They are American, live in Montreal and observe the current electoral campaign with a feeling of strangeness. Experiencing this far from home is “surreal”, they say. It is also a “relief”.
As part of this report on the United States, I joined online groups of American expatriates, curious to know what they were talking about in these forums. I quickly noticed that some people were looking for others to talk about politics. As if they should relax; that they couldn’t go through this alone… Or, at least, not just with Quebecers.
“It’s difficult for Canadians to understand that every time we send a child to school, we fear there will be a killing. »
It was when Erin Smith told me that that I understood that there was indeed a gap between her and me. If the New Yorker chose to watch the electoral debate surrounded by around fifty Americans in a bar in downtown Montreal on September 10, it is because she believes that only her compatriots can really understand how much politics affects their daily lives.
That said, she knows Quebecers are curious and informed. In talking with neighbors, she quickly realized that many were emotionally invested in the American election campaign because the issues raised had an effect on their own lives. Some have relatives in the Middle East, she says. They are right to be interested in what is happening south of the border.
Certainly, watching it from here is weird for Erin. Same thing for Melissa*. The American, who prefers to preserve her anonymity because she avoids leaving traces online, has been based in Montreal for seven years. The current elections are, according to her, “incredibly important”. Especially since she votes in North Carolina, a key state. Her choice can make a difference, and she says she feels a great responsibility to her fellow Americans who are less safe than she is. After all, here she can have an abortion, she emphasizes.
On the other hand, Melissa wants nothing to do with talking about politics. Coming together like Erin and other expats do? “Hell on earth!” » The daily lives of Americans are so colored by this soap opera, why add another layer? The only reason Melissa is willing to talk about the election campaign is to get people to vote. There, she would preach to the converted and she doesn’t have time not to be productive… This is also why she refuses to discuss all that with Quebecers.
If someone asks me how, in my opinion, American politics can affect Canadian politics, then I will be happy to answer because you can vote in Canada… But if it is just a question of saying to what extent what happening in the United States is completely crazy, it almost becomes gossip. This is not productive!
Melissa, American living in Montreal for seven years
She also deplores that the only thing some people will ever know about Americans is their political world. Melissa admits that this sphere is important to their identity, but it is far from the only thing that defines her nation. She therefore prefers to talk about other subjects with us.
Tamara Devine, established in Quebec since last January, admits to me that she sometimes wants to say: “It’s not my fault! » when Quebecers chat about politics with her. “I’m an American citizen, that’s true, but it’s not like my father is the president! »
There seems to be a tendency to expect the Americans to be accountable to us these days. Tamara still prefers to experience this electoral campaign in Montreal, rather than in New York State, where she is from: “It’s so stressful when you’re in the middle of all that… Seeing it from afar, it relieves me. »
In impressive French, she adds that she has noticed that the Quebec media treat American politics in a rather “liberal” way that does not quite reflect her American experience. After all, she reminds me, half of Americans voted for Donald Trump in the last election.
Besides, she sometimes has the impression that people are more suspicious of humans here than in the United States! Several Quebecers asked Tamara if she feared for the immediate future of her country, a concern that she considers a little “extreme”…
We will always be in a “Democrats versus Republicans” conflict in the United States and we will continue to overcome these challenges… So no, I am not afraid of losing all my rights tomorrow morning.
Tamara Devine, American established in Quebec since last January
Melissa also notes that the subject is widely covered by the national media, sometimes to the detriment of local news which is much less “theatrical”, according to her… “People point the finger at American politics – with good reason – but there is a lot to point here too! »
I see it as a good reminder to distinguish between the issues that really concern us and the heat of political spectacle.
* Fictitious first name