Cool American Article...WOO WE ROCK!

I AM ME · Post by **I AM ME** » 9/5/2003, 2:42 pm

A long but good read, Anarchists, i know your ussually the ones most into this kind of subject but please hold your thoughts, we already know them, and aknowledge them. Just give a thread chance to drift elsewhere. my sincerest gratitude and thank you

Hey, Canada's one cool country

SAMANTHA BENNETT

You live next door to a clean-cut, quiet guy. He never plays loud music or throws raucous parties. He doesn't gossip over the fence, just smiles politely and offers you some tomatoes. His lawn is cared-for, his house is neat as a pin and you get the feeling he doesn't always lock his front door. He wears Dockers. You hardly know he's there.

And then one day you discover that he has pot in his basement, spends his weekends at peace marches and that guy you've seen mowing the yard is his spouse.

Allow me to introduce Canada.

The Canadians are so quiet that you may have forgotten they're up there, but they've been busy doing some surprising things. It's like discovering that the mice you are dimly aware of in your attic have been building an espresso machine.

Did you realize, for example, that our reliable little tag-along brother never joined the Coalition of the Willing? Canada wasn't willing, as it turns out, to join the fun in Iraq. I can only assume American diner menus weren't angrily changed to include "freedom bacon," because nobody here eats the stuff anyway.

And then there's the wild drug situation: Canadian doctors are authorized to dispense medical marijuana. Parliament is considering legislation that would not exactly legalize marijuana possession, as you may have heard, but would reduce the penalty for possession of under 15 grams to a fine, like a speeding ticket. This is to allow law enforcement to concentrate resources on traffickers: If your garden is full of wasps, it's smarter to go for the nest rather than trying to swat every individual bug. Or, in the United States, bong.

Now, here's the part that I, as an American, can't understand. These poor benighted pinkos are doing everything wrong. They have a drug problem: Marijuana offences have doubled since 1991. And Canada has strict gun control laws, which mean that the criminals must all be heavily armed, the law-abiding civilians helpless and the government on the verge of a massive confiscation campaign. (The laws have been in place since the '70s, but I'm sure the government will get around to the confiscation eventually.) They don't even have a death penalty!

And yet, nationally, overall crime in Canada has been declining since 1991. Violent crimes fell 13 per cent in 2002. Of course, there are still crimes committed with guns — brought in from the United States, which has become the major illegal weapons supplier for all of North America — but my theory is that the surge in pot-smoking has rendered most criminals too relaxed to commit violent crimes. They're probably more focused on shoplifting boxes of Ho-Hos from convenience stores.

And then there's the most reckless move of all: Just last month, Canada decided to allow and recognize same-sex marriages. Merciful moose, what can they be thinking? Will there be married Mounties (they always get their man!)? Dudley Do-Right was sweet on Nell, not Mel! We must be the only ones who really care about families. Not enough to make sure they all have health insurance, of course, but more than those libertines up north.

This sort of behaviour is a clear and present danger to all our stereotypes about Canada. It's supposed to be a cold, wholesome country of polite, beer-drinking hockey players, not founded by freedom fighters in a bloody revolution but quietly assembled by loyalists and royalists more interested in order and good government than liberty and independence.

But if we are the rugged individualists, why do we spend so much of our time trying to get everyone to march in lockstep? And if Canadians are so reserved and moderate, why are they so progressive about letting people do what they want to?

Canadians are, as a nation, less religious than we are, according to polls. As a result, Canada's government isn't influenced by large, well-organized religious groups and thus has more in common with those of Scandinavia than those of the United States, or, say, Iran.

Canada signed the Kyoto global warming treaty, lets 19-year-olds drink, has more of its population living in urban areas and accepts more immigrants per capita than the United States.

These are all things we've been told will wreck our society. But I guess Canadians are different, because theirs seems oddly sound.

Like teenagers, we fiercely idolize individual freedom but really demand that everyone be the same. But the Canadians seem more adult — more secure. They aren't afraid of foreigners. They aren't afraid of homosexuality. Most of all, they're not afraid of each other.

I wonder if America will ever be that cool.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Samantha Bennett is a columnist for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

clumsychild_ · Post by **clumsychild_** » 9/5/2003, 2:49 pm

Very good article. :nod:

Sufjan Stevens · Post by **Sufjan Stevens** » 9/5/2003, 3:53 pm

Oh gee, let's bash America because we're Canada, a country that would fall apart into shambles without America! Yeah, you're cool! God, get the fuck over yourself. I wish my country, that is so shitty and worthless to you, would stop helping your asses out with importing goods and taking in useless goods that we could produce ourselves, just to help Canada out.

Yeah, then you shitheads can complain. Go ahead keep trashing us, but when we stop helping you out for good, and you can't afford to feed yourselves, then you can say something, but without us, you'd fall apart.

Henrietta · Post by **Henrietta** » 9/5/2003, 4:02 pm

Amen Alan.

Sufjan Stevens · Post by **Sufjan Stevens** » 9/5/2003, 4:07 pm

Nope, see, I am not into nationalism. I don't like my country that much as it is, and probably wouldn't have said anything if Clumsyboy didn't say "Anarchists need not reply" in here. Anyways, you think we can't produce the garbage we import from Canada? You're surely mistaken then, my friend. There's a difference between talking good about Canada and insulting the country I live in. Read the title of this thread and read the article. This whole thread, and the other one in here, are intended to insult where I live. I might not like America, but without us, where would you be?

gavtodd71 · Post by **gavtodd71** » 9/5/2003, 4:29 pm

Rufus Wainwright wrote:Oh gee, let's bash America because we're Canada, a country that would fall apart into shambles without America! Yeah, you're cool! God, get the fuck over yourself. I wish my country, that is so shitty and worthless to you, would stop helping your asses out with importing goods and taking in useless goods that we could produce ourselves, just to help Canada out.

Yeah, then you shitheads can complain. Go ahead keep trashing us, but when we stop helping you out for good, and you can't afford to feed yourselves, then you can say something, but without us, you'd fall apart.

For a country who was begging to import our natural resources you seem pretty confident that Canada would crash without the US's support. Let's make it clear, this goes both ways. The American economy depends on the Canadian, and the Canadian more heavily on the US. But some of the goods we export, you just can't get in the States. Where are your huge foresting areas? Your clean fresh water?
the Artist in the Ambulance says:
That’s right, imported from canada

Right....

PS I know there are some foresting areas in the US but they're nowhere near the size of Canadian foresting areas...

Henrietta · Post by **Henrietta** » 9/5/2003, 4:31 pm

I know your stance. But you said your piece well and it reinforced my opinion, whether they are different or varying on the whole patriotism thing or not.

Sufjan Stevens · Post by **Sufjan Stevens** » 9/5/2003, 4:39 pm

I think there's some fresh, drinkable water in those Great Lakes around Michigan, ya know. Those don't belong to anyone, and we can use and filter our own water out. And yes, we do have our own trees to be forested, so what other items ya got for me that we can't make?

gavtodd71 · Post by **gavtodd71** » 9/5/2003, 4:44 pm

Have you seen the pictures of that lake in recent years?

My dad is a fish biologist...and i have

There are pictures of docks....that have had to be extended many times because of the drainage occuring on that lake. Canada offers water from many lakes in smaller amounts in ways that do not ruin many different animals habitats.

Axtech · Post by **Axtech** » 9/5/2003, 4:49 pm

Canada is no more dependant on the US than any other neighboring countries are dependant on eachother.

It goes the other way, too.

My God! You can't honestly think that Canada is just some useless dependant! It's opinions like this (whether it's your opinion or not) that fuel the ignorantly proud American stereotype.

One-Eye · Post by **One-Eye** » 9/5/2003, 4:51 pm

Canadians are, as a nation, less religious than we are, according to polls. As a result, Canada's government isn't influenced by large, well-organized religious groups and thus has more in common with those of Scandinavia than those of the United States, or, say, Iran.

Reinforcing my belief that rampant mixture of church and state is one of the main reasons the USA is so fucked at present. "Defense of Marriage Act"? Puh-leeze. "Bible-Thumping Homophobic Act" would be a more truthful title. I admire Canada's live and let live attitude, although I certainly don't think it's the utopia the article presents.

If Americans would just be content without trying to force their morality on everyone else, we wouldn't have half the problems we do. (As my wise government teacher said: laws do not govern morality, nor should they.)

Axtech · Post by **Axtech** » 9/5/2003, 4:53 pm

That article uses sweeping generalizations that I don't agree with at all.

However, the ideals and basic principles are still there.

gavtodd71 · Post by **gavtodd71** » 9/5/2003, 4:54 pm

I think it should still be noted...that the Canadian government was orignaly based on the church. At least the ethics of it and the laws we use to govern our country. The bible dictated what was the right and wrong.

We have only since decided to remove the church from our government.

One-Eye · Post by **One-Eye** » 9/5/2003, 4:56 pm

Interesting. Because America was never founded on religious principles, and yet people keep trying to impose them on us.

I know the Canadian system of government is far from perfect, but I do think America could learn a thing or two from it. And vice versa, probably.

gavtodd71 · Post by **gavtodd71** » 9/5/2003, 5:00 pm

I believe that the American government...was also founded with the church's eithics in mind

Like Canada

I AM ME · Post by **I AM ME** » 9/5/2003, 5:02 pm

wow..........that was unexpected.............. this was basically posted as a way for us Canadians to be patriotic........not an insult to america, and it makes valid points, this was taken way to seriously, i would also like to point out that us canadians did not write this article, a woman from the pittsburgh gazette did.......so american's being patriotic is a god given right, but canadian's patting ourselves on the back is a offensive??? Perhaps this is how the rest of the world feels when americans use an superior attitude, offended

gavtodd71 · Post by **gavtodd71** » 9/5/2003, 5:03 pm

gavtodd71 wrote:I believe that the American government...was also founded with the church's eithics in mind

Like Canada

Forget i said this Sorry

gavtodd71 · Post by **gavtodd71** » 9/5/2003, 5:08 pm

Yeah, my appologies if I have offended any of you.

I get a little impulsive sometimes and argue things that don't really need to be argued.

happening fish · Post by **happening fish** » 9/5/2003, 5:14 pm

thank you, clumsyboy.

Random Name · Post by **Random Name** » 9/5/2003, 7:02 pm

As a Canadian....I am slightly offended by it.

I totally get that this artical was to show the differences and pros towards Canada from an American perspective, but I get the impession that all they are trying to say is "Sorry, Canada is no longer America Jr."

Thanks for the stereotypes!!
It was pretty good, and informative to a point. I am just really sick of American and Canadian generalizations. (yup - it goes both ways)