In an interview with the New York Times, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg (at right) joked that if Donald Trump becomes President, she will move to New Zealand. In our house, that idea is no joke. Sandra and I will seriously consider moving to Canada if Trump wins in November.
And we are not alone.
C
anada looks more and more appealing as the US seems to fly apart – riven by racial hatred, primitive suspicions and dark, unreasoning fear.
I remember another time like this. It was during the Sixties. I was living in Canada at the time. Americans were deeply divided by the Vietnam war, and unrest spread across the country. Young men lived under the shadow of the draft, and they dreaded it.
Many of them moved to Canada. And so did other Americans who could not in good conscience live in a society that insisted on pursuing an unjust war, at such great cost in blood and treasure.
America under a Trump presidency would be no better. In many ways it would be worse. Trump’s capricious narcissism would inevitably lead not just to conflict with other countries but also to injustice and oppression at home.
But there could be a silver lining – for Canada.
During the Sixties, the immigration of enlightened Americans – including many academics – enriched Canadian society and contributed to the evolution of the globally admired nation that exists today.
America’s best and brightest would be welcome again today.
Conversely, as they abandon America, this country would inevitably become even more susceptible to the fear baiting and race hating of demagogues like Donald Trump.
It’s a terrifying prospect, but one that the scandal mongers who ceaselessly attack Hillary Clinton don’t seem to fear.
