Salaam/peace
few comments from the main site:
a guest: please stop
i'm canadian. please stop pretending to be canadian before people really catch on and just start hating us too.
we'd file a class action lawsuit for defamation but that wouldn't be very canadian, would it.
if you want to say you're from up here, change your name to gordon or julie-francoise, buy a good coat, learn some god**** manners and start filling out the northwest territories.
good luck.
February 28, 2007
..a few years ago, within days following the invasion of Afghanistan, while walking a street in a poor, shabby and tough looking neighborhood in a Thai village.
A rather rough looking fellow, quite a bit younger, heavier, and in a hellova lot better shape than I, abruptly confronted me on the street and, in loud, clear and adequate English (I do not speak Thai) demanded to know, "Hey, are you American?"
I reflected on the plausible claim that I might be Canadian (my mother and father were both first-generation Americans, both of their families, Anglo and Franco, having emigrated from Canada), or South American.
I speak, or once spoke, the language well enough that while living or traveling in CA and SA I have often been mistaken for anyone but an American. "De donde es? De que país viene?" And they would suggest Puerto Rico, Cuba, or one of the other nations which might explain the accent they could not place.
But, rarely would they suggest Norte America!
But, I reflected, I've been an America leopard too long now to start trying to change my spots, and I’ve trod the path of peril as an American before, playing the role of the Armed American tourist, so why back down and deny my nativity now, in the face of one man, no matter that he could probably beat the siht out of me with one hand.
I stepped back slightly, adjusted my inner demeanor to a "come on, do it... if this is what it costs, send me the bill..." attitude, curled my fingers and placed my feet in a way a young Marine Corporal had taught me one day, stared into his eyes and said, "Yes, I'm an American!"
Before I had any chance to defend myself, this heavily built young man launched himself at me, wrapped his arms around my body, pulled me close and jamming his head into my shoulder, almost sobbed, "Oh, I am so sorry for you... your country is at war once more. I am so sorry."
Well, that was some time ago, there has been a lot of water over the dam, and George Bush has flushed a lot of hard, well-earned and heavily-paid-for goodwill down the toilet since then.
I frankly do not know how I would handle a similar situation today. It has not been a problem. But, I will not start staying inside the house, nor buy a gun, nor carry a club. Been there, done all of that, and there are too many Americans out there doing just that right now.
And, that's been the problem all along, Ms Long...
a guest: ...
Apparently ,George W Bush had not left the shores of the USA,prior to taking office.
It goes to show that the American's are being led by an insulated,ignorant fool.
A case of "the blind leading the blind".
February 28, 2007
a guest: just under half????? yeah right.
i would put the percentage of British people as anti american much higher, maybe just under 50% before 9/11 but now i has to be at least 75% of the man of the street.
I would say nearly all dislike brash arrogance and always have, its observed most in comments of hollywood films re-writing history, and the US opinion that they single handedly won both world wars.
.....After hearing some yank ask a receptionist in a hotel in Canada once, "What's Canada day? Is that like the fourth of July?"
you can see what's wrong :enough!:
I was tempted to tell him, "That's the day Canadians celebrate not being yank!"
The receptionist was too polite to say anything.
Arvy: Good one, but ...
"That's the day Canadians celebrate not being yank!"
... the way things are going here at the moment, with "GWB MiniMe" at the helm, I'm not sure there's going to be much left to celebrate in a few more years.
February 27, 2007
It is good to see American intellectuals like Jessica Long pondering the reasons for their nation's extreme unpopularity in the world-community.
However, she hasn't got to the root of it yet. She thinks it's about American cultural isolation, but that's only part of it.
There have been other isolationist cultures which the rest of the world has loved, like Tibet for instance.
What she, and most Americans with professional careers don't seem to understand, is how immature and adolescant-minded most Americans generally appear to be in other people's eyes.
a guest: A memory
a few years ago, pre Bush, my spouse and I were happily living in Germany.
One of my in-laws came to visit us, the woman is from the hinterland. We tried to take her to museums, galleries, beer gardens, etc. but she only wanted to go to shops to buy kitsch and postcards.
It was really embarrassing to listen to her tell the clerks "I'm from AMERICA..." always expecting a reaction from people who have seen enough Americans to last them 10 lifetimes.
At one shop after the "I'm from America" sing-song, she added "but I'm German, my last name is Schmidt".
The man behind the counter took a look at her and asked her "Were you born in Germany?" "No I'm from America", "Do you speak German?" "No, in America we speak English..."
he replied "You're not a German, you're just another American in Germany" he then walked away not even interested in cashing her out.
To our great relief this episode ended her cute little girl spiel and sing-song. She was under the belief that everyone loves Americans and wants to live in America.
She expected Oooohs and Aaaaahs, but got none. "Geeeez they don't like Americans very much here..."
This memory brings a smile to my face each time I relate it.