Post #3884877

2026-07-17 11:29 UTC

@guyjantic@infosec.exchange As a Canadian I try to resist "well the US is worse than us, after all" comparisons, because: a) it acts as a "thought-terminating cliche" for canadians so we never consider doing any social improvements so long as we're better than the US. (I recognize for americans it's important they aren't led into scapegoating canada, though) b) the settler-colonial histories of Canada and the USA are deeply intertwined as allies and rivals and neither could hold their global position today without the other, so it *can* be like splitting hairs about which is worse when they've acted as partners so frequently. So, I think Americans ought to not point fingers at Canadians, but Canadians are not in a great position to point fingers at Americans. We're doing the same crimes in slightly different ways, appropriately weighted for size and global importance.

Replies (1)

@guyjantic@infosec.exchange 2026-07-17 12:17

@quietmarc@kolektiva.social That's fairly reasonable. As a (mostly) USAmerican I think it's pretty important for my countryfolk not to dodge our responsibility by pointing fingers at the neighbors. I think it's also a case of "much power = much responsibility." My guess is that the per-citizen global impact of USAmericans on climate change, political outcomes, etc. is greater than that of Canadians. I realize Canada has a very similar colonial history in many ways to the US, especially if you go back a century or two. And Canada hasn't been an innocent saint on the world stage (Cough*MiningCompanies*cough), but scale matters, and you're right that me being here and yelling at my countryfolk matters--It doesn't usually feel like my responsibility to pressure Canadians to take responsibility for Canada's bad behavior.

Open ##3884875