‘The way my jaw dropped’: Beautifully awkward doorstep interaction ensues when canvasser confuses being gay with being Canadian

Look, I get it, we Canadians beat the United States to the “legalize gay marriage” punch by a decade, and are ostensibly known for our cheerful and open demeanors, making dessert out of popsicle sticks, maple syrup, and snow, and having rainbow money. I would take absolutely zero issue with someone interpreting my Canadianness as undiluted proof of my queerness (nevermind the fact that my queerness can be proven by the sole fact that I am queer).

But even if I wasn’t queer, this delightful interaction captured by TikTok‘s @parrishdixon more or less sums up how genially I would receive such a misunderstanding.

Over the course of this 25-second video which took place a few days before that tragic election, a Democratic Party volunteer named Charlie rolls up to the door before knocking and being greeted by Parrish’s visiting uncle. Charlie informs him that he’s trying to get people to go out and vote, only for Parrish’s uncle to tell him that he can’t do so. Charlie probes a bit, asking if he can’t vote or just doesn’t want to, and Parrish’s uncle clarifies that he can’t, because he’s Canadian.

But then, oddly, Charlie assures him that he could still vote. Eyebrows are raised, right up until Charlie ends the sentence by saying that it makes no difference if you’re gay; you can still vote!

It’s at this point that Parrish’s uncle realizes that Charlie misheard him, and repeats the fact that he’s Canadian with a bit more enunciation. The two gents break out into a fit of shared laughter as Charlie offers up a thoroughly Canadian-coded “Oh jeez, I’m sorry,” after which they likely parted ways with a new funny story to tell.

As expected, there were a handful of sour comments that we’ll spare you the details on, but rest assured that Charlie and his new pal were greeted with about as much joy from the commenters as they themselves churned up from this interaction. Most couldn’t get over how adorable Charlie’s demeanor was, and more still simply couldn’t get enough of how gleefully silly the whole thing was.

There is a shadow over this nowadays, of course, as it’s clear that too few people heeded Charlie’s encouragement, and was subsequently complacent in the reelection of Donald Trump. The official numbers have yet to be released at the time of writing, but it’s probably safe to say that it won’t quite be the 66 percent turnout we saw in the 2020 election, per Pew Research.

But finger-pointing will get us nowhere. Regardless of whether or not the Democratic Party could have done a better job of convincing people to vote, it doesn’t change the fact that nearly 73 million people signed off on putting one of humanity’s most prominent vessels of hatred back into the White House. If the mortal essence of Donald Trump couldn’t convince so many people to not vote for him, what the hell were the Democrats supposed to do?

To those Americans who feel a particular darkness encroaching upon democracy, know that many a heart is going out to you from your neighbors up north and around the world. Hope dies last.