No one knows your business better than your neighbour. Canadians may know more about what goes on south of our border than do the people who live there. Pierre Trudeau (Not the Kid, the Dad), said that when you sleep beside an elephant you pay attention every time it twitches. We Canadians pay close attention to what goes on in the US. Over many years, I have travelled in the US. I have visited almost every state except Alaska and Hawaii. I have many friends and many more acquaintances in the US. I lived in the US for a year in the 1970s. I always found Americans to be friendly, hospitable and kind. But, honestly, over the past five years watching the US is like watching the twin towers come down on 9-11. Knowing that nothing can be done. That those trying to save your country are doing everything they can, and all we can do is wait to see how bad the end will be and hope that by some miracle the expected disaster can be avoided. The current situation however seems to be the incarnation of a reality that lives deep in American society. Fear!
The use of fear to control American society is prominent in U.S. history, US politics (National, state, and local), US business, US media (hollywood, newsprint, tv and cable news), and even US advertising. If powerful people want to make Americans follow a particular path, they use fear. People are told that they should be afraid. Something is being taken from them. Someone is taking something of theirs. Someone or something is a threat.
A historical analysis of US history shows evidence that the U.S. population has always been controlled by fear. The US government, to get what they and their rich backers want have always emphasised to the population that there was something they should fear. The British were the first. The rich business owners had to convince the people that the British were the evil doers in order to incite the revolution of 1776. The people were told they should fear the British because they were being mistreated. Taxes were unfair and too high. The British were taking too much from them. But was the American Revolution a fight for freedom or a corporate take-over? Once the US had independence taxes were far higher and covered more elements of life.
Then there were the Indians who Americans should be afraid of. Native Americans being savages and all. The Natives would kill people indiscriminately. Natives were the threat. Until of course, the rich Americans and the government had killed all of the Indians and/or stollen their land. Then of course that land was bought cheap by those same wealthy Americans and then sold at much higher rates to the population. Then there was the black man. Initially in the south and then throughout the country, the black man was feared. If given their freedom, they would revolt and run wild killing all of the white women and children. Then it was back to the British, who were kidnapping Americans and putting them in bondage
Then in no particular order it was the Chinese, the Jews, the Germans, Black men, Germans, Japanese, Black men, Koreans, Black Men, Communists, Russians, Black Men, Chinese, Muslims, and Black Men. Today, that culture of fear and the anger and the hatred it spawns has spread. The fear that the powerful have used for so long to control the masses has created a nation where no one trusts anyone. Where a man running in your neighbourhood, walking home wearing a hoodie or parked at night, reading a map in your driveway is a threat that requires a violent reaction. Where people demonstrating against something you disagree with, makes them a threat to your safety. Today Americans are told to fear each other. Democrats fear Republicans because they think they will create a dictatorship and take away people’s rights, while, Republicans fear Democrats because they are afraid the Democrats will create a Communist state. Blacks fear whites because they may be shot and killed for no valid reason. Whites fear Blacks because… well they just always have. To Republicans, BLM are to be feared, because they are Black. To Democrats, private Republican militias should be feared, (armed insurgents and insurrectionists) aiming to take the government by force. Others on the scarry list: China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Muslims, all of whom need to be feared because they are secretly undermining American society. The Police should be feared because they are part of a police state, unless of course they are killing people on your list of those you fear.
American business promotes fear in two ways. Advertising focuses all too often on fear. “Only our product will save you from disease, damage, legal troubles, pain, or expense”. A current advertisement on POTUS radio points out how you are in danger of becoming severely sick if you don’t use their thermometer daily. They point out that their competitor’s product won’t protect you, government studies say so. Another points out your imminent danger of someone stealing the ownership of your home. ‘ One of the fastest growing crimes in the US”. Yet these pales in comparison to the military industry’s constant process of exaggerating the threat and military capability of other countries in order to justify building more of their military hardware. “North Korea will soon have missiles that will strike at the heart of America. Yes, of course they will. After crossing a very huge Pacific Ocean without being detected.
There is a point of view that the Soviet Union, during the whole of the cold war, was never a genuine threat to the US, but they were merely a useful boogeyman with which to scare the American voting public, in order to continue the military buildup?
American movies of course are full of totally unrealistic bad men who commit totally illogical crimes, killing absolute strangers without mercy and without any logical motive. Ultimately the helpless frightened townsfolk are saved by the hero who’s only virtue is that he has a bigger gun and no less qualms about killing than the original madman. The obvious message is that you citizen, are constantly in danger. You must protect yourself.
I am Canadian. I have no fear of Black men, Muslims, Chinese, Koreans Japanese or Americans who are walking, running or driving on the street. I don’t fear China, Russia, Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Europe, South America, Africa or Mexico. I go to bed at night not afraid and I wake up in the morning not afraid
Oh! And I know that the belief in the US is that I can sleep peacefully because the US Military is protecting me. They aren’t, they never have and wouldn’t, even if I needed them to. The US must have something for the US to gain before they use their military. Like Iraqi and Syrian oil,. Not to mention that the US is the only nation ever to have invaded Canada. And in the two instances when as an ally Canada could have used America’s help the US was missing in action ( ie: WW1 and WW2.)
But the point is that I don’t live in fear and as far as I know, people in France, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Germany, Britain, The Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, nor any other developed country lives in fear either.
So! why are Americans so afraid? Why do American parents sew Canadian flags on their children’s back packs when they tour Europe? Why do American agents apparently always claim to be Canadian when in foreign countries, even in the movies and on television. Why do Americans need so many guns to protect themselves, and from who? Because they are constantly being told that they must be afraid. I once spent three days in North Carolina with a young lady who spend almost every conversation talking about her need for a bra holster for her gun. She was convinced that she was in mortal danger, and she needed to defend herself. She lived in fear prompted and enabled by the NRA. She was wasting the best years of her life being afraid.
The US nation is at risk of destroying itself, unless you stop being afraid. Stop being afraid of people who disagree with you. Stop being afraid of people who don’t look like you. Stop being afraid that people with a different religion are going to somehow stop you from practicing your religion. They are not. Stop being afraid that ‘the other’ will take something from you. They won’t. Fear will drive you to your own destruction. You fear that someone will steel their car, or break into your home, or kill someone in your family. Will drive you to purchase a gun to keep your family and yourself safe. And then one of your children will find that gun and kill another of your children, or they will take the gun to school and kill other students. All because of your fear.
I’m Canadian, please don’t fear me, I don’t want anything of yours I have no desire to hurt you or anyone close to you. I will not take what is yours nor will I kill you.
