SreudianFlip

Such a prescient episode.

This is true, though the declaration being avoided is a wider set than just terrorism.

When I say skew I am not implying intent to mislead, just that paranoid interpretations by readers are kind of inevitable in such a situation.

While I agree that it skews the narrative, it's likely that media at early stages of the story use passive language like that to leave open the possibility of various causes, such as mechanical malfunction or even an algorithmic failure.

No. East Asian looking male with a history of mental illness.

Most likely the political component of this tragedy is how the Socreds closed regional mental health institutions in the late 20th C, and subsequent governments just swept the whole thing under the rug while homelessness spread through the province and mentally disturbed and unsupported people lashed out in random ways.

Now you have dorks and bootlickers like Mayor Sims turning a health system failure into an opportunity for cruelty and repression. Punishment will be the talking point. They will roll with that, watch.

A drunk and his goons just took over your bus and it’s headed right for a school, I get it, you didn’t do it! …even though everyone saw them standing on the curb with tommyguns and shitty fedoras before they boarded, but OK.

Whatever happens from this point on is entirely on you and yours, now, though. History is watching.

Just a reminder to non-canadians that a core part of Canadian identity has always been not being American. It’s a quasi-colonized pov. Make it real and it will be life-or-death for many many folk.

Slightly more than 50% of all people are at least somewhat uncool, in my estimation, and that of course includes Jews, so thanks for confirming that!

it must be springtime

the style police have emerged

discourse now narrows

Don’t go full serial killer please. And while protesting can be helpful and at times necessary, it is only a small fraction of what is required for political and cultural change.

What would I do in your shoes, even though I don’t know their size or colour or condition or style? It seems obvious to me, but I am old and have spent time in places where Canadians have more global power than the locals.

Let’s say I move to Canada as a non-refugee, but maybe a political migrant moving out of concern. Some people are very welcoming and many seem cold or outright distrustful. Some of that seems directed not so much at me, since I check whether I am a mealy whinger or arrogant main character, and I’m not. It’s mainly about my origin and identity.

So I am going to earn trust where it counts. Not for the globally consistent 20% or so of boneheads who are always going to be authoritarian and xenophobic or supremacist in some way, fuck ‘em. Earn trust by building community in meaningful ways.

Work on making friends, while working on making up for the bullshit everyone here is now burdened with because American culture is so individualistic and religious and authoritarian and parochial and violent. Mitigate that shit for my new neighbours, in my own behaviour and by joining local initiatives that are pro-social, like volunteering at shelters or for a refugee organization.

Educate myself on history and local customs and geography. Don’t be the parochial dimwit of stereotypes. These are standard practice for any mildly courteous traveller, mind you.

Canada, however, has a special colonial relationship with the USA that affects everyone. So I pay attention, and remember that the citizens of the USA have long been friendly to, but have also long ignored and belittled and coveted and threatened and financially controlled and culturally dominated my new home… and people are going to remind me of that when I inevitably channel some of the american exceptionalism that galls most Canadians into passive aggressive mockery.

Yes, about 100M people right next door are probably risky to Canada, because they are drinking the fox poison or allow evil through indifference. Maybe 150M?

About 5 million potential refugees. Difficult for us to manage but we'll try. The other 200M are (I'm guessing at the local mood here) welcome to visit and maybe immigrate.

The blame USA'ians feel coming from the north, even to allies, is about voting not being enough, it's not a way to wash away culpability.

I know a few people who feel that we are under imminent threat of unimaginable violence. It does things to you.

Most of them see certain usa cultural behaviours and feel that's where the risk comes from. It’s too hard for them to articulate or figure out how to filter through it, so it comes out as blanket rejection and distrust. Not sure I have seen any outright hate yet, it's mostly defensive.

Also I have seen a lot of USA people online confuse that distrust with hate, obviously feeling touchy.