Canadian Ignorance...

[CDNBear]

All Americans blindly follow their leaders.

All Americans think that the US is the absolute best, no need to change a thing.

All Americans are oblivious about the rest of the world.

All Americans are warmongers.

All Americans are rednecks.

All Americans think Canadians live in igloos and use dog teams.

All Americans are brainwashed by the gov't.

All Americans absorb MSM, without question.

All Americans think their shyte don't stink....

And so on.

Did I miss any?

Here, nibble on this a while...

http://il.youtube.com/watch?v=v0EQI7sla4c

What an embarrassment these truly wonderful Canadians were.

It doesn't matter where you go, you'll find good and bad. Focusing solely on the bad to further or justify your prejudice, makes you equally as ignorant.

And before you threw my opinion of Islam back at me, try thinking that out fully first. I have an issue with Islam, not Muslims. Like I have an issue with Catholicism, not Christians. Again, there are good people who live by the tenets of these religions, that think terrorism and abuse of children are abhorrent. I recognize that. Do you rabid anti American folk understand the differences here?

Let's look at a myth Canadians swallow hook, line and sinker without so much as a second thought or cursory knowledge of some facts...

The Arrow That Doesn't Fly...

The CBC's mini-series about the interceptor that wasn't is good to look at but ungrounded in facts By Michael Bliss

History it isn't. Billed as "Dramatic fiction inspired by real events, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's mini-series The Arrow, aired Jan 12 and 13, plays fast and loose with the facts. The upshot is a drama that never soars a s high as the ill-starred jet interceptor itself. For aviation buffs, engineers and romantic Canadian nationalists, Arrow can be hot stuff. Others may not feel the need for four hours of mythologising.
Reality is more like this: as the cold war developed in the 1940's and 1950's, Ottawa thought a job-rich domestic aircraft industry could be built on defence production. When A.V. Roe Co. Ltd (Avro), based near Toronto, managed to build a serviceable jet fighter, the CF-100., the government decided to fund development of an advanced supersonic interceptor, the CF-105 Arrow. At the behest of nationalist ministers, especially C.D. Howe, the Liberal government of Louis St. Laurent poured hundreds of millions into the project.
By 1957. the Arrow was behind schedule, costs had soared, no other countries had offered to buy the plan and Avro's president, Crawford Gordon, was sinking into alcoholic irresponsibility. The new Conservative government of John Diefenbaker warned Avro repeatedly that the Arrow program was in trouble. In February, 1959, it canned the project. The company laid off 14,000 workers. Many engineers left for good jobs in the U.S., some in space program. All existing Arrows were cut for scrap. Legend has it one survived.
A greater myth sprang up: that the world's finest aircraft, which would have rocked Canada into global aerospace leadership had shot down by bumbling fools acting out an American-driven agenda. Thus a national dream died and Canada began its decent into mediocrity. "The Arrow is a wonderful success!," exclaims Sara Botsford playing a scarlet-haired (and imaginary) engineer, Kate O'Hare. "In this country that's the problem,"replies gorgeous journalist June Callwood (Mauralea Austin). "The Arrow is too much of a success.''
Never mind the real Arrow was never fully flight-tested, never flew with its intended engine or electronics or weapons system. Never mind that Avro's track record was horrible and the company was a mess. Never mind that the Liberals had given up on the Arrow but postponed cancellation after an election they expected to win. Based in part on Greig Stewart's 1988 book, Shutting Down the National Dream, the series buys every scrap of Arrow mythology and adds more.

I mean seriously, who gets their historical education from the CBC?

Diefenbaker Web

A Review of American Myths: What Canadians think they know about the United States
Edited By Rudyard Griffiths
Key Porter Books
200pp.
When the September 11th terrorist attacks happened, many in this country were astonished at how quickly it took for many Canadians to reveal they secretly believed America had it coming. In fact, it seems anti-Americanism is our civic religion that we can barely conceal any longer. For instance, when it was revealed last election that BC Green Party candidate, Kevin Potvin, had written a column confessing that he cheered as the Twin Towers collapsed, many ran to his defence. Potvin was eventually denied the Green candidacy, but this episode revealed how close to the surface these feelings are. Anti-Americanism has become our last acceptable form of bigotry and xenophobia.
Potvin’s sentiments stemmed from an all-too-familiar view of American foreign policy. The narrative goes that Americans are vicious war mongers who interfere in too many foreign wars and that the attacks were just retribution. The problem is that no one questions if this interpretation is accurate. Of course, most stereotypes contain some grain of truth. Americans have participated in many wars, but so have Canadians and many other nations. Moreover, it is a fact of history that no other country has given so much blood and treasure to assist other countries in their time of need than the United States, especially in the case of the Second World War. This inconvenient truth is left out of the anti-American narrative as it would present a more balanced view of reality.

An excellent article to read on what some Canadians believe about America and how it's counter productive to both our relationship and to the interests of Canada...

American Myths: What Canadians Think They Know About the United States | c2c Journal

 

[EagleSmack]

I could not have said it better myself Bear.

Thank you.

 

[americanadian]

Well the thread about the ignorance of Americans was a little troublesome to me. I have run into a handful of people like you and I would like to thank you. I do have a problem with ignorant Americans, but its frustrating when people automatically "know" you're ignorant because of where you were born. I promise everyone that it's a million times easier being a Canadian in America and putting up with the occasional igloo joke, than it is being one of the Latino race and trying to earn a [legal] living here and put up with constant racism and abuse.

 

[Curiosity]

Bear - don't take on that burden

People who have the need to hate or put down others have personal issues nothing can cure except when change comes from within.

Our western societies are going through some strange times these days but considering all the war and ugliness we have survived in this century - I'd say we are learning - all of us on the North American continent - and we will move on to find new paths and hopefully more understanding of our world.

Until that happens, I hope Canada and the U.S. will remain good neighbors and friends.

 

[EagleSmack]

Well the thread about the ignorance of Americans was a little troublesome to me. I have run into a handful of people like you and I would like to thank you. I do have a problem with ignorant Americans, but its frustrating when people automatically "know" you're ignorant because of where you were born. I promise everyone that it's a million times easier being a Canadian in America and putting up with the occasional igloo joke, than it is being one of the Latino race and trying to earn a [legal] living here and put up with constant racism and abuse.

Are you saying that immigrants or people who aren't white experience a welcoming Utopia in Canada and we are simply the big bad racist nation as portrayed by many?

 

[wulfie68]

Are you saying that immigrants or people who aren't white experience a welcoming Utopia in Canada and we are simply the big bad racist nation as portrayed by many?

Well Americandian's loc says Halifax so I was interpreting that to mean he/she has experienced more racism in Canada as a Latino than anti-Canadianism in the US...

 

[karrie]

Well Americandian's loc says Halifax so I was interpreting that to mean he/she has experienced more racism in Canada as a Latino than anti-Canadianism in the US...

nuh-uh... he said something negative in the proximity to a comment about the US... thus he must be anti-american. quick, get your labeler out guys!!!!

 

[Chiliagon]

what the hell is her problem?

 

[AnnaG]

YouTube - Ebony & Ivory (Music Video)by Paul McCartney & Stevie Wonder

 

[Chiliagon]

this is insane

 

[AnnaG]

this is insane

*shrugs*
So leave. No-one's twisting your arm to be in this thread.

 

[Chiliagon]

i'm talking about the Video Anna. read a bit first.

 

[AnnaG]

i'm talking about the Video Anna. read a bit first.

I did read. All I read was

this is insane

with no sign of what you think is insane. And the post you made before that was

what the hell is her problem?

so no-one knew WTF you were referring to.
So if you're going to post like a child, don't expect to be treated as anything other than one.
About the vid; did you listen to the lyrics? Particularly the part that says:

We all know that people are the same where ever you go
there is good and bad in everyone
we learn to live we learn to give each other what we need to survive together alive

 

[Chiliagon]

I did read. All I read was with no sign of what you think is insane. And the post you made before that was so no-one knew WTF you were referring to.
So if you're going to post like a child, don't expect to be treated as anything other than one.
About the vid; did you listen to the lyrics? Particularly the part that says:

well obviously I was talking about the nutcase woman in the video who was getting angry.

but nobody is right about anything.

if they had been mature and not acted like idiots.. they would have kept the door shut and just left it alone at the start... but nooooo they gotta keep pushin and keep pushin.. and then that guy gets involved.. they set themselves up.

just act like adults for once!

 

[Johnnny]

i cant hate america they created country music

i like singing to this song except i change one thing.... Im an all canadian Country Boy

 

[AnnaG]

well obviously I was talking about the nutcase woman in the video who was getting angry.

So you weren't talking about Karrie having a problem and weren't commenting on the vid I posted. No, it wasn't obvious because you didn't specify about what you were talking about nor quote the OP.

 

[karrie]

So you weren't talking about Karrie having a problem and weren't commenting on the vid I posted. No, it wasn't obvious because you didn't specify about what you were talking about nor quote the OP.

yeah, that's how I read it too Anna.

I thought maybe I might have to rein back the sarcasm today, that perhaps I'd worn someone a wee bit raw... lol.

 

[lone wolf]

Naughty girl.... ;-)

 

[AnnaG]

yeah, that's how I read it too Anna.

I thought maybe I might have to rein back the sarcasm today, that perhaps I'd worn someone a wee bit raw... lol.

Not on my account, please. I thought you were doing great. Um, still do. lol

 

[wulfie68]

I'm going to quote a section in the last link of Bear's that I think too many people in this country don't appreciate:

In building a mature nationalism, Canadians should not be afraid of adopting traditions from elsewhere, including the United States, if these conventions improve our country. We do not need fear something because it is American.

In these forums and others, I have seen far too many cop out into anti-Americanism as a way to build up their own national identities, be it Canadian, European, Aussie or anything else, while not acknowledging that many of the flaws that we like to attribute to the US, also exist in our homelands as well.