WHY CANADIANS FEAR AMERICA

Here is one bloggers take on the differences between Canada and America. This one is filled with bias and prejudice.

He starts by dispelling, what he claims are, two existing myths; both of which imply American ignorance.

That most Canadians and Americans are really very similar, and that Canada couldn't exist without American support and forbearance.

I've always thought of Canadians as closer to France or California. And I've never met anyone, anywhere in the world, who thought "Canada couldn't exist" without the US.

If these two myths exist, they exist in Canada not America.

Next he wants to show why the Canadian way is the right way and America is the wrong way.

Americans are unilateralists, Canadians are multilateralists: The latest Environics poll shows that 70% of Canadians still oppose the attack on Iraq, not because they think Saddam was a great guy, but because they think military action against another country must have international support.

Fortunately, making a claim doesn't make it a fact. "Americans" are not unilateralists, some in government might be while others are not, but you can't make such broad statements about "Americans". This is just plain ignorance on his part. Is he claiming that the Democratic party, headed lately by John Kerry, is "unilateralists"? Kerry believes in a "global test" and millions of "Americans" voted for Kerry. And how many UN resolutions were there over how many years before the US took action with the backing of over 40 nations? The only hold outs in the UN to declaring war were he ones bribed by Saddam, France, Russia and China. Is the rest of the world to be held hostage by a few corrupt nations aided and abetted by a corrupt UN?

The very concept of a pre-emptive unilateral attack on another nation is anathema to most Canadians.

The implication is that it is not in the US. Which is strange given that the US pays 22% of the UN's bills and Bush made one last attempt to get the corrupt UN to back up its' words with deeds.

And having the majority of a country right beside you support a regime that relishes pre-emptive unilateral military adventures is terrifying.

Whose true colours are showing now? While the definition of "Regime" is a government, it is usually used to describe a dictatorship and the implication here is that the US is a dictatorship.

Note the war mongering accusations of "relishes" and the use of "adventures" as if sending US troops to die to satisfy Bush's "relishes" is fun. Americans and Canadians may not be all that alike but this guy and Michael Moore certainly are.

The US is arguably the only developed country in the world where conservative views are sufficiently prevalent today to elect a government.

Now he is really showing is ignorance. Unless he doesn't count Australia as a developed country. Their elections were very similar to the recent US elections; a war time PM was soundly re-elected and Howard's government gained in both houses.

Americans like hierarchy and structure, Canadians like heterarchy and diversity

Whenever anyone uses the term "Americans" to describe how the entire country, or even the majority sometimes, you can bet they don't know what they are talking about. The implication here is that "Americans" don't like diversity. The people of California who elected Swarchenegger, an Austrian immigrant, might beg to differ. Muslims serving in the US military and fighting in Iraq might also have a problem with that statement. Diversity is one of America's greatest strengths.

Americans' fanatical patriotism and flag-waving is seen by Canadians as xenophobia and intimidating zealotry rather than as pride and respect for their country and authority.

Here is one instance when you can most probably use the term "Americans" to describe most Americans. Since when did patriotism become a bad thing? It's not our fault if you no longer believe in your country.

It is tripe like this and MSM that causes frictions between two great friends.
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