Coming to Lemmy reminds me of when I was a teenager (from the US) and I visited Ontario for the first time.
In the US, things I said would’ve been met with, “That’s unAmerican! If you don’t like it here, you can get out!” In Canada, I’d say the same things and people would be like, “Well yeah, duh, doesn’t everyone think that?”
That was back in the Bush Jr era (2005-ish) and the USian cult was already thriving. Being around sensible people was a “restoring faith in humanity” experience for me. I remember looking up to see Canadian flags and feeling this intense sense of relief, knowing I could say things that really should be common sense without being attacked for it. A true land of the free.
Again, this was around 2005. I know Canada has its MAGA-lite, but I was in the Greater Toronto Area and didn’t encounter anyone like that at the time.
Anyway, that’s what coming to Lemmy feels like to me. I’m still stuck in the US, but the international presence here does well in reminding me that I’m not out of my mind for thinking a government should function to serve its citizens, rather than that the citizens should keep bowing down despite the government screwing them over repeatedly.
Coming to Lemmy reminds me of when I was a teenager (from the US) and I visited Ontario for the first time.
In the US, things I said would’ve been met with, “That’s unAmerican! If you don’t like it here, you can get out!” In Canada, I’d say the same things and people would be like, “Well yeah, duh, doesn’t everyone think that?”
That was back in the Bush Jr era (2005-ish) and the USian cult was already thriving. Being around sensible people was a “restoring faith in humanity” experience for me. I remember looking up to see Canadian flags and feeling this intense sense of relief, knowing I could say things that really should be common sense without being attacked for it. A true land of the free.
Again, this was around 2005. I know Canada has its MAGA-lite, but I was in the Greater Toronto Area and didn’t encounter anyone like that at the time.
Anyway, that’s what coming to Lemmy feels like to me. I’m still stuck in the US, but the international presence here does well in reminding me that I’m not out of my mind for thinking a government should function to serve its citizens, rather than that the citizens should keep bowing down despite the government screwing them over repeatedly.