Actor Bryan Cranston stated that if Donald Trump wins the election, he will move to Canada.
“It wouldn’t be a vacation. I’d be an expatriate. Absolutely. I would definitely move!”
I don’t know Bryan Cranston. I will probably never meet Bryan Cranston. I greatly appreciate Bryan Cranston’s talent, and I sincerely enjoy his work as an actor. I acknowledge that Bryan Cranston probably couldn’t care less what I have to say.
But I will say it anyway.
Mr. Cranston, forget the election. Go ahead and leave America right now. You are a COWARD – and cowards are useless to us in times of crisis.
It is easy to love America in good times, when our leaders are qualified and make good decisions. Difficult times reveal the identities of our country’s true patriots.
I refuse to envision a Trump presidency. I am optimistic (albeit cautiously) that we are on the verge of electing a smart, steadfast, highly qualified, and even-tempered statesperson named Hillary Clinton as our 45th U.S. President.
If, however, my country is faced with a fate as horrific as a President Trump, I swear that I will not turn my back on my homeland. I will not run away from the country in which I was born, the only country in which I have ever lived, and leave its future in the hands of people who refuse to work to rectify its problems. I will join with other Americans to do whatever we can through peaceful, legal means to right the ship and guide our country in the proper direction. Then I will sneer at the Bryan Cranstons when they return years later with big smiles on their faces and cheers of, “Hello, America! We’re back!”
Cranston is not the only person who has made the expatriate threat, but I single him out because he is a prime example of someone who has enjoyed great success, much of which was made possible simply through his sheer luck of being born a white man in America. He is very talented and I assume hard working, but America gave him the opportunities he needed to earn his own success. What does he intend to give back to America should it face a terrible crisis? Apparently, he will give us his backside as it jumps the border and maybe his middle finger up in the air. His identity as an American appears to be conditional.
Running away when our country needs to us to stay and work against those with bad intentions is like spitting in the faces of the veterans, humanitarians, and volunteers who have given so much to keep America moving forward throughout its history. It’s like kicking dirt in the faces of all of the immigrants who left their homelands, sometimes with little more than the clothes on their backs, who have traveled vast distances and endured great hardships just for the privilege of stepping foot on American soil. A coward’s exit would make room for people who actually appreciate the chance to live here and pursue opportunities that might not be available to them anywhere else.
Am I supposed to respect someone like Bryan Cranston when he makes a pledge to take his wealthy white male privilege to another country if a terrible candidate actually wins a fair and honest election? Sorry, I just can’t.
Patriotism requires courage, determination, and love.
Suck it up or get the hell out.