I'm not sure that Canada is benefitting all that much from the US military. Canada's proximity has as much to do with it's relative security as anything else.
I agree with your sentiments about anti-americanism in Canada. Similarly, I deplore the sentiment fairly prevalent among Americans, this idea that somehow Canada owes their prosperity to the US and the protection we somehow afford them. Personally though, I think this is mostly just a bunch of noise. The average american and average canadian meet on the street, they are much more alike than different, and I bet they treat each other like friends....because they are. > Heh, the article was funny and thankfully much of it true in its ironic > way. I wish I could agree with the author about the consumerism and the > environmental destruction, but that's another discussion. > > I don't know anyone who is anti-Jew either. But I do know that Canada is > just coming into its own in many ways. Kind of a young adult country. It's > mostly a tolerant place, but there are exceptions. The extremist fringe is > very small, I would guess smaller than in the states. > > But there is an history of an insular kind of mindset. I am happy to say > that as a whole I think it is something that we are outgrowing, but there > are those that still cling to it and feel disaffected. Like those who > voted for the Reform Party. Or perhaps in Quebec among certain factions of > the Parti Quebecois. Amongst others you see it in a kind of thoughtless > Anti-Americanism. Then there are a few hopped-up violent youths who will > target anyone they perceive as different, including Jews. Witness the > deaths of Matti Baranovsky > http://www.bnaibrith.ca/tribune/jt-041214-17.html and David Rosenzweig > http://truthnews.com/world/2002070119.htm in Toronto, and the fire in a > Jewish school library in Montreal http://www.houseoffusion.com/tiny.cfm/96 > Those incidents make me very sad. > > But I think prejudice is more subtle and insidious than that and it's all > about not seeing when you could be seeing. And overcoming prejudice is > mostly about acceptance of otherness or even welcoming of it. There is a > strong culture of that that has rooted and is growing here but the battles > are far from over. Prejudice may not be as visible here as in the southern > US for example, but it's just as real. And I detest the smug attitude that > many Canadians have towards the US. And personally I agree with Gel that > we mostly don't appreciate the benefit of living in the shadow of the US > military presence, although a few have written about it. > > Patrick > > The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so > certain of themselves, but wiser people so full of doubts. > -- Bertrand Russell > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Special thanks to the CF Community Suite Gold Sponsor - CFHosting.net http://www.cfhosting.net Message: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=i:5:140189 Archives: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/threads.cfm/5 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=s:5 Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=89.70.5 Donations & Support: http://www.houseoffusion.com/tiny.cfm/54
