Perhaps the most ubiquitous coffee chain in Canada is Tim Hortons. It used to be good, got bought our and their fare cheeped out, but it is still a fun neutral place for us Canucks to go grab a coffee or a quick lunch with friends.
Today was such a day.
We are a family politically divided by generations and the friends we were having lunch with are a wonderful couple that is more politically aligned with our son, and have a particular hate on for President Trump and Elon Musk.
To their credit, unlike many people in that camp, they do not look down on us – rather, they engage us in a political discussion in a very amicable way, just as it should be. Just because we do not agree politically does not mean we cannot be friends – something rather lacking in many places today, so I am very grateful for that.
We were having our lunch, sitting at a table with our backs to the ordering line. And, we strode into the Elon Musk DOGE area of discussion where our friends and our son agreed, but my hubby and I defended the idea of rooting out corruption in the Administrative State.
I was even bringing in examples of the Canadian Administrative State overreach that I had witnessed first hand in one of my previous careers (I hopped around a lot – based on my needs at the time…I would start little to spend time with the kids and get suckered in deep, so I’d leave and start little again, get suckered in deep – I have boundary issues and a bit of an alpha thing going).
Re-focusing: we were talking about Musk and DOGE and what they were doing and one of our friends was expressing serious doubts about trusting Elon Musk with, well, anything.
A customer in the ordering line – just behind us – leaned in and laid in to the conversation, saying we need Musk and DOGE here in Canada because our taxpayer money was being used badly and in the wrong places. He got a bit of a push back from our friend, but, to be honest, our friend seemed rather taken aback that a complete stranger at a coffee shop would interject himself into our conversation.
And, our conversation was very civil and with no raised voices – which could not be said for, shall we call him Customer 1, C1 for ease of typing. My hubby and I were giving him silent thumbs up, but, none of us were ready for what happened next.
Another person, let’s call him Customer 2, C2. Well, C2 clearly overheard C1’s comments and took very, very loud issue with them. Including calling C1 and ‘idiot’ and a lot of rude words, to which C1 suggested to C2 that he go ‘f’ himself.
By this point, the whole coffee shop was riveted by their exchange and it looked like things might turn to fistycuffs!
Except that they were both holding Timmy’s coffee, which complicated the potential carnage. Don’t want to spill Timmy’s coffee!
In the end, there was no actual violence and though I may make light of it, it is because the potential for violence was there and very palpable.
This is in Canada.
Not the USA that is dealing with this breakdown in civility first hand.
Makes one wonder how it will all end…
Xanthippa's Chamberpot 