[Newsbot]

Title: Canadians still 'distrust' United States
Category: Political
Posted By: ManifestDestiny
Date: 2009-11-03 04:46:57
Canadian

[Bacardi4206]

"There really does appear to be a hardy strain of anti-Americanism in Canada," Cohen said. "Almost half of us don't believe America is a force for good in the world, even with Obama as president."

So, because most Canadians don't believe America is a force for good in the world. That makes majority Canadians anti-American?

America (the country) goes around from war to the next war. They fucked up in terrorism and invaded the wrong country (iraq). A country they were not too long ago in and completly fucked it up. Now they are going to re-build it and fix previous mistakes. Which I believe they have accomplished already which is good but they are fixing a mistake Bush's Father fucked up in the first place. Completly destroying the country and it's government. Leaving it in chaos and ruins without regrets.

The United States does do humanitarian missions such as donating supplies and delivering them to third world countries but a lot of countries do that as well. While they do a lot of stuff right in the world. You cannot ignore the ton of bad shit they do. Hence the skepticism and view of America not a force of good in the world.

It's like that movie Team America where the South Park guys were making fun of American World Policing.

They found terrorists (three of them) in Egypt. They went there to kill them and the terrorists spotted them and tried to run for it. It was a chase and the Team America guys kept trying to shoot them down with missles but kept missing and destroying known Egpytian monuments. At the end they finally kill them but you see a zoomed out shot of them and what is left of there country. Everything is practicly in flames and the civilians are just looking everywhere in shock. Than the Team America guys say "Alright, we killed the terrorists. No need to thank us".

[BartSimpson]

Bacardi, I chuckled reading your comment indicating your displeasure at Canadians being considered anti-American and then followed up with a litany of reasons why you are anti-American.

Not that you're a racist, mind you, but your complaint is sort of like someone complaining about being called a racist.

While they're wearing a sheet.

And burning a cross.

At a lynching.

[Akhenaten]

Americans are a 'race'? I think you mean bigotry.


Hard to believe but imo a lot of Canadian distrust of Americans still stems from the 'invasion' some, what...? 180 years ago?

From there it ends up as a lightning rod for any politician who wants to make a false point or stiffle debate. Whenever someone brings up health care reform for example the opposed simply label the plan as a route to 'becoming more like America' without debating the pro's and con's on their merit alone. It doesnt really matter if you can draw a simularity with something going on in the States, all that matters is if we are making the right decision for us and "not wanting to be like America" isn't a reason, it's a reaction. With the health care example I see Canadians perfectly willing to let our brittle system crumble and disappear simply over some knee jerk reaction to doing something to save it that may appear to be similar to something in the US.




EDIT: 'of' changed to 'or'

[2Cdo]

BartSimpson BartSimpson:

Bacardi, I chuckled reading your comment indicating your displeasure at Canadians being considered anti-American and then followed up with a litany of reasons why you are anti-American.

Not that you're a racist, mind you, but your complaint is sort of like someone complaining about being called a racist.

While they're wearing a sheet.

And burning a cross.

At a lynching.

Bart, pay no attention to him. Anything political or military he reveals a gross ignorance that borders on idiocy.

[synncki]

What is a force for good in the world? The UN?
America has done more to spread their view of what is right in the world by their own convictions and conventions. Liberal democracy when it is convenient. The hegemonic power does that accept it. I would rather the superpower be capitalist United States than a communist Russia or hybrid China.

[Robair]

Akhenaten Akhenaten:

Hard to believe but imo a lot of Canadian distrust of Americans still stems from the 'invasion' some, what...? 180 years ago?

Your opinions are hard to believe alright.

Softwood lumber dispute? No.
Attacking our wheat board at the WTO? No.
Lying to try and secure our involvement in Iraq? No.
Northwest Passage? No.
Beaufort sea border dispute? No.
Any of the other minor disputes over water, gun and drug policies, trade etc etc that comes from having the world's longest undefended border separating the world's largest trading partners? No.

None of that. The mistrust comes from a war fought 100 years before grandpa was born. Before Canada was a country.
Yea, that's it.

[Akhenaten]

Robair Robair:

Yea, that's it.

Glad you agree....or were you being sarcastic because you're still hurting over yesterday's little spat? Eitehr way good. I'm glad you agree that the mistrust starts and originates with 1812 and has continued ever since. Look those words up if you're having trouble understanding.

I could engage you here and bring up all the trade disputes we've had with others...french fishing vessels etc., but then you're not really serious or sincere about engaging in discussion you just want to start another flame thread.

have fun.

[KorbenDeck]

People do not know if the USA are a force for good?

While many people do not like the USA the simplest way to figure out if the USA is a force for good or not is to simply take the USA out of the equation.

If by some act of God the USA's military and economic might was removed over night, how long does anyone think peace on the planet would continue?

North Korea wants South Korea, but knows it can't beat the USA.
China wants Thailand but knows it can't beat the USA.
The Muslim world wants Israel dead but knows again it can't beat the USA.
Russia wants many of the former soviet states back, again USA. On this note Russia is the only country in the world that could take on the USA and "win" if you call MAD winning.

So while the USA may not be my favorite country, they are the ones they keep the peace.

$1:

but they are fixing a mistake Bush's Father fucked up in the first place.

Explain

[ridenrain]

The fact that Canada is still Canada is proof enough of the good intentions of America. It's definately not because of our diplomacy toward our big brother, or our comittment to fund our defence.

[Zipperfish]

$1:

"What's striking about these findings is how Canadians have detached their personal view of Barack Obama, whom they quite like and respect, from the United States, which they still view with skepticism, even distrust," said Andrew Cohen, president of the institute.

Perhaps becasue they know it's not the President who pulls the strings in the US.

[BartSimpson]

Akhenaten Akhenaten:

Americans are a 'race'? I think you mean bigotry.

Read my post again, I made it abundantly clear that I was not accusing Bacardi of racism nor was I calling him a racist. Ergo, I am not calling Americans a 'race'.

Logic is not one of your personal strengths, I take it?

[Zipperfish]

Akhenaten Akhenaten:

Hard to believe but imo a lot of Canadian distrust of Americans still stems from the 'invasion' some, what...? 180 years ago?

Yes and no. That war, along with the fleeing of loaylists to Canada during the American Revolutionary War set the two nations on separate paths--the old Fire and Ice analogy/stereotype. But I don't think I've ever met anyone who distrusts the US directly because of the War of 1812, especially since we won it.

Canadians have a love/hate relationship with the US, with a far-from-healthy dose of smugness that compensates for an innate inferiority complex arising from living next door to the mightiest country in the world.

[Zipperfish]

KorbenDeck KorbenDeck:

If by some act of God the USA's military and economic might was removed over night, how long does anyone think peace on the planet would continue?

What peace?

[2Cdo]

Zipperfish Zipperfish:

Canadians have a love/hate relationship with the US, with a far-from-healthy dose of smugness that compensates for an innate inferiority complex arising from living next door to the mightiest country in the world.

I think that sums up quite nicely how we end up with the degree of anti-Americanism in Canada. Inferiority complex and high levels of smugness. I have found that most Canadians who are rapid anti-Americans when asked to describe "What is a Canadian?" almost always answer "We aren't Americans".