Taste of Americana

The frequency of my blog entries is slowly dipping, but no worries -- I have some killer stuff up my sleeve, if I can make the time for it. I just came back from a brief trip to Minnesota and I'd like to make a few comments. First, every American I met was very polite and warm, including the ones that never knew we were Canadian. I am starting to think that they are only overly rude when they leave the country. Perhaps it's some kind of defense mechanism, in which they figure since everyone hates them, they'll just act arrogant first.

I definately believe that Americans are heavily invested in 'fear' as an emotion. Minneapolis had electronic billboards around the city proclaiming the city's current terrorist threat level (it was a comfortable orange during our stay. Orange means High, but I don't think it ever dips much below that). The Mall of America proudly proclaims itself as a gun-free zone (aside: the MOA boasts itself larger than West Ed, but it certainly doesn't seem that way. This is probably because it is much better organized. The amusement park is located in the middle, with four stories of retail outlets in a hexagon around it. Way easier to get through than West Ed. But for the most part, same shitty stores). Pat Buchanan and Bill O'Reilly, two reactionary conservatives, have syndicated columns in small town newspapers. And Fox News is...well, Fox News.

As they say: great place to visit, but...

The pic of the sign is from this guy's website.