A few weeks ago, a man by the name of Rob Calabrese created the website www.cbiftrumpwins.com — Cape Breton If Donald Trump Wins.
It started off as a joke, but it has turned into a semi-serious pitch, inviting Americans to move to the Canadian island of Cape Breton in the event that billionaire businessman Donald Trump — whose campaign, many voters felt, also started off as a joke — does indeed become elected as President of the United States.
Anyone familiar with American politics, weather, healthcare, or ...anything, really, knows that Americans always joke about moving to Canada. As Global News Canada put it, “Americans are threatening to move to Canada.”
Not just stating. Threatening.
Well, then.
First of all, I’m not sure who is supposedly being threatened here. Are these migratory Americans threatening Canadians? Are they threatening Trump? Are they threatening each other?
Okay, yeah, they probably are threatening each other. That’s a thing that happens.
Secondly, it’s pretty obvious that very, very few Americans will actually put their money where their mouths are. Four out of 10 Americans have never even moved out of the hometown where they were born. Fewer than half of all Americans between the ages of 18 and 64 even make time to go on vacations for fun. And 83% of Baby Boomers have grandchildren who are cuter than yours and, quite frankly, wouldn’t leave them for anything.
Even though 90% of Americans claim to be really physically active, it really seems unlikely that they’ll move here.
Thirdly, it’s worth mentioning that the seriousness of most Americans is represented quite well by Raven Symone’s statement on The View about what she’ll do if any Republican candidate wins the presidency:
“I already have my ticket. I literally bought my ticket, I swear.”
You’ve been warned, Canada. That’s So Raven can see the future and she already has her ticket.
Yes, some Americans do move to Canada. Jordan G. Teicher, writing for The Guardian, recently stated that many Americans were serious about moving to Canada after George Bush won the 2004 presidency.
A record-breaking 179,000 people visited Canada’s immigration website on Election Day that year, and the majority of those visitors were definitely Americans. Only 9,000 people actually ended up making the move, however, as Teicher also noted. “Talking about relocating to Canada clearly is pretty trendy — actually relocating there, not so much.”
Lastly, I think it’s worth bringing up that these relocation “threats” have been popping up more than usual. Yes, social media sites are way more popular and influential now than they were just four years ago; it’s easier than ever for disgruntled American voters to echo Raven’s sentiments and tell their Facebook friends that they’re packing up and heading north.
But I think there’s a bigger issue that warrants acknowledgement: How is it that so many controversial politicians have become legitimate choices for the American presidency?
We have Donald Trump, who burned his bridge with the entire country of Mexico right off the bat: “When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best….They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.”
Ben Carson, a neurosurgeon who inexplicably ended up in the biggest political race in the country, says things like: “No one is ever better off with dictators, but there comes a time when you’re on an airplane, they always say, ‘in case of an emergency, oxygen masks will drop down...put yours on first and then administer help to your neighbor.”
I don’t even…I just….Come again, Carson?
Ted Cruz is notable for being possibly the first presidential candidate who admits to his own unlikeability. To clarify, it’s not just that everyone in the government seems to hate him. When asked about his greatest weakness at an Oct. 2015 debate, Cruz said "If you want someone to grab a beer with, I may not be that guy, but if you want someone who will drive you home, I will get the job done, and I will drive you home."
Then there’s Carly Fiorina talking about watching a Planned Parenthood video that doesn’t exist.
And Jeb Bush explaining that immigration officials can ensure that only Christian refugees — not Muslim ones — are allowed into the country because “Well, you’re a Christian, I mean, you can prove you’re a Christian...If you can’t prove it, you know, you err on the side of caution.”
Okay, yes, hijabs, we get it. But is that really it…? Never mind, don’t answer that. Let’s move on.
My real question now is, What is so wrong in the U.S. today that these politicians are actually getting so much attention? How is it possible to admit that you’re not likeable even a little bit, and people still think you’d be a good leader? How can you blatantly lie to the media, refuse to come clean, and still be considered a worthy candidate?
Is this something that Canadians actually need to be worried about? Not that I really believe Americans will infiltrate the provinces and spread their crazy ideas about airplane oxygen masks; I’m just wondering what effects these high-profile people will have— are having — on young generations around the world today. Are we really living in a world so messed up that such polarizing ideas are acceptable and normal?
Even if Americans don’t move across the border in droves, these questionable beliefs and statements are spreading faster than the speed of light. Most Canadians would be fine with welcoming a few more Americans into the country if push comes to shove, if Trump becomes POTUS, and if disenfranchised Democrats actually do pack up and migrate northward.
All of the hatred and vitriol that so many politicians are spewing, however? Not even Cape Breton is remote enough to escape that.
Image Source: cbiftrumpwins.com
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