9 votes

Canadian drivers with US licence plates harassed by fellow Canadians

3 comments

  1. [3]
    Silbern
    Link
    Comments on this story on /r/britishcolumbia Pretty much everyone on the reddit thread seemed to tacitly support it, which really surprised me. I was wondering for the Canadians on TIldes, and...

    Comments on this story on /r/britishcolumbia

    Pretty much everyone on the reddit thread seemed to tacitly support it, which really surprised me. I was wondering for the Canadians on TIldes, and especially Canadian-Americans or Americans living/working in Canada, if you've personally observed similar sentiments yourself?

    2 votes
    1. aphoenix
      Link Parent
      I in no way support harassing people, for almost all reasons. While I am 100% not in favour of Americans coming here during a pandemic, not following rules, and spreading disease foolishly,...

      I in no way support harassing people, for almost all reasons. While I am 100% not in favour of Americans coming here during a pandemic, not following rules, and spreading disease foolishly, there's no proof that any person that you meet on the street with American plates is doing that. There are lots of Americans here in Canada that are acting responsibly, we just don't get to hear news about them because "American acting appropriately after quarantining for 14 days" isn't a headline anyone cares about. This kind of hyper aggression on this matter is the result of decades of "if it bleeds, it leads".

      I met a young man from New Hampshire last week; I was a witness at a car accident involving him , so we were outside. After ensuring that everyone was okay and calling the police, we had a chance to chat. Turns out he had been here for months before the pandemic started and elected to stay here rather than return to his failing country, which is a completely understandable action. One of the other witnesses audibly called him a "dumb fucking American" even though he was in no way at fault for the accident and was acting appropriately and politely.

      I think that there's a lot of anti-American sentiment here, and Canadian Superiority Complex is a real, and unfortunate, thing. It doesn't help anybody.

      5 votes
    2. Wes
      Link Parent
      I haven't seen actual harassment myself, but I have noticed an increased frustration with tourists in local subreddits. Some of the recent spikes in BC have been blamed on recreational tourism,...

      I haven't seen actual harassment myself, but I have noticed an increased frustration with tourists in local subreddits. Some of the recent spikes in BC have been blamed on recreational tourism, partying, etc.

      This hasn't just been aimed at US-based plates, but those from other provinces as well. eg. Albertans travelling in BC.

      While I agree that it's completely irresponsible to travel recreationally right now, I do feel the harassment is disproportionate. Some people have no choice but to travel for work. Some people are stuck here. Without knowing their story, it's impossible to know why they're here.

      4 votes