cjm
08-16-2012, 09:26 PM
I was up in the live-free-or-die State last week for a family vacation and we decided to extend the trip a couple days to visit Montréal. One of the sites that we visited was the Biodôme (http://www2.ville.montreal.qc.ca/biodome/site/site.php) at Olympic park. In the last 10-15 years, I have grown accustomed to tourist attractions prohibiting pocket knives and searching purses and backpacks here in the US. But this didn't happen at the Biodôme in Québec. I was wearing a backpack with rain jackets and umbrellas, and as I approached the entrance after handing over my ticket, I started looking for the purse-peeker as I have been conditioned to do and didn't see anyone. I didn't want any alarms to sound so I stopped and looked around some more. It was only then that I remembered that I was no longer in the US and that I was among people who were not in constant fear of "the terrorists."
I'm old enough to remember that this was the norm in the US. People used to meet visitors at their airline gates instead of baggage claim. People used to be able to carry leatherman tools or pocket knives pretty much anywhere they wanted to go (including courthouses). People used to be able to see a show or enter an amusement park without exposing the contents of their purses.
The purpose of this post is not to complain about our current conditions, but to remind people what we used to have and to let them know it still exists outside of the US (in some places). If you can manage it, take a trip abroad and remind yourself what it was like to live among people who are not consumed with fear. Sure, those countries are pretty socialist, but they aren't bordering on marshal law like the US is. If you can't afford to go overseas or to Canada, visit a small town or rural community where much of the nanny state is still absent. Believe it or not, there are still gas stations that will let you fill your tank and pay afterwards!
Anyway, if you have stories of places that are not paranoid and treat people with respect, please share them.
Thanks.
CJM9
I'm old enough to remember that this was the norm in the US. People used to meet visitors at their airline gates instead of baggage claim. People used to be able to carry leatherman tools or pocket knives pretty much anywhere they wanted to go (including courthouses). People used to be able to see a show or enter an amusement park without exposing the contents of their purses.
The purpose of this post is not to complain about our current conditions, but to remind people what we used to have and to let them know it still exists outside of the US (in some places). If you can manage it, take a trip abroad and remind yourself what it was like to live among people who are not consumed with fear. Sure, those countries are pretty socialist, but they aren't bordering on marshal law like the US is. If you can't afford to go overseas or to Canada, visit a small town or rural community where much of the nanny state is still absent. Believe it or not, there are still gas stations that will let you fill your tank and pay afterwards!
Anyway, if you have stories of places that are not paranoid and treat people with respect, please share them.
Thanks.
CJM9