In Ajo the other day I noticed a nice-sized fifth-wheel (small but practical) and I complimented the owners on it. As it turned out, they were from British Columbia. One thing that you notice on the Snowbird Trail is a type of prejudice that could be called "longitudinalism". People migrate as efficiently south-ish as possible, with little veering to the east or west. Some of this is to save fuel, but much of it is geographical and cultural affinity. There are cultural differences between the Left Coast and the so-called Hinterlands or Fly-over states. From the point of view of the former, the Great Lakes and the Texas coast are still isolated in the hinterlands, despite being accessible to ocean-going vessels.
But the prejudice works in both directions. For instance, "BC" is not my favorite province. Too many trees. In the winter most of the Canadian ex-pats in Mexico are from BC. They are stereotypical left-wingers, whose praise of Mexican culture really comes down to the fact that Mexicans aren't Americans.
But the BC couple in Ajo was headed into the hinterlands of Mexico, the high plateau in the center, away from the warm air and palm trees on the coast. The husband loved getting away from the over-regulation and micro-management of Canada. (I used to think of Canada as being 20% worse than the USA in this regard, but 9-11 might have made the USA worse.)
After he vented on this topic awhile I confessed to him that I had RVed in Canada only once, and had always felt on the edge of getting in trouble with common things, such as parking, camping, driving, throwing a little bag of trash away, or walking my dog. Imagine a sign telling you that dogs must be on a leash no longer than 1.82 meters, but my non-metric dog leash turned out to be 0.008804 meters too long, since it's a 6 foot leash intended to comply with the latest California nanny-state regulations. It wouldn't have surprised me to see Sergeant Preston jump out from behind a spruce or birch tree, whip out a laser-based measuring tape, and give me a stiff fine.
I never went back to that country, and always felt bad about that. Had I practiced "confirmation bias" in Canada? That is, had I carried a prejudice into the country and then consciously noticed only those things that confirmed my already-formed opinion? Perhaps. But my recent conversation with the fellow from BC shows that some people in Canada feel the same way.
But the prejudice works in both directions. For instance, "BC" is not my favorite province. Too many trees. In the winter most of the Canadian ex-pats in Mexico are from BC. They are stereotypical left-wingers, whose praise of Mexican culture really comes down to the fact that Mexicans aren't Americans.
But the BC couple in Ajo was headed into the hinterlands of Mexico, the high plateau in the center, away from the warm air and palm trees on the coast. The husband loved getting away from the over-regulation and micro-management of Canada. (I used to think of Canada as being 20% worse than the USA in this regard, but 9-11 might have made the USA worse.)
After he vented on this topic awhile I confessed to him that I had RVed in Canada only once, and had always felt on the edge of getting in trouble with common things, such as parking, camping, driving, throwing a little bag of trash away, or walking my dog. Imagine a sign telling you that dogs must be on a leash no longer than 1.82 meters, but my non-metric dog leash turned out to be 0.008804 meters too long, since it's a 6 foot leash intended to comply with the latest California nanny-state regulations. It wouldn't have surprised me to see Sergeant Preston jump out from behind a spruce or birch tree, whip out a laser-based measuring tape, and give me a stiff fine.
I never went back to that country, and always felt bad about that. Had I practiced "confirmation bias" in Canada? That is, had I carried a prejudice into the country and then consciously noticed only those things that confirmed my already-formed opinion? Perhaps. But my recent conversation with the fellow from BC shows that some people in Canada feel the same way.
Comments
When I think of "USA" the words "police state", "Fourth Reich", and "shoot first" policies for police come to mind. I'm pretty sure I'm wrong. I really hope so!
I think it's just because it's an unfamiliar place. I've been to Afghanistan (7 months), and I would feel more comfortable going back there than the States. I plan on changing that silly notion.
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I've heard other Canadians complain about how they were treated by USA border gestapo when they drive through the USA in the winter.