Finally, the gub'mint is aware of the Canadian menace

[garbon]

Even if it is just an imagined negative experience?

What if you went to Tijuana, had a great time, enjoyed yourself, but just thought "hey, that could have gone badly if space aliens had space-napped me as we all know they are won't to do!"?

Fair...although presumably dealing with the border guard was unpleasant for CC (regardless of whether or not it escalates). 

[Berkut]

Even if it is just an imagined negative experience?

What if you went to Tijuana, had a great time, enjoyed yourself, but just thought "hey, that could have gone badly if space aliens had space-napped me as we all know they are won't to do!"?

Fair...although presumably dealing with the border guard was unpleasant for CC (regardless of whether or not it escalates). 

Unpleasant perhaps, but using it as ammunition to justify hysteria about border guards fucking people over they don't like in his imagination, and then saying that Canadians won't come to the US because of something that didn't actually happen is a bit ludicrous.

What DID actually happen? He came to the border, a border GUARD asked him some questions about what he was doing, and he went on and enjoyed the game. I am failing to see what is worth getting so worked up about.

[garbon]

Unpleasant perhaps, but using it as ammunition to justify hysteria about border guards fucking people over they don't like in his imagination, and then saying that Canadians won't come to the US because of something that didn't actually happen is a bit ludicrous.

What DID actually happen? He came to the border, a border GUARD asked him some questions about what he was doing, and he went on and enjoyed the game. I am failing to see what is worth getting so worked up about.

Although mistakenly said otherwise, part of the unpleasant bit is a fear that it would escalate. If a bunch more Canadians feel that way, because they perceive that border guards are being more uptight...then I don't see anything wrong with that.

[Jacob]

Unpleasant perhaps, but using it as ammunition to justify hysteria about border guards fucking people over they don't like in his imagination, and then saying that Canadians won't come to the US because of something that didn't actually happen is a bit ludicrous.

What DID actually happen? He came to the border, a border GUARD asked him some questions about what he was doing, and he went on and enjoyed the game. I am failing to see what is worth getting so worked up about.

You don't cross borders very often, do you?

I mean of the international kind.

[Barrister]

Unpleasant perhaps, but using it as ammunition to justify hysteria about border guards fucking people over they don't like in his imagination, and then saying that Canadians won't come to the US because of something that didn't actually happen is a bit ludicrous.

What DID actually happen? He came to the border, a border GUARD asked him some questions about what he was doing, and he went on and enjoyed the game. I am failing to see what is worth getting so worked up about.

You don't cross borders very often, do you?

I mean of the international kind.

He mentioned he was in Canada a few months ago, and found crossing the border wholely unremarkable.

[Berkut]

Unpleasant perhaps, but using it as ammunition to justify hysteria about border guards fucking people over they don't like in his imagination, and then saying that Canadians won't come to the US because of something that didn't actually happen is a bit ludicrous.

What DID actually happen? He came to the border, a border GUARD asked him some questions about what he was doing, and he went on and enjoyed the game. I am failing to see what is worth getting so worked up about.

You don't cross borders very often, do you?

I mean of the international kind.

Actually, I cross them more than most Americans, probably even more than most Euroes and Canadians, since apparently Euroes don't have borders anymore.

I even cross the US-Canadian border. It is rather dissapointingly routine. Although last time at NBW the guard did ask Habs some questions about the weather in Georgia - we were wondering if he was trying to trick Habs into admitting he was a terrorist, or just wishing he was in fucking Georgia, since it was about -400 degrees in Niagara at the time.

Man, could you imagine how bad it could have been if he had "taken a dislike to me"? I might have been forced to stay in Canada....forever!

[Neil]

Why are we so stupid? Why have we not learned how to use quotes on this board?

Too much lead in our waterhose drinking water.

Speak for yourself - my hoses are lead safe! I CARE ABOUT THE CHILDREN!

One day, you'll bring the kids for a tour of Uncle Grumbler's History Emporium and they'll eat some of his Napoleonic guys.

[Jacob]

Although mistakenly said otherwise, part of the unpleasant bit is a fear that it would escalate. If a bunch more Canadians feel that way, because they perceive that border guards are being more uptight...then I don't see anything wrong with that.

I travel to the US a fair bit for work.  I don't have a choice in the matter.  Once there, I quite enjoy the US and it's a country I wouldn't mind spending time and money in for leisure.  However, my experiences crossing the border has caused me to decide that I don't want to deal with the hassle, so I'll go elsewhere.  Similarly, when flying internationally there are often route options involving transfers in the US.  I always avoid these; the potential hassle at the border simply not being worth it.

I'm obviously just one individual, so the financial impact is miniscule.  However, if it is part of a larger trend that sort of decision making will have an economic impact.

In terms of further anecdotes, many of my peers travel to the states in various capacities; for work or pleasure.  In my observation, it takes two or three bad experiences at the border before you start avoiding going to the US as a conscious decision.  The first one or two times it just provides you with a "fucking US border guards" anecdote, but shortly thereafter it's just not worth the hassle.

Canadian border guards have always been good to me, though obviously they're dicks to some people (like the Polish guy who got killed last year).  I expect you tend to learn to live with your own border guards being dicks because if you go somewhere, you have to get back home so you don't have a choice.  But where you do have a choice, this sort of stuff matters.

[Jacob]

He mentioned he was in Canada a few months ago, and found crossing the border wholely unremarkable.

Once != often.

[Barrister]

Canadian border guards have always been good to me, though obviously they're dicks to some people (like the Polish guy who got killed last year). 

To be fair to the fine officers of the CBSA that was the RCMP who killed the polish guy. 

[garbon]

I expect you tend to learn to live with your own border guards being dicks because if you go somewhere, you have to get back home so you don't have a choice.

I'm not use to having trouble with American border guards, when entering the country, whether by car or plane. I usually have more trouble trying to leave the country (which in the case of flights is just American security).

[Jacob]

Actually, I cross them more than most Americans, probably even more than most Euroes and Canadians, since apparently Euroes don't have borders anymore.

I even cross the US-Canadian border. It is rather dissapointingly routine. Although last time at NBW the guard did ask Habs some questions about the weather in Georgia - we were wondering if he was trying to trick Habs into admitting he was a terrorist, or just wishing he was in fucking Georgia, since it was about -400 degrees in Niagara at the time.

Man, could you imagine how bad it could have been if he had "taken a dislike to me"? I might have been forced to stay in Canada....forever!

Well good for you that you haven't had any bad experiences.

Should you ever find yourself in a situation where it's beyond routine processing, you might find the realization of utter helplessness unsettling.  After that point some of these routine questions and attitudes might become more unsettling as well when you experience them.

To be honest, this is a feature of any border crossing.  They can fuck you up or just be what seems to you unduly intimidating.  Generally when that happens, you blame the country where it happens and write that place off as a place to go.  Recently, anecdotally and according to the date mentioned upthread, there seems to have been a bit of an upswing in that sort of behavour.  This will have an impact, though that is somewhat mitigated by the fact that the US is so big and important (especially to Canada) that you can't write it off; but some people, myself included, are not spending out leisure dollars there because the border makes it not worth it.  That's not really a spite thing, and less of a fear about things going wrong than simply an aversion to hassles; I don't want to start a vacation with some humourless jerk treating me like a shifty illegal immigrant terrorist and being rude about it.

As for your last bit, the way in which border guards can cause trouble for you is somewhat different when they're from your own country.  The one thing they won't do is keep you out.

[Jacob]

I'm not use to having trouble with American border guards, when entering the country, whether by car or plane. I usually have more trouble trying to leave the country (which in the case of flights is just American security).

I suspect it's a little different entering your own country and entering a foreign country.

Security is a hassle everywhere, though more so in the US I've found (haven't been to Israel though).

[garbon]

I suspect it's a little different entering your own country and entering a foreign country.

Agreed. Just wanted to add that it might not be because we are used to it; but more that it doesn't happen as much to us.

[lustindarkness]

So, to recap the thread, we should waterboard every canadian when they are interrogated at the border, right?