Flag Jacking

Forgive the poor Latin of my title, but I could not think of a better way to label what I call an unpleasant but also rather interesting trend that has existed for over thirty years.

According to Wikipedia, flag-jacking is...

the act of travelers displaying a foreign flag on their clothing or backpack in an attempt to disguise their country of origin; media reports have described this most often in the context of American tourists using Canadian flags in an attempt to be perceived as Canadians.

Now, as a Canadian, I can understand why there might be more than a few of my southern neighbours who are not too happy to travel with Uncle Sam’s finest colours (sorry, colors) on their luggage or clothes. As I mentioned in another article, the former Prime Minister of Canada, Pierre Trudeau (father of Justin; you know, the one you like and remember), once said that the relationship between the US and Canada was similar to the one between a man and an elephant sharing the same bed (you have to pay attention to those shifts and turns in the night). I have also stated that I think our relationship is closer to the one you would have with a noise in the basement. Now, you can explore and find out what happened, or you can mind your own business and double check the locks on the door heading down into the cellar. Most Canadians have opted to stay out of it with boycotts at liquor stores, supermarkets and with our leisure time spent above the border. Most Americans did not know that we existed until the current president made the boast that we could become his 51st state and realized that we were not that happy with the plan.

And yet, you still use our flag.

There was an interesting list posted of how to detect the behaviour (sorry, behavior) of Americans as opposed to their northern neighbours. Body language and, well, language, give away the game, but I think that anyone with any sense knows that it is much easier to detect where someone comes from without a peek at their passport. Canadians have a reputation for being laid back, open-minded and relaxed (certain marijuana laws have had their effect). We are not the ones invading countries in the name of our particular form of democracy, or to liberate people who never wanted us there in the first place. I can understand why we would be the default position for a country that can often seem two-faced to the rest of the world.

But, I digress…and I have to admit that this is not a situation that actually bothers me...that much. Our relationship, like any other out there, is always going to be up and down. We will get back to something like normal when the current boss in D.C. is gone and we learn to help and not hurt each other.

But I have one request: please don’t ruin our reputation! It is going to be a challenge for some of you to realize that we are not all happy with the flag-waving that comes with your travels. We worked long and hard to be quaint and nice. And the rest of the world does not always know this.

Enjoy the trip.

Just remember why you were able to enjoy it.

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You can find more poems, stories, and articles by Kendall Defoe on my Vocal profile. I complain, argue, provoke and create...just like everybody else.

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