here is now burdened with because American culture is so individualistic and religious and authoritarian and parochial and violent. Mitigate that shit for my new neighbours, in my own behaviour and by joining local initiatives that are pro-social, like volunteering at shelters or for a refugee organization.
Educate myself on history and local customs and geography. Don’t be the parochial dimwit of stereotypes. These are standard practice for any mildly courteous traveller, mind you.
Canada, however, has a special colonial relationship with the USA that affects everyone. So I pay attention, and remember that the citizens of the USA have long been friendly to, but have also long ignored and belittled and coveted and threatened and financially controlled and culturally dominated my new home… and people are going to remind me of that when I inevitably channel some of the american exceptionalism that galls most Canadians into passive aggressive mockery.
Eloquent. Probably the most well thought out comment I’ll read today.