Part 1-Why I used to envy Americans Part 2- Why I no longer envy Americans

Greetings new and returning readers.
Deciding what to write for my first op-ed post was not as difficult as I thought, although I did mull it over in my mind while I should have been sleeping.

PART 1- Why I used to envy Americans

I arrived at Pearson Airport in 1977, having been expatriated since I was very young. I arrived a stranger in a strange land. While living in Europe, I had made many visits back to this side of the pond, always to the United States. I knew far more about America than about my own country.

CANADA

In the seventies Canada was (note to self- be polite) very...colonial. I think nowadays we would politely call it quaint. I was first met by a sea of nylon hockey jackets (on women!!) and quilted flannel jackets on men. The footwear of choice on both sexes was something called Kodiaks. I looked down at my Italian loafers, and thought 'This is gonna take some getting used to'.
Dining was Ponderosa Steak House, and fine dining was the Greek steak houses that were seemingly on every corner. The only difference was velvet wallpaper. Downtown Toronto offered slightly better fair- four 'good' restaurants (two of them steak houses), one English, and one French. There was an eatery called Old Angelo's that defies description, or categorization. Eating at home did not fair any better. Supermarkets offered pork chops, ground beef, broccoli, and cauliflower. I remember asking a stock-boy where the cheese counter was. Blank stare. I found the cheese, cheddar (still very good) and two identical cheeses called Brick, and Farmers (I still haven't tried these, but they bounce.)
We had to buy wine over the counter, after filling out a form, women were not allowed in bars, and culture in the burbs was movie theatres. Downtown we had the O'Keefe Center, that predominately featured Canadian acts- Robert Goulet, Liona Boyd, Anne Murray, and the occasional American musical. We had a handful of live theatres, one of which had already been playing 'The Mousetrap' for twenty five years. At least all the great rock bands came here.
Canada in the seventies was a harbinger of, forty years in the future, my first visit to WalMart.

AMERICA

I arrived in Canada knowing nobody except my brother Eric. He too was only recently repatriated, and had few friends. His social group was from college, in the States, and his friends became my friends by default. Every opportunity I had I headed south. Connecticut, New York City, and the east coast of Florida became my social hubs.
To my young mind, America had EVERYTHING. Fashion, culture, food, entertainment, and shopping were all bigger, more, bountiful!! Americans smiled more, were smarter, actually knew where Europe was, and dressed better. Supermarkets overflowed with shiny green, yellow, and orange. Even the sun shone brighter. Products were cheaper, selection was greater, and people rarely said 'Eh'. This was truly Shangri-La, the land of plenty, and understandably, the place where the huddled masses had a chance.
In America I could eat Spanish food, see a play not written by Agatha Christie, buy beer in the same store that sold magazines (granted, Canadian beer was far superior, and we had cable T.V. long before our southern nieghbours.) and do a half a million things, all at a quarter to three (thanks Huey)
Given a choice, I could not see why anybody would stay in Canada.
On the political front, America was getting over Vietnam, Nixon, Watergate and looking at good times. Americans did not talk about politics unless provoked. By and large, they seemed contented with the status quo. The dark, cold undercurrent of American society was not visible to the naked eye.

PART 2- Why I no longer envy Americans

I grew up, and more importantly, so did Canada. Dragged kicking, and screaming into the twentieth century, Canada started resembling America. Greek restaurants started selling Greek food, Camembert, Yorkville discovered fashion, and that reluctantly spread. Tight-assed Canada loosened it's collective sphincter, and stopped behaving like Little House on the Prairie.

With the wisdom that comes with age, and as I became more comfortable in my own land, I started examining my own fascination with American culture, and society. That nation of shiny, happy people had a dirty little secret. Actually, one big-assed secret.

The country is scared, terrified, paranoid, and needs to be that way to survive. Americans cannot function without something to be afraid of, and in the absence of same, will invent a bogeyman. The only way United States can stand united is to have a common fear. Without fear, they would scatter like dandelion seeds.

Just staying within my own lifetime, a few examples- Vietnam. Americans were told they were somehow fighting for their freedom. From what, there was no threat there? Not their circus, not their monkeys, but enough to strike terror to their hearts. The cold war. Perhaps some real threat, but much more a perceived threat. It started, and ended, a stalemate. Terror factor-Extreme. The gas crisis. Completely made up. The fear factor was low in the U.S.A. so they created a crisis. Ditto drug 'pushers' in schools. Drug dealers have never been stupid enough to give away product. Anita Bryant made gays the enemy, The Ayatollah began the slippery slope of considering Muslims...ALL of them, a threat. Then THE BIG ONE. On 9/11 America actually came under attack, but only for a second. This sent the paranoid factor thru the roof, and it has stayed that way. America is quaking in its boots, and they love it that way.

The American response to any threat is of course...ARM YOURSELF. Bigger, more deadly military, militarized police, Homeland Security, Armed guards in schools. The enemy...everybody. Your neighbours, criminals, pedophiles, terrorists, and anybody non-white, non-Christian. Arm every American. When the enemy comes over the hill, brandishing swords, every man, woman, and child can pull out their Glock and have at 'em. The odds that those coming over said hill being Girl Scouts bearing cookies are high. Collateral damage. To quell the Middle Eastern threat the NRA recommends carrying an assault rifle to the supermarket.

 

N.B. I am not pro gun control. I have been around guns all my life. They ARE part of Canadian culture. Canadians ARE allowed to own guns, we just choose not to.  Guns instill a false sense of security, and anyone carrying one is secretly wishing they will get a chance to use it.

 

When America tires of the Mid-East wars, and realizes that the Mid -east doesn't even have weapons capable of getting there, they will find their new enemy. I'm praying it's not Canada.