I Just Lost My Job Because I'm An American "The world has lost patience with us, even if we didn't vote for Donald Trump

[IrishBubbaLiberal]

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/canadian-company-ends-american-contract-lost-job_n_67e821fce4b0f0380605ed5b

I Just Lost My Job Because I'm An American
"The world has lost patience with us, even if we didn't vote for Donald Trump."

Mar 30, 2025
By Joe Guay

The email arrived unexpectedly last week :

We will finish what remains of the project contract, but then we are ending doing business with Americans and American business. I know it’s not your fault, but your president just started a war. We still love the American people but good luck.

And that, as they say, is that.

There goes 20% of my cash flow.

It’s my first time being boycotted — my first time canceled.

I’m a voice-over actor. I provide the intelligent, trustworthy and engaging voice you hear narrating a TV commercial, a medical device explainer or a YouTube mini-documentary. I’m the voice on those annoying requisite training webinars you likely arrow-through quickly. I’m the aural comfort and security that helps relay information or nudges you toward trusting a brand or message.

But the trust in “that American sound” has been shattered. My client — an international organization that interacts with countries on every continent — no longer wants money going to American individuals or industry, and no longer wants an American-sounding voice to be associated with its hope-filled endeavors.

[GiqueCee]

1. That is heartbreaking...

... if not entirely unexpected, news. I'm sorry to heart that your livelihood has become collateral damage as a result of the actions of these psychotic monsters.
Trump and Musk are irredeemably evil pawns of Putin, and should be dealt with accordingly. Sadly, Republicans in both Houses of Congress are no better; they're just as blatantly dishonest as their Dear Leader and his diseased doppelgänger.

[SunSeeker]

2. Trump has destroyed the American brand. Everything Trump touches dies.

[CaptainTruth]

27. You nailed it. Few people understand how truly important a trustworthy brand is.

[NJCher]

3. I see this happening

to a friend of mine, an international consultant who is working on protecting the waterfront.

Contracts will be honored through the end, which is about 5 months away. After that, European consultants will likely take over. I just learned about this last night, and I'll bet we see more of it.

[LisaL]

5. Tourism from many other countries will die as well.

Instead of America First, the slogan should be America Alone.
Because nobody will want to deal with US.

[James48]

4. British English

Will now become the English laguage of choice, not American English.

“America First” means we no longer lead the world- it means we have become a non-player on the world stage by design.

We no longer will need aircraft carriers. Or a presence out there in the world.

We are retreating behind walls, just like Japan of the early 1800’s.

[sakabatou]

6. Early 1800s?

Japan isolated itself after the disastrous war against Korea (Imjin War) with Toyotomi Hideyoshi at the helm (1590s). It only opened itself up after Admiral Perry.

That being said, Japan had only two "open" ports, and they were highly regulated.

[BidenRocks]

24. And Anjin San found one

RIP Richard Chamberlain.

[sakabatou]

25. Uh... is this about the 1980s miniseries about feudal Japan?

[BidenRocks]

28. I read Shogun while stationed there.

1977

[sakabatou]

30. Oh. Never heard of the book, nor read the series

I did have a world history class, where part of it was about the history of Japan.

We even had something akin to Risk as a class game. My team got screwed over due to being on the island of Shikoku with only two ways to get off. Each time we moved the samurai to another province, the stack would die.

The teacher would correct this in the next year's class.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

7. He lost work because his skill isn't in demand anymore, which is a *little* different.

[MorbidButterflyTat]

20. The acceptance of misinformation is alarming

especially on a Democratic message board.

[yardwork]

21. Wow.

You kind of passed over the point that his skill is his American-sounding voice.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

22. Learning different languages and accents is also a skill.

Don't get me wrong: It's interesting that an American accent was seen as trustworthy and strong (I mean, woof), and now it no longer is, necessarily.

[whathehell]

29. No, there's nothing "interesting" about

an American accent being seen (until recently) as trustworthy and strong...Given our place in the Post-World War II Western world, it could be expected.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

31. I thought it was interesting. A lot of people in the world see America as a bully, and an American accent in other

languages carries various connotations, depending on the context.

[whathehell]

36. Of course you did..

and I guessed correctly as to reason..

Many people in the world may see us as bullies, but just as many, especially after the war when we re-built Europe, led NATO, and became founding members of the United Nations, have seen us as promoters of democracy, and strong, reliable allies.

[Dave says]

41. Yes, until the age of Trump 2.0

[whathehell]

44. No one is debating that..

[not fooled]

8. I'm in a European country right now

on a scouting trip to figure out where I’ll go if I get a long-stay visa allowing me to reside there. My flight back to the US is later this week. I’m going to apply for the visa ASAP, before the rest of the world starts keeping Americans out.

[BumRushDaShow]

9. These voice actors have contracts with a number of departments/agencies

You'll hear them doing PSAs (Public Service Announcements) on radio or TV or streaming.

Many are actually "individual" contractors who have a long resume of "voice work" (I expect others are part of companies that manage groups of them). They'll also narrate training modules, etc.

I expect Muskrat figures all of that can be "AI'd".

If the goal is to eliminate employees in favor of "AI", then they need to start working on Universal Basic Income (and good luck with that).

[OneGrassRoot]

10. Check this out:

I knew Elon had talked about UBI before going to the extreme dark side, but it seems he made comments about it as recent as May 2024. He actually may still believe in it and I can actually see him doing all the awful stuff he's doing to usher in what may be inevitable (re: AI and need for UBI), and in his naivete may be assuming the GOP is in favor of UBI too. But that's where he'd be very, very wrong.

In fact, I wonder how many non-MAGA people would be in favor of UBI? This suffering puritan work ethic is so ingrained and a source of pride for so many. Personally, I think UBI would be wonderful and it's already needed. I have no ego qualms with it at all.

Here are Musk's eight best quotes about UBI, lightly edited for length and clarity:

"There's a pretty good chance we end up with a universal basic income, or something like that, due to automation. I'm not sure what else one would do. I think that is what would happen. People will have time to do other things, more complex things, more interesting things. Certainly more leisure time." (CNBC, November 4, 2016).

"I think we'll end up doing universal basic income. It's going to be necessary. There will be fewer and fewer jobs that a robot cannot do better. I want to be clear: These are not things I wish will happen — these are things I think probably will happen." (World Government Summit in Dubai, February 13, 2017)

"Universal income will be necessary over time if AI takes over most human jobs. Also think there should be a universal basic income that doesn't change even if you get a job. Productivity should be rewarded." (X posts, June 15 and June 20, 2018)

"I'm in *favor* of universal basic income. Goal of government should be to maximize the happiness of the people. Giving each person money allows them to decide what meets their needs, rather than the blunt tool of legislation, which creates self-serving special interests. If we do a stimulus at all, it should just be direct payments to consumers." (X post, July 24, 2020)

"The $1400 is mostly good imo (UBI lite), as the people get to choose how the money is spent, but the rest is mostly net bad for the people as a whole." (Commenting on pandemic stimulus in a X post, March 6, 2021)

"What is the economy at its foundation? It is labor. So what happens when there is no shortage of labor? This is why I think long-term, there will need to be universal basic income." (AI Day, August 2021)

"There will be universal high income, not basic, in a positive AI future. No scarcity, except that which we define to be scarce. In that scenario, everyone can have whatever goods & services they want. It is less clear how we will find meaning in a world where work is optional. (X post, December 25, 2023)

"In a benign scenario, probably none of us will have a job. There would be universal high income. There would be no shortage of goods and services. The question will really be one of meaning: if a computer can do, and the robots can do, everything better than you, does your life have meaning? I do think there's perhaps still a role for humans in that we may give AI meaning." (VivaTech, May 23, 2024).

https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-universal-basic-income-ubi-ai-automation-unemployment-quotes-2024-6

[BumRushDaShow]

11. I remember Andrew Yang made that a centerpiece of his 2020 campaign

and I know it has actually been pilot-tested, with some projects still going on. Found a dashboard here - https://guaranteedincome.us/

I expect this would fly in the face of the name-caller crowd who love to spout nonsense about "the lazy welfare recipients" (while pushing to subsidize big oil, etc).

[OneGrassRoot]

14. It definitely wouldn't fly with that crowd, at least not their public protestations...

similar to how they complain about welfare queens while receiving every type of government assistance imaginable.

I'm trying to reconcile that Elon with DOGE/MAGA Elon, since he referenced UBI so recently. I wish he would advocate for it now, while he has influence still.

EDIT TO ADD: But his seeming desire to destroy Social Security doesn't lead me to believe he has any altruistic tendencies now.

[BumRushDaShow]

15. He's a "changed man" now

Maybe if he got off the drugs...

[travelingthrulife]

40. You think Musk and Republicans would pay a universal basic income???

They are taking away everything, they will not approve of UBI.

[OneGrassRoot]

43. I know the GOP won't, and Space Nazi in his current incarnation won't...

As you said, they're taking everything away. But I thought it interesting that he even uttered the phrase Universal Basic Income repeatedly, let alone as recently as last May.

In my fantasy he wakes up from his Nazi "I control everything" phase and gets back to how he spoke of this before. Even if that were to happen, the entire MAGA GOP would oppose it. Maybe he could buy them off to do something that actually helps people. lol

[Iggo]

12. Trump isn't destroying America by accident.

[Irish_Dem]

13. Exactly. Trump is deliberately and carefully destroying the American brand and the country on purpose.

[patphil]

16. Guilt by association is unfortunate. All of us from the US have to accept the damage Trump does to us internationallhy.

Last edited Sun Mar 30, 2025, 09:35 PM - Edit history (1)

Not because we support him, but because of the reality of FAFO on an international scale.
At this point, our government has already "screwed the pouch" as they say, and we are receiving the collateral damage his shit storm is causing.
It's gonna take a lot to get rid of this fucker; Republicans in Congress aren't going to help. I haven't got any idea what they think they can gain from standing with him, but I see it as the end of the Republican Party.
The Magots are going to support him no matter what, but the 60+% who aren't into destroying the rule of law, and embracing a fascist dictatorship will have the final say, one way or another.

We aren't Putin's Russia, or Trump's America. We are those who truly love our country, and will see to it that this Constitutional Democratic Republic is around for another 250 years.

Fuck Trump and all those who support him!

[babylonsister]

32. Amen! nt

[Demovictory9]

17. Oh wow

[Demovictory9]

18. "justifiably and patriotically uniting against our now-enemy nation led by a mad king."

Instead, it’s friendly Canadians, who are justifiably and patriotically uniting against our now-enemy nation led by a mad king.

[Mme. Defarge]

19. What impact could this have

on our film industry?

[Justice matters.]

33. Well, I think movies will have to be made inside the U.S. with a lot of AI...

They already started with AI, the rest will come but no guarantee there will be an international market like there is since the 60s.

And AI will prevent payroll expansions too.

[mdbl]

23. and it's only 3 months in

Instead of Dump being in prison where he belongs he's putting the entire US in prison instead.

[Xolodno]

26. I'm going to apply for jobs...

...in Canada and possibly Mexico next month. Get desperate, then Australia as I have family there that can sponsor me.

[EllieBC]

34. "Even if we didn't vote for him." Please stop.

Please stop expecting Canadians to be your emotional support people. We do not exist to pat you on the head and tell you that you’re still good people because you didn’t vote for him. We are angry and no, we aren’t trusting very many Americans right now because it doesn’t matter at this point if you didn’t vote for him.

Too many of you failed to show up and vote against him and vote for somebody that could actually win. Too many Americans played, “but but but Middle East! But but but Harris wasn’t brought in via a primary!” I don’t give a fuck. Most Canadians don’t give a fuck. You had one fucking job but too many were too busy navel gazing and playing purity politics to get off their asses.

So stop asking us to tell you that you are still loved.

It’s not always about you.

[Fords Crackpipe]

39. +1000 n/t

[rickyhall]

35. Not my fucking fault I didn't leave here 50 years ago.

[lonely bird]

37. Wow

Reading the entire thread’s comments is very enlightening.

And very disappointing.