American Ignorance About Canada

[Retired_Can_Soldier]

Re: RE: American Ignorance About Canada

My reference was to Kreskin's statement, prior to my post.

Obviously I misunderstood your post and I appreciate the comeback. No harm no foul. Kreskin makes a good point, not in his statement, but as an example of ignorance.

I know soldiers and whether or not someone agrees with the Iraq war I know the troops are doing their best under the circumstance. Suicide Bombing is the cowards way of sending children to die for the cause they lack the courage to fight.

Cheers
M

 

[jimmoyer]

I'll take your word for it, Kreskin.

 

[Kreskin]

Re: RE: American Ignorance About Canada

My reference was to Kreskin's statement, prior to my post.

Obviously I misunderstood your post and I appreciate the comeback. No harm no foul. Kreskin makes a good point, not in his statement, but as an example of ignorance.

I know soldiers and whether or not someone agrees with the Iraq war I know the troops are doing their best under the circumstance. Suicide Bombing is the cowards way of sending children to die for the cause they lack the courage to fight.

Cheers
M

I was referring to the neocon crusade. You know, the righteous pro-lifers who defend embryos but wantonly invade countries and have no problem with their actions, based on falsified evidence, dismembering young innocent Iraqi children. Now they want to save the seals. The height of hypocrisy.

 

[jimmoyer]

Hypocrisy knows no borders, Kreskin.

Waiting for hypocritical America to take the lead
in Sudan's Dafur is the hypocrisy of the rest of the
righteous western world, eh?

The hypocrisy evident in a tolerant understanding
of suicide bombers in Palestine and Iraq certainly does
not hold a high priority for those two countries to
have a chance.

Equally both evil hypocrisies. Passive and Aggressive
hypocrisy both allows people to die, don't they?

 

[Retired_Can_Soldier]

So Kreskin. You dislike the US Government. I get it. But I have worked with the US soldiers and know their Ilk and they are not the baby killers you proclaim them.

In war there are victims, but hate of the present US government detracts from what could be a more balanced argument on this situation.

You come off like the troops are over there purposely targeting children and that just isn't the case.

Cheers
M

By the way. The only dismembering I've seen has been on the part of insurgents targeting Iraqis, civilians and security. I believed they dismembered in and around 29 Countrymen just a few days a go and for what. Too instill fear in the people and to create Chaos and division.

Aint that righteous!

 

[Kreskin]

Re: RE: American Ignorance About Canada

So Kreskin. You dislike the US Government. I get it. But I have worked with the US soldiers and know their Ilk and they are not the baby killers you proclaim them.

In war there are victims, but hate of the present US government detracts from what could be a more balanced argument on this situation.

You come off like the troops are over there purposely targeting children and that just isn't the case.

Cheers
M

You're right, I dislike the US regime. I don't like that the US regime institutes policies that kill the innocent while speaking out the other sides of their mouths proclaiming to be compassionate.

This isn't about the men and women in the military. It's impossible for them not to kill innocent people when they're instructed to carry out bombing campaigns.

The link that Melanie put was a typical Anne Coulter-ish neocon tirade with a new treehugging twist. People who back the regime support the political doctrine that lying to go to war is just fine, no matter what the consequences are. It's hard to believe someone who flagrantly doesn't give a damn about innocent lives in the ME can give a rats ass about a seal hunt.

 

[Retired_Can_Soldier]

For the record. I think Ann Coulter is a bony butted mean spirited twit, but be careful how much propoganda you swallow on the other side of that extreme argument.

The extreme Left is just as dangerous as the Far right.

 

[Riyko]

heh well reading this topic makes me feel really bad. I'm an american, but I never really learned anything about canada in school. I'm not one of those people who think I know alot about Canada because I don't, I just know what i've read about and what my best friend who lives in Oakville has told me.

 

[Curiosity]

Riyko

Well I hate to argue with you yet again but you are spreading misinformation about school texts in the U.S.

I have made a point of looking up World Geography and History in many of the schools for use in California and they indeed include Canadian topics as well as other major countries of the world.

Perhaps you were sleeping in class those days???

Here is one link to University sponsored Canadian studies classes for teaching at the secondary educational level in the U.S.

http://jsis.washington.edu/canada/events2003-4.shtml

 

[I think not]

WC

This myth students in the US don't learn about anything other than the US is pure bullshit. I am neck deep in knowing what the curriculum is of every state and province. Whatever they learn in Canada is about the same they learn in the US.

A close example, my nephew is 9 years old and the past 3 years he has learned about France, Spain and currently doing Russia. You know how many times they were taught anything about the US?

None.

 

[Curiosity]

ITN

I know it's sad eh isn't it - the little squirts in my family don't learn very much in school and the stuff they hear gives me the creeps - but they know enough to ask me things so they do question what they hear.

I love the e-mail thingy with the kids - it's a great learning tool for them. I do try honestly to keep my personal bias out of the answers too - it's difficult lol - but I try.

Fortunately they get to go on field trips south every other year and explore parts of the U.S. which is a great learning experience in itself.

 

[I think not]

I'd love to continue this conversation WC, but I have to go find Canada on the map. Have a nice day!

 

[fuzzylogix]

ITN, when you find it, could you let the guy from Florida who is working at the Denny's in Kingston, Ontario know? As I stopped in there one day while travelling to Montreal, he asked the inevitable, "where ya all from?" We said we had come from near Kitchener, so he said wheres that, so we said past Hamilton so he said wheres that, so we said, the other side of Toronto, so he said wheres that? At this point I asked him if he knew what country he was in. I am concerned that he is lost...Could you please help him.

 

[sanch]

Most Amercans know nothing about Canada and have no interest in gaining any knowledge on Canada.

Go into any international magazine store in Manhattan—and there are many—and try and find a copy of Macleans or Canadian Business or the Walrus. There are magazines from all over the world, just none from Canada. There is no market for them.

My children have yet to be exposed to any Canadian content in school. They have pretty much covered Latin America though. Their teachers are very well traveled and knowledgeable about Mexico and Brazil and other places. They don't travel to Canada.

Canadians are pretty much obsessed with the US. Americans are totally indifferent to all things Canadian.

But I have found that interest in Canada has slipped in Europe as well.

 

[Curiosity]

http://jsis.washington.edu/canada/events2003-4.shtml

Sanch

You must be near the Mexican border then - but no doubt you wish to make a point.

The link above gives one of the many Canadian Studies programs in major universities training teachers on Canada for students in schools all across the country.

You must be very unhappy with the paucity of Canadiana which obviously is totally missing from your world. I don't know why Canadians move to the U.S.A. and then complain about being there. Seems an odd way to live.

 

[Toro]

My son was taught about Canada in grade one.

 

[Riyko]

Riyko

Well I hate to argue with you yet again but you are spreading misinformation about school texts in the U.S.

I have made a point of looking up World Geography and History in many of the schools for use in California and they indeed include Canadian topics as well as other major countries of the world.

Perhaps you were sleeping in class those days???

Here is one link to University sponsored Canadian studies classes for teaching at the secondary educational level in the U.S.

http://jsis.washington.edu/canada/events2003-4.shtml

I never said it applied for every single state I was just talking about Utah, I could of learned about canada in elementary school, but from middle school until high school I never really learned about canada we talked about some things involving canada, but not alot about it.

when I was in school these are the classes I took involving history
7th grade - Utah Studies
8th grade - Utah History
9th grade - Geography
10th grade - European History
11th grade - US History

I never slept in history because it was the class I loved the most and because if you slept in class you'd have to stay after school and make up what you missed.

 

[sanch]

http://jsis.washington.edu/canada/events2003-4.shtml

Sanch

You must be near the Mexican border then - but no doubt you wish to make a point.

The link above gives one of the many Canadian Studies programs in major universities training teachers on Canada for students in schools all across the country.

You must be very unhappy with the paucity of Canadiana which obviously is totally missing from your world. I don't know why Canadians move to the U.S.A. and then complain about being there. Seems an odd way to live.

Not certain what your point here is. You are extrapolating which is alway dangerous. I simply pointed out some facts.

Another fact is there are some Canadian studies programs in the US but they do not come close to matching the universities and collages which have Latin Amercian studies programs.

Most Amercians are not interested in Canada. It's a fact.

 

[thecdn]

My son had a teacher in grade 4 tell him that Toronto was the capital of Canada.

After living in the US for 7 years or so I wouldn't hesitate to say that there is an overwhelming ignorance of Canada here. I work in the IT field, with professional, educated people and there are some but not many who have some knowledge of it. Among my neighbours, it's staggeringly little.

I don't say this to be mean because they don't do it to be mean or nasty. It's just a cultural thing. When the US is by far the best country in the world, in so many ways the only one that matters, why bother with anything else?

The ironic thing is so many Americans can be so focused on there city, county,state, that their geographic knowledge of the US as a whole can suffer greatly. When I moved to Louisville, KY I told people that Calgary was about a 3 hour drive north of the Montana border. Well over 50% didn't know where Montana was.

When people find out I'm from Canada for the most part they are curious and want to find out about it but they just haven't been given much information about it by the school system or media.

 

[Curiosity]

Sorry Sanch

I am extrapolating what you believe to be fact may not necessarily be another's "fact".

I'm not in the business of defending what Americans wish to be interested in or not - and why should they knock themselves out learning about people who find nothing but fault with them in the long run?

The separation between the two great nations is getting wider and wider each year and the timeless relationship may be coming to an end. The enemies of democracy will enjoy that event.

Being contiguous nations, it would be wise to know all about each other, be on friendly terms in tourism, trade and knowledge.
In your misinformed argument about your child not being educated in Canadian cultures and geography and history, the same can be said of Canadian lessons for the young - regarding the U.S.A. Yet you choose to ignore that fact.

There are those who seek to break the ties that bind. Many Canadians fall into that trap - the U.S. is so easy to dislike and even hate.

I would advise against it however - a border which is friendly is much more advantageous for all of the people in both countries.

I have yet to meet a reasonable dissertation on why Canadians should find fault with Americans and seek to differentiate and separate themselves from them. Because Europe looks down on their loud tourist ways? Notice please Europe is not above collecting their money ! The graves at Normandy are in no need of my defense.

The softwood lumber issue gave great opportunity for continued venting against the corruption of the U.S. trade agreements, and now that a solution has been worked out, I see arguments about Canadians still getting screwed. What will be next I wonder? There is a virtual line up of complaints.

Canadians seem desperate to prove to the world they are NOT American. It has become a cult think and even a way of life for some to obliterate anything "American" from the Canadian people.

Even so....

I have yet to read about a nation which does not accept American assistance in financial matters, or economic matters. I find very few stories concerning other countries lending a hand to the U.S. however. Katrina is the most recent example and I found it heartening to see. 9/11 brought a temporary feeling of sorrow for the American people, but it has also vanished back into the chattering of hate and suspicion.

Don't know where we are headed but it would seem apart is the goal - and I think it is very bad one.

It would seem you are doing your best along those lines and yet you choose to live in the U.S. Which by the way does not necessarily make you an authority on the U.S. - only in your selected region of the country. The U.S. is many countries joined together - and very few agree on anything - especially government.