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Why Canadians seem to complain about Americans so much...
From a comment in another journal - some thoughts. My comment should in no way be taken to mean that I say, "Heck yeah, this is why we should hate all y'all!" It's a description of status quo, and part of the reason it exist:
While you never hear anyone say bad about Canada, there is certainly a history of general thoughtlessness or outright antipathy towards Canadians on the part the United States as a whole.
Partly, it has been political and military. I'll talk about that a bit first, but I want to assure you it's not as big an issue these days.
In 1895, Theodore Roosevelt wrote "the greatest boon I could confer upon this nation (would be) an immediate war with Great Britain for the conquest of Canada... I will do my very best to bring about the day."
From the American Revolution onward through the 19th century American politicans often spoke explicitly of "liberating" Canada, or annexing all or part of it in the name of Manifest Destiny. The Articles of Confederation from 1777 assumed the Canadian colonies would join.
There were also a number of military incursions (mostly unofficial) into Canada in the 19th century, in the support of local unrest against the British Crown. Often, these were condemned by Washington (such as the cross border raids by Irish American-Fenians) but also sort of tacitly permitted to continue. I beleive there were incursions by Confederate and Union troops alike during the Civil War.
Diplomatic disputes between England and the U.S. after WWI led to the development of "War Plan Red," a detailed plan for the invasion of Canada. While they were not widely known then, they show up in the news now and again up here as a curiousity piece.
Obviously, things changed after WWII, and what Canadians most fear now is a gradual loss of independence or ability to retain our sovereignty, and the perception that the U.S. just doesn't care.
For example, border states will sometimes do things like divert rivers without the approval of the Canadian government. Recent similar incidents include live fire wargame exercises in the Great Lakes - something specifically forbidden by old treaty agreements. Then, there is the U.S. refusal to acknowledge Canadian claims to various parts of the Arctic Circle.
U.S. troops or ships have been known to undertake exercises in the Canadian north without getting permission - even in areas the U.S. acknowldges as Canadian. In fact, I believe the main duty of the Canadian Rangers is to monitor U.S. military incursions.
On the more paranoid side - I'm told the U.S. recognizes fresh water as a "strategic resouce," and under some interpretations of the Carter Doctrine, this would open up the possible of an invasion to seize fresh water. And, in fact, in the late 1990s several national media outlets reported that the CIA had current plans for just such a possibility, though I'm sure those were more mental exercises than anything.
Speaking of the CIA, folks up here still remember MKULTRA.
However, for most Canadians these may be secondary to the sort of unconcious cultural arrogance evidenced by the U.S. You say you never hear anyone say anything bad about Canada, and I'm sure you don't hear anything on a daily basis. However, WE never hear Americans say anything good about Canada that isn't slightly patronizing or ironic - in the mass media, at least. Canada is America's amusing and slightly retarded little brother. Right-wing political pundits say much worse things, but then, they hate everyone.
The U.S. government is sometimes rather unpleasant to the Canadian government. Under Bush, your ambassador has been known to dictate policy to Canada, or openly criticize the Prime Minister's stance on certain policies - angrily so, in some cases. This gets reported. It builds antipathy.
Let's not forget about the time Lyndon Johnson grabbed Lester B. Pearson by the lapels and roared "Stop pissing on my goddamn carpet, Les!" because Pearson called for a negotiated end to the Vienam War. Or, how Nixon called Trudeau an asshole and a commie. To which Trudeau, quite properly, noted that he'd been called worse things by better people.
Back to the cultural point! Let me provide two media examples, to show you what respect and attention it appears Canadians are given by U.S. media outlets. (And yes, these are media outlets, not people, but most Canadians are exposed to American attitudes through the media, remember).
First, "Never Cry Wolf." A world-wide bestselling novel by Farley Mowat, who for a time was sort of looked upon as the Canadian Ernest Hemmingway... except less of a bastard. The book is credited with almost single-handedly changing conservation attitudes towards wolves. It's about Mowat's time as a researcher in the Yukon.
Disney made a movie about it - an excellent movie - in 1983. It won awards. Farley Mowat - and everyone in Canada - was a little peeved to see the movie, and find that Disney had changed the name of the protagonist from the real world "Farley Mowat" to a fictional American character, undertaking work in Alaska.
Why? Who knows.
It didn't help that, two years later, Mowat went on a world book tour... and was barred entry to the United States possibly because of his membership in a "left-wing socialist party", to whit, the New Democratic Party, a respected national federal party. This was perceived, right or wrong, as a deliberate snub against a national hero, and it also led to worldwide media attention - but was almost utterly ignored in the U.S. aside from some fluff pieces in the news.
Second film - the 2000 adventure/war film, "U-571." It's about a brave crew of Americans who capture a U-Boat and seize the Enigma code machine. It's a true story, one of the great adventures of the war, and the capture of the Enigma machine in many ways helped turn the tide of the war.
Except, of course, that the people who did it were British commandos and Canadian sailors, some of whom are still alive, IIRC. And they did it six months before the U.S. entered the war.
Why were they changed to Americans? Was the story better because they didn't have accents? I don't know. There are a multitude of examples, but this comment is already long enough.
Suffice to say that I have NEVER met a Canadian who professed to hate, or even dislike, individual Americans simply for their nationality. We DO have a national grudge - sometimes a silly one - against the US as a whole, but not against its people.
By the way, I'm wondering about the age of the people whose comments you may have read. Remember that a Canadian in his or her 20s was in highschool when Bush was elected...
While you never hear anyone say bad about Canada, there is certainly a history of general thoughtlessness or outright antipathy towards Canadians on the part the United States as a whole.
Partly, it has been political and military. I'll talk about that a bit first, but I want to assure you it's not as big an issue these days.
In 1895, Theodore Roosevelt wrote "the greatest boon I could confer upon this nation (would be) an immediate war with Great Britain for the conquest of Canada... I will do my very best to bring about the day."
From the American Revolution onward through the 19th century American politicans often spoke explicitly of "liberating" Canada, or annexing all or part of it in the name of Manifest Destiny. The Articles of Confederation from 1777 assumed the Canadian colonies would join.
There were also a number of military incursions (mostly unofficial) into Canada in the 19th century, in the support of local unrest against the British Crown. Often, these were condemned by Washington (such as the cross border raids by Irish American-Fenians) but also sort of tacitly permitted to continue. I beleive there were incursions by Confederate and Union troops alike during the Civil War.
Diplomatic disputes between England and the U.S. after WWI led to the development of "War Plan Red," a detailed plan for the invasion of Canada. While they were not widely known then, they show up in the news now and again up here as a curiousity piece.
Obviously, things changed after WWII, and what Canadians most fear now is a gradual loss of independence or ability to retain our sovereignty, and the perception that the U.S. just doesn't care.
For example, border states will sometimes do things like divert rivers without the approval of the Canadian government. Recent similar incidents include live fire wargame exercises in the Great Lakes - something specifically forbidden by old treaty agreements. Then, there is the U.S. refusal to acknowledge Canadian claims to various parts of the Arctic Circle.
U.S. troops or ships have been known to undertake exercises in the Canadian north without getting permission - even in areas the U.S. acknowldges as Canadian. In fact, I believe the main duty of the Canadian Rangers is to monitor U.S. military incursions.
On the more paranoid side - I'm told the U.S. recognizes fresh water as a "strategic resouce," and under some interpretations of the Carter Doctrine, this would open up the possible of an invasion to seize fresh water. And, in fact, in the late 1990s several national media outlets reported that the CIA had current plans for just such a possibility, though I'm sure those were more mental exercises than anything.
Speaking of the CIA, folks up here still remember MKULTRA.
However, for most Canadians these may be secondary to the sort of unconcious cultural arrogance evidenced by the U.S. You say you never hear anyone say anything bad about Canada, and I'm sure you don't hear anything on a daily basis. However, WE never hear Americans say anything good about Canada that isn't slightly patronizing or ironic - in the mass media, at least. Canada is America's amusing and slightly retarded little brother. Right-wing political pundits say much worse things, but then, they hate everyone.
The U.S. government is sometimes rather unpleasant to the Canadian government. Under Bush, your ambassador has been known to dictate policy to Canada, or openly criticize the Prime Minister's stance on certain policies - angrily so, in some cases. This gets reported. It builds antipathy.
Let's not forget about the time Lyndon Johnson grabbed Lester B. Pearson by the lapels and roared "Stop pissing on my goddamn carpet, Les!" because Pearson called for a negotiated end to the Vienam War. Or, how Nixon called Trudeau an asshole and a commie. To which Trudeau, quite properly, noted that he'd been called worse things by better people.
Back to the cultural point! Let me provide two media examples, to show you what respect and attention it appears Canadians are given by U.S. media outlets. (And yes, these are media outlets, not people, but most Canadians are exposed to American attitudes through the media, remember).
First, "Never Cry Wolf." A world-wide bestselling novel by Farley Mowat, who for a time was sort of looked upon as the Canadian Ernest Hemmingway... except less of a bastard. The book is credited with almost single-handedly changing conservation attitudes towards wolves. It's about Mowat's time as a researcher in the Yukon.
Disney made a movie about it - an excellent movie - in 1983. It won awards. Farley Mowat - and everyone in Canada - was a little peeved to see the movie, and find that Disney had changed the name of the protagonist from the real world "Farley Mowat" to a fictional American character, undertaking work in Alaska.
Why? Who knows.
It didn't help that, two years later, Mowat went on a world book tour... and was barred entry to the United States possibly because of his membership in a "left-wing socialist party", to whit, the New Democratic Party, a respected national federal party. This was perceived, right or wrong, as a deliberate snub against a national hero, and it also led to worldwide media attention - but was almost utterly ignored in the U.S. aside from some fluff pieces in the news.
Second film - the 2000 adventure/war film, "U-571." It's about a brave crew of Americans who capture a U-Boat and seize the Enigma code machine. It's a true story, one of the great adventures of the war, and the capture of the Enigma machine in many ways helped turn the tide of the war.
Except, of course, that the people who did it were British commandos and Canadian sailors, some of whom are still alive, IIRC. And they did it six months before the U.S. entered the war.
Why were they changed to Americans? Was the story better because they didn't have accents? I don't know. There are a multitude of examples, but this comment is already long enough.
Suffice to say that I have NEVER met a Canadian who professed to hate, or even dislike, individual Americans simply for their nationality. We DO have a national grudge - sometimes a silly one - against the US as a whole, but not against its people.
By the way, I'm wondering about the age of the people whose comments you may have read. Remember that a Canadian in his or her 20s was in highschool when Bush was elected...
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America is still, despite everything, the dominant super-power on the face of the earth. But I'm not even talking about military or money, though both of those sure count. The thing about America is its media. American media saturates and informs every corner of the globe. In little tiny villages in the Deccan in central India you can go into a shop and there will be a gaggle of young men and women watching Beyonce on TV.
American media caries, in all its confused and resplendently plumed forms, American values and American messages. It is a huge fucking culture machine, and it may have the greatest unacknowledged power in changing the face of global relations in the last 20 years. It isn't an easy thing to assimilate without being assimilated, and even the best have problems with it.
For Canada its worse. Much of Canada speaks the same language as the States, is part of much of the same industrial, commercial, ecological, and geographical complex. We share a lot of joint history, and have our hands deeply in each others pockets. So there is very little barrier to a seep between American and Canadian cultures -- a one way seep.
Most of the Canadians that I know watch more American made media than Canadian made. Most Canadians I know watched West Wing, are following the American election to some degree, can quote Simpsons, know more American bands than Canadian, and so on. Most Americans I know know that Ottawa is the capital and that we've got a Parliament, but have to think to come up with the name of the Prime Minister, have never heard of Rick Mercer, think Bryan Adams sings good old American Rock n Roll, and probably couldn't name a Canadian TV show if you put a gun to their head.
Americans get to not know about Canada because America is the dominant partner in the relationship. Canadians don't get to not know about America. With siblings thats a great way to breed bitterness, and as it turns out it works with cultures too.
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Teddy Roosevelt was an asshole. Wilson is responsible for the imperialistic attitude that permeates the US gov't today. "Making the world safe for democracy (and capitalism!)" continues to be the buzz-phrase almost 100 years later.
You (and Pyat) are spot-on.
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And to be clear, there are Americans -- lots of them -- who know plenty about Canada. My buddy Lem may know more about Canada than I do, even though I live here.
Its just that like, every single Canadian I know can list off a million things about American culture and politics and lifestyle, and many fewer Americans can list off much less about Canada.
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That requires not actually talking to people, or watching the news, or going on any internet site, as some examples.
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I talk to people. When people start going into politics/whathaveyou, I simply say, "I'm sorry, but I'm not interested in talking about this subject." Most people respect that. The ones who don't? Aren't worth my time.
I don't watch the news, because if it's important enough for me to need to know about it, then I'll find out about it by talking with people, surfing the net, whatever. And, I'm far less likely to get a slanted opinion that way - or, maybe I get several slanted opinions, and it leads me into knowing more than the news would tell me. And, for the most part, I avoid really depressing news that doesn't actually serve a purpose other than depressing people.
If I know that a certain site is going to annoy me, then I avoid it. **shrugs** It's called being self aware and knowing that some people exist just to bring others down, and also being responsible for the kind of emotions/thought patterns that I allow in.
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Once the politician reaches a certain point, for whatever reason (I'd say that it has something to do with the basic personality makeup of a person who would go after such a position) they become disassociated with "the common man."
In other words, those who are "representing America" really aren't.
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I'm sorry, but this is the kind of thinking that allows idiots to buy scalding hot coffee, spill it on themselves, and then sue companies for selling them hot coffee.
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It's insidious, and you don't realize how much until you come face-to-face with the fact that you know more about Southern California than you do about any city in Canada.
Watching TV is fun. People like it. They choose TV shows for a lot of reasons. When ten choices are American and the reviews for those are all over the news media and internet, and one is Canadian and no one has heard of it or covered it except the Arts and Entertainment section of the local newspaper, which do you think most people will watch? The only other choice is cutting ourselves off from a culture that makes up a big part of everyday parlance. To some extent, the ability to get along in society depends on having a broad frame of reference, at least some of which comes from pop culture - and Canada's pop culture is dominated by America.
Please note, we're not asking you to change this. We accept it as a fact of life, something that nobody purposely set out to do to us anymore than we set out to do it to ourselves. It's nobody's fault. But when I've been teaching Canadian politics for the whole month of September and have someone tell me on the test, the day after election day here, that they voted for Obama for president in the class election, it gets frustrating.
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They just are? I mean, that's the stated point of it, isn't it? To preserve Canadian culture they provide a government sponsored boon to any networks that show mostly Canadian content.
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I've always called that a culture war, because I consider our national identity to be a part of our culture, and we're intentionally promoting initiatives to combat Americanization.
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