Oh, yeah

[thebitterguy]

I got racially profiled at the border. Apparently, of the four of us, I got to be asked a spot quiz on who my favourite Canadian was. I replied "Pierre Trudeau" because he rocks, but still, that's annoying as fuck.

True fact: Upon our return to the country, redeem147 still couldn't decide if her favourite was her dad or Ernie Coombs. Or possibly Tommy Douglas.

Comments

[nihilistic-kid.livejournal.com]

Not Toronto's own Joe Schuster??

[thebitterguy]

It was down to him, Trudeau, Lorne Greene, and Don Cherry.

[eynowd.livejournal.com]

Synpathies, mate. That sucks :(

Do you guys have to suffer the insult of being fingerprinted and photographed when you cross into the USA, or is it just us overseas foreigners?

[thebitterguy]

No fingerprints. At least, not yet.

[cargoweasel.livejournal.com]

You're lucky he didn't turn you back. Pierre Trudeau and Wayne Gretzky are the only Canadians non-Canadians can name! Even though he does rock.

I would have said David Suzuki if I was being truthful, or Don Cherry if the border guard looked like a big ol rightwinger.

[thebitterguy]

But do even right wings American hockey fans know who Don Cherry is?

[cargoweasel.livejournal.com]

Wait, this was an American border guard or a Canadian one? If American, then yeah, pierre trudeau and wayne gretzky are probably the only two he knows.

[thebitterguy]

He had a gun, so I believe he was an American one.

[sarahnade.livejournal.com]

WTF? What kind of question is that?

I really want to know what the "wrong" answer to that question is.

[waiwode.livejournal.com]

Paul Bernardo?

Or, on the political end, Louis Riel, William Lyon Mackenzie, or Louis Joseph Papineau (although the LCR was too decentralized to really call anyone the leader).

Of course if you're really looking for trouble, you could always cite Abdurahman Khadr ... a self-professed (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3534195.stm) "Canadian al-Qaeda."

Doug.

[viktor-haag.livejournal.com]

I have a suspicion that the point of such questions is not to be sensible at all, but to induce stress in the recipient so that the questioner can observe the results.

[thebitterguy]

Well, they can report mission accomplished for that one.

[fenchurche.livejournal.com]

What a weird question... I'm assuming the border guard was kidding?

Now I'm thinking of what I would have answered if I'd been put on the spot. Probably either Brent Butt or Dave Foley.

[redeem147.livejournal.com]

He first asked thebitterguy where he worked, then his favourite Canadian. I did not get the impression it was a joke.

He didn't ask the rest of us anything.

[thebitterguy]

We are a nation of hewers of gags and drawers of punchlines.

[princeofcairo.livejournal.com]

Either William Shatner or Arthur Currie, depending on my mood.

[thebitterguy]

Speaking of Currie, there's a film about the battle of Paschendale coming out on Rememberance day.

[rfmcdpei.livejournal.com]

A non-trivial number of people have recently said that I look Jewish, or occasionally, Middle Eastern. I guess that I should really be sure to take my passport.

[redeem147.livejournal.com]

My dad. We were discussing Mr. Dressup and his youthful ward 'Casey' in different context, and your wife would have said Tommy Douglas.

[viktor-haag.livejournal.com]

That's baffling. I suppose the right answer is not, "None of your damn business; all you need to know is whether I have anything to declare, which I don't, and whether I'm visiting for business or pleasure. I guess it's not the latter, now."

[thebitterguy]

I just would have preferred to know the topics of the quiz. Last year he wanted to know who my favourite superhero was.

[noizangel.livejournal.com]

... And I add another reason to my list of 'Why I shouldn't go to the US'. Fuck them, man. They prolly saw your last name and went on that. :P

That being said, when I went to SF years back, I was grilled a little, but I imagine when I said that I worked with computers, they were worried I wanted to take someone's job.

I was also selected for screening on both flights in March. I think it's either due to our flight changes or the fact that I am so white there's no way anyone could say I was profiled.

[thebitterguy]

Flight screening isn't so bad, as then you at least get to enjoy the gentleness of a human touch.

"Sir, I'm going to touch your chest now."

"Oh, God, YES!"

[framlingem.livejournal.com]

Oddly enough. I have trouble at the border because of my demographic group as well. Apparently young women don't travel alone, so I'm suspicious. Last time I spent a week in Boston, they could not believe that I honestly hadn't purchased anything, and was asked to step out of the vehicle while they searched my car and person.

I found out later that single young white chicks are apparently a popular smuggler's ploy.

Either way, I think it sucks.