Buy a Canadian

It seems that the only thing anyone is talking about these days is the on-again/off-again trade war between the United States and - well basically everyone. But mostly Canada, Mexico and China.  

As Canadians, the propaganda we're hearing is generally "Buy Canadian" and "Elbows Up." Good rallying cries for the times to be sure. But as is the case with most of these stuff, even the changing buying habits of 40 million people is not likely to sway much in terms of the grander market. So it has me wondering - are there other things we should be doing? How do I protect myself?

Get off US Tech

I've known for a few years that I've become far too dependent on the Google ecosystem - and yes I recognize the irony of saying that on a Google-hosted blog. And it's not that I have an issue with Google overall. I've been a happy paying customer for years, and in terms of the service I'm being provided, I have zero complaints. But with recent threats by Ontario Premier Doug Ford being met by US threats to shut down cloud services, it makes me realize I need a local backup. For anyone reading this, let me save you some searching and let you know that Google Takeout seems to be the solution here. I'm still experimenting but I'll feel a lot better if I can at least get some of the bigger chunks of this backed up to a USB drive. 

This doesn't help the fact that I use a Google Pixel and the Google Password manager. But it's a start. I am exploring some alternative password managers, and those will come with the next big step I'm exploring, returning to Linux again.

It happens every 5-6 years: I get fed up with Windows or enraged by MacOS and just dump myself back over to Linux. In an era full of American instability, I think I'll need to get back on Linux again very soon. It's not convenient, making music on that OS is a pain in the ass. But it's mine and it's secure. So I'm headed that way again sooner than later. 

Control the Consumerism

Everyone is talking "Buy Canadian," and I know that is going to help Canadian companies stay afloat through this. But when you consider that I can't really buy a Canadian orange and that Canadian manufacturing is as non-existent as it is in the US, this is an incomplete solution. 

One of the ways I've been looking to tackle this is by buying secondhand or repairing what I have. Particularly in my music stuff, everything I could ever need in this phase of my music career is already built, used by someone and sitting collecting dust at a thrift store. Sure, it takes some work to track stuff down and even more work to clean and tune up that stuff. But at the end of the day, I'm rocking some reasonably vintage gear, I've saved some cash, and I have a story to tell about getting my new thing. And American companies like Fender and Gretsch aren't seeing any of my new money. It's a shame, really. I like these companies, that's why I buy their stuff. But I'm choosing to consume them by giving money to Canadians and not sending that money over the border. 

Sometimes, it's just about being patient, too. When I bought my new Gretsch last month, it was in desperate need of new strings. The fastest option for me would have been to pop on to Amazon and order some. But for a couple more days of patience, I went to the local store in my area and got them on the weekend. Still American strings, (and that's something I'm looking at alternatives to) but at least papa-Amazon didn't get a cut. 

Touch Grass

I think we're all becoming super-aware of how social media is brainwashing us. And much of that includes our consumer behaviour. I'm not saying delete all your apps and move into the bush (I'm also not stopping you). But maybe you could stop following non-Canadian companies, start following more Canadian companies or choose to go to the store to buy your things instead of ordering them online. Sometimes, it's just changing what influences our decisions. I've certainly become hyper-aware of the American companies advertising to me in the last few weeks. 

There's some argument that the weird times we are in can be directly tied to the disruptive nature of the internet and our inexperience in managing it. I think there's a lot to this argument. I also think that the best antidote is going to be getting out and being truly social. Go to a show. Plan a picnic. Or just go lie naked on a grocery store produce section. You know. Real stuff. It won't make Trump go away, it won't win any trade wars. But you'll have something positive to get you through the day instead of obsessing over economies and politics. And that shift in our collective mental attention might just lead to a shift in power. 

And that brings me to the final point. While there are plenty of real-world things that we should be worrying about, like trade wars, climate change and poverty, we all need to start recognizing that it's all human-made. The overall advice I've been reading about dealing with it is to get out of our homes, away from our phones and into social situations. Situations where we can talk through our differences and work together on our problems. As much as I've said the name "Trump" a billion times in my life, I've never met him. He could be an AI construction worker for all I know. But if I go out and pick up some garbage in my alley, I might talk to someone walking by who needs a warm hat. And maybe I have a spare warm hat to give him. And then his life is warmer, and I've actually done something. 40 million actual actions like that would actually bring Canada together as a real country and might actually put us in a position to stand united against this faraway orange man.