I guess we did it, sort of.
How’s everyone doing this morning? If you’re like me, you might be glued to the news with a mixture of dread and the slightest hint of what could be optimism. At this point, I can’t even tell anymore. I am emotionally wrung out, just a spent cloth of worry with a clenched jaw. Too much? My metaphors are a bit overwrought these days but just roll with it.
What I’m saying is, I get that this feels like a turning point. There is a natural demarcation today, with our neighbours trading one governing body for another. And it makes sense that many people are breathing out a sigh of relief. It makes sense to think that "we did it” or “we survived.” I mean, national treasure Chrissy Teigen is in Washington, giving the people the sights and sounds from the ground.
But in fact, so many people did not survive. So many people did not make it through the last four years. Ultimately, it’s not like everything - or anything - changes today. The underlying racism that lead to the Capitol riots is still simmering across the US. The anti-science conspiracy theories are still rampant. That sense of dread you have roiling in the pit of your stomach is the waiting to hear that there was another attack, a bomb threat, a shooting, or any other heinous form of violence perpetrated by people who believe they were lied to and are willing to kill to make their point.
None of that goes away because a different man takes an oath today.
And in fact, I think today is a great day for Canadians to take a collective breath and check our smug attitudes at the door.
Yes, on the whole, I believe that we’re nice and polite, and we do apologize to everyone all the time. It’s a whimsical stereotype that I personally lean into and love.
But we’re also pretty freaking smug, and have been overtly so for the last four years. Plenty of Canadians I know are so nice to tourists and visitors and outsiders, because inside…we’re glad we’re not you. We’re Canadian! We have a prime minister who runs to grab his coat on live television because it was cold during the briefing. We have universal healthcare. And we have lost an unconscionable number of lives during the COVID-19 pandemic, but at least not as many as you guys did, so it’s ok by comparison.
We also have a conservative MP who took donations from white nationalists, an act that the MP says he was unaware of, and one that could see him booted from caucus. The leader of that same conservative party ran on a party pledge to “take back Canada,” which prompts the basic follow up questions: from whom are we taking this country back? What does taking back a country look like, anyway? Because I think we saw a failed attempt at it last week, and that’s not something I want to be a part of.
This white supremacist threat doesn’t stop at the border. We’re not inherently immune to racism and xenophobia because we also make jokes about hockey and maple syrup. And we’re not ok because it’s demonstrably worse somewhere else.
Here’s what I propose: Let’s get through today. Let’s just get through this tension-filled day, and come out the other side with a shred of hope. And come tomorrow, let’s put action behind our words, support anti-racist causes, and ensure that we have something to actually be smug about.
Recommendations from the Slush Pile:
This week’s recommendations are of the “help I need a quick distraction to counter this omnipresent sense of doom.”
The following links are from the incredible newsletter Deez Links: May I point you in the direction of jazz bagpipes? How about an Australian pigeon just trying to run errands?
Here are some movies to look forward to in 2021.
Working from home is hurting your feet!
One Last Thing:
Sea shanties have now peaked. Enjoy this cursed version.