Oy, things are getting dark fast. So, yeah, ICE and DHS and other actors are trying to make the US as unpleasant as possible for foreign folks. So much so that they pulled apart a Canadian sister act and asked each, do you prefer the US or Canada? If I were asked, of course, I would have to be a good academic and say: it depends. Given my dual nationalism, of course, I have some ambivalence, as each country has good and bad things. To preview, I am not moving to the US anytime soon, so that's a hint, but let's borrow from every sitcom including a classic Friends, and list each side's advantages or disadvantages:
US- Bagels. Yeah, 20 plus years in Canada and ten in Montreal and I am still firmly against eating smokey bricks covered in lousy seeds.
- Milk containers. Another old argument here.
- Dairy prices. Oh, the dairy cartel in Canada means that milk, eggs, and butter are very expensive.
- Football. It is no contest--Canadian football just looks silly.
- Private grant money. Heaps of foundations.
- Abundant think tanks--lots of entities generating ideas
- Chinese food. I guess one likes what one grows up with, but I just like the Chinese food in the US better--the wonton soup is better, the fried stuff is better.
- Summer. Hot, sure, but I had so many great summers growing up.
- Trader Joes
- Mexican food
Canada
- Democratic governance. The court, while still a political actor, is not one that makes batshit crazy stuff up. The elections are not gamed by parties, but run by non-partisan actors. No concerns about gerry-mandering or voter suppression.
- Egg prices... for now. That the US is gutting all public health stuff means a lousy avian flu response, among other things.
- Better pandemic response--mostly. Canadians did very well on the first round of vaccines, with not so great on the latter rounds.
- Government grant money--far more money for the social sciences. Tis been bery bery good to me.
- Ultimate. I had fun ultimate in the US, but the city leagues in Montreal and Ottawa were great to me.
- Skiing. Whistler and Lake Louise are special. If I had more Colorado experiences, this might be a tie.
- Winter. Long and cold, but heaps of snow for the aforementioned skiing.
- Legal status of LGBTQ+. The Canadian Conservatives are doing the same transphobic shit, but are less likely to be successful.
- Few think tanks. More is better, but few means that the government reaches out to academics and that has been mighty good to me.
Tied
- Costco!
- Treatment of Indigenous people. Genocidal in both, better now but that is just because the bar is super low.
- Senates. Both Senates suck but for different reasons. Canada's is unelected so it has less power/legitimacy, but the US's is, well, an obstacle to progress.
- Governors/premiers. Those right wing folks governing federal units suck mightily in both countries. Danielle Smith and Doug Ford give Abbott and Desantis a run for their money.
So, what do I prefer? The hint is at the top--I am not moving back to the US--I will eventually be retiring in Ottawa. When I first moved to Canada, I thought I would eventually return to the US. Not any more. My friends are concentrated in Ottawa, I enjoy living here. The people have been great to me and my family. It, alas, is no longer about the best ultimate communities. And, yes, I can't imagine living in the autocratic hellscape that the US is rapidly becoming. Way too many Americans have chosen Trump three times now. The first time, one could blame party id and the idea that he might not do so much bad stuff. Sicne then, WTF America? More Americans don't support him or the party of bad faith, but way too many do. Ewwwww.
Not sure this is what I would tell some border person, but this is where I stand these days--in a sea of maple, wary of the beavers and the angry geese.
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