Elbows Up! (and Collaterals)
“We don't support Trump; you're punishing us as well with your boycott!”
This is a common complaint I hear when Americans talk about “Elbows Up!”. It is even true. And it is also regrettable.
Unfortunately, we lack both the ability and incentive to check each and every purchase of an American product to see if the money goes back all the way to only “nice people.” Further, even if it did, those nice people are living in the USA and will be spending the money we give them in the USA. (And this is all beside the point: someone who is genuinely an ally of Canada in this war wouldn't be demanding that Canadians spend their money on them. They'd be fighting their government's policies and trying to effect change. Real allies would be helping us, not complaining about how mean we are.)
Canada is in a state of war with the USA right now. It's a trade war, yes, but war is war. There is an enemy, and, unfortunately, that enemy, for Canadians, is the USA. The enemy is the US government and the policy it’s waging against us. If you support that policy, you’re part of it. If you don’t, your fight is with your government, not with us. It's nothing personal. We just don't feel like sending our money Down South to enrich and bolster the economy of the country that is attacking us.
That you “nice guys” are getting hit by it is... well... warfare.
Let me illustrate this from history. The city of Dresden was filled with refugees and prisoners, mostly, and I can assure you that a large percentage of those (perhaps even the majority!) did not support the ruling party. Yet the Allies still firebombed Dresden as part of their campaign to obliterate the industrial base of the Third Reich.
Wait, I'm talking to Americans. Let me explain.
Dresden is a city in Germany.
Wait, I think that needs clarification too. Germany is a country in Europe. (That's correct: Europe is not a country. Shocking, I know.)
Anyway, Germany did bad things in the 1930s that led to this thing called World War II. (That's a 2 in Roman digits, not “aye aye”.) The Allies were some countries that fought the Nazis.
Wait, the Nazis were the ruling party of Germany in the era we're talking about and were headed by a man named Hitler. (What's that? You knew who the Nazis are? And Hitler? And Trump was voted into power? TWICE!?)
Anyway, Dresden was a city that the Allies turned into a massive firestorm in a literal scorched-earth campaign, killing about 25,000 people, most of whom were probably not supporters of the government.
This is called a parallel. See, in a state of war, sometimes innocent people are the victims. Just like your war with us.
Aren't you glad it's just a few dollars gone from your incomes instead of, you know, Dresden?
Just to be clear, I’m not saying a boycott is a firebomb. I’m saying the opposite. The US has a history of accepting mass civilian death as collateral in its wars. Canadians choosing not to spend their own money in the US is not remotely comparable. You can argue people are entitled to their lives. Nobody is entitled to our money. If you didn’t vote for Trump, take it up with your government.
Keep your elbows up, Canada!