Canadian misapprehensions of the US

I ran across this article and found it rather interesting as to the perspectives given. I hope others will read it and give their interpretations or commentary.

American Myths, a five-part series aimed at addressing Canadian misapprehensions about our southern neighbour, is a joint project of the National Post, the Dominion Institute and the Canadian Defence and Foreign Affairs Institute. In this first instalment, historian J.L. Granatstein writes on the myth of Canada as a nation of peacekeepers and the U.S. as a nation of warmongers.

Historian J.L. Granatstein writes on Canadian defence and foreign policy. He is a fellow of the Canadian Defence and Foreign Affairs Institute. American Myths is made possible in part by a grant from the Donner Canadian Foundation. For more information on the Series visit www.cdfai.org or www.dominion.ca.; Tonight: Watch the American Myths TV series exclusively on Canadian Learning Television, 10:30 p.m. EST.

Sometimes, making peace means making war

The second installment of this five part article:

American Myths, a five-part series aimed at addressing Canadian misapprehensions about our southern neighbour, is a joint project of the National Post, the Dominion Institute and the Canadian Defence and Foreign Affairs Institute. In this second instalment, columnist David Frum writes on the myth that Canada is a more "just" society than the United States.

America the just





seekerof


Majic's Political Easter Egg: Be the first to post the date on which the Battle of Put-in-Bay was fought in this thread and send Majic a U2U with a link to your post, and you will be awarded 500 PTS points.

[edit on 7/15/2006 by Majic]

Something I do not agree with the report is this.

Yes, the Americans are a troublesome people they should not included the population of America in here but rather they should point out that American politicians and leaderships are the ones to be troublesome.

I also do not see Canada to be the only one having this opinion about American but many other countries abroad do so too.

Actions talks better than words, and US record when it comes to wars speaks by itself, A country should always be ready for war but a country should also be careful to whom and for what reasons it wags its, wars.

US citizens has been guided to believe that Canada alone with other nations are cowards because they do no follow the same state war mind as America.

I heard more bashing coming for the citizens of the US toward Canada than vice versa.

Occurs Canada and the US are allies and they will be for a long time, and they are also privy to their own opinions toward each others country.


[edit on 14-11-2005 by marg6043]

The harsh truth is that Canada has largely had a free ride while the United States has taken most of the risks, paid the lion's share of the bills and, for its pains, borne the brunt of the world's abuse. The Canadian Forces, its strength shrunken, much of its equipment obsolete, cannot even credibly defend this nation's air space, sea approaches and land mass.

True, point 2

Canadians need to be more clear-headed about the world. They have national interests, not just values. They must defend them or see them overridden by others. The Americans have their own national interests, and have demonstrated they will do what is necessary to protect them.

Also true

Canada is part of Western civilization, and we share the values and beliefs of that civilization. So do Americans. We must get beyond the reflexive desire to criticize the superpower next door and to understand that if the United States is crippled, we too will suffer. We can pretend we keep the peace if it pleases us to do so, but we simply must recognize that without America's strength and will, our civilization will disappear. More realism, fewer myths, please.

True

Currently we are trying to protect our national interests, American's value western civilization, but it doesn't revolve around them. Ask the US government why it's not playing to the nafta rules when it comes to the tariffs being added on to the lumber western canada exports to the us. Canadian companies have had to take the us government to court because they didn't want to play by the rules we all signed and agreed to play with.

This is one example out of a handful that exhibit America trying to get what it wants for it's own interest, I understand every country is concerned w/ their own national interest, but America hasn't been playing fair lately, and they haven't been exhibiting diplomacy in the middle eastern region either when it comes to attempting to settle disputes.. Picking and choosing sides and then funding certain groups and supplying them with weapons outof spite to another nation or to get what they want will get them into trouble.

You can't fully value western civilization if your going to play dirty and make up your own rules.. that isn't a democratic value.

Canada has it's own problems when it comes to their military sure, but the government is more concerned about the citizenry, education, health care, business, all the important things that make a countries quality of life better.

If America wants to focus mainly on their military might to remain the world's super power, thats fine, the people will pay for it through their taxes, but their quality of life won't be as good because funding for the above things are going to be cut.

Let's get real...

Thanks for the heads up seekerof.

Sounds like a sales pitch. I need to think a bit more about what they're selling here.

It's a shame the rest of this series is subscriber-only. I wanted to read the 3rd installment in particular.

Anyhoo,

I find it kind of amusing that Dr. Granatstein (whose work I am familiar with) would set out to correct "Canadian misapprehensions' while tossing plenty of his own subjective opinions around. From your first link:

Yes, the Americans are a troublesome people. They are suffused with a grandiose sense of their "manifest destiny." They want to make the world's peoples more like them, with a McDonald's in every town and Coke in every grocery store. They bluster and boast, and wave the flag.

Thanks for setting us straight, Jack.

I'm not even American and I found that kind of offensive. I'll correct his misapprehesion - Americans are like Canadians, they just live in the US.

My opinion on the first piece:

Yes, our military is hideously under-funded, and has been for quite some time. Most Canadians realize that the only country we need to be worried about is the US, and we just can't beat you in a spending war.

Now that the north is opening up, this needs to change. We need a well-equipped army to protect our nation's interests and territorial waters.

My opinion on the second piece:

I have no idea what David Frum is talking about. Heck, I can't believe I read an article by Frum in it's entirety. :shk: I have so many issues with this article, it's insane. I'll just stick with my top two.

#1 - Who ever said the US wasn't just? There are a few differences in the legal systems, but they are fairly similar.
#2 - We are less 'just' than the US because First Nations have special openings for fisheries? Huh?

I don't know about in the US but in Canada, as recently as 40 years ago, we were ripping First Nations children away from their families and communities and sending them off to residential schools for 're-education'. The government policy was basically to erase all sense of heritage they had and they were forbidden to even speak their native tongue. While in residential school, many (way too many) were sexually abused.

Why is it so wrong to try and compensate them for the horrors that we perpetrated against them? I can understand if this stuff all happened 100-150 years ago, but it didn't. These people are still alive and fighting to regain what we stole from them. Not their land, but their identity.

Sadly, our history with respect to the treatment of Aboriginal people is not something in which we can take pride. Attitudes of racial and cultural superiority led to a suppression of Aboriginal culture and values. As a country, we are burdened by past actions that resulted in weakening the identity of Aboriginal peoples, suppressing their languages and cultures, and outlawing spiritual practices. We must recognize the impact of these actions on the once self-sustaining nations that were disaggregated, disrupted, limited or even destroyed by the dispossession of traditional territory, by the relocation of Aboriginal people, and by some provisions of the Indian Act. We must acknowledge that the result of these actions was the erosion of the political, economic and social systems of Aboriginal people and nations.

Against the backdrop of these historical legacies, it is a remarkable tribute to the strength and endurance of Aboriginal people that they have maintained their historic diversity and identity. The Government of Canada today formally expresses to all Aboriginal people in Canada our profound regret for past actions of the federal government which have contributed to these difficult pages in the history of our relationship togther.

One aspect of our relationship with Aboriginal people over this period that requires particular attention is the Residential School system. This system separated many children from their families and communities and prevented them from speaking their own languages and from learning about their heritage and cultures. In the worst cases, it left legacies of personal pain and distress that continue to reverberate in Aboriginal communities to this day. Tragically, some children were the victims of physical and sexual abuse.

Indian and Northern Affairs Canada

To me, this is one of the worst things that has occured in Canadian history. For David Frum to insinuate that we are not a fair or just society because we tried to make up for what we did to the First Nations is laughable.

Originally posted by soficrow
Thanks for the heads up seekerof.

Sounds like a sales pitch. I need to think a bit more about what they're selling here.

National Post is owned by Hollanger/Canwest(one or the other or both I forget)the voice of the Conservative Party of Canada. For papers in Toronto this paper is the Sun of the Right wing while the Globe and Mail being just Right of Center. I suspect they are in part or in whole controlled by a Neocon agenda. Conrad Black ring a bell

[edit on 16-11-2005 by sardion2000]

Majic's Political Easter Egg: Be the first to post the date on which the Battle of Put-in-Bay was fought in this thread and send Majic a U2U with a link to your post, and you will be awarded 500 PTS points.

[edit on 7/15/2006 by Majic]

September 10, 1813

"We have met the enemy and they are ours."

Originally posted by JacKatMtn
September 10, 1813

Correct! Master Commandant Perry's victory effectively secured the Great Lakes for the United States during the War of 1812, which proved to be of vital strategic importance for the outcome of the war.

For your correct answer, you have received 500 PTS Points!

Nicely done.

reply to post by Duzey


In fact, us Native Canadians, were not even allowed to VOTE, until 1982! There was still Residential schools here in the NWT until 1996! And your quote "Many (way to many) were sexually abused (in Residential Schools) is an understatement! Even if just one was abused that would be way to many! Thousands upon thousands were even murdered! If anyone ever tried digging up the lands around these "Religious" residential schools, they will find many unaccounted Native children's bodies! I think that the Religion they brought to us was made to look christian, but these priests and nuns were actually Satanic in private!! Just my thoughts on the society that I grew up in!