Americans are “flag jacking” again: Another Trump term and another 4 years of U.S. citizens pretending to be Canadians
Americans have revived a decades-old practice with Donald Trump back in the White House and ruffling feathers around the world, pretending to be Canadian.
Donald Trump returned to the White House for a second term in January and he wasted no time ruffling feathers around the world with his policies leading to a spike in anti-American sentiment. In order to avoid that backlash when traveling abroad Americans have been reviving a decades-old practice known as “flag jacking,” sewing a maple leaf flag on their backpack and pretending to be Canadian.
However, many don’t realize that they aren’t fooling anyone and worse, putting salt in the wounds that Trump has opened by insulting the United States’ neighbors to the north, threatening to annex the nation and make it the 51st state, and slapping heavy tariffs on products from one of the nation’s biggest trading partners.
Faking Canadian “is not a safety move, it’s performance art”
The practice of flag jacking by some Americans traveling abroad seems to recur anytime that the US government does something that either makes them feel ashamed or riles up anger at Americans. It goes back to at least the Vietnam War era and there was a surge in the behavior during the early 2000s with the US invasion of Iraq.
This identity theft and cultural appropriation though does not sit well with Canadians who typically go out of there way to let it be known that they are not Americans. Tod Maffin, a former CBC Radio host who is now a commentator on Canadian identity, culture, and politics, posted a video on social media in which he took faux Canadians to task.
“Ah great, they’re back. Every time America breaks something overseas, a ceasefire, international law, another country – suddenly you can’t swing a baguette in Europe without hitting a backpack with a fresh Canadian flag sewn on the back,” he starts off with a laugh. “It’s like clockwork.”
“The world gets mad at Amercia and Amercians go ‘Oh no! Quick! To the maple leaves!’” Maffin continues mockingly. “Listen America, we’re flattered. Really. But we are not your invisibility cloak.”
He explains that “the Canadian flag is not some magical device.” Despite practicing ‘sorry’ in the mirror, the fake Ontario accent gives Americans away. Maffin gives some examples of how Americans pronounce certain things like Toronto and Newfoundland in a way that no Canadian ever would.
“For some reason, Americans think that we are their backup passport,” Maffin laments. “The world’s first dual-action moral absolver. Just apply gently and watch the shame disappear.”
“And look, we get you. A lot of you have been out in the streets, fighting for something better,” acknowledging those Americans that are pushing back against Trump. “Some of you are just trying to travel without getting yelled at at customs. We get it.”
“But the rest of the world, they’re onto you,” Maffin shared. “We are not a brand, we’re a country. And we are not your shield. We’re your neighbours.”
“Calling yourself Canadian abroad is not a safety move, it’s performance art,” he added. “The kind that ends in someone politely correcting your pronunciation of poutine, before deporting you.”
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