I Just Lost My Job Because I’m An American

Things were going so well.

Now this precious gift of a dependable income stream vanished, thanks to Trump’s ridiculous tariffs and “let’s make Canada the 51st state” trash talk. It’s a devastating blow while I’m already worrying about more and more companies using AI to write their scripts, edit their videos and even narrate the damn video, too. 

Still, when the initial shock and hurt of losing this contract wore off, I had to tip my hat to those Canadians. I get it. I don’t blame them. Enough is enough. Someone has to have the balls to take a stand. And I have great respect for my Canadian friends and colleagues. 

At least my former employer had the integrity to tell me the truth. He could’ve said my work wasn’t meeting their standards, claimed they wanted a new sound, or blamed it on budgetary tweaks. He could’ve just ghosted me. 

Instead he wanted me to hear  —  and thought it was important for me to know  —  that our fearless leader’s words and actions will have consequences. 

So, I’m being boycotted… by friendly Canadians. 

I guess I’ll go commiserate with the former U.S. government employees who’ve also been tossed aside with violent, willy-nilly abandon. I have an inkling we’re going to be hearing similar accounts from average and not-so-average Americans feeling the pinch in the coming months, as the more forward-looking nations wash their hands of us (and our nonsense) and make harsh retaliatory and defensive moves. 

The most daunting questions remain. With so many bridges burned — when all of our former allies have turned away from us and stepped forward as new global powers led by reliable and mature leaders — what will happen to the citizens of this country and this American experiment?

Blue state or red state, we’re all in the same bucket. We’re the bad guys to everyone — and anyone on the right side of history doesn’t come to save the bad guys. It will be up to us to  save ourselves. But can democracy win in the face of so many actively rooting for it to fail?

I don’t know. 

But I will keep fighting by using my voice and my writing, because what else can I do?

Brush up on my military contractor sound, since that’s where we’re headed? Or just adopt a British accent and acquire a new mailing address? 

Right now I’m in mourning — over all of it. 

Joe Guay is a voiceover actor and writer currently residing in California. His words have been featured in Katie Couric Media and YourTango. A recovering people pleaser aiming to be “the poor man’s David Sedaris,” Joe provides “Dispatches from the Guay Life” on topics like mental health, growing up gay, nature as church, travel, showbiz and humor on Medium.com, and you can also find him on Substack or at www.JoeGuay.com. 

This article originally appeared on HuffPost in March 2025.