A few months back, I had an awkward interaction with an Uber driver, and I hadn’t had one like this in a very long time.
I requested the ride, and the driver picked me up in less than 2 minutes. Turned out, he lived very close to me, and I was his first trip of the day. We got chatting and he asked me if I was American.
Technically, I am American. I was born and raised there, but I self-deported over 30 years ago, and have not even set foot in the country in over 20. I don’t really identify as American, even if I sound like one. I have a British first name, a British surname, a British passport and I’ve lived in London longer than Iived in the US of A. At this point, I’m am much more British than American.
I replied to the driver in the affirmative, that I was indeed American. He said he recognised my accent, because he had spent a lot of time around Americans.
I then asked my driver where he was from originally. He said he’d lived in London for over 20 years, but was originally from Iraq. My driver didn’t need to tell me why he left when he did.
Then there was a bit of silence, before I uncomfortably, nervously began laughing, while apologising for America’s terrible actions in his country. I was against the Iraq War, but that didn’t stop me from feeling guilty, and embarrassed about it. It was shameful. He didn’t seem to hold a grudge, or if he did, he kept it to himself. Like I said, it was awkward.
Similar interactions used to frequently occur to me during the second Gulf war, and it was just as uncomfortable back then. So much so, that when a stranger asked me my nationality, I began to say I was Canadian.
Everyone likes Canadians, They are friendly, non-controversial, and innocuous, so pretending to be Canadian made my life easier. My interactions with strangers of all nationalities suddenly became more pleasant. There were no pregnant pauses, no awkward silences, and no judgement, or criticism. People stopped telling me George W. Bush was a total dummy. As if I need to be informed of something so basic.
It wasn’t hard to pretend to be Canadian. My accent is neutral enough, and influenced by living in London so long that no one ever questioned my claim.
Once the war ended, and Obama was president, the USA became less of an international pariah, and I returned to being American again.
America is once again disliked by the rest of the world, perhaps more so than at any point in my life. And that’s not hyperbole. In just a few months, Trump has resurrected the whole evil empire thing, only this time it’s a domestic policy, with a level of intentional cruelty that I didn’t think was possible.
You can see it in the press, and media. You can feel it online. Present day America has lost the affection, and respect of the majority of the planet. Tourists no longer want to go there… People are afraid to go there. And they don’t want to buy American products. It’s not a stretch to think that in this moment, people won’t be too fond of Americans either. That’s why I’m Canadian. Again.
I’m not doing this out of fear. It’s embarrassment. I’m ashamed of what America has become. The Trump regime is attacking freedom of speech, the freedom of the press, freedom of everything. They’re even attacking institutes of higher learning, like Harvard, one of America’s oldest, and most prestigious universities. And don’t forget all the illegal deportations, er I mean the kidnapping and trafficking folks to other countries – US citizens and non-citizens alike. No one is safe in Trump’s America.
What’s even better about becoming Canadian again, is that Canada has the world’s sympathy right now, due to Trump’s repeated, insane demand that the country give up sovereignty, and become America’s 51st state. Donald has said he won’t rule out using the US Military to take over Canada. He seems a tiny bit obsessed with this non-starter of a plan.
I’m hoping I won’t have to be Canadian forever. I’m not a fan of deception. That said, I don’t know how America comes back from this. If Trump really fufils his dream and becomes “President for life”, then I might be Canadian for quite a while. It’s cool, I already like maple syrup, and I’m sure I can get a Canadian hockey jersey online. After all, I’m Canadian, again.
After a 30 year career as a journalist, working for some of the largest news organisations in the world, including Associated Press and Reuters, and 15 years as a duty news editor for BBC News, Doug – the northlondonhippy is now a full time hippy, and writer. And for the last few years, he’s been #EpilepsyHippy. His life was a whole lot more fun before gaining that new title. For real.
Doug is also the author of “Personal Use by the northlondonhippy.” “Personal Use” chronicles Doug’s years of experience with mind altering substances, while calling for urgent drug law reform. It’s a cracking read. You will laugh, you will cry, and you can bet your ass that you will wish you were a hippy too!
If you want even more, (and who wouldn’t?) you could always check out Hippy Highlights – which is the best of the best stuff on the site, and it’s all free to read. What are you waiting for?
