Today, I’m proud to be American.
I haven’t been able to say that for a while. In fact, for the last 4 years, I’ve been thanking my parents for moving to Canada, just before my 8th birthday. That transition wasn’t easy. Americans were unpopular, especially during the Viet Nam war. Neighbourhood kids threw rocks at our house and yelled “Yankee go home!” That was a lot for a boy to handle, but my fight-or-flight response has always been fight. So, I became a fierce defender of my homeland. So much so, it took me 27 years to get my Canadian citizenship, which I now have proudly.
I’m both Canadian and American. Being American means I still submit U.S. taxes, which has become more complicated and expensive in the last decade. It’s a huge pain. Registering for the draft was even tougher. I was 18 and things were hot in El Salvador. It literally kept me awake at night. Otherwise, my Americanness is expressed by still remembering the Pledge of Allegiance and my fierce loyalty to the Detroit Tigers, despite having a fine baseball team here in Toronto. And yes, I’ve continued to defend the United States.
Defending the Trump administration is impossible. However, I have seen the best of America even in these times. Instead of shrinking from gun violence, family separation and violence against African Americans, my countrymen have taken to the streets to say “No! This is not my America.”
Canadian and American Approaches
In Canada, atrocities occur, but aren’t dealt with so forcefully. We see news coverage, and some protests, over horrors like the residential school scandal, but Canadians don’t pull their ugliness into the open and drag it through the streets the way Americans do. I admire that part of the American spirit.
Today, I’m proud of the way Americans are exercising their franchise. President Trump has attempted to suppress the vote by discrediting mail-in voting, hampering the postal service and suggesting the winner must be announced on November 3rd, even if all the ballots haven’t been counted. Americans have responded by voting early. 129 million votes were cast in 2016. This year, before election day, more than 100 million votes have been cast. My families’ ballots are among them.
The Ann Arbor City Clerk’s office in Washtenaw County Michigan has been outstanding. Every time I’ve called, someone has picked up the phone. My registration was confirmed. A request to e-mail my ballot to me was fulfilled. Confirmation of the receipt of my ballot was provided. I even received an e-mail telling me my signature matched the one on record and my vote would be counted. The correspondence included an assortment of digital “I Voted” stickers to display. The city clerk’s office is taking their jobs seriously.
So are Americans. In Houston, Texas volunteers set up drive through balloting, and successfully defended it from a local Republican in court. Sports teams have turned stadiums into voting centres to reduce lines. My brother Jim, who lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, voted at the Carolina Panthers Stadium. This morning in Pennsylvania, voters who were told their ballots had been spoiled, lined up way down the street to cast proper ballots. Citizens are voting with American determination.
Your Weakness Is Also Your Strength
Every country has its faults. Like people, sometimes a country’s weakness is also its strength. Internationally, Americans are known for being loud and unapologetic. While that’s not always enjoyable to be around, today it’s essential to preserve the values baked into the United States of America. As anyone who’s spent any time at a swim up bar at an all-inclusive resort in Mexico will tell you, American voices will be heard.
Today, that makes me proud.
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Craig Colby is a television executive producer, producer, director, writer and story editor. He runs a storytelling consulting and production service for businesses. He can be reached at craig@colbyvision.net.