Border Talk

I  keep having to remind myself that there is a large disconnect between the stereotypical American and the ones that I know, through Blogger in particular, but also in general. You see, I have to keep reminding myself that those Americans with whom I am in contact are very different from the stereotype that emerges: the cocky, uninformed, anti-science, redneck Yank.

In general discourse here at home, I have found myself informing others that the stereotype is just that. I tell them that the Americans that I know through blogging etc are probably being more cautious about the pandemic than are most Canadians. I don't mean that we are being incautious, you understand, but most of us wouldn't wear masks outside, and some of you do, or have done, at least sometimes.

I tell them about one blogger whom I follow who flew across country to visit her new grandchild. She wore an N95 mask on the plane and then quarantined at her expense for the regulation time before spending intimate time with her loved ones for only a week or so. Upon returning home, she quarantined once again. I can't tell you how much this impressed me.

In contrast, however, just yesterday, I came across this tweet by David Frum whom I have referenced previously HERE, back when he described the differences between the countries that he had found upon crossing from the USA to Canada for his summer retreat. (You have the link and probably read the post at the time, so I won't rehash it here.)

Now his son has just returned to the USA; this is what Frum tweeted.

Frum previously wrote about his own return in more detail a month earlier. I had meant to post about it at the time but lost track of the article. I have found it again HERE.

If you are like me -- to which nobody should aspire to ever! -- you may not be inclined to follow such links as you scroll through your blog list, so I offer some snippets, just for you. The first, for context, recounts his entry into Canada.

When I entered Canada, the single official I encountered wore a high-quality face mask. She asked me to lower my mask briefly so she could inspect my face ... She asked where I would stay, who else would be there, how I would get groceries and other necessities. She took my email address and phone number.

 He then described his experience crossing back into the USA some time later.

On the return trip ... None of the three officers at the [USA] checkpoint wore a mask.

The officer at the inspection booth also did not wear a mask. He told me to remove my mask and keep it off for as long as we talked. He asked as many questions as his Canadian counterpart, but his focus was very different. We talked in detail about the contents of the truck. Was I carrying marijuana? Cash? Weapons? He did not ask a single question about COVID-19 or quarantine. 

He then waved me forward to a secondary inspection ... Two officers there, again unmasked, explained how to drive my truck past an X-ray machine. Afterward, an eighth officer, unmasked like the others, asked me to step out of the cabin so he could look around. 

A little more. I don't know how much quoting is considered fair, so I try to pare it down and use ellipses a lot.

... nobody seemed to reckon with the whole reason that the border had been closed in the first place. Here I was, a potential disease carrier crossing a border, and nobody seemed interested or concerned ... On one side of the border, almost everybody took the virus seriously—and few people had it. On the other, the reverse.

Take care everyone. I know that you are.