When I did something kind of un-American last week by apologizing to Canadians for the Trump administration鈥檚 hostile imperialism toward them, I knew I was going to get pilloried by some here at home.
On cue, the 鈥渓ove it or leave it鈥� types did not disappoint.
鈥淵ou should move to Canada you traitor, or better idea, we should deport you,鈥� wrote a reader from Colorado 鈥� one of several hundred emails I got suggesting that when it comes to me, America might no longer be the land of the free.
More compelling for U.S. readers to grapple with were the many hundreds of responses that poured in from British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and other far-flung parts of our northern neighbour (as they spell it).
It turns out many Canadians aren鈥檛 really into diplomacy or making nice right now.
Summed up an emailer from Yellowknife, a town way up in the Northwest Territories: 鈥淵ou can take your sorry and stuff it where the Arctic sun don鈥檛 shine.鈥�
The column got reprinted in papers across Canada and shared on Canadian social media. The most, uh, colorful thread about it was on the country鈥檚 largest subreddit, r/Canada, which has 3.4 million members (10% of the country鈥檚 adult population).
One Canadian there hinted at the pile-on to come: 鈥淛ust because we apologize a lot does not mean we forgive easily.鈥�
Said another: 鈥淭o quote an American, 鈥榊ou can stuff your sorries in a sack!鈥欌��
Said a third: 鈥淲e鈥檙e kind of pros when it comes to sorries, so Yanks telling us sorry is like gifting a loaf of Wonder Bread to a Parisian.鈥�
鈥淎pologizing to us is just as useless as 鈥榯houghts and prayers,鈥欌�� echoed a fourth.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not our 鈥� job to make you feel better. This 鈥榚motional support Canadian鈥� is done,鈥� said a fifth.
鈥淭hey鈥檒l still be saying sorry when the American 1st Armored rolls into Ottawa,鈥� said a sixth.
It went on like this for nearly 800 comments. I felt like a Mariners fan at a Toronto Blue Jays game. I have to admit they have a knack for the gentle insertion of the savage barb.
I especially appreciated the many copies of a meme sent to me showing a beaver dragging a tree branch across a road, with the caption 鈥淐anada begins construction of a wall at US-Canada border.鈥�
Other Canadians, though, said the oppressive level of threat coming from the U.S. government is no joke.
鈥淲e are so pissed and anxious right now,鈥� wrote Tom Levesque of Halifax, Nova Scotia. 鈥淲e feel forgotten and laughed off. The 51st state stuff is NOT funny up here.鈥�
Wrote Gord Gilmour, from Manitoba: 鈥淐ongratulations on your speed run to try to position yourself as a 鈥榞ood German鈥� prior to whatever it is that your dear leader gets up to in the next four years 鈥� But your apology is hollow and meaningless 鈥� At this point in history, you are a nation of gangsters, thugs and confidence men.鈥�
The 鈥済ood German鈥� slight does sting 鈥� he鈥檚 referring to those who claimed not to have supported Hitler or the Nazis, but who stayed silent about it and did nothing to resist.
I鈥檝e been arguing for years that Donald Trump is an anti-democratic charlatan, to the point that he shouldn鈥檛 have even been allowed on the ballot, let alone elected. I don鈥檛 think I qualify as someone who has stayed silent.
But I鈥檓 also a believer in democracy, and Trump did just win the election. One has to respect that 鈥� even though he didn鈥檛 in 2020 when he lost. This means that until there鈥檚 another chance to vote, resistance is going to be more about lawsuits when Trump strays outside legal bounds (which is frequently), as well as objecting and speaking out.
There were more than a thousand protesting outside Seattle鈥檚 Federal building Monday, so that鈥檚 a stirring. Better yet would be Republicans remembering some of their professed conservative principles, instead of genuflecting like cowed supplicants.
Many Canadians reported they are feeling less angry than wistful watching all this.
鈥淚 appreciate you capturing the feeling of loss that so many of us here feel for what is happening in the U.S.,鈥� wrote P. Gerry Nixon, of British Columbia. He said he has been listening to Aaron Copland鈥檚 orchestra work Appalachian Spring 鈥� 鈥渂orn of the Depression and the hope of a new deal. That is the America I keep in my heart.鈥�
Wrote Jude Kornelson, also of B.C.: 鈥淚t鈥檚 nice to be reminded that the death of the friendship I thought existed between our counties is mourned by you as well, so thank you.鈥�
鈥淵ou need a Martin Luther King type person to reinvigorate the people to stand up once again and fight,鈥� advised Laurel Rousseau of Vancouver Island. 鈥淵our present Democratic leaders in the House and Senate should be ashamed of themselves.鈥�
Added Lexie Angelo of Alberta: 鈥淩eading your article has been the first moment where I have felt as though one single person in America understands the collective sentiment.鈥�
But: 鈥淵our apology, while appreciated, can鈥檛 be accepted in good faith. I hope you know this. Things are about to get worse for both of us. I can only wish that at some dark juncture, Americans with a sense of things-gone-terribly-wrong, admit so much.
鈥淨uiet and cowardly is no way to live. It鈥檚 an even worse way to let a nation die.鈥�
Tough but fair. We need to hear what others think of us, so I鈥檓 grateful for all these responses. Even the 鈥渟un don鈥檛 shine鈥� ones. That鈥檚 probably what I would say (or think) if I was them.
What was most unnerving though? Hearing how much more invested Canadians are in the idea and promise of our democracy than we often seem to be ourselves.
