sturob wrote:You know, Azalin, that's not exactly true. I've been here 11 months and haven't seen a lot of anti-Americanism. In fact, I've met more Canadians who like Bush than I know Americans who like Bush.
Howdy folks!
Just got back from a few weeks up in Canada. Now, I'm not one to get embroiled in political threads, but I thought I might bring up that there was a CTV/Globe and Mail poll that came out about...two weeks ago, I think, stating that 82% of Canadians disapprove of President Bush and believe he is "no friend of Canada." Disapproval was highest in BC, where I was staying (87%), and lowest in the Maritimes (somewhere around the mid-70s mark, I can't remember now).
Funnily enough, those wacky pranksters at CTV did a special segment in the same broadcast where they posted pictures of PM Paul Martin around near the capitol building and other locales of political and/or commercial importance in Washington DC (this was on the eve of Martin's recent meeting with Bush...<yawn> ho-hum). They then proceeded to interview about a dozen passers-by and SURPRISE! None of 'em could name the dude in the picture.
I for one did get tired of my Canadian pals and their constant Bush slagging, although it would usually stop once they figured out that my own opinions on the matter were further to the left of their own...It was also a bit tiring the way many Canadians that I met in my age group (mid-twenties) would either consciously or unconsciously try to suss out whether I was an "enlightened", well-informed American, or one of the "ignorant" (i.e. pro-Bush/pro-Iraq war) variety. I got so tired of this exchange that I essentially wound up preparing a little speech to use whenever this sort of thing came up: "Look, I'm not the least bit satisfied with the current American leadership, I never supported the Iraq war and think it has gone completely awry ...and by the way, yes, I know the metric system, I can speak French, and I can name more that five Canadian prime ministers." The last two were things that even some of my Canadian friends couldn't do...
For the record, I enjoy Michael Moore's films, polemecized though they may be, in part because Moore just has such a gift for making his interviewees so damned uncomfortable and provoking them to say and do incredibly stupid things. Apparently, I've heard that Moore got a camera crew embedded with troops in Iraq without the US Army being aware that it was his crew. That ought to make for some interesting footage...(also check out some of the "Letters from the Troops" on his website). I don't always agree with the man, but thank God he's there...Modern political discourse wounldn't be as much fun otherwise...
And by the way Stuart, I think those Molson I AM CANADIAN ads are f****n' hilarious...
-CD
PS--Ontario like an American state?!
C'est de la poutine!