[herbie]

jj2424 jj2424:

Yes everyone hates the US...hand them a Green Card and the hate suddenly disappears.

Thanks for making my point.

[Jughead]

herbie herbie:

I've actually been asked: Why don't you want to be an American? You're almostone already. Why not just be an American?

Aside from the climate (weather), I really don't see the difference. I've lived in both countries (Canada and the U.S.), and I found no difference in the social climate between the two. The standard of living is the same. We share the same language, and essentially the same culture.

I did notice that the climate does have an impact, particularly in southern states (ie southern Texas and southern Arizona). I found that the warmer climate in those areas resulted in a more laid back/easy going attitude by the vast majority of the citizens there. No one ever seemed to be in a hurry to do anything or to go someplace. All was usually calm. Thus, the warmer weather does indeed affect behavior patterns.

[Jonny_C]

Jughead Jughead:

Aside from the climate (weather), I really don't see the difference.

Americans are good people, but there are some major societal differences between the USA and Canada.

American society is more violent and drug-ridden than Canadian society. Many Americans feel threatened by crime and insist they need guns to protect themselves.

American society is considerably more religious, and demonstrative about religion. In addition, evangelical Christians give a strange cast to their society. For example, a couple of days ago a US congressman stated publicly that belief in evolution is the work of the devil. His attitude is fairly widespread.

American patriotism is more insistent than Canadian patriotism.

American attitudes to the rest of the world are different from Canadian attitudes. Americans, for example, are not embarrassed to think that no matter where someone lives, they all want to be Americans. As has been noted, Obama said as much just a few days ago, and such a comment raises few eyebrows.

This is not an exhaustive list. Others can very likely add to it.

We share similarities but we are not the same. Let’s put it this way – If Canadians couldn’t be Canadians they would probably choose to be Americans rather than anything else. But given a free choice, most Canadians would not choose to be Americans.

[Lemmy]

By the same token, I bet most Americans, given the choice would not choose to be Canadians. So I don't know that your point, though eloquent, makes any point.

[Jonny_C]

I was responding not only to Jughead's post but to the idea "Why not just be an American".

We already know that most Americans wouldn't want to be anything else than American, so a Canadian wouldn't even ask such a question.

[Gunnair]

Jonny_C Jonny_C:

I was responding not only to Jughead's post but to the idea "Why not just be an American".

We already know that most Americans wouldn't want to be anything else than American, so a Canadian wouldn't even ask such a question.

True.

Given that, the idea of an American asking a Canadian to do something that is so disgustedly foreign to said American goes back to what raises resentment against them....a monumental level of arrogance.

[herbie]

I must admit to a similar instinct. There are a couple weeks in Feb. where I might wish I was American, but then again the picture in my mind is not of Alaskans, either.
And I never, ever had such thoughts at all before I left Lotusland.

[Jonny_C]

Gunnair Gunnair:

Given that, the idea of an American asking a Canadian to do something that is so disgustedly foreign to said American goes back to what raises resentment against them....a monumental level of arrogance.

I would just say that if it's arrogance, it's not malicious arrogance, rather misinformed arrogance.

It's probable that a lot of Americans who might think this way have never been here.

[jambo101]

DanSC DanSC:

Lemmy Lemmy:

Unlikely. I'd like to vote for Obama, but I can't vote for a guy who keeps a personal kill list. That doesn't mean I'll vote for Romney.

Personal kill list?
First i've heard of that,,care to elaborate?

[Thanos]

Some nonsense about President Obama being a war criminal for using drones to wipe out Al Qaeda terrorists. Indiscrimate war deaths with things like B52 strikes is OK, but discriminate killings against individual terrorist leaders is apparently bad for some reason.

[andyt]

Shows how Obama is weak on terrorism. He's using drones to take out a few people, when he should be using carpet bombing to take out the whole lot of them. If it was good enough for the Vietnamese, what makes the Muslims so special.

I don't get Dan here. He's a right winger. Does he really think a Republicon pres would be softer in this area?

[Gunnair]

Jonny_C Jonny_C:

Gunnair Gunnair:

Given that, the idea of an American asking a Canadian to do something that is so disgustedly foreign to said American goes back to what raises resentment against them....a monumental level of arrogance.

I would just say that if it's arrogance, it's not malicious arrogance, rather misinformed arrogance.

It's probable that a lot of Americans who might think this way have never been here.

I would opine, that to be that ignorant in this information age and as an adult, borders on malicious.

[Gunnair]

andyt andyt:

Shows how Obama is weak on terrorism. He's using drones to take out a few people, when he should be using carpet bombing to take out the whole lot of them. If it was good enough for the Vietnamese, what makes the Muslims so special.

I don't get Dan here. He's a right winger. Does he really think a Republicon pres would be softer in this area?

Maybe he works for the military industrial complex...

They must hate a drone war over a general war.

[Lemmy]

jambo101 jambo101:

DanSC DanSC:

Lemmy Lemmy:

Unlikely. I'd like to vote for Obama, but I can't vote for a guy who keeps a personal kill list. That doesn't mean I'll vote for Romney.

Personal kill list?
First i've heard of that,,care to elaborate?

You need to be more careful with your use of quotations, bub. That horseshit came from Dan, not me.

[Apple2010]

No thank you, Mr. Obama.

I like our freedom over security, and our collectivist healthcare. And our sense of a Canadian family.

But respect to America! We will keep watching and see how game is played from the safety of the sidelines eh!