How Americanophobia is Not Only Hypocritical, but Nonproductive and Nonconstructive (Part I)

It hit me quite some time ago that on just about every account where Americans are criticized, the accusers themselves are guilty of the same thing or guilty of *isolating* Americans in a world where Americans should be *included*. (European and Canadian Bias under the Microscope)

My inspiration for this post: (Why do people worldwide increasingly continue to hate America?)

Let’s start with our overall “genocidal behaviors”:

One German citizen (Robin Hood Im Schwarzwald) wrote in his blog a piece that rang so true for me:

Some Europeans display a moral superiority that is inconsistent with reality. However, that does not stop leftists from protesting in the streets about no-blood-for-oil, but when is the last time you see anything of consequence protesting the Chinese, Iranians, Radical Islam, or any other despotic regime? I would guess almost never! Even so that doesn’t stop leftists or cultural elites from perpetuating stereotypes of Americans and America.

Hat Tip: Schwarzwald

Americanophobes will tell you that America has been the only evil and persists to be the only evil. What Americanophobes conveniently fail to include or acknowledge is the following:

• The Congo Civil War in Africa leaving 3.8 million dead (just as many deaths as WWI). Currently, there are approximately 45,000 deaths taking place each month as reported in the UK.
• Also in Africa, we have poverty, starvation, rape, AIDS infection, state tyranny and corruption, and such human-rights abominations as slavery, female genital mutilation, and the use of children as soldiers and prostitutes.
• The Rape of Nanking: (at least 369,366 Chinese civilians and prisoners of war were slaughtered by the invading troops. An estimated 80,000 women and girls were raped; many of them were then mutilated or murdered. Thousands of victims were beheaded, burned, bayoneted, buried alive, or disemboweled. To this day the Japanese government has refused to apologize for these and other World War II atrocities, and a significant sector of Japanese society denies that they took place at all.)
• The War between Ethiopia and Eritrea (leaving tens and thousands killed)
• Joseph Stalin who killed approximately 20 million, including up to 14.5 million needlessly starved to death. At least one million executed for political “offenses”. At least 9.5 million more deported, exiled or imprisoned in work camps, with many of the estimated five million sent to the ‘Gulag Archipelago’ never returning alive. Other estimates place the number of deported at 28 million, including 18 million sent to the ‘Gulag’.
• Mao Tse-Tung who was responsible for 14 to 20 million deaths from starvation during the ‘Great Leap Forward’. Tens of thousands killed and millions of lives ruined during the ‘Cultural Revolution’.
• The 20,000 Cubans tortured and executed by Fidel Castro
• How China’s support for the government of Sudan has slaughtered more than 1.5 million innocents
• The Holocaust that left 6 million Jews dead (although the number of actual deaths are debatable, a significant number of them were killed brutally and inhumanely).
• The result of Tibetan deaths under Chinese occupation up to 1988 alone: 1,207,387 deaths
• How about European colonialism in Africa, Polynesia, Asia, Australia, and in the Americas? Great Britain was imperialistic and was the world power back then, and a very violent power at that.
• What about Islamic Imperialism, Japanese Imperialism, Russian Imperialism, and Chinese Imperialism?
• Have we also forgotten the British contribution to torture at Abu Ghraib? Read this for the grusome details.
• And what about the Mongols, the Romans, the Ottomans, and the Nationalist Japanese?
• And then we’ve got Saddam Hussein accomplishing murders approaching two million, including between 150,000 and 340,000 Iraqi and between 450,000 and 730,000 Iranian combatants killed during the Iran-Iraq War. And it gets worse, read more here. Do torture chambers, mass graves, and imprisoned children ring a bell?
• The Kosovo War
• And the Above Examples are just the Tip of the Iceberg
  

Another example of how our NATO “friends” are exercising blatantly obvious bias concerning their judgment of the US is noted in this article, “What should enrage every decent citizen is that the real torturers — from Zimbabwe to China, from Syria to North Korea — get a pass from the political left“.

From our ailing domestic left to overseas America haters, no one really cares about the fate of Mustapha the Murderer or Ahmed the Assassin. The lies told about Gitmo are meant to undercut U.S. foreign policy and embarrass America.

The Gitmo controversy is about many things, from jealousy of the United States and outrage that we refuse to fail, to residual anger that we won the Cold War and exploded the left’s great fantasy of a dictatorship of the intellectuals. But the one thing the protests aren’t about is human rights.

Read on to see that Americanophobes in Europe and in Canada don’t mind violence, mass murder, and torture at all. In fact, they approve of it. So, what is it, then, that makes them dislike us so…..?

America is now the Superpower of the world. While it’s not something to be jealous of, one is to only assume jealousy — as we’re the country of the world’s obsession, and a lot of those countries that are pouting and shaking their fists at us are the same countries that either feel threatened by our imperialism or jealous because they once used to be the leaders of the world and they no longer have that power (especially Britain). So, by consistently pointing out our faults, we see that this is the only way these anti-American countries can attempt to make us feel worthless. It’s a way of bullying us off of our “high and mighty” thrones. It seeks to humble us. It seeks to have us put our flags down. While some of the criticism directed at us IS note-worthy and merited, the convenient ignorance of other evils both past and present is clearly a sign that it’s not “evil” that anti-Americanism is against. There’s something else. What else could that be? Again… jealousy?

Anti-Americanism has its roots in British and French inherited complexes when the United States stepped in to save Europe from Nazism. As former leading world powers the idea that they had been usurped was difficult for many to accept. This resentment took root as the United States began to dominate the world scene economically, politically and culturally.

Side note: When it says “we” saved Europe from Nazism, “we” is all those who weren’t a part of the Axis of Evil during that time.

Oh, the horror about Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib! Damn Americans! Hmm… funny how THIS gets overlooked…… Well, of course, it went “unconfirmed” because it never happened, right?

Hat Tip: David

With the index finger flapping away in disapproval, it never ceases to amaze me how many people from all over the world find that Americans are committing a genocide in Iraq. The war in Iraq, while I’m still not convinced it is a just war, I can tell you that it’s *not* a genocide. What is a Genocide? The deliberate, planned and systematic destruction of an *entire* ethnic, racial, religious, or national group. While I don’t support Bush, he is NOT another Hitler, rather, he’s a war criminal. There’s a difference. A BIG difference.

Number 2: Religious Fanaticism

Out of the majority of Americans that believe in God, within that group exists Christian Fanaticism. Because of this, Americans are seen as the biggest evil in the world. I call these people the “thou-shall-notters” (not any different from the Radical Left, mind you). They are on their high horse preaching to the world about how we should ‘be’ and not ‘be’ simultaneously being in denial of their own immorality. However, praise, support, and tolerance is, without question, extended to Islamic Fanaticism.

We can see this example here.

Nadia Eweida, who worked for British Airways, came to work wearing a necklace with a little cross on it.

Nadia Eweida (55), a Coptic Christian whose father is Egyptian and mother English, working for seven years at British Airways as a luggage inspector, was suspended from work for two weeks without pay because of wearing a cross.

The airline’s uniform code states that staff must not wear visible jewellery or other ‘adornments’ while on duty without permission from management. It makes exceptions for Muslim and Sikh minorities by allowing them to wear hijabs and turbans.

Hat Tip: Karin Quade

Does anyone else not find this hypocritical? Here we have an example of the elitists condemning the cross, but making exceptions for Islamofascism? Very interesting. You can find another juicy example of that here: “British Muslim ‘bullied’ for converting to Christianity“.

Yet another telling example from the History News Network:

During anti-war demonstrations in Britain left-wing marchers have unashamedly waved banners defending known terrorists, shouted abuse at American tourists and British pro-American supporters and described George Bush in terms usually reserved for serial killers. Banners decrying the attacks of 9/11 were nowhere to be seen. When Daniel Pearl was murdered there was no outcry from the left in Britain. Instead, leftist and liberal commentators concentrated their critical faculties on the treatment of Al Qaeda and Taliban prisoners at Gauntanamo.

We can see here that the Americanophobic British like Islamic Fanaticism. Americanophobia blindly encourages and supports Islamofascism and their violent ways such as burning cars, burning embassies, attacks against the police, gang rapes of Infidel girls, wife beating, honor killings, the Madrid bombings, and last but not least the London bombings. Well, one can argue that the British didn’t like it happening to them, but at least we can safely say that Islamofascism is considered “OK” and embraced in Europe and in Canada.

Let’s take a look at Canada. She claims to be the “country of peace” and strongly (flapping the index finger) AGAINST the death penalty. …..That was until 9-11.

But of course there’s no hypocrisy in being pro-peace and against the death penalty, unless… death targets the RIGHT group.

Americanophobic Canadians say, “We share common cause with the Islamic Terrorists“.

“Far from being unreasonable fanatics, the terrorists fight for the same things we do. We have a common enemy.”

The common enemy the Canadians and the Islamic Terrorists share is America. Canadian Kevin Potvin shared the following after 9-11:

“When I saw the first tower cascade down into that enormous plume of dust and paper, there was a little voice inside me that said, “Yeah!” When the second tower came down the same way, that little voice said, “Beautiful!” When the visage of the Pentagon appeared on the TV with a gaping and smoking hole in its side, that little voice had nearly taken me over, and I felt an urge to pump my fist in the air”.

And he’s not the only Canadian that felt this way. By several onlookers, Americanophobic Canadians were visibly seen cheering wildly following the terrorists attacks. Examples of this very happy day in Canada can be seen if you look at my 9-11 tags here on my blog.

While Christian Fanaticism can be oppressive, violent, xenophobic, uneducated, arrogant, and is associated with Neo-Conservatism, — Americanophobia takes sides with the MORE oppressive, xenophobic, uneducated, arrogant, and politically extreme such as “The Religion of Peace” (Islamofacsism) as we know it.

But anyway, let’s hope that Canada and Europe never have to find out what living under Sharia Holy Law is like.

It’s time to talk about how Americans are Stupid, Arrogant, Superficial and blind Patriotic Flag Wavers

In the Hudson Review, Bruce Bawer states the following:

I moved from the U.S. to Europe in 1998, and I’ve been drawing comparisons ever since. Living in turn in the Netherlands, where kids come out of high school able to speak four languages, where gay marriage is a non-issue, and where book-buying levels are the world’s highest, and in Norway, where a staggering percentage of people read three newspapers a day and where respect for learning is reflected even in Oslo place names (“Professor Aschehoug Square”; “Professor Birkeland Road”), I was tempted at one point to write a book lamenting Americans’ anti-intellectualism—their indifference to foreign languages, ignorance of history, indifference to academic achievement, susceptibility to vulgar religion and trash TV, and so forth. On point after point, I would argue, Europe had us beat.

Yet as my weeks in the Old World stretched into months and then years, my perceptions shifted. Yes, many Europeans were book lovers—but which country’s literature most engaged them? Many of them revered education—but to which country’s universities did they most wish to send their children? (Answer: the same country that performs the majority of the world’s scientific research and wins most of the Nobel Prizes.) Yes, American television was responsible for drivel like “The Ricki Lake Show”—but Europeans, I learned, watched this stuff just as eagerly as Americans did (only to turn around, of course, and mock it as a reflection of American boorishness). No, Europeans weren’t Bible-thumpers—but the Continent’s ever-growing Muslim population, I had come to realize, represented even more of a threat to pluralist democracy than fundamentalist Christians did in the U.S. And yes, more Europeans were multilingual—but then, if each of the fifty states had its own language, Americans would be multilingual, too. I’d marveled at Norwegians’ newspaper consumption; but what did they actually readin those newspapers?

See, it’s not about reading, in general, that makes you ’smart’, but more to do with WHAT you’re reading. If they’re reading nothing but misinformation and garbage, then they’ve got nothing to brag about, really.

Read on to see even more hypocrisy of the Americanophobic Movement. You will also find out that at the end of the day, we’re actually not so different from one another.

Take a look at the top pet issues that the German media covers in the US by going to this blog entry written by David Kaspar. He comments on the German Americanophobic Hypocrisy:

Interestingly enough – the same European elites who complain about the supposed black-white world view of the American friends themselves enthusiastically disseminate and consume a hyper-simplified view of the United States (characterized by the pet issues listed above) that largely ignores the complexity, diversity and sheer expanse of the American experience.

Thank you, David!

I’ve realized these days, after seeing my people being attacked online constantly and outside in the world visiting other countries, that I’m starting to become even more patriotic than I ever have. In the past, before I ever realized how religious and vile Americanophobia was, I sometimes caught myself being pessimistic, feeling that America was doomed, becoming a third world country, becoming stupider and more violent every day while living under the reign of a Bushy Administration and a faux Democracy while watching our freedoms get stripped away by the radical Left and Right wings. To any non-Americans reading this, you may not see, often enough, Americans online discussing how depressed we are as some of us would rather repress what’s going on to find that being in denial allows us to keep our sanity until it’s time to vote again.

However, I realize that it’s not so bad to be an American and not so bad to be living here either – especially after reading this – which only reinforces what I’ve been feeling over the past few months.

This experience was only part of a larger process of edification. Living in Europe, I gradually came to appreciate American virtues I’d always taken for granted, or even disdained—among them a lack of self-seriousness, a grasp of irony and self-deprecating humor, a friendly informality with strangers, an unashamed curiosity, an openness to new experience, an innate optimism, a willingness to think for oneself and speak one’s mind and question the accepted way of doing things. (One reason why Europeans view Americans as ignorant is that when we don’t know something, we’re more likely to admit it freely and ask questions.) While Americans, I saw, cherished liberty, Europeans tended to take it for granted or dismiss it as a naïve or cynical, and somehow vaguely embarrassing, American fiction. I found myself toting up words that begin with i: individuality, imagination, initiative, inventiveness, independence of mind. Americans, it seemed to me, were more likely to think for themselves and trust their own judgments, and less easily cowed by authorities or bossed around by “experts”; they believed in their own ability to make things better.

No wonder so many smart, ambitious young Europeans look for inspiration to the United States, which has a dynamism their own countries lack, and which communicates the idea that life can be an adventure and that there’s important, exciting work to be done. Reagan-style “morning in America” clichés may make some of us wince, but they reflect something genuine and valuable in the American air. Europeans may or may not have more of a “sense of history” than Americans do. In fact, in a recent study comparing students’ historical knowledge, the results were pretty much a draw, but America has something else that matters—a belief in the future.

(I am the type of person that asks A LOT of questions; some would say I’m ‘clinically curious’. Would this fly in Europe? My thirst for knowledge, I guess, would leave me being pegged as “ignorant”? In my opinion, that’s quite contradictory in that it’s the ignorant that DON’T as questions! Hmm.. I’d like to think the natives have a better perception of what Europe is all about as opposed to a “text book” that is ridden with distortions. This reminds me of one of my favorite quotes:

“He who asks a question is a fool for a minute; he who does not remains a fool forever.” –Chinese Proverb

It’s no wonder so many Americanophobic Europeans are clueless about us. They don’t ASK! I’ve also noticed that Europeans that hate Americans tend to be way too serious and overly political – whereas on the opposite end of the extreme, Americans can be way too superficial and politically apathetic. Both extremes are nonproductive and definitely *not* healthy.)

While harsh Americanophobes online try to bring my people down, I find myself much more bonded and united with my fellow citizens especially those that are balanced liberals. Surprisingly enough though, I find myself just as bonded with the balanced and sometimes self-righteous Republicans. I know that when I’m looking for understanding, that a Republican Conservative will always be there for me and fight against Americanophobia with me. Americanophobia tries to arrogantly push-and-shove their ways and dehumanize their target: Americans. However, when you’re trying to humble a person that’s already humble (admitting the faults of their own country), the humble begin to shift and can be quite defensive thereby turning quiet patriots into noisy ones.

Most Americanophobes will tell you that Patriotism is defined as unconditionally accepting its leader and every crooked thing that a government may do. But I beg to differ. Patriotism for me is being proud of where you come from and being loyal to your country along WITH exercising the right to free speech and questioning our leaders when we see fit. That’s why I feel that you can be a patriot and be a liberal questioning the actions of the government at the same time. Now, I am still that same patriot except I feel more in tune with the “flag wavers”. This is NOT what the Americanophobes want. It want us to put our flags DOWN. It wants us to feel that we have NOTHING to be proud of and that we are all pieces of pissed-on shit deserving nothing more than death. What this is doing, however, is creating more pride among the American people. And with that, I will say the cliché saying in America: “You get more flies with honey than you do vinegar“. Americanophobia is Vinegar. Nobody’s listening.

I have yet to see any instances where Americanophobia has been constructive or useful. Americanophobia only sees the “white man”. (We can thank Michael Moore for that!) Americanophobia sees all 300 million Americans as lawless, obnoxious and retarded neo-con Christian Fundamentalists and tries to get this message out to them. But guess what? They aren’t the ones listening. Sadly and for the most part, it’s the curious, open-minded and educated liberals that are visiting your countries — that are (ironically) subjugated to your wild and woolly rants and occasional violent attacks. If we aren’t already “xenophobic”, that’s a great way to create it. Outside from the youth, most Americans are too busy to listen to your noise, anyway. We’ve already learned from the past (the 60’s), the origin of Neo-Conservatism. It sprung out as a backlash against the noisy Radical Leftists. We saw Liberals converting to Conservatism and Old Fashioned Conservatives moving the way of Neo-Conservatism. This is the result of both Americanophobia and Leftist Elitism when it gets loud and obnoxious.

“There is a belief and hope that if enough nations oppose America, the American people will realize what their government has been doing and will overthrow them. This hope is misguided, as anti-American actions are causing the opposite…” –Vexen Crabtree

And it’s all because Americanophobia cannot distinguish between the government and her people. Of course, anybody who’s Americanophobic will be ignorant to the fact that we have an electoral voting system here and how truly unfair it is (hence the term, “faux Democracy). Is Bush’s 30% all-time-low approval rating any indication that we’re not all approving of him? You guys made the same mistake with the OBESE saying that “most of us” are yet you still haven’t accounted for the 240 million that *aren’t* obese. Americanophobia refuses to learn. Americanophobia’s blind hatred toward the entire US is no better than the blind patriotism of the “flag wavers”. Americanophobia does not want to be humble, educate itself or be reasonably balanced. Americanophobia, like Homophobia, is extreme in its very nature, and is terrorism and genocide without the weapons. As you guys become noisier and noisier, we become more proud and united.

In the ideal world, it would be NICE for us Americans to have a righteous country to look up to with admiration. However, you all lose your credibility and potential respect through your hypocrisy that can be cited all too clearly throughout MOST of your rants. Another nice example that I’m very, very familiar with is noted here:

Citing a South African restaurateur’s assertion that non-Americans “have an advantage over [Americans], because we know everything about you and you know nothing about us,” Hertsgaard tells us that this is a good point, but it’s not: non-Americans are always saying this to Americans, but when you poke around a bit, you almost invariably discover that what they “know” about America is very wide of the mark.

European and Canadian Americanophobes are, if not equally ignorant, MORE ignorant than Americans. Having spoken with many Canadians and Europeans who hate people that they’ve never met, it has become painfully obvious.

Bruce Bawer continues…

America, in short, is a mess—a cultural wasteland, an economic nightmare, a political abomination, an international misfit, outlaw, parasite, and pariah. If Americans don’t know this already, it is, in Hertsgaard’s view, precisely because they are Americans: “Foreigners,” he proposes, “can see things about America that natives cannot. . . . Americans can learn from their perceptions, if we choose to.” What he fails to acknowledge, however, is that most foreigners never set foot in the United States, and that the things they think they know about it are consequently based not on first-hand experience but on school textbooks, books by people like Michael Moore, movies about spies and gangsters, “Ricki Lake,” “C.S.I.,” and, above all, the daily news reports in their own national media. What, one must therefore ask, are their media telling them? What aren’t they telling them? And what are the agendas of those doing the telling?

This is why I find those that subscribe to the Church of Americanophobia to be just as thick and as arrogant as Americans can be. Arrogance is the unwillingness to think for oneself and be the first to always prop themselves up onto a finger-pointing “thou shall not” soap-box. And my question is HOW is YOUR hypocrisy any different from the hypocrisy stemming from Christian Fundamentalists?

More hypocrisy:

Anti-Americanism in Britain has been blinded by its own propaganda which posits that America is run for the benefit of the rich at the expense of the poor – a judgement which ignores the reality of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. It also promotes the idea that American education and culture is pathetically myopic. A number of critics have confessed they have never visited the United States yet feel qualified to sit in judgment unaware that the educational provision of thirty or so American universities put Oxford and Cambridge to shame.

The left also seems to be unaware that the highest numbers of Nobel Prizes have been awarded to Americans. In the modern arts – including film, urban architecture, popular music and comedy – America is pre-eminent. The country hosts over 1700 symphony orchestras. In the more traditional forms such as the novel the achievements of leading American writers dwarf their European competitors. Accusations by the European left that Americans are a philistine people seem ridiculous when set beside their museum attendance, more than seven million visitors per year, and the quality of their literary, historical and political magazines. American freedom of the press is unequalled throughout the world and citizen access to government documents under its freedom of information laws is envied throughout Europe. American advances in medical science have saved millions of lives.

We are told we have nothing to be proud of. Could a “stupid and superficial” nation really be capable of the above? I’m not trying to hide behind the harsh fact that a significant number of Americans are stupid. What I’m trying to point out is that Americanophobic “people” aren’t any ‘brighter a bulb’ than we are!

Anti-American sentiment does not engender any alternatives to what the American government poses in the way of foreign policy – its modus operandi is simply to spread the word that the United States is the moral equivalent to the Islamo-fascism it is trying to defeat. It recites its propaganda to summon up every American failure of the past fifty years without mentioning the nation’s successes.

What good does ignoring what we’ve done right do? Oh yeah… god forbid you should be more reasonable and balanced, you might have the unfortunate consequence of seeing the flaws in your own people and own country, no?

Americanophobia doesn’t practice what it preaches – nor is it willing to stray from it’s extremes….

In its hatred of the United States the European left find excuses for the wickedness of Saddam Hussein and the evil philosophy and cruelty of Muslim fundamentalist terror groups. Some pro-Arab intellectuals/celebrities like Vanessa Redgrave have even proposed that Al Qaeda prisoners stand as parliamentary candidates in the forthcoming British general election. Labour MP George Galloway, who was an admirer of Saddam Hussein, has disseminated the idea that Iraqi terrorists have every right to kill the “American invaders.”

Americanophobia has this impression that if you travel to the US, you will find the people dressed up in stars and stripes everywhere. You’ll have this impression that all the cars and homes here will be painted and/or decorated with the American Flag. You’ll be brainwashed to believe that Americans march the streets with their flags before and after work and on the weekends after watching, “Sex in the City”. And last, but not least, you’ll think that all we talk about and have on our minds is American Patriotism and “how better our country is than yours!“.

I am here to tell all Canadians, Europeans, Australians, and those from New Zealand, that your school books and media have painfully misguided you. I am currently living in San Antonio, Texas. I should be seeing this here, right? Where are all the flags? Where are all the alleged “stars and stripes”? I see them here, but not too much of it. I will say, however, that Americans will show their patriotism when they feel threatened.

A good example would be after 9-11 where we all bonded together. And hell… my husband and I even had the flag on our car! It’s like a way of saying, “We are one nation and we will have each other’s back – and not let those people get the best of us”. I think ALL countries (especially where Americanophobia is prevalent) misinterpreted this behavior post-9-11 as “arrogance”. You can also thank your media for sensationalizing that news, as well. But ’situational US flag décor’ is not arrogance or “blind patriotism”. Look at it this way: At least I know in the US, if someone’s house gets broken into and/or a crime is committed against a person in that neighborhood, the entire neighborhood becomes closer and unites. Acquaintances become friends. We’ve got each other’s back and look after one another. Generally speaking, if Americans feel threatened (with the exception of the radical liberals), we will unite… just like any other country would under the same circumstances. Hopefully, you’ll never have to find out.

In the case that you DO find Americans marching in the streets in ’stars and stripes’ attire loudly reciting the Star Spangled Banner, consider them mentally ill, and move on.

Stupid, superficial, arrogantly/blindly patriotic, and genocidal, we are, says our “NATO friends” who live on the other side of our border and across the pond. However, if only our NATO Americanophobic friends could look in the mirror, they’d not only notice a reflection of themselves, but they would also see “the Americans“.

What Makes America So Great: Are we a Bunch of Fascist, Greedy, Dumb Pigs?

WARNING: Do not drink any liquids while reading this blog post. You’ll know why… soon.

I just received the following message today:

(sic) Its the fact that the american people and government are to ignorant to be able to embrace their multiculturalism and try to make everyone the same fat, stupid, greedy, obnoxtious asshole american people that the world tends to HATE.

My jaw dropped to the ground when I read this. Classic: It was written by not only a kid, but someone who’d not even stepped foot into the US. I was shocked that these kinds of messages were being sent to Canadian citizens everywhere. I haven’t heard something similar to this just once, not even twice, but many times. It puzzles me. It isn’t just Americanophobic Canadians that are guilty of this either. So, are some Americanophobic Europeans, but we’ll get into that later.

To challenge this cliche knee-jerk and ever so tired reactionary statement above, I will first say that Americans do *not* do the following:

• We do not force people to eat certain foods. This is a free country. You have two hands and a mouth, and nobody but YOU controls what you put in there. If you become fat from over-eating, it’s YOUR problem unless you are sick. There’s a little something called “personal responsibility”, and in the US, you are accountable for your own actions. “Free will” if you must say. Nobody puts a gun to anybody’s head and forcibly shoves Big Macs, super-sized fries, and two chocolate shakes down anybody’s throat! If you decide to live a sedentary life, that’s again, YOUR choice, unless you’re disabled. And if it’s fact that we forcibly make our immigrants fat, then how can we explain for all those who have immigrated here that are thin and eat healthy? If you are swayed by our Big Mac commercials, guess what…? Again, that’s your problem and YOUR choice that you’re too stupid to think for yourself and choose to be brainwashed by a silly 30 second commercial. Sixty million people are obese in America. Now, if we were a fascist country, how do you explain for those other 240 million? How come they’re not obese? And how in the world does this have anything to do with multiculturalism or the lack of is beyond me…
• America does *not* create or forcibly make someone “stupid”. This one, too, boggles my mind. Doesn’t this lie more in the hands of parents? If you cannot afford a decent college education, there are plenty of other ways to learn. Ever heard of financial aid? Community Colleges? Scholarships? Independent study? It’s up to the individual. The last time I checked, our government doesn’t police or meddle in the private affairs of others. Here in America, we have that much freedom: Freedom to be dumb and freedom to be intelligent and freedom to be dumb sometimes and intelligent sometimes. At least we have CHOICES here. Your brain cells aren’t served to you on a silver platter. You stimulate your own brain cells without expecting nanny-coddling-government to do it for you. And you call Americans lazy?
• America does *not* coerce her immigrants to become “greedy”. How is this… I wonder? I’m sincerely confused. Greed by definition is the stepping on other’s toes to get what you want. This is not a quality that makes an American likeable – yes, even to another American! Yet again, these mindless teenybopper bigoted mental midgets are confusing the big corporate giants such as Halliburton and Microsoft (to name a few) with the general public. Sure there are greedy Americans that are a part of the mix. Again, it all starts with how one is to be brought up. If a Mexican person decides to risk their life crossing our borders (which most do) to come and live here, where exactly are they “taught” to knock other people over to “grab it all for themselves”? Who teaches them? How are they taught? Again, our government is NOT a dictatorship. You listen to what you want to; you choose to learn what you want; you choose to agree and disagree with what you want. There are just as many generous and cooperative players out there whom aren’t getting credit in this very cruel and unnecessary sweeping generalization. What some Americanophobes don’t get is the fact that Americans are victims of the Major Corporate Giant system too. We are to take personal responsibility for ourselves in this country. We’re on our own with limited help, and if nobody else is going to cater to our needs, we need to get off of our asses and fend for ourselves…. yes, those “lazy bastard Americans”. However, THAT can be a bit harsh for some people who cannot, for a valid reason, fight for themselves. But America understands this – which is why over half of American citizens are on welfare. Get a clue, people!

As far as using up all the world’s resources are concerned, you may want to also take a look at how Canada is viewed as the world’s biggest pig when it comes to the consumption of energy. Some also say that China is the world’s biggest green house gas producer. (Global Warming may even be a hoax and even if it’s not there are more people dying in the UK from the cold than the heat!) If we are eating too many twinkies and not leaving enough for South Africa, you’re wrong. We donate more than other countries … by a long shot. And South Africans appreciate our triple-processed twinkies.

Our donations including private donations to world hunger and foreign aid are quite generous. Sure, we abuse our power sometimes (which I don’t like, by the way), however dingy brainwashed monkies like to see the US only for it’s faults as opposed to ever looking at what we’ve done RIGHT. I don’t know how people can call all of us greedy pigs when we sacrifice the needs of our OWN citizens in need and constantly prioritize those in developing countries. If you remember Hurricane Katrina, and also the tsunami in Indonesia, you’ll know that Indonesia got support FASTER (much faster) and more efficiently than Kartrina did or could have ever dreamed to have gotten. Lots of Americans naturally complain that other countries “get the goods” before we do. Even if our selfish interests come to play when giving foreign aid, think twice before you collectively try to bully all of us into thinking that we’re “greedy“.

America has limited government. YOU choose your own destination in life – *not* your next-door big fat white hairy bible-thumping gun-toting neo-con hick neighbor. But see, you’ll never know this unless you’ve lived here, yourself. We are clearly more diverse than any other country (yes, and even the ‘evil whities’ don’t all think alike), but your press tells you that we’re all alike. This problem is not with your agenda-ridden media as much as it is with YOU that chooses to believe everything that you’re told. And you have the nerve to tell us that we’re not “free”? If Micheal Moore and Rosie O’Donnell is not any indication of how free we are, I don’t know what is? Just no dildos in Alabama, EH?

You people also confuse Americans with “being white” and I have the foggiest clue where you got that from? Oh wait. Thanks to Michael Moore for that. Just keep in mind that when you make hateful blanket statements about American people, you are also including ALL of those people that have immigrated here from all over the planet. Black people are American too, so you’re a racist as well!

Do me a favor: Ask all the immigrants if they’re happy here. Wouldn’t that be the TRUE test, after all? I mean, it SPEAKS VOLUMES that the majority of immigrants (both illegal and legal) come here ONE-WAY. They don’t return to their respective countries. Why? Ask yourself why most immigrants chose to immigrate to the states more than any other developed nation in the world. There’s got to be a reason for this.

• America does *not* train her immigrants to be “obnoxious assholes”. We are allegedly somehow schooling people of all different ethnic backgrounds to “conform” to the “All-American Obnoxious Asshole Think-Tank Committee”? Does anybody have any substantiated evidence as to how America takes all of these (naturally smart and kind people …just because their immigrants) people from different nations and molds them from “nice to naughty“? This is actually a funny accusation if you ask me as it suggests that Americans are inherently mean, and also suggests that if you come from another country outside the states that you’re inherently GOOD. How does one tackle such a weak “black and white” narrow-minded argument?

The dumb kid who said this to me is a walking contradiction to it’s most frightening degree. To see the world as “black and white” and ignore the “gray areas” is to indirectly admit to being an elitist, ignorant buffoon that makes Bush look like a Cum Laude graduate.

Next, to assume that all Americans are “obnoxious assholes” is to make it VERY clear that you’re *not* an expert of the American culture – rather an expert at having your thoughts, thought for you. My burning question is.. how does someone that has had both a limited to none, face-to-face experience with Americans and not having ever come to live here, claim to be an “expert”? America (find my definition of “America” in my glossary) is too big for some of these ‘holier-than-thou’ small-minded simpleton multicultural elitists with a “small penis syndrome” to consume. Keep in mind that there are 50 states, and there are over 30,000 incorporated cities within those states and 300 million inhabitants. Every city in the US has it’s own unique style and personality.

At least we all don’t think alike here in the US unlike some other countries where those that have a different opinion are out-casted. Remember Michael Moore? We are proud that we can think any way we want to here and be who we are. I sometimes hate that there’s a virtual civil war going on in the US as the two parties (Republican and Democrat) are extremely bitter toward one another. There are times that I wished that we all thought the same. However, on the bright side, that’s the beauty of America. We have the choice of either thinking for ourselves or being dumb and following the crowd to get “social approval”.

Within these 30,000 cities there are sub-cultures within each culture. We are free to be prejudiced as we’re free to be tolerant. It’s up to you. Being an “obnoxious asshole” is, once again, a CHOICE. Pretending to be a multiculturalist is worse than being an “obnoxious asshole”, anyway.

And if stating this,…

(sic) Its the fact that the american people and government are to ignorant to be able to embrace their multiculturalism and try to make everyone the same fat, stupid, greedy, obnoxtious asshole american people that the world tends to HATE.

…. is not a classic Gold Standard tell-tale sign of Obnoxious Asshole-ness, I don’t know what is?

My advice? If you’re going to have an opinion about the US and want to sound intelligent and “morally superior” at the same time, KNOW what the heck you’re talking about, for one. And two, if you’re going to accuse the entire United States of something, make sure that you’re own hands are clean first. You have the right to say whatever you want, and nobody’s going to stop you – even Facebook, Youtube, and any other websites in cyberspace where you whine, moan, pitch fits, and groan about the big bad neighbor to the south. We let you do what you want, however, you’re not sounding like too bright a bulb when you’re hand-fed your thoughts without having any REAL experience living in the states.

There are two-sides to every story. Dumb people only look at one side. And it’s that same kind of collective-Nazified-group-think that get dumb presidents elected too. Remember that. How DID Harper ever get elected? I sure hope that you don’t have a electoral voting system like we do here? Let’s just say that America is *not* the Democracy you’d like to think it to be, but that’s another story for another day….

An Italian blogger who is against Americanophobia, posted an entry that had to do with a man from India that immigrated to the US.

“If Dinesh D’Souza or his publisher were concerned with being politically correct, this book would never have seen the light of day. D’Souza is not interested in defending an idealized version of America. Rather, he describes the real America, both the good and the bad, and reminds American citizens that they should be proud of themselves and their country despite the peevish criticism that the United States receives from others who blame them and their country for everything that goes wrong in the world. Not surprisingly, America’s harsh critics conveniently only tell one side of the story and never give the United States credit for any of the good things that happen around the world.”

You can read more about this and it’s reviews at Amazon.com. A gentleman named, Darren, reviewed the book on Amazon and pointed out similar things to what I’ve been discussing in my blog:

“If all cultures are equal, if everything is relative, if no culture can really be termed “superior” to another, why is it that every year, all over the world, millions of people vote with their feet for America and the American way of life? People immigrate here from every corner of the world, and it’s virtually a one way traffic. How many Americans choose to emigrate to Nicaragua, Sierra Leone, Thailand, or Poland? But people from other countries are so eager to come here that they will do it illegally if they cannot do it any other way. If America is so terrible, how did we become the richest, most prosperous nation on earth? I know many would say it’s because we are oppressors, and we have exploited the rest of the world, both people and natural resources, until we are on top, but this doesn’t wash. While we are no angels, to be sure, neither are we really comparable to history’s REAL oppressors, such as the Nazis, or the communists (who not only killed more millions of people than the Nazis, but had a far, far worse record of raping and polluting the environment than any Western country). I have yet to hear a multiculturalist give me a convincing answer to this.

Multiculturalists, like most modern leftists, live in an idealized universe; they have long since lost the habit of testing ideas against their actual results in the real world. If you look the facts in the face, it’s very hard to disagree with most of what D’Souza says.”

Another great thing about America, in my opinion, is that we’re a healthy combination of both being multicultural and a melting-pot. Like I had mentioned in this entry, when one immigrates to America, they get to keep their ethnicity, they get to continue speaking their language, celebrating their holidays and their religion, reading and watching news in their own languages, they get to keep eating their own foods, and do the same things that they did in their own country simultaneously becoming an American and learning English – (although there’s a HUGE amount of immigrants from many countries that have been living here for 20 + years that still cannot speak English). If that’s not a hint of multiculturalism and tolerance, I don’t know what is? Even those within the same ethnic group are allowed to be free-thinkers, say what they want, and be their unique selves – yes… just like the “ugly, fat, greedy, ignorant, white man”. There are several unique varieties to being an “ugly, fat, stupid, greedy, and obnoxious” white man. Come to America and see how they come in all different colors, shapes, and sizes.

And by the way, how did Arnold Schwarzenegger get elected as governor of California? How did Obama get where he is now if we’re so “intolerant”?

Here’s a speech about what makes America a great country by a German immigrant at Wisconsin’s McCain campaign event.

Now, this is something that you cannot find in any textbook in any classroom across the globe. Sadly, there are too many people from developed nations on the world map that have no clue about what the Americans did for Germany. Who cares if you’re from the right or the left? Who cares if we didn’t go to WWII until we were attacked first (mind you, an attack from a country that was part of the Axis of Evil – hello?) Another hint, we DID get involved BEFORE the Pearl Harbor attacks – ever heard of the Lend-Lease Act of 1941? That’s all trivial regardless of any “hidden motive” or unsubstantiated “conspiracy theories”. The fact of the matter is that we did good that we never get credit for from a bunch of leeching, dependent, ungrateful and stubborn little elitists that think their cow pie doesn’t stink. And they have the nerve to call America “arrogant”?

But the prepubescent teen had more to say.

Also, in my country I have been brought up to respect and admire the us from my PARENTS, from my TEACHERS, and also from the MEDIA. This is just the result of my own reaserch and conclusions about the country and its fundamentals.

No, hun. Your teachers and media are biased. Let’s have a look-see at my research. You cannot claim to have done your research yet have a one-sided view of a VERY large group of people (say, 300+ million?). You’re credibility is lost. Not to mention the hypocrisy in most of the statements made by Americanophobes like yourself.

And Mr. “I’m an expert of all those places I’ve never been to” continues his little rant, ……….

The fact that you went to Japan and lived there for 6 1/2 years and learned their culture and language doesn’t impress me. It was your choice to do that not anyone elses. Not only that but you lived there temporarily so you weren’t forced to essentially become Japanese. Im sure they veiwed you in the same way that the rest of the world does plus your country dropped TWO nuclear bombs on their country so they probly dislike you even more then most.

Living in a country for a long time and learning their language and participating in their customs doesn’t automatically give someone a shiny gold star. However, my experience having lived in Japan made me grow in so many ways. I worked under their system there which is entirely different from where I come from. Speaking a second language does make you more open-minded. While I didn’t strip myself of my own “American identity”, I also blended into their culture or at least gave it a good shot. I feel, I have more a say as to how Japanese people behave and about their country than some little dweeb in secondary school who just got done learning the alphabet and hasn’t even stepped outside of his own comfort zone.

While I wasn’t forced to “do as the Japanese do…“, I did it because I wanted to. It’s called respect. I think this says more about my ability to tolerate diversity as opposed to some disgruntled Canadian teenager judging from a distance.

The most amusing part of his rant was the fact that he says, “the Japanese hated me more than any other group in the world”. (???) I’m sorry, I had to share this with you all just to show you what kind of people are out there. It’s no wonder why some Americans think that Canadians live in igloos. (joke) Anyway, I find this rather interesting as in my college days, the majority of my friends were….. JAPANESE! I mean, I sorta decided to pack my bags, live and work there for a reason. The Japanese are, with no doubt, the nicest people I’ve ever met! By the time I arrived in Japan, I was fluent in Japanese because all of my Japanese college friends helped me immensely with the language a few years before that. When I arrived in Japan, I lived with my friend’s family for two months. They took very great care of me as I was there until I found an apartment. But no… the Japanese are supposed to hate ME for something that happened before I was even born??? The Japanese have much more class than that; they put people like YOU to shame. This little whiny brat feels that it is right to judge a person based on wars that happened in the past ?

As a matter of fact, friends, one of my students in Japan (I was an English teacher there) was 70 years old – from the WWII days. She was learning English….. *gasps* …. in Japan! She treated me with utmost respect and told me that she wanted to learn English because a lot of people from other English speaking countries were frequenting her liquor shop. Now, would an Americanophobe (who even lived through WWII) come seek me for help? Would an Americanophobe learn English in Japan so that she could chat with other English speaking groups? And for the record, there are thousands of Americans living in Japan… happily.

I also had a Japanese boyfriend and was, overall, well-liked and respected in Japan. If any nation should copy another nation’s “best practices”, Japan should be the role model of the world. Other countries, including America, should be more like the Japanese. And if this is not any indication of a positive experience in Japan, I don’t know what is, folks. I have over 400 photographs showing something a bit.. uh different than “being hated“. That country is amazing, and I wouldn’t be saying that if they all “hated” me or was keeping grudges over past wars like a retard.

And for the love of all that’s green and bushy, the attack on Japan in WWII was JUSTIFIED! Go read about Pearl Harbor and how Japan partook in the Axis of Evil in WWII succumbing to Hitler’s regime. We gave them warnings before the dropping of EACH bomb, and they refused to pay attention. They didn’t surrender until the third time we asked them to. I’m not going to do that research for you because I don’t think you’ll want to read it anyway as god (the secular one) forbid the US should defend herself and do something RIGHT. That picture is too pretty for you.

And of course, you conveniently are ignorant to all other evils in the world (both past and present).

Now, how in the world am I to take the rantings, of an arm-chair political science/international affairs expert wannabee, seriously?

So, you probably want to know why I wasted all this time on an insecure ignoramus who’s probably celebrating his first arm pit hair, right? I’d better waste my time with some more intelligent feedback if I’m going to waste my time at all, right? Well, while that does make better sense, and while this type of goon doesn’t reflect the opinions of the majority in his respective country, I do find more often than not, similar sentiments being expressed on the internet and found it important to voice my feelings on the issue, spread awareness as to what kind of freaks are out there, and debunk yet even more misconceptions about the US – which ultimately is the purpose of this blog… right now.

Suffice it to say that, I found this idiot’s profile picture on Facebook to be the most telling of all.

Now, if that doesn’t spell “insecurity” and a bit of jealousy toward America, I don’t know what does. Additionally, he belongs to the “Canadian Action Party“.

The “Canadian Action Party” is very telling in and of itself. Never mind the fact that Canadians roam about cyberspace flaunting their Canadian Pride and telling all the Americans off simultaneously. Notice how Canadian Pride is non-existent without the mention of the USA. Anyway, lets see what the “Canadian Action Party” is all about. And I quote….

“The Canadian Action Party is, above all, a pro-Canadian party dedicated to the principle that Canada can best serve its citizens and the world by re-claiming and maintaining its political and economic sovereignty as an independent country.

It is opposed to the ascendancy of “corporate rule” and those aspects of unrestricted global investment that promote colonization of the world’s smaller powers and in Canada’s case its absorption by the United States of America.”

Actually, the Canadians DO have the power to un-join NATO. They can make their own computer operating systems, their own websites, their own technologies, and everything else that they’re taking advantage of. I think this makes them feel insecure and weak as a nation – considering how dependent they are. But see, the US depends on goods from China, Japan, and all other parts of the world including Canada, yet… that doesn’t make us feel … small. I love this convenient “blame my sorry-assed life” on America” banter when they’re supposedly a “democracy” to which they claim Canada to be the only nation that truly exercises FREE SPEECH. If they were THAT free, they’d become independent, make their own stuff, get out of NATO, defend their selves militarily (if London, Paris, and Madrid aren’t immune to terrorism, neither are they!) and make changes for themselves without playing the “look what you did to us” card.

The only thing I can think of to explain the type of behavior expressed by this bitter Canadian is that people like to feel a sense of “belonging”. A lot of people don’t question things when everyone’s thinking alike, right? Americanophobic Canadians feel that if the whole world hates America, then that means that America merits the hatred and it’s logical and correct, right? The Nazis in Germany were brainwashed to hate Jews, right? So were two other countries. Weren’t they the majority? Was it right? That’s what the “mob mentality” is all about: feeling validated in a group. When are people going to grow a pair of cahones?

Canadians and Americans Speak Up (Part II)

This is simply a continuation from yesterday’s posting. I’d also like to mention that the purpose of both Part I and Part II of these entries is to challenge those people that have told me that I was overreacting to this phenomenon. Additionally, I was once one of those clueless people, in the past, that had absolutely no idea that Canada (or a rather large percentage of their population) disliked Americans. I didn’t, myself, really “get it” until I saw one rant after another about the internet about how “bad” we are.

I wasn’t too far off when I mentioned in another post that at least half or more of the Canadians were guilty of Americanophobia. Here’s a poll and an article that says that over 40% of Canadian teens think that America is evil. And that’s just the teen population. What do the adults think? I’d rather believe that when kids grow up that they become open-minded, educated, become critical thinkers, and lose some of their prejudices. Well, sometimes this is the case, and sometimes it’s not as I’ve heard that some Canadians were brought up by their parents to hate Americans. And this means that mom and dad had/have their prejudices too.

But let’s go back to the article.

In one telephone poll of teens between the ages of 14 and 18, over 40 per cent of the respondents described the United States as being “evil”. That number rose to 64 per cent for French Canadian youth.

Liberal MP Carolyn Parrish was picked up on a boom microphone saying, “Damn Americans — I hate those bastards“. Not only did Parrish not apologize for her remarks, but she later appeared on a television show hosted by alleged comedian Mike Bullard and laughed about the incident. Parrish played to the Anti-Americanism of the youthful studio audience by saying that she couldn’t guarantee that she wouldn’t do it again.

Not only did then Prime Minister Jean Chrétien not take any action against his staff or caucus members, he himself engaged in America-bashing. The depth of his anti-Americanism surfaced shortly after the 9/11 attacks when he blamed the arrogance and greed of the West (read the United States) for those attacks.

Here is yet another example of how Canadians feel that we deserved 9-11. Canadian media and education is mostly one-sided, so that explains the hostile “mob mentality” of those Canadians that chose to be brainwashed and hand-fed their thoughts.

Crime committed: Arrogance and Greed

Justified punishment: Death (9-11).

Yes, again coming from the same Canadians who are against the death penalty and claim to be “peace-loving”.

THE CANADIANS SPEAK OUT ON FACEBOOK

The name of the topic is, “What Makes You Proud to be a Canadian” in the group, “Canada Kicks Ass“. (Names removed for privacy sake) Let’s here what they had to say:

(Vancouver, BC) wroteon May 21, 2007 at 4:21 PM

The fact that I don’t have my head up my ass, which is the difference that solely defines an American.

(Edmonton, AB) wroteon May 23, 2007 at 1:26 PM

the fact that pretty much anywhere we go, people like us more than americans. also we have a canadian team in the cup finals for the third year in a Row!!

(Vancouver, BC) wroteon Jun 22, 2007 at 5:27 PM

Hockey,Hotter Women,Better Beer,No Ignorence,need i say more.

No ignorance? Hotter women, even? I wonder how they came to that conclusion?

(Algonquin College) wroteon Jul 25, 2007 at 9:28 AM

the fact that everyone likes canada better than the US and (sometimes) go out of thier way to not kill us when we’re touring in africa and europe is well enough for me. Its the respect, dawg

(Burnaby Mountain Secondary) wroteon Dec 7, 2007 at 3:30 PM

The fact that we actually can properly use the term ”Canadian.” The other day I was in portland and someone asked me if I SPOKE Canadian. I was dumbfound and almost started to laugh. I told him i didn’t know of such a language as Canadian but that i definately spoke English.

Surely, one stupid American ruins it for the other 300 million.

(Stayner Collegiate Institute) wroteon Feb 17, 2008 at 9:56 AM

i can tell u the story of our flag
i can tell u the story of our constitution
i can tell u the story of our law
i can tell u that all of canadas stories tell us THAT THIS IS THE GREATEST NATION ON EARTH
…….and…..i can tell u THAT WE ARE THE BIRTH PLACE OF HOCKEY

Notice the subtle references to Americans in comparison. Well, just about all of these posts are. I also find it entertaining that one of the biggest criticisms that they have against Americans is American Patriotism. Lots of pots and lots of kettles calling each other black, no?

(Toronto, ON) replied to [...]’s post on Nov 9, 2007 at 4:56 PM

diversity! were not a melting pot! and we’re free and one of the most friendliest kind of people out there! being canadian is awsome EH!?

Ok. The concept of a “melting pot” (according to Canadians) is to force every ethnic groups that comes to live in the US to become American – meaning to leave your ethnicity at the door and mold yourselves to become just like us, learn English and etc. This is yet another convenient myth that is believed by Americanophobes. We do *not* force people out of their identities. Rather, it’s a mixture of the two. We are more like a Salad Bowl.

We were taught that the salad bowl was the better metaphor for us to learn about American and immigrants. In a salad bowl, different ingredients are all mixed together to make one thing, yet each ingredient also retains its own characteristics. They aren’t blended into some bland goo.

And here’s a good example of that:

Go on and ask your grandma,
Hear what she has to tell
How great to be American
And something else as well.

Hat Tip: Danny Sullivan

I came across a group on Facebook called, “I Hate Everyone Who Hates America“. Granted, the title of this group is a bit strong for me, and could have been worded better. And, mind you, there are plenty of arrogant Americans to go around. But there was some bashing going on here as well. One woman thought that she’d do all of us a favor and define Americans as how she saw fit:

[...]wrote (wall post) at 6:35pm

you only have to look at all the groups on here to see that there are hundreds of “hate america groups”. How come it is only Americans who dont know why they are despised. You just have to read the low level trash from people like Matt to see why Americans are so universally loathed. I suggest you go to a few groups to get a general picture of how americans speak. It doesnt take long to see there are idiots like Matt on every single group.Some uneducated retard saying how great America is.It cannot be denied Americans are uncouth, uneducated low life trash that no more deserve life than a cockroach.

Men trying to be so macho it makes you want to puke. And women so dumb and slutty it sets back the feminist movement years.

Why do Americans have no perception of how shitty they are? How can anyone be so fucking ignorant and so arrogant at the same time ?

It is the unconditional pride which is the most off-putting. How can people be proud of such a shameful and immoral country?

In this group, “I Bet I Can Find 1,000,000 Proud Americans“, a “gentleman” posted a topic defining Americans, and the first post reads:

[...]wrote on Feb 7, 2008 at 4:47 AM

All Americans are flag waving hypocritic smug moralistic intolerant arseholes!

And in this topic, someone mentions the following:

replied to [...] on Feb 10, 2008 at 1:53 PM

Are you all indoctrinated at birth or is it the fact that you are completely blind to the way the rest of the world views you. Do you not know that you are hated with a passion all over the world. Your president is ridiculed, your last few defence secretaries have been discredited, and you have the greatest number of fraudulent “men of god” than in the rest of the entire world. Your health system is accessible only by the rich, racism is prevalent in the south, the jokes I heard coming out of America after the hurricane hit Louisiana, were far greater in number than the assistance offered. Your obesity levels have risen to over 50%, you value celebrities and pay them ludicrous amounts of money in a week which would be more than anything a doctor or a teacher could earn in years.Your defence lawyers have made a mockery of the word justice.

Your gun laws are made by people who benefit vastly in financial terms from the pro gun lobby.

And there is plenty more where that came from. I see this group struggles to gain members, I can understand why.

In a group called, “Canada vs America“, a young man asks Canadians why they hate America. To save some space, you can read what more Canadians think about us here. Additionally, more Facebook Americanophobic hate groups can be found here.

Molson Golden, a Canadian brewing company, had a commercial years ago. It was meant to be funny, and it IS just a commercial. However, it’s as usual, showing Canadian Pride, while giving the US an “innocent” kick in the butt. Watch it here. Is it really necessary to reinforce these stereotypes that Canadians REALLY DO have about Americans? I’ve already found two groups on Facebook that use the following lines (song) as their group motto/mission statement. They DO take it seriously.

If you know anything about Canada at all, you know that we both speak the same. And we’re both the same in regards to diversity as well. I’ve been told by Canadians that they DO, in fact, wear their country’s flag on their backpacks when they travel. But then when Americans show their flags, we get busted. So, there’s some hypocrisy here. And, depending on which province you live in, some people really DO say, “a boot”. But it’s okay. America’s the same in that regard because we speak differently depending on where we live as well. In any event, as “innocuous” as this commercial appears, the message delivered is that of an Americanophobic one.

Next, this article, “George Jonas on Canada’s biggest mistake (or at least some contenders): Separatism, Americanophobia and fence-sitting“, talks a bit about Americanophobic attitudes in Canada. In the comment section of this article, Ambrose99 said the following:

Anti-Americanism is a sacred duty of all thinking people.

Friends of Canadian Broadcasting posted an article, “Why anti-Americanism is as Canadian as Maple Syrup“.

Anti-Americanism is a sort of “legitimate prejudice” in a world of increasingly stringent political correctness. “Substitute any other group for ‘Americans’ in Ms. Parrish’s comments – “Damn Palestinians – hate those bastards’ or Damn Africans – hate those bastards – and imagine the firestorm” (National Post editorial, Feb. 28, 2003). The U.S. is a wonderful whipping-person – so large, so rich, so many nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, such a powerful set of widely-shared values, and such a successful exporter of popular culture. What’s not to “hate” (loathe) if one is an insecure Canadian?

Read the full article here.

Now, I’ve mentioned in previous postings that there’s a group on Facebook called, “Canadians Against Anti-Americanism“. The most telling stories of Canadian’s experience of Americanophobes is mentioned in a topic called, “Why did YOU Join this Group“. Let’s here what they have to say:

(San Jose State) (Canadian living in the US) wrote on Jun 10, 2007 at 10:17 AM

I used to be one of those people who was anti-american for no reason. When we first moved to the States, all our family and friends in Canada warned us that moving here was going to be a big mistake. It turns out they were wrong, and after adjusting to the change, I ended up loving America. I think its sad that Canadians are so easy to spew hateful thoughts about America in order to feel better about themselves. It’s disgusting that I have to defend my new home to my friends in Canada whenever they attack it for no reason. You can hate the administration, but to hate everyone just cause they’re American is..i dunno…stupid. I guess the reason I joined the group was to let my good American friends know that I’m not an UGLY CANADIAN.

[...] replied to[...] post on Jun 10, 2007 at 10:45 AM

I think many Canadians are raised anti-American either from family or the media. The idea that to be Canadian is to be be “not American” is a pretty crappy cultural benchmark. But alas, I will admit that in my less informed days I was like many other Canadians swinging my feet as the bandwagon drove over the bumpy trail. However I have spent some time working with Americans, living with American soldiers while in Afghanistan, and travelling through many states and speaking with Americans and I have found that Americans are often painted by Canadians with the same brush and that should never happen. I will just say that there are a lot of intelligent Americans who are very caring people and want to help other countries. Most Americans I’ve spoken to are more informed about politics and foreign policies than Canadians are and at least when they share their opinion they know what they’re talking about. Many Americans are great people, great neighbours, and an amazing ally and friend to Canada.

(Toronto, ON) wrote on Jun 10, 2007 at 6:44 PM

While travelling in my youth I noticed that fellow travellers from America were treated differently than myself and others. They were often harassed or at least not made to feel welcome. These individuals did not deserve any different treatment than the rest of us and I felt bad for them. Many Canadians wore the maple leaf on their backpacks not as a symbol of pride, but rather as a way to say “I’m not American”. That also felt very wrong to me.As I’ve grown up here in Canada I’ve observed that anti-Americanism seems to have become increasingly acceptable. It has crept into our lives at so many levels that for many people it has become “normal”. Kid’s are subtly fed it in their schools, our national broadcaster treats it as comedy, and our politicians use it to garner popular support. Rather than contributing to my national pride for me it is a source of shame.

Simply put, anti-Americanism is wrong.

(Ottawa, ON) replied to [...] post on Jun 11, 2007 at 1:16 PM

I don’t really have any personal story like the ones above. It’s merely that, I was raised in an anti-American family, and like most of Canada, I was quite anti-American in my formative years. Then I started to think for myself. Once that happened, I stopped believing in God and also stopped believing America was evil.. seems to follow naturally when you actually think for yourself and stop believing everything that’s fed to you.

(Thunder Bay, ON) wrote on Jun 11, 2007 at 2:07 PM

This group and these posts have touched my heart. I am an American who has been living in Canada for the past 25 years. I have heard the anti-American sentiments from friends, family, strangers, the media, etc. Oh yes, anti-Americanism is very hurtful.

I have 4 Canadian/American children and they too have felt the sting of anti-american sentiment at one time or another in their lives.

The absolute worst for us was after 9/11. As a former New Yorker, the attack on the USA and NY was personally horrifying. For many hours and days I wasn’t sure if any of my family or friends had been killed. To see what had happened to my home town was heartbreaking and surreal. Then to hear on the CBC various broadcasts about how the Americans deserved what they got was like rubbing salt in this huge wound.

For years I’ve been telling my husband about the anti-American sentiment in Canada and he denies its existence and minimizes it.

Gee… I surely can relate to that!

So, to read these entries today validates my feelings and in some way it helps to know that there are others out there who feel it and acknowledge that it is wrong. To all of my facebook friends who read this posting, I hope this group and the sentiments expressed here help you become more aware.

I thank all of you.

(Montreal, QC) wrote on Jun 18, 2007 at 8:39 AM

I’m always shocked to find out that most people I meet who have a negative opinion of the U.S. have actually never set foot there. They know no Americans personally. In fact, it would be quite hard for them to interact with America here in Québec, since most of my fellow classmates back when I was in high school and Cégep only spoke French. All they know about America is what they’ve seen on Canadian/Québec TV.

Some seem to believe that hospitals in the U.S. will let you die if you have no money. Some seem to believe that there is no welfare in the U.S. And these same individuals also often believe that all Americans are fat, stupid, ignorant bastards without even an inkling of a culture and a total lack of class. Of course, you know as well as I do that absolutely none of this is true. But THEY still think that, because they don’t know better. If only they were only hurting themselves… When 80% of what you produce gets sold south of the border, these are not very intelligent thoughts to have. And it’s even more economically suicidal and stupid to say it out loud in the media. That doesn’t stop people from doing it. We should be thankful Americans don’t lavish more attention upon Canada and what we think of them. Gosh forbid they ever start focusing on our media, we’ll be in for a rough ride.

(Duluth, MN) replied to Pamela’s post on Jun 19, 2007 at 6:39 PM

My purpose for creating this group was quite simple. Although I am interested in the sociological aspect of Canadians smelling of anti-Americanism, I had no agenda. Just a personal story and a little curiosity…Like many Canadians, I grew up around anti-Americanism. It’s subtle but everywhere. My father would be the first to admit his hatred. However, having been stigmatized as a young school girl, I learned early that judging on the surface of things is hurtful and usually a wrong assumption. At a young age, I questioned my father’s hatred of Americans because I had been hurt by presumptions, too. What if he was wrong and Americans aren’t the bastards he said they were? And it seems I may have been right….

After graduation from high school, I attended college in Wisconsin. It was there that I realized most profoundly that (“SHOCK!”) Americans are people a lot like me! As I grew to know and love my new Americans friends, the anti-American sentiments I heard when I came home began to hurt. It had become personal.

It became even more personal after I found an American guy I thought was wonderful enough to marry. Going home to Canada is always interesting as I watch my father try to hold back his hateful comment about the States. However, he doesn’t always do too well. My husband, who has been nothing but patient with him continues to endure comments like, “All Americans want to do is kill…” or some comment about how awful Bush is (or any president, for that matter). These comments are indirectly aimed at my husband. (This showed me how it is difficult to separate the government of a country from its people.) My brother once blurted out to him in anger, “You’re just pro-American!” (Just what does that mean?!) I can have respect for Canadians who have intelligent reasons to be anti-American but it is Canadians who are anti-American without thought that confound me.

I have called Minnesota home for the past 8 years. I mentioned in a prior post that I have three children who are dual American and Canadian citizens. I want them to proud of BOTH of their countries. However, if they experience the same stigma I have when I come home to Canada, I doubt they will feel as welcome there as they do in the States. We can politicize it all we want and argue socialism versus capitalism but when it all boils down anti-Americanism is a deeply personal issue.

I took 9/11 personally, too. As I watched those planes fly into those towers, I was shocked and angry. For the first time, I was really for the Americans. I was ready to fight for them. And yet, shortly after the attacks, I heard Canadians joking about it saying that they deserved it and using it for comedy. It was disgusting to hear. For the first time, I was actually embarrassed to be a Canadian.

When I visit home, I have a Minnesotan license plate. I was driving through Winnipeg shortly after 9/11 when a fellow Canadian drove by and gave me the finger for no apparent reason than perhaps, I was American? This just made me realize how disgusting we can be.

I am now an American citizen as well as Canadian. Because of this, I have American I.D. It is always an experience for me when I have to show my I.D. in Canada. I consciously think, “Should I show American I.D. or my Canadian I.D?” I consider this because when I show American I.D. I am treated shortly and sometimes rudely. However, when I show Canadian I.D. I get a more friendly response. This is my fun experiment whenever I get to come home.

My assumptions continue to fall to the wayside as I learn to think for myself about America and its citizens. I have learned that most Americans are proud and patriotic, not arrogant. I have learned that they fight for peace and have made many positive changes in the world. I have gained a deeper appreciation not only for Americans but for the many, many good things about America as a country.Not only did I create this group because of my personal connections to the States, I also created this group out of curiosity. Was I alone? Was I the only Canadian who was tired of the anti-Americanism? How aware of it are we? Slowly, but surely, people began joining the group and I must say, I have been encouraged.

I created this group to create discussion and visit about how we can impact our Canadian culture for the better.

And last but not least, from this thread on Facebook:

I can’t imagine anybody needing any more proof than this.

Canadians and Americans Speak Up (Part I)

I just so happened upon this blog that is written by a Canadian who sticks up for Americans and is against Americanophobia that is VERY prevalent in Canada. The author of this blog was asked by a Republican friend if we were hated by Canadians.

I was asked this question today by a new Republican friend of mine, and giving the answer just about broke my heart. What could I say but yes? It’s quite obvious that my home country despises her longtime ally and my adopted homeland.

The United States, as a whole, has an amazingly thick skin. Call their president a moron a few times and they don’t even notice. They still even defend your airspace for you, whether you ask them to or not. But eventually, it starts to seep in that they really just aren’t all that appreciated. My fellow Canadians, let me outline this for you in simple terms: “oh, ****ing ****ty ****. We are so ****ed.”

Feel free to read the rest of his story here along with the comments to his post. I think some of my posts are being misconstrued to sound like I’m insisting that ALL Canadians hate Americans – which is not true. In fact, there are a bunch of Canadians that will report that while they disagree with the Bush administration, that they don’t hate the Americans as human beings. The purpose of my blog is to report that Americanophobia DOES exist. And I’m not about to believe that the amount of Canadians and even others living in industrialized nations are just a small few. At least it’s not obvious based on my personal experience, the experience by other Americans, and the backlash from the Canadian community who is firmly AGAINST Americanophobia.

I also expect other Americans to be unaware of Americanophobia in Canada. After all, our media is, for the most part, very hush hush about this. It IS true that many don’t know of it as I’ve mentioned in previous postings. There is also a lot of denial and apathy toward how Canadians feel about us.

Paranoid, as I may seem as I’m so passionate about this subject, I beg to differ. Let’s listen to more opinions made by Canadians as to what they think (not of our just our government), but of the people living in the US. Coming from the blog post above, some Canadians had some things to get off of their chests:

(sic) canadians do hate Americans. You are right about that. Its the toughts of people line JON PURGASON that made us that way. To be truthful, the only thing i felt sorry about in Sept 11, 2001 was the innocents that were harmed in the WTC. Americans cry “boo hoo, poor me” why? Because someone finally kicked the mighty US in the ass? and expect people to feel sorry for them? screw them! The reason terrorists hate america so much is because America cant keep they’re friggin noses out of where it doesnt belong. America attacks Iraq under the pretense that they have weapons of mass destruction. I have yet to see evidence to support that fact. The real reason is one thing, OIL! exchange a few thousand american lives and our prices go up in the market again. Thats a fair trade.

I’ll put it this way: Canadians dont need americans for **IT. Americans need canadians for our resources. The only bad thing is that america is between Mexico and Canada. They our not our soldiers in Iraq, They are yours. Kill em all if you want. Dont expect sympathy from us. WE HATE GEORGE W BUSH! THANK YOU FOR BOMBING CANADIAN SOLDIERS IN AFGHANISTAN WHEN WE ARE TRYING TO HELP YOU. **** YOU! ALLY, YEAH RIGHT. WHO NEED’S TERRORISTS WHEN WE HAVE A HARD TIME JUST WATCHING OUR BACKS FROM YOU.

And to think that I’ve been called “paranoid”?

One of the last commenters from that blog post above replied,

(sic) I am attending an international school in Grenada. For the first time in my life, I have Canadian students for classmates. I never new that our [america] neighbors hated us so much. I know the rest of the world hates America, but I never expected out of the Canadians.

CANADA’S AMERICANOPHOBIA

There’s a rising tide of Anti-Americanism in Canada. It’s partly about anti-war sentiment, which runs deep in this country. It’s partly about the perception of George W. Bush as a cowboy. But it’s largely about America’s wealth and power. And in that sense, anti Americanism is as pernicious as anti-Semitism, rooted in envy rather than grievance.

In a fashionable Montreal restaurant the other night, one man’s loud table talk included frequent references to “les maudits Americains,” in the same contemptuous tone some Quebecers once spoke of “les maudits Juifs.” In Toronto, in Ottawa, and everywhere in our English media, we constantly refer to “the Americans,” the way the Americans might talk about their inlaws — a bother in their lives.

An American commenter on the above blog post replied the following:

As a student, I listen tirelessly every day to sanctimonious reasons as to why Canadians are the God of the universe and how Americans are the pond scum that deserve to be deprived of human rights. I listen tirelessly, as teachers and academics strive to preach the peacefulness of Canada and the stupidity of the trigger-happy Americans. If I am to argue with these notions, I am maimed anti-Canadian and verbally spat upon.

You can read the full story here.

MORE CANADIAN AMERICANOPHOBIA

In polite conversation, I’ve come across a fellow traveler who discussed their latest trip to Cuba as a refreshing vacation away from the Canadian winter without all the Americans. On another occasion, a person made some rather bold comments about Southerners based on “several” visits to Myrtle Beach, SC and Houston, TX. I’m still a bit baffled as to how “several” visits translates into such insight on Southern culture. I got the distinct impression this was an instance of someone harping on Southern peculiarities to reinforce stereotypes.

However, the most troubling part is that, when identified, even by fellow Canadians (e.g., Andrew Cohen), the trend continues unabated. In fact, it seems dangerously acceptable.

As this post, no doubt, admits, Canada possesses its own unique brand of negative perceptions of the US, and they may or may not influence foreign policy. But it seems more than presumptuous, if not dubious, to contend that they shape Canada’s internationalism.

Read the entire story here.

AMERICANOPHOBIA AND CANADA

Americanophobia sells in Canada, and Bush-bashing reaps bounty. Especially East of Portage and Main in Winnipeg, Canadians love to hate Americans. And, despite denials, the reek of bigotry, bias, and ethnocentrism is hard to miss. In recent years it’s reached new heights with George W. Bush in control of the oval office, but prior to that, the insidious existence of Americanophobia has long been a part of Eastern Canadian culture.

Continued here.

THE SICKNESS OF CANADIAN AMERICANOPHOBIA

Canadian Anti-Americanism has always been a perfect reflection of the pathological nature of Anti-Americanism as a whole. Indeed, in Canada, where I am a citizen and have grown up most of my life, Anti-Americanism has literally defined the national identity and culture of this country – and in the most repulsive and embarrassing ways.

This psychic illness is founded on Canada’s desperate desire to be “different” than the Americans — a result of Canada being built on the “counter-revolution.” When the British colonies revolted against their masters in 1776, Canadians became the first anti-Americans. Canada is based on anti-Americanism. Without anti-Americanism — as one author has quipped — Canada would cease to exist.

More on this article here.

MORE AMERICANOPHOBIA IN CANADA

Anti-Americanism continues to grow more powerful and to mutate into increasingly bizarre and pathological forms. After 9/11, masses of people from all over the world not only celebrated America’s tragedy, but even blamed the victims rather than the perpetrators for the terrorist attacks.

We know all too well about the Canadians who celebrated 9-11 with joy as exemplified toward the bottom of this post that I wrote last week. A Canadian blogger commented in agreement in the comment section of that post to which he, too, has covered similar material in his blog.

To continue on about the article written by Jamie Glazov on mainstream Americanophobia in Canada, she continues….

In this context, it is time, once again, to take a close look at anti-Americanism. What are its causes? What new forms is it shaping into? What are its consequences to our future? To discuss these and other questions related to the hatred of America, Frontpage Symposium has invited Paul Hollander, Professor Emeritus of Sociology at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and author of Political Pilgrims, anti-Americanism and most recently Discontents: Postmodern and Postcommunist; Stanley Kurtz, a research fellow at the Hoover Institution and a contributing editor at National Review Online; Dan Flynn, the Executive Director of Accuracy In Academia (AIA) and the author of “Why the Left Hates America” and Victor Davis Hanson, currently a visiting professor of military history at the US Naval Academy and author of the new book An Autumn of War: What America Learned from September 11 and the War on Terrorism.

Several people are interviewed in this article and give their opinions on the dominant Americanophobia in Canada:

As I grew up in Canada, I noticed that many people hate America. This confused me profoundly. I always wondered: how could you hate such a beautiful nation, a nation that gives so much freedom and protects freedom throughout the world?

Is there any easy answer to this? Indeed, why is there such a strong strain of anti-Americanism that is constant, anti-empirical, and seems to persist no matter what issue is raised?

Flynn answers the questions above and writes,

Flynn: As I point out in “Why the Left Hates America,” anti-Americanism is the religion for people who hate religion. It comes complete with a devil (the United States); sacred texts (I, Rigoberta Menchu, The Communist Manifesto, etc.); saints (Noam Chomsky, Mumia Abu-Jamal); zeal (in putting together my book I was attacked, subjected to a book burning, and ejected from a conference for dissent); and many of the other characteristics that we find in various faiths.

This Frontpage article covers significantly more reasons as to why we’re hated. It’s an amazingly fantastic and informative read for anybody who is interested in examining this subject in depth. Facts are not always that scary. Sometimes you can learn from them.

Are Anti-American attitudes justifiable?

Yes. 41% [ 144 ] No. 58% [ 202 ]

I found this poll in a Canadian Forum. The original poster is an Americanophobe and explains why. Clearly this doesn’t depict every Canadian (and we know this poll isn’t scientific), but the 41% who feels that the Americanophobic attitude is justified speaks volumes. Can we jump to conclusions and assume that they’re talking about anti-Bush rather than Anti-all-Americans? For me, however, I associate Americanophobia with a disliking to the American people as a whole. For example, there are brutal leaders in the world that make Bush appear like a meek little kitten. Let’s take the situation with Iraq under Saddam (before he was killed and was in power). We cannot deny that he was a brutal dictator and horrible to his people and to other countries as well. With that said, I could never say that I was anti-Iraq or even anti-Iraqi. However, I would express my sorrow for the citizens who were oppressed under his leadership. The same goes for people who live in Arab countries living an oppressed life.

I mean, how could you be anti any country because of the way their leader behaves? But then again, it wasn’t like his people voted him in as with Bush. While that’s a good argument, at the same time, it isn’t a reason to be an Americanophobe because, well… it’s all explained here. With that said, being Americanophobic is unjustified. Because being an Americanophobe means that you, by default, and blindly hate people that you’ve never met before. And even considering all those in Iraq who supported Saddam… why make blanket statements about the country and it’s people as a whole? It’s stupid. And it’s ignorant. And juvenile at best.

There are over 30 million people that live in Canada, and quite obviously, I don’t pretend to know how each individual feels about Americans or America. However, if it were just a small minority of people that hated Americans, there wouldn’t be so much ado about it in mediums all over both the Canadian and American press and throughout social networks and websites all over the internet. If you still don’t believe me, just Google the following: “Anti-Americanism in Canada” or “Canadians hate Americans“. The search results will amaze you! Then go on Youtube and type into the search field, “Anti-Americanism” and/or “I hate Americans” and be prepared to see video after video, ad nauseam, on the negative reactions all over the world pertaining to America and Americans. It’s not a rocket science!

For “brevity” sake (if that’s what you can call it) *grin*, I’m going to stop here. But there’s always more, and I could always go on as there is *literally* endless information to further my argument that most Canadians (or very close to most) hate Americans.. as a whole. However, the sole purpose of this blog is to confront the distorted views of both America and it’s people. Help yourself to all the linkage on my site for more information in the case that anybody is confused.

America: “The Homogeneous Land of the Racist and Intolerant”

I’ve been American for 39 years. Canadians who have never lived in the US before have been telling me this over the last few months… that we aren’t multicultural, that we hate gays, and are a bunch of racists. Suffice it to say that this “news” is coming from the Canadian Americanophobic Group ‘Think’ Tank. Of course, some Europeans believe the same thing – yes, Europeans who’ve never ventured to America. The BBC and the CBC is an Americanophobic’s best friend – not to mention their outdated fairy taled textbooks from 1934.

Canadians think that multiculturalism is one of the best things about their country. “America sucks because the white man oppresses the minorities” …so they say. My feelings? I am both shocked, confused, and angry when I hear this. Not because I’m in denial, but because we are no more or less multicultural than Canada!

When the topic of racism or intolerance of religion or lack of, or homosexuality is brought up, in the same breath/sentence, Americans are brought into this subject all the time. Canada is apparently “morally superior” as they accept “dual citizenship”. Here are some words from a proud Canadian that is not necessarily Americanophobic. But the very fact that the below is practically unknown in the US is what is troubling. She states…,

Planning a Trip to Canada? (What the American Media Won’t Tell You)

I wholeheartedly recommend that you think this through first before you make any decisions … whether you’re going to Canada on trip or moving there. I’m not trying to talk you out of it, but there are a few things that you should know that the American media won’t tell you.

Many Canadians hate Americans. I’ve mentioned some things that they dislike about us in this post. But that’s not even the tip of the iceberg.

Hear from one American Expat from Texas (wow that’s a double charge right there, right? TX, US Yikes!):

It is not at all unusual to have a completely random Canadian make some snide comment about the current White House administration – with the obvious assumption that I must agree with them. Why else would I be seeking safety in the welcoming busom of Canada if it wasn’t to get away from the neo-fascist regime of Bush? An equally interesting phenomenon is that these people invariably believe they know everything there is to know about the American political landscape – and are more than happy to share with me exactly what is wrong with America (hint: pretty much everything), how we need to go about fixing things, and especially how Canada is a “civil society” while America is peopled with ignorant savages relishing the death of anyone that stands in the way of our pursuit of empire. OK – perhaps that last bit smacks of hyperbole – but not by much.

Someone on Yahoo Answers who’s currently living in Ontario posted a question, “Why do Canadians Hate Americans?”

I have lived in Ontario for a while now, and I am tired of having everyone tell me that all Americans are illiterate gun-toting hicks. Not that they mean me personally, but they mean all of my friends, family and everyone else I ever knew.

Someone named, “Sadealz” replied,

I never knew they felt this way about americans.

Actually, MOST Americans don’t know this. Keep in mind, the US relies heavily on Canada and Canada relies heavily on us in terms of trading. Do you think our government would allow our media outlets to tell Americans how poorly they think of us and how many Canadians celebrated and applauded 9-11 and felt that we deserved it? (Hypocrisy: Those same Canadians also claim to be against the death penalty and all about being “peace-loving”)

One of the last commenters from this blog post above replied,

(sic) I am attending an international school in Grenada. For the first time in my life, I have Canadian students for classmates. I never new that our [america] neighbors hated us so much. I know the rest of the world hates America, but I never expected out of the Canadians.

Another person (Jade) replied:

Seriously, I also think alot of their press tends to point fingers at us and call us bad names. (Because Canada is SOOOOO great and all and we are the wild, rouge, cousin to the south.) My Uncle lives in Ontario and he says the press really makes us out to be heathens. No wonder why people think that when that is what they see and hear all the time without having experienced it first hand. People always assume the worst.

Makes perfect sense after reading, this, this, and this. And we know that the BBC and Der Spiegel aren’t any less guilty.

Indeed you are correct, nothing is ruder than an Eastern Canadian realizing you’re an American visiting their country. When my family took a summer vacation in Nova Scotia the populace could not have been more rude or mocking of us- our accents, our clothes, our careful review of the currency that wasn’t ours. Most often it was guys in plaid shirts calling us F___s for wearing t-shirts!? I never again will spend money in Canada. Their rudeness is only matched by their lack of self-awareness regarding their rudeness. In the Maritimes. I’ve been told Vancouver is more open, but still, more provincial and monocultural than any US city. –DCER (reply #27)

Randall who lived in Montreal replies,

I’ve noticed this too! I live in the United States but go to school in Montreal, and it really does seem that all Canadians hate Americans. Part of it is that they seem to feel like they are culturally superior to us, i.e. Americans are all sort of uncultured swines, but they have culture. A lot of it has to do with the media, too. Americans and Bush in particular are given a really bad rap by Canadian and other international news broadcasts and newspapers. They also feel like they are politically ahead of us because of their laws on many social issues. Some of it must be jealousy though as well because when does Canada get any recognition in the world? And, let’s face it, Canada is very dependent upon America for all sorts of things and if America were to go down, Canada would go with it. Canadians don’t like this dependency upon another nation.

I never could understand why some throw the “culture card” at us. It makes no sense. But I attempted to explain it here. If you don’t want to read the entire post, you can just scroll down to the part of the entry where I talk about “culture”.

The Americanophobic Canadians do have a long list of inane complaints about Americans (that have nothing to do with Bush, Gitmo, Abu Ghraib, and the Iraqi War, by the way) which I’ve discussed in great length on my blog, so to avoid being redundant, I won’t get into everything here. However, these two posts will give you an idea of the over-the-top Americanophobia in Canada:

• Canadians and Americans Speak Up Part I
• Canadians and Americans Speak Up Part II

Here’s something else to look at: Anti-Americanism is spoonfed to Canadians in grade school.

It’s not just overreaction or Yankee imagination. Anti-Americanism is not only alive and well, it’s spoon fed in Canada.

The Three `Rs, Canada style, have been teaching school children as young as grade school an image of Americans as dishonourable, churlish and even bullying. This less than admirable image emerges in a presented this week to the Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences, hosted by the University of Manitoba.

Down through the decades, in Canadian textbooks American society has been portrayed as revolutionary and lawless. America’s contribution to World War 1 is dismissed, textbook form, as coming late, when the tide had already turned.

America’s children are portrayed as being brought up in “filthy tenements, driven out upon the streets to play in `gangs’,” according to a 1934 textbook that was prevalent in Canadian classrooms of the day.

In contrast, Canadians are depicted as orderly, harmonious and gentlemanly.

States the study author: “After the Second World War, the United States emerged as a champion of democracy around the world. This allowed Canada to trumpet its status as middle-power to negotiate and compromise in a way that the United States couldn’t.”

This explains where little Paulie (Martin), little Johnny (Chretien) and the plethora of Anti-American Canadian journalists got their base for Yankee bashing. They, too are among the masses, which were educated in Canadian classrooms.

Running for re-election in the Canadian June 28 federal election are Carolyn Parrish, a Liberal MP who stated publicly “I hate those American bastards” and MP Colleen Beaumier, whose visit and sympathies for Iraq earned her the nickname “Baghdad Beaumier“.

Meanwhile, while Anti-Americanism flourishes in America’s next door neighbour, the U.S. is Canada’s number one trading partner and because of Canada’s marginalized Armed Forces, its chief protector.

Clearly there’s some indoctrination going on there. Nobody can deny that. However, most interestingly enough, that’s one of their big criticisms against the US as noted in the comment section of this article:

How can I continue or have respect for a nation of citizens who choose to be (sic) indoctinatred on their own free will? Who are letting their system of government slide towards fascism without lifting a finger?

Insanity! We have just as much control over Bush being elected twice as they do have control over Harper and any other prime minister that submits to Bush. On just about every account, there’s much hypocrisy to be noted. Canada turns a convenient blind-eye to themselves. I don’t know about the Canadian system of voting, but in the US, we have an electoral system where not the popular vote wins, but the electoral college vote wins. And for the record. Al Gore won the popular vote back in 2000 – *not* Bush. Fifty-one percent wanted Bush back into office in 2004, and at that time, he did win the popular vote. I cannot understand how Americanophobic Canadians think that we’re “not lifting a finger” after several attempts to get him impeached. This is further proof that Canadian Americanophobia is not only hypocritical and selfish, but also ignorant.

Many Americans are brainwashed by the media over here. But just as many Canadians are brainwashed by their own media systems. Ignorance is on BOTH ends. So is stupidity.

And if that wasn’t enough….

This particular article hit me the most of all: “Before You Flee to Canada, Can We Talk?”

…So I could certainly identify with the disappointed John Kerry supporters who started fantasizing about moving to Canada after Nov. 2. But after nearly four years as an American in the Great White North, I’ve learned it’s not all beer and doughnuts. If you’re thinking about coming to Canada, let me give you some advice: Don’t.

Although I enjoy my work and have made good friends here, I’ve found life as an American expatriate in Canada difficult, frustrating and even painful in ways that have surprised me. As attractive as living here may be in theory, the reality’s something else. For me, it’s been one of almost daily confrontation with a powerful Americanophobia that pervades many aspects of life. When I’ve mentioned this phenomenon to Canadian friends, they’ve furrowed their brows sympathetically and said, “Yes, Canadian Americanophobia can be very subtle.” My response is, there’s nothing subtle about it…

Read the full story here.

I have another one that I’d like to share:

Kash Rezaee (Toronto, ON) wrote
at 11:46pm on July 6th, 2008

Ok, today I was at Eaton Center’s Sears store and I happened to be shopping at Canada gift shop for a friend. The lady at the cash desk was talking to an Indian-American family in front of me and she loudly said: Are you from America? Well, I hate Americans. I didn’t care as she didn’t address me and I was not an American and the clueless Indian family probably didn’t care enough to say any thing back. But when I got to her I threw the t-shirt I wanted to buy and I said I am not buying this because you said you hate Americans. I tried to cool off by wandering around the shops but couldn’t, so I went back to her and asked to see her supervisor. The supervisor was not around so I asked to get her manager’s phone #. I talked to Ed (manager of the shop) & I told him the story that how I was offended. He, the gentleman he was, apologized and promised to take action immediately. Long story cut short, all I’m sayin is that how ugly this sense of Americanophobia is among some idiots in Canada

Need more proof? Just check my link section under “Americanophobia – not just Bush’s fault” and take a good long look at my sidebar which features too many accounts of Canadian bigotry toward Americans.

Visit Canada if you like. Go and live there. Maybe you’ll experience something different. The purpose of this post is to prepare YOU for what you may encounter. I remember in my college days that I decided very early on that I wanted to live in Japan. Most of my friends in college were Japanese. If they warned me once, they warned me dozens of times of what negative things I could expect from living there. Figuratively speaking, I was “well-armed” (typical yank, right? ) when I got there. However, not everything they said was spot on – even though the warnings came from Japanese nationals, themselves. Nonetheless, I was very grateful for all the advice I received.

We need to be more aware of how the world see us, anyway.

How to Hate America

I mean, c’mon. If you’re going to hate America, at least do it properly. If you’re still an amateur at it, watch this video for some some tips from an expert.

Why are Americans so fat? And are THEY the fattest?

UPDATE (as of June 20th, 2008): Breaking News

Australia has officially become the Fattest

Nation on Earth!

AUSTRALIA has become the fattest nation in the world, with more than 9 million adults now rated as obese or overweight, according to an alarming new report.

The most definitive picture of the national obesity crisis to date has found that Australians now outweigh Americans and face a future “fat bomb” that could cause 123,000 premature deaths over the next two decades.

Read the rest here.

This is nothing to celebrate over. It just goes to show you how the Americanophobic stereotypes don’t hold much weight, do they? (no pun intended)

In yet another futile attempt to humble imperialistic America off of her self-absorbed, “high and mighty” throne, Canadians and Europeans (both equally guilty on this one) remind us about the obesity epidemic in America on a daily basis… as if we didn’t know. “You yanks suck cuz you’re all FAT!” – I hear over and over and over again. I am genuinely clueless as to how our problem with obesity is affecting these people so much as to become obsessed with Fat America? Where is the hurt and anger coming from? Or is it one’s insecurity needing to be built up to feel secure? Is it about control? Is it envy? American Obesity is useful ammunition for those taking digs at the US. What does this accomplish, though? Nothing. Will we still be fat? Yes. Will we humble up and realize that we’re aren’t …. all that? No. Why? Because FAT-O-PHOBIA exists in the US as well…. believe it or not. Quite naturally, the BBC with an Americanophobic agenda won’t tell you something like that. They want YOU to think we’re “obesity-loving”. They also fail to provide the correct facts. Let’s take a look at the REAL statistics. Sixty million Americans are obese. This is 20% of the population unlike the “over 50%” that you learned on the CBC or the BBC. Could it be that your media got us confused with the middle east where over 50% of the women are obese? Aaah… I’ll let that one slide. You ARE aware that over 300 million people live in the US, right? So, how would YOU explain for the 240 million that AREN’T obese? I’ll wait on that answer, but let’s continue…

A woman from Britain (living in the US) writes an article on this very topic relating to some controversial news that she read on the “Times Online” by a columnist from the UK.

The article postulates that fatness and obesity are directly related to poverty and ignorance; that rich, educated people are rarely fat. Also, it says, “Obese means not just podgy, but dangerously, disablingly, distastefully fat, as in American fat.”

Not just in this article, but whenever I travel outside this country, I find the topic comes up an inordinate number of times. “Oh, you live in America; isn’t everyone beastly and fat over there?” To which, after today’s article, I can now respond “No, only the poor, stupid ones, apparently.“

I’d like to take some time here and clear up some misconceptions that people all over the world have about American Obesity.

First off, we invented it. It’s ours. Stop copying us. Obesity is one of those precious freedoms our ancestors fought for. We get to keep it.

On a serious note, according to this article, Australia is tied with the US in the “fat wars“. (They ARE one competitive group, aren’t they?)

Australians are now equal with Americans as the most overweight people in the world, with a new study showing that the rate of obesity in Australia has more than doubled in the past 20 years.

Professor Zimmet said an obesity summit held in NSW last year estimated it costs the nation up to $13 billion a year.

Nearly a million Australians now have type 2 diabetes. The figure has quadrupled in the past 20 years and led experts to coin the term “diabesity”.

This site addresses issues regarding the obesity crisis among adolescents in Australia.

Unfortunately, weight problems are common among adolescents in Australia. At least 1 in 4 young people in high school in Australia are overweight or obese.

Additionally, in Australia, obesity weighs in as a $21 billion-a-year disease. Do they eat twinkies over there too?

OBESITY cost Australians $21 billion last year in direct spending, disability and premature death, according to a report to be released in Canberra today.

And it is likely to get worse, with the Access Economics report estimating that by 2025 as many as 7.2 million Australians or 28.9 per cent of the population could be obese — and that’s obese, not just overweight.

How much weight can we put into all these statistics? Are they really tied with America? Another source notes that Australia is the fifth largest nation in the world.

Australia is now one of the fattest nations in the developed world, according to a new international report which singles out the country’s sky-rocketing obesity rate.

But again, 1 in 4 Australians….

But it was one of the worst performers on obesity, thanks to new statistics showing almost one in every four Australians now has a body mass index (BMI) over 30.

As of March 2008, Mexico is now the 2nd fattest nation in the world. America is now tied with Mexico. Greece and England aren’t all too far behind.

I was surprised to read this:

Australians are gaining weight even faster than people in the US, a notoriously fat nation.

“Using consistent measures of obesity over time, the rate of obesity has more than doubled over the past 20 years in the United States, while it has almost tripled in Australia,” states the report, Health at a Glance 2007.

Here’s my biggest problem: Nobody ever thinks to mention other parts of the world who are having similar problems. It’s always “The Americans“. My guess is that Americans get far way too much television and generalized media exposure across the globe. What can I say? We’re so “hated” that the world is obsessed with us. At the end of the day, Bush and the Iraqi War have very little to do with the collective bigotry toward Americans.

Also in regards to being simply over-weight, here’s an interesting chart that lists 194 countries and the “fat rank” in each one. And with that said, Canada doesn’t have TOO much to brag about.

To debunk another myth about obesity in America, it is thought by people from other countries that we are apathetic toward this crisis or even insomuch to embrace it with pity, adoration, and admiration. In this topic on Facebook, “Why does America have a bad image?“, one member suggests the following:

(sic) It’s a perculiar social quirke that drug addiction is often perceived as so evil, along with self-harm, and yet obesity is overlooked. Even though as you have said over-eating is a form of self medication and a form of self-harm. So shouldn’t that be looked upon in the same way?

It is probably due to misconceptions that obesity is a sign of wealth, that being fat is not looked down upon as drug addiction is.

Any Americans reading this with a half a brain would know that the above couldn’t be farther from the truth. While it IS true that Americans are more tolerant (somehow the Anti’s conveniently confuse tolerance with adoration) toward obese folk, fat people are far from being overlooked, and we ARE looked down upon *significantly* MORE than drug addicts or anyone else with unhealthy addictions.

—————————————-

Who’s going to get more pity: Fat people or druggies?

Druggies.

Who’s going to get more dates? Fat people or druggies?

Typically druggies are thin, so… druggies.

Who’s capable of giving a better first impression? Fat people or druggies?

Druggies. They aren’t stoned ALL the time. They are, again, mostly slender, and looks are EVERYTHING when it comes to 1st impressions.

—————————————–

America is just as superficial as every other country in the world. The only reason America appears to be “fat-loving” is because there are so many of us and also because victims of any societal prejudice and mindless cliches tend to be quite loud — and RIGHTFULLY SO! Being against the target of stereotypes is not the same thing as being “Pro-Fat”. Still not convinced? Try seeing a doctor or land in an emergency room in the US about a problem unrelated to obesity and be FAT. I’d be curious to hear your results. In the US, only a minority of doctors don’t bully or condescend to fat people. Read this and the comments (it’s very long but if you’re not American and/or fat, I can assume you’re not lazy, right?) that follow the article.

In fact, in America the fat are looked down upon MORE than murderers/criminals. Criminals get all sorts of letters in prison from women and men all the time. The worse the crime, the more love letters they get. There is much lust in society even on a global level for serial killers. If you didn’t already know this, shame on you!

And for the love of all that’s ‘holy’, OBESITY IS *NOT* A SIGN OF WEATH. Rather, just the opposite is true. The media outlets in Europe and Canada (because they are the “peace-loving” elitists staunchly against the evil capitalists), want YOU to believe that Americans eat out of pure greed and are a part of the “I-want-it-ALL/Evil-Capitalist-hog-resource-leeching-syndrome”. Some of you Europeans and Canadians are conveniently confusing the general public with the Corporate Giants that rule the US. The rich make up the smaller percentage in the US.

Most obese people are poor.

At an upcoming conference at the University of Chicago, researchers will investigate why obesity is now a bigger threat to poor people than starvation in the United States, and is growing in danger across the world. As scientists declare a “global epidemic of fat,” the University’s Center for Gender Studies will host the Obesity and Poverty Conference on Friday and Saturday, March 1 and 2, to address the sometimes surprising cultural and medical reasons why the poor in post-industrial nations are now more likely than the rich to be dangerously overweight. This interdisciplinary conference will bring together doctors, scientists and humanists to analyze a paradoxical new world situation.

The ex-pat British blogger comments,

We shop at Whole Foods (a healthy, largely organic food supermarket) and Publix (a major supermarket chain). It is patently obvious upon simply perusing the receipts that when we do a weekly shop at Whole Foods, we are paying around $100 more than when we do it at Publix.

Healthy, natural foods are more expensive than processed crap. I recently heard an old lady in the checkout line explaining, as though ashamed since no one had asked her, that she was buying a loaf of 20 cent supermarket-brand white bread because it was all she could afford.

It is ridiculously cheap to buy fatty, greasy, and sugary food in the US compared to those foods that are healthy.

Eating right, new research shows, is getting so expensive that millions of Americans can’t afford it.

In what is believed to be the first study of its kind, researchers at the University of Washington focused on the cost of eating foods that are rich in nutrients, and low in calories, like fresh vegetables, whole grains, fish and lean meats. That’s the stuff we’re told we have to eat if we are going to shed a few pounds and remain healthy.

But when the researchers checked prices at numerous stores around the Seattle area, they found that the good, healthy foods had soared in price over a two-year period, jumping by nearly 20 percent compared to a 5 percent increase in the overall food price inflation. And during that same period, high-calorie foods had remained about the same price, and in some cases had actually dropped.

Research explains another reason why some poor people are fat.

Many of our stereotypes about fat people, besides being cruel, are myths. Recent medical research shows that being overweight may not be a sign of prosperity at all, but of past poverty and starvation. The body has natural defenses against starvation, and when it experiences enough of it, it slows down the body’s metabolism to make less food go further. Because poor people are more likely to go through periods of starvation than rich people, they are more likely to trigger these natural defense mechanisms.

One can exercise, right? After all, it’s free! Wrong. Eating nothing but crap makes you feel like crap, and the last thing that you want to do is exercise (especially if you suffer from depression). And before you call Americans, “lazy”, read this.

To also debunk the myth that most Americans just simply don’t care about their weight….

(sic) American society has a neurotic obsession about weight. It worships an ultra-thin “ideal” personified by gaunt models and waif-like celebrities. So intense is the social pressure to conform to this unnatural weight that 200,000 American women suffer anorexia nervosa each year from trying. (1)

The flip side of this neurosis is intolerance towards fat people. And when such people also claim to be poor, critics can — and often do — erupt in open hostility.

Like so many prejudices, this one is rooted in myth. Dr. Martin Seligman, an authority on obesity, writes: “Nineteen out of twenty studies show that obese people consume no more calories each day than non-obese people. In one remarkable experiment, a group of very obese people dieted down to only 60 percent overweight and stayed there. They needed one hundred fewer calories a day to stay at 60 percent overweight than normal people needed to stay at a normal weight.” (2)

What’s going on here? In 1995, Dr. Jules Hirsch of Rockefeller University published the results of a landmark study that proved that the body has a “thermostat” when it comes to maintaining its natural weight. His research team recruited 18 people who were obese and 23 who had never been overweight. They were required to live at a clinical center while their diet and activities were carefully controlled. In volunteers who gained weight, metabolism was speeded up by 10 percent to 15 percent. In those who lost weight, metabolism was 10 percent to 15 percent slower than normal. (3)

In other words, when people fall below their natural weight, their bodies slow down metabolism to try to regain it. When people gain weight, it speeds up metabolism to burn it off.

Feel free to read more here.

Other critics of fat people will accuse them of making up excuses and also think that fat people are happy.

My question is

1. Why would someone want to purposefully gain weight just for the sake of it?
2. How on earth could a fat person possibly be content in a world where they are globally harassed, mocked and ridiculed by the majority?

Fat people are unhealthy. When you’re unhealthy, you don’t feel well. When you don’t feel well, you’re not happy. Even on the rare occasion where an obese person is loved and accepted by friends and family members, NOBODY is happy being LARGE. It’s unsexy. It’s VERY inconvenient, and it’s harder to move, have sex, take a shower, climb stairs, and participate in the things in life that give us pleasure that slender people can do effortlessly. There’s no rhyme or reason why anybody would envy the obese.

Read this blog post written by a doctor and then read the comments for an eye-opener.

And if you’re still not convinced that fat-a-phobia doesn’t exist in the US, read this.

FEBRUARY 1–Mississippi legislators this week introduced a bill that would make it illegal for state-licensed restaurants to serve obese patrons. Bill No. 282, a copy of which you’ll find below, is the brainchild of three members of the state’s House of Representatives, Republicans W. T. Mayhall, Jr. and John Read, and Democrat Bobby Shows. The bill, which is likely dead on arrival, proposes that the state’s Department of Health establish weight criteria after consultation with Mississippi’s Council on Obesity. It does not detail what penalties an eatery would face if its grub was served to someone with an excessive body mass index.

More examples of fat-o-phobia in America can be found, here, here, and here.

Here are some clues as to how people can get fat. (It is much more complex than than the overly simplistic black and white views that fat people get fat simply from eating too much of the wrong foods.)

There are some diseases and other physiological problems that actually cause obesity. Let’s take a look at them.

• Prader-Willi Syndrome
• Leptin

Obesity has become an all too common condition in many of the world’s industrialized societies today and is continuing to rise at an alarming rate. In the United States, which currently has the highest rate of obesity of any country in the world, some 60 million (out of 300 million) adults are classed as being obese and a staggering 9 million adults are considered to be severely or morbidly obese.

Although at first sight it might seem that this is simply the result of changes to our diet and a dramatic drop in the level of physical activity for many Americans in recent years, the reality is that scientific studies into the causes of obesity show that the condition results from a complex combination of factors. One such factor which has come under increasing examination over the past ten years or so is genetics and, in particular, the genes involved in the regulation of leptin within the body.

Continued reading about Leptin here.

• Cushings Disease and Cushings Syndrome (watch the below video and read Kate’s story here.)

• Hypothyroidism
• PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome)
• Genes

Psychological and Environmental causes of obesity:

• Lack of Serotonin and Depression

High-carbohydrate meal changes the odds in favor of tryptophan by increasing insulin, which pulls competing amino acids out of our blood and into our cells. Even though the actual amount of tryptophan in the blood hasn’t changed, more passes into the brain. This helps to explain why people often feel comforted after eating carbohydrate-rich foods (e.g., cake) and depressed people tend to binge on more carbohydrates.

For those that gain weight from over-eating fatty foods do so due to depression and post-traumatic stress disorders. This is fact. Fatty foods aid the brain to secrete a chemical called, “serotonin” which relieves depression temporarily. It is a trend that with those sexually abused as a child, grow to become very fat. This is a fact that cannot be disputed. Eating too much is not the result of ALL mood disorders, of course. However, those that over-eat are, in fact, not happy and are self-medicating. Everyone copes in their own way and over-eating is one of them. Canadians would be just as susceptible as Americans, right? But it could very well be that we’re a more depressed nation. Just ask yourself which is the most dangerous country to live in out of all the developed countries out there?

The reason it is so difficult to alter bad eating habits is that depleted, low levels of a chemical communicator in the brain called Serotonin, create overpowering cravings for junk-food carbohydrates (chips, bagels, sodas, sweets, white breads, pastries, chocolate, etc.) These ferocious cravings are referred to as hormone depleted cravings and they can be more savage than the cravings experienced by drug users for illicit street drugs.

In fact, the over-consumption of junk-food carbohydrate is the primary reason America has become the worlds fattest nation. The body instinctively knows that eating junk food will cause the brain to produce a burst of this feel good hormone, Serotonin. That is the reason it is often referred to as mood-food, comfort-food, or emotional eating. The problem is the price you pay for this short term fix is the overproduction of the fat storing hormone insulin.

You can read more on the link between depression, junk food, and serotonin here.

Certain medications used to treat emotional and physical health conditions can also cause weight gain:

• corticosteroids
• tricyclic antidepressants
• some high blood pressure medications
• antipsychotic medications

More reasons why one can become obese:

New research suggests that lack of sleep and environmental toxins are just as likely to cause obesity as eating fast food or failing to exercise. Dr. Sydney Spiesel, a Yale Medical School professor and a contributor to Slate, talks with Madeleine Brand about new research that lists other possible causes of obesity.

Another one (quoted from here):

I think the obesogenic environment has a LOT to do with the obesity epidemic. It’s definitely not all genetics. If you look back 30 or 40 years, you see fewer processed convenience foods on the shelves, more people doing physical work, and more opportunities for exercise on a daily basis. That doesn’t mean that people are just doomed to be obese now; it just means that we have to be more conscious of our health decisions. I’m betting that a lot of obese people, if put in an environment from say 30 or 40 years ago, would lose weight almost without trying.

Read this article to find 10 factors that are the cause in the rise of obesity.

Next, I stumbled upon a blog entry written by a gentleman who had lived in Europe for several years. He cites an independent source and applies his own personal experience that is VERY eye-opening. Please take a look at it: “Why Americans are Fatter than Europeans”

Has anyone heard of addictions?

“America is a nation of addicts. We’re addicted not just to one thing, but often to several – like cigarettes, food, television, music, drugs, sex, even work. Each of these things is a kind of drug — because each temporarily gets your mind off of your pain.” –John Bradshaw (motivational speaker and family therapist)

Obviously America’s not the only offender here. But Interestingly enough, I found the above quote when reading an article on how to quit smoking. More importantly to consider, those people who whine, moan, and groan over fat people are addicted to something too.

You still think fat people are happy? I know one thing for sure. The fat-o-phobics out there can’t possibly be happy if they have to continuously taunt fat people to build themselves up. I cannot think of any other reason why others (including the fat-o-phobic Americans) would dislike a fat person other than the fact that his (it’s usually MEN that hate fat WOMEN) own mother was an angry, fat, slave-driving woman, and now as and adult, fat women will always remind him of his control-freak mother!

On Youtube in the comment section under the Cushings Disease video, someone posted the following that I totally agree with:

(sic) I am so sick of the campaign of hate that is going on in the name of health. You should never judge a fat people because you don’t know why they are fat. Why isn’t the medical community and more people standing up and reminding and educating people the fact that there are many reasons people are fat. They are reinforcing stereotypes to make people prejudice, as if this is going to help the problem. It’s wrong, and it’s not helpful.

Another common reason that slim people hate fat people: I often hear the following: “If they cannot take care of themselves, how are they going to take care of ME?” This is not only why slim people hate fat people, but it is why most people hate those with illnesses (especially those that are invisible like this one or this one). My answer is why are you looking for someone to take care of YOU??? Take care of yourself! If you have to depend on someone to take care of you and are over 18, you’re in pretty sad shape. Your mother should have already cut the apron strings and stopped the nipple by now!

And to those from other countries that accuse “yanks” for being “loud, rude and obnoxious“, your mocking obesity says that you’re not all too different from Americans after all. The hypocrisy in your criticism of us is overwhelming.

Last but not least, I’m getting tired of those from other western countries around the world whining that the reason their population is becoming so obese is “America’s fault” because of the “influence” we have on other countries. The last time I checked, the foods that you decide to eat are YOUR choice. The last time I checked, good parents watch after their children’s diet. No “evil Americans” have a gun to your head dictating you on how to live your life. Take responsibility for yourself! Additionally, if you get a disease that causes you to gain weight, that’s not “America’s fault” either. Quit playing the “blame game”. But I understand. It’s always easier to blame every little thing that goes wrong in your lives on “the Americans”. If anything, you should appreciate us more because if it weren’t for us, you’d have nothing to use as a crutch for your OWN shortcomings!

In conclusion, America has problems. BIG ones. We’re aware of it. Bullying us is only going to cause the arrogant to become more arrogant, and the nice people to become arrogant. Hatred serves no purpose for the common good. Give us something to look up to. If your country is truly superior to America, lead by example. The last thing you want to do is be hostile as that’s the same word you use to describe Americans. Consequently, we won’t listen.

Canadians Do *Not* Have *Free* Health Care

One of the most popular bullying tactics expressed by Americanophobic Canadians is, “We have free health care haha!“.

Dear Americans, please do not let your friends to the North bully you into making you believe that, “you suck” because “your government has failed to provide 47 million with health insurance“. I’ve even had one misguided Canadian say, “Your health system is accessible only by the rich.” Pretty scary, eh? And one can safely assume that the woman who shared this with me is just one member of a very large group of spoon-fed and brainwashed ignoramuses that have been indoctrinated at birth to see, as truth, all things mommy and daddy said.

To challenge the statistics that say that “some 47 million Americans do not have health insurance“, please keep this in mind:

This number from the Census Bureau is often cited as evidence that the health system is failing for many American families. Yet by masking tremendous heterogeneity in personal circumstances, the figure exaggerates the magnitude of the problem.

To start with, the 47 million includes about 10 million residents who are not American citizens. Many are illegal immigrants. Even if we had national health insurance, they would probably not be covered.

The number also fails to take full account of Medicaid, the government’s health program for the poor. For instance, it counts millions of the poor who are eligible for Medicaid but have not yet applied. These individuals, who are healthier, on average, than those who are enrolled, could always apply if they ever needed significant medical care. They are uninsured in name only.

The 47 million also includes many who could buy insurance but haven’t. The Census Bureau reports that 18 million of the uninsured have annual household income of more than $50,000, which puts them in the top half of the income distribution. About a quarter of the uninsured have been offered employer-provided insurance but declined coverage.

Of course, millions of Americans have trouble getting health insurance. But they number far less than 47 million, and they make up only a few percent of the population of 300 million!

Feel free to read more from this article that debunks many a rumor that misguided Canadians spread about American health here.

Clearly, there are realistic Canadians without an “let’s torment the yanks” agenda whom are fully aware that socialized medicine (or single-payer insurance) isn’t “free“. While Canadians do spend less than Americans on health care, Canadians pay through the nose in taxes and at the gas pump for what they receive. And what do they receive? A long wait for health care services facing a huge backlog of patients and below average treatment. (The wait times can vary, however, depending on which province you live in and the same depending on the physician you see in the states.)

As Ron Paul stated,

The federal government will not suddenly become efficient managers if universal health care is instituted. Government health care only means long waiting periods, lack of choice, poor quality, and frustration. Many Canadians, fed up with socialized medicine, come to the U.S. in order to obtain care. Socialized medicine will not magically work here.

The truth of the matter is their system isn’t as “the best in the world!!!” as they so vehemently and boastfully claim. If you observe the health care across the globe with a fine tooth comb, you’ll know that those countries (namely Europe) with a mixed private-public system are truly the ones that have succeeded beyond the rest, putting both American and Canada to shame. Neither Canada’s system nor America’s is flawless. Lives have failed and suffered under both systems as they are both at opposite ends of the extreme!

Both the working class and middle class Americans are, in fact, afforded above average health care. We are provided health insurance by our companies and have the choice of either an HMO or a PPO. People of all classes are ALL entitled to the same options and choices. As far as the poverty stricken in the US who cannot afford heath insurance, they DO have the option to take advantage of government programs funded by American tax payers (sound familiar?). And in emergency situations, these people are treated at charity-care hospitals.

Do the poor get the shaft as far as quality care is concerned? Oh, Absolutely. All I’m trying to do is set the record straight that medical care (not to be confused with health insurance) is something attainable to ALL Americans.

Canadians, as a matter of fact, don’t even think that we have welfare or socialized programs in the US for the poor, the disabled, the mentally ill, the elderly, and other unfortunate groups. They are brainwashed to believe the US government doesn’t take care of the needy. Nor are they aware that, in the US, tax-funded social services are manipulated and abused by citizens so that they don’t have to work (sound familiar?). My neighbor next door to me is living off of welfare and food stamps. And to receive these benefits, you’re not supposed to be shacking up with someone getting a supplemental income. But they are! And to make matters worse, they’re doing a whole of a lot better than both my husband and I are, financially! This is VERY unfair.

Still need more proof that we don’t have social programs?: One out of six Americans depend on programs for the poor.

The number of families receiving cash benefits from welfare has plummeted since the government imposed time limits on the payments a decade ago. But other programs for the poor, including Medicaid, food stamps and disability benefits, are bursting with new enrollees.

In an article about the expanding welfare state, the author comments,

Slightly over half of all Americans — 52.6 percent – now receive significant income from government programs, according to an analysis by Gary Shilling, an economist in Springfield, N.J.

There is a group of people that live in America that DO receive TRUE free (not Canadian “free”) health care. To those Canadians that think that our government is “insensitive” to the needs of illegal immigrants in the US, please pay close attention, here.

Even illegal aliens sometimes receive the EITC and ACTC. This is especially true of the ACTC because the IRS has determined that illegals are allowed to receive it, even if they do not have a valid Social Security number. To receive the EITC one must have a valid Social Security number. With an annual cost of over $35 billion for the EITC and $14 billion for the ACTC, the two programs constitute the nation’s largest means-tested cash assistance program for low-income workers.

Hat Tip: Center for Immigration Studies

This shows the share of households headed by illegal aliens using various welfare programs. It shows that a large share of illegal alien households use the food assistance programs (food stamps, WIC, and free lunch) and Medicaid.

It must be remembered that, in general, illegals cannot use the welfare system themselves. But their U.S.-born children can be enrolled in Medicaid and receive food assistance. Table 25 reflects the fact that a very large share of illegals have low incomes and as a result their children can enroll in means-tested programs.

And regarding health insurance for illegal aliens:

Additionally, 6 million dollars a year is spent by law-abiding tax payers for non-documented (illegal) Mexican “anchor babies“. Are you still sure we don’t have government assistance over here? Just in case you’re not yet convinced, the survey below suggests the following:

According to Marjorie Greenfield, MD, on the Dr. Spock website, in 2001 the average cost of having a baby in the U.S. ranged from $6,000 to $8,000 for a normal vaginal delivery and $10,000 to $12,000 for a cesarean birth. If the $8,000 cost is used for 2007 births, and all 380,000 babies born to illegal immigrants in the U.S. all had normal deliveries, this would cost hospitals around the country approximately $3 billion. But if there are 726,000 anchor babies born in the U.S. each year, the cost skyrockets to nearly $6 billion.

And if there are any complications with the pregnancy, or if the child is born prematurely and needs to be admitted into a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, the cost rises by tens of thousands of dollars.

Illegal alien mothers aren’t the only ones benefiting. There are reports that some pregnant Mexicans are entering the U.S. for the sole purpose of giving birth and having the costs paid for by Americans. A survey conducted by the University of California found that of new Hispanic mothers in California border hospitals, 15 percent had crossed the border specifically to give birth.

In other words, illegal aliens in the US get a free ride while Americans that cannot afford health insurance or the high costs of medical treatment WITH health insurance get the dirty end of the stick. And on top of that, poor working class Americans pay, with their tax dollars, for illegal health care! Once again, this is coming out of the pockets of people working very hard for their money. So, the next time YOU suggest that our government doesn’t provide services for those who need it, abuse it, or come here illegally for it, think again!

And here’s a story of an illegal immigrant that took usage of the free health care that I was talking about earlier, and then later, had the nerve to complain about our services!

A recent patient survey indicated that 70 percent of the women who gave birth at Parkland in the first three months of 2006 were illegal immigrants. That’s 11,200 anchor babies born every year just in Dallas… (and that’s just Dallas alone!). According to the article, the hospital spent $70.7 million delivering 15,938 babies in 2004 but managed to end up with almost $8 million dollars in surplus funding. Medicaid kicked in $34.5 million, Dallas County taxpayers kicked in $31.3 million and the feds tossed in another $9.5 million.

These women receive free prenatal care including medication, nutrition, birthing classes and child care classes. They also get freebies such as car seats, bottles, diapers and formula.

A woman who’s husband is a pilot for the US Navy makes the following comment:

While the health care is good, we Navy wives don’t get any of these perks! Car seats? Diapers? Not so much. So my question is this: Does our public medical care system treat illegal immigrants better than American citizens? Yes it does!

And the worst part of it all……

There are about 140 AMERICAN LAW-ABIDING patients who received roughly $4 million dollars for un-reimbursed medical care. As it turns out, they did not qualify for free treatment because they resided outside of Dallas County. So the hospital is going to sue them! Illegals get it all free! But U.S citizens who live outside of Dallas County get sued! How stupid is this?

As if that isn’t annoying enough, the illegal immigrant patients are actually complaining about hospital staff not speaking Spanish. In this AP story, the author speaks with a woman who is upset that she had to translate comments from the hospital staff into Spanish for her husband. The doctor was trying to explain the situation to the family and the mother was forced to translate for her husband who only spoke Spanish. This was apparently a great injustice to her.

In an attempt to create a Spanish-speaking staff, Parkland Hospital is now providing incentives in the form of extra pay for applicants who speak Spanish. Additionally, medical students at the University of Texas Southwestern for which Parkland Hospital is the training facility will now have a Spanish language requirement added to their already jammed-packed curriculum. No other school in the country boasts such a ridiculous multi-semester (multicultural) requirement.

More tales of how ILLEGAL immigrants are afforded luxurious that LAW-ABIDING American citizens aren’t entitled to can be found here. This certainly debunks the rumors spread throughout Canada, that Americans treat foreigners poorly. And you people have the nerve to say that WE don’t know enough about YOUR country? Are you kidding me?

My question to Canada is… Do these kinds of things happen in YOUR country? And to what extent? And if these situations do arise, are you happy about it? Does your country condone free services to those that break the law? If this even happens at all over there? (After all, I’m just another “ignorant” American, so what do I know about your country?) Enlighten me.

And last but not least, Canadians, at the moment are petitioning for more affordable medication in Canada.

As I travel around the country, ordinary Canadians are pulling me aside and telling me that costs for prescription medication are taking over their lives.

I have heard from Randee, a law student who’s paying over $4000 a year to treat his diabetes. I’ve also heard from Martha who works full-time without benefits and is forced to pay more than $300 a month for her medication. And, I’ve received email from Fred in Omemee, Mary in Port Williams, Lance in Lashburn and countless others who are struggling to get the drugs they need.

Today, one in five Canadians are without adequate drug coverage and 3.5 million are without any coverage at all. The reality is – access to prescription drugs these days depends more on where you live and how much money you have, than it does on need.

Tommy Douglas’ vision brought us universal medicare. Help us take the next step and support my wish for affordable prescription drugs for every Canadian.

So, DO please pray tell… why you think you have “free” health care and the “best” health care in the world? I await patiently for your response.

…but You DESERVE to be Hated by the Whole World!

Americanophobia is “justified” so they say. They are surprised that we are surprised. They want us to know that the “Big Bully” is down. With that, I guess they are hoping that their coalition humbles down the “inflated ego” that Americans hold.

Strength comes in numbers – especially on Facebook where Canadians appear to be the most active. And some will not let an opportunity pass without a ‘friendly‘ reminder of how Americans have ruined their life. The collective hate is currently being spread on other social networking sites such as Youtube (quite notorious for America bashing). They’re out there making their voices heard.

It appears to me that Canadians feel validated in their Americanophobic crusade (group think) as they are very well aware that they’re not alone. They also know it’s not just Canada, but several parts of the middle east, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. So when they start the mud slinging in our direction, they know someone will be right behind them in support. How could you not feel vindicated?

It’s “pay back time” for us Americans.

But I’d like to point out that there’s a BIG difference between being angry at the actions of a government and blindly hating ALL the inhabitants of said country. (I can name at least ten + governments across the globe that are far worse than the Bush administration!) And I’m here just to express my frustration toward those that are unable to make that distinction. And for the record, I’m not against ANYBODY questioning the actions of our government. What I’m against is the lumping of those Americans that are against the Bush administration with those that support it. In any event, Bush truly didn’t win the first election. Al Gore won the popular vote. In the second election, Bush won by 52%. At this moment, he’s at an all time low with just a 30% approval rating. And suffice it to say that Bush has lost support from the people of even his own party! (I listen to Republican talk radio…. I know!!) Additionally, many Americans will proudly say that Bush has been the worst president ever in American history. People from other countries have no clue the amount of protests that were being carried out in the US following the decision to go to Iraq. Most demonstrations were violent and scary too. So, if you’re non-American reading this, please do realize that some Americans are just as upset as you are.

So, no. We (collectively) do not deserve to be hated. And we Americans are not THAT dumb. We know that you don’t hate us just because of Bush. In a recent conversation with a Canadian that is against Americanophobia, the following only reconfirmed what I had previously known. She states…

In Canada, one cannot say anything derogatory about any other culture without being politically incorrect or racist. Save the natives and the Americans, who are fair game. This is so ingrained in the “Canadian” culture that Canadians cannot/ do not think for themselves. If I said “French men are rude”, then GASP – Jenny! You are so rude and judgemental and how on earth can you look yourself in the mirror stereotyping an entire country like that! Yet, someone from Ohio comes into town and all the Canadians are whispering “That fucking American. He probably doesn’t even know we have a different currency up here. He is so ignorant and rude.” There is a blantant double standard here and I get treated like a pariah when I point this out.

Many Canadians thought that we deserved 9-11 too. I more than often hear comments like, “You had what was coming to you”, and “You got what you deserved!“.

On Facebook, I joined a group called, “Canadians Against Anti-Americanism“. In this thread, one Canadian stated the following:

I joined because I am tired of the anti-Americanism that pervades Canada. The juvenile teasing from elementary school has faded. Most people will remember where they were when they heard the news about September 11th. Me? The one thing that sticks out to me about that day is how disgusted I felt when several students at my high school ran around cheering and celebrating. I will never forget that.

Kevin Potvin, an Islamic terrorist sympathizer who was a candidate for Canada’s Green Party made the below comments following the 9-11 attacks on the WTC:

“I have a terrible confession to make. When I saw the first tower cascade down into that enormous plume of dust and paper, there was a little voice inside me that said, “Yeah!” When the second tower came down the same way, that little voice said, “Beautiful!” When the visage of the Pentagon appeared on the TV with a gaping and smoking hole in its side, that little voice had nearly taken me over, and I felt an urge to pump my fist in the air.”

You can read more here, and watch the video here.

Some Canadians, as well as those in other developed western countries, will tell you that we deserved 9-11 because of our government’s foreign policy. But does anyone not find it ironic that the same people who condoned and applauded the terrorist attacks are ALSO the same people who are opposed of the Death Penalty and claim to be the “peaceful ones“? Is the death of 3,000 innocent civilians (that came from ALL parts of the world and political backgrounds), the answer to a failed foreign policy?

Hat Tip: Jonathan Narvey

Is the American Media Really Right-Wing Dominant?

Well, let’s just look at Canada and America for now. We already know that Canada tilts heavily to the Left if you just look at their media alone. America is “guilty as charged” with Fox News being accused by Canadians as brainwashing Americans. A friend of mine just sent me this article that I found interesting.

Surveys over the past 25 years have consistently found that journalists are much more liberal than rest of America. The Media Research Center has compiled the relevant data on journalist attitudes, as well as polling showing how the American public’s recognition of the media’s liberal bias has grown over the years.

• Journalists Vote for Liberals: Between 1964 and 2004, Republicans won the White House seven times compared with four Democratic victories. But if only journalists’ ballots were counted, the Democrats would have won every time.
• Journalists Say They Are Liberal: Surveys from 1978 to 2005 show that journalists are far more likely to say they are liberal than conservative, and are far more liberal than the public at large.
• Journalists Reject Conservative Positions: None of the surveys have found that news organizations are populated by independent thinkers who mix liberal and conservative positions. Most journalists offer reflexively liberal answers to practically every question a pollster can imagine.
• The Public Recognizes the Bias: Nearly nine out of ten Americans believe journalists sometimes or often let their personal views influence the way they report the news, and most say this bias helps liberals. Even a plurality of Democrats agree the press is liberal.
• Denials of Liberal Bias: Many journalists continue to deny the liberal bias that taints their profession.
• Admissions of Liberal Bias: A number of journalists have admitted that the majority of their brethren approach the news from a liberal angle.

Read more here.

Americanophobia in the European and Canadian Media

Since quite some time ago, I was told to believe that the BBC is the most reliable media outlet there is. And unlike American media, it was not guilty of bias. These things, I was even told by my fellow Americans. Some non-Americans will say that the American media is known for commentary, whereas the BBC and the CBC were known for just simply “stating the facts“. Well, YOU decide for yourself.

AMERICANOPHOBIA IN THE EUROPEAN MEDIA PART I:

AMERICANOPHOBIA IN THE EUROPEAN MEDIA PART II:

I’d like to say, however, that it would be unfair to make sweeping generalizations about the British, Canadian and German public as not all of them are taking the bait that easily. As a matter of fact, some Europeans are banding together to fight against the misinformation, lies, and hyperbole that promote Americanophobia. With that said, the David’s MEDIENKRITIK-ONLINE was created.

A shrill yet influential segment of the German media has repeatedly sought to exploit and exacerbate transatlantic differences. This weblog is a watchdog site dedicated to the documentation of anti-Americanism in German media and the negative influence it has on Germans’ perceptions of the United States. German media coverage of the United States is frequently marked by one-sidedness, ideology, stereotypes, clichés and factual errors. Consider the words of ZDF’s Washington, DC Bureau Chief Eberhard Piltz, one of the most influential correspondents in the German media today:

“ZDF Bureau Chief and Correspondent Eberhard Piltz, felt that ideology was a major impediment to quality coverage of the United States. Piltz spoke of “prejudice” and described it as “an intellectual arrogance that thinks that the American way of life, feeling, taste and thinking is inferior and not authentic.” He complained that many journalists see “the U.S. through an ideological lens,” and that “most of them grew up with the leftist, socialist dream and now they look for scapegoats.”

The CBC is notably, just as guilty of both distorting the facts and promoting hate. Critics of the CBC call this the “Garrison Mentality”.

[A]nti-American bias at the CBC is the consequence of a “garrison mentality” that has systematically informed the broadcaster’s coverage of the US. Garrison mentality was a term coined by Canadian literary critic, Northrop Frye. He used it to describe a uniquely Canadian tendency reflected in our early literature, a tendency, as he put it, to “huddle together, stiffening our meager cultural defenses and projecting all our hostilities outward.”

The breakdown of neutrality versus bias is described here:

In total there were 2,383 statements inside the 225 stories that referred to America or the United States on CBC in 2002. As with most news coverage, the largest number of statements was neutral; they constituted 49.1 percent of the attention. Thirty-four percent of the attention to America or the United States was negative, over double the 15.4 percent positive descriptors. Only 1.6 percent of the statements were considered ambiguous.

The main issue, constituting 27 percent of the coverage, was relations between Canada and the United States. Within this category 41 percent of statements were neutral. Of the remainder, statements were over twice as likely to be negative as positive regarding Canada/US relations (39 percent versus 18.9 percent).

In the comment section of this blog, one Canadian noted the following:

It is good to see someone is doing objective content analysis on the Canadian media. The Americans certainly put us to shame in this regard.

The conclusions, though, are not surprising. I just about gag every time I see Neil MacDonald’s mug on The National.

It’d be nice to see similar analysis of political bias at all the networks this year. We already know the conclusion, but some numbers would back up the case.

Just as any other country on the planet, in the US, we have several news stations: CNN, FOX, ABC, MSNBC, NBC and more. Some networks are devoted to the right, some to the left. If you want the liberal slant, I recommend CNN. Intelligent people, however, collectively agree that ALL news stations should just state the facts and let us decide for ourselves!

In the US, there’s an ongoing virtual civil war between the right and left. The right typically criticize CNN for biased left-wing news, and the left typically criticize Fox (calling it “Faux News“) for it’s right-winged agenda. I watch both. But I can assure you that neither any of these stations take swings at Canadians. We could have, though, following the 9-11 terrorist attacks when many Canadian grade schoolers, adults, and even one political candidate were celebrating and cheering after watching the planes fly into the WTC and pentagon. It was a day of victory for Canada. But we never aired this in the US or tried to embarrass the Canadians for this type of behavior. And yes, I’m fully aware not all Canadians condone the deaths of innocents over a failed foreign policy.

The most opinionated “news” is Republican talk radio in the US – which one is to expect commentary. I mean it’s talk-radio after all. They take swings constantly at the liberals or as they call it “stupid liberals”. But they only make fun of the Democrats in office in the US and the left-wing general public therein. But if you ask a republican in the US, they’ll tell you that our media is predominantly left-wing-focused. I can’t say that there’s any truth to that, though. Republicans just basically claim that they never get enough exposure over here. In any event, our news (while it IS biased) doesn’t promote hate – nor is it mean.

What does this all boil down to? Money. Bad news = entertainment/anger = money in the bank for the networks. Just think about it this way: Would you spend your time listening to American news if it were depicting us in a positive light?

‘Cause everybody hates you….

….so I hate you too”, says many disgruntled Canadians out and about on Cyberspace who refuse to think for themselves and just follow the majority, blindly.

Canadians (predominantly) have started several groups, threads, and have maliciously created posts on Facebook to make clear that they don’t like us Americans. Here are a few examples (the rest can be found on my sidebar or link section where it reads, “Americanophobic groups on Facebook”):

Fuck the USA, CANADA IS THE BEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD! In this heart-warming group of Canadians that claim to be “humble” and “peace-loving”, Americans are to listen up and realize why Canada is the best country and why America is the worst. And it’s for the Americanophobic Canadians to further their “pride” and secure their “national identity” (as they appear to still be looking for it). Well, you’ll see what I mean by reading the below:

this group is for anyone canadian or anyone that loves canada!!
50 reasons why canada is so great!:
1. Free healthcare!! come on that fuckin rulz!!
2. the first nation of hockey! WHICH SHOULD BE OUR ONLY NATIONAL SPORT!!!
3. us canadians are much tougher than americans
4. less obese than americans cuz we actually go to a little thing called OUTSIDE!!!
5. we have a prime minister that doesnt say dumb shit like “most of our imports come from other countries”
6. POUTINE!
7. BEAVERTAILS!
8. we got stuff that got imported into the US cuz its so good, like kraft and TIMMIES!
9. 2nd largest landmass in the world
10. bilingual (yes that is sumthing to be proud of)
11. the ladies arent fake here (and theyre hotter too!)
12. our beer isnt watered down
13. we can actually be proud to be canadian in other countries and not be killed for that
14. we have that one word that could mean ANYTHING! of course, im talking about EH!
15. we got beavers…both kinds
16. so many contributors to music, movies and sports come from canada (jim carrey, mike myers, nickelback, don cherry, steve nash, celine dion, must i really go on? im sure that if youre in this group, you already know countless more )
17. probably the only nation to have ANOTHER NATION in it (and for you who talk about the african country SURROUNDED by another country, its not technically inside the country itself)
18. the MEN arent fake; they’re real and they’re HOT…and they’re NOT all the same like the men in the U.S (obviously done by our female admin )
19. we know HOW to eat mcdonalds (by this we mean were not obsessed by it)
20. we have weird names for its 1 and 2$ coins
21. we had the first coloured (WITH A U!) quarter in the world (remember, the one with the poppy?)
22. Underground railroad
23. Drinking age is only 19 (18 in some areas)
24. We invented hockey, basketball, baseball, the telephone, the T.V., refining, the baseball glove, INSULIN, the kitchen stove, Pablum, the radio, IMAX projector and system, the zipper, music synthesizer, electron microscope, Trivial Pursuit (one of America’s top games, and the base of many game shows), the Canadarm… I could go on.
25. Le Cirque du Soleil
26. Canada never owned slaves (there were slaves in Canada in the 18th century but they were owned by the British government)
27. Women in Ontario can walk around topless legally (For men: YES! For women: Your freedoms are expanded)
28. Average life expectancy of a Canadian is 79 years, the highest in the world (U.S. is 75 years)
29. Canadian woman second in comand at UN (American not 1st or 3rd or 4th or… in command)
30. Nelvana Corp. of Toronto hired to produce all American cartoons on CBS
31. 1/3 of Microsoft programmers come from the University of Waterloo
32. SMARTIES!!!
33. We have the World’s longest street (Yonge St.)
34. We have the World’s tallest self-supporting structure, and most of us know what it’s used for (the CN Tower).
35. We have the World’s longest bridge (Confederation Bridge)
36. We have had the only leader to do a pirouette in Buckingham Palace with the Queen. (Pierre Trudeau).
37. We made those dinosaurs in Jurassic Park
38. We are a proud part of NATO and NAFTA
39. There are over 2 million Canadian patents.
40. The Mackenzie Brothers (“take off ya hoser”) – only a true Canuck will understand that joke!
41. the film 300 was filmed in montreal!
42. We contributed to the international space station with the canadarm!
43. we can all say that we stuck our tongues on a pole in winter… and survived to tell the tale!
44. we all know how to PARTAY!!!
45. We have an amazing annual bluesfest at ottawa, and it attracts big names like (just naming some that i remember) bob dylan, nelly furtado, kanye west, the white stripes, alexisonfire, etc.
46. the canada day festivities on the parliament hill
47. Bon Cop Bad Cop (tho only ontariens and quebecers can really get this movie)
48. MGM, one of the biggest productions in the film industry has been founded by metro, goldwyn and mayer, all canadians
49. Bombardier inventor and company
and the best reason here:
50. were not american
(thanks to angie wassink for 23-40)
(these reasons are the opinion of many of the members in this group, including both admins, if any feel offended by these reasons, you must be american)

Where do you hear of any other group in the world that goes to this extent to boast about how their country is better while smacking another one down? Not even Americans are THAT arrogant. And if they do get like that, it’s a response to the patronizing Americanophobic Canadians. I will get to debunking and challenging all of their “Anti-Americanisms” and the deluded misconceptions at a later time in a different entry in depth. So, let’s continue with the hate groups…

I AM CANADIAN! (Not necessarily a “hate” group, but rather amusing things are mentioned):

Hey, I’m not a lumberjack, or a fur trader….
I don’t live in an igloo or eat blubber, or own a dogsled….
and I don’t know Jimmy, Sally or Suzy from Canada,
although I’m certain they’re really really nice.

I have a Prime Minister, not a president.

I speak English and French, not American.
And I pronounce it ‘about’, not ‘a boot’.

I can proudly sew my country’s flag on my backpack.
I believe in peace keeping, not policing,
diversity, not assimilation,
and that the beaver is a truly proud and noble animal.
A toque is a hat, a chesterfield is a couch,
and it is pronounced ‘zed’ not ‘zee’, ‘zed’ !!!!

Canada is the second largest landmass!
The first nation of hockey!
and the best part of North America

My name is _______!!
And I am Canadian!!!

Funny how the same group of people who claim to be “peace keeping”  and “humble” relentlessly brag about how they burned down the White House in the War of 1812 which is false anyway. And the same “peace keeping” group were also those very same people cheering and applauding the 9-11 attacks on the WTC. Now, how’s that for hypocrisy? It’s funny how the only way they can install their identity is by saying who they’re not (Americans), rather than just calmly feeling Canadian pride in their hearts. If you’re the best part of North America, you don’t need to say it. Nevertheless, I’m always entertained by the desperado…. Oh and by the way, most Canadians AREN’T bilingual. They learn French in school. Not so different from my generation that learned Spanish in school.

When you claim to speak another language, one is to assume that you are fluent. That’s not the case with Canadians. Just because you took a few semesters of French in school, doesn’t mean that you’ll be able to have a smooth conversation with a Frenchman or one from Quebec. At least in the US, if we choose to learn a 2nd language, it’s because we *want* to – not because we *have* to. Big difference there. Learning a second language because you *want* to says a lot about a person’s genuine curiosity and open-mindedness to other cultures. Also, if you learn because you *want* to, you are more likely to be more fluent in that language. Americans, when learning another language want to because they’re going to another country or want to speak with other foreigners who are non-English speaking.

Oh, but there’s more!

Canadians rock; Americans suck!

The creator of this group wants us “Evil Americans” to listen up!

American would be nothing without Canada. We supply them with almost all their resources. Canadas like a nice pretty pair of pantys. and Americas the skid mark on it. Also they have a messed in the head hill billy leader whos a war crazy crack. All he knows how to do is declare a war. Everyone hates Americans. Even some Americans hate Americans. Face it… there stupid superficial way of looking at canada pisses you off doesnt it?

Hm. I think I know already too much about Canada – the most important things being that they’re (the idiots I’ve encountered), are the most hateful, ill-informed, prejudiced group of people that exists on the internet. With that said, I’d rather not learn anything more about Canada. Who’d want to after reading all that? As some of you can see, what they “know” and say about Americans couldn’t be further from the truth! He goes on to say with pride, “Some Americans hate Americans”…. WOW! That’s incredible that Canadians all love each other. No fights. No disagreements. No divorces. No break ups. No crime. ALL peace and love. I’m touched. I’m honestly touched.

But I cannot help but to mention that their crime rate isn’t too far from that of the US. Oh, yeah! And they’ve got LOTS-O-GUNS too! I wonder what they’re doing with them?

Next…

Canada should Annex America!

I’m not stupid enough to realize that this wasn’t a joke. But interesting, nonetheless.

Ive seen a few people INSISTING America should take over Canada. Theres a few problems with that however. (sic) Everyuone hates America. Everyone loves Canada. Can you spell WWIII? I sure hope so. But then again you might be AMERICAN. Americans are not smart enough to take over Canada, since I have to spell it out for you Yanks. I mean, youve got 300 million people ALL speaking the same language, and you can’t pull it together to make that your official language. I mean, 200 years folks! Not to mention we’ll fight back with polar bears. And every Canadian has Superpowers.

Wha… Wait a minute… ? Keep in mind, these are the same people that say we’re “insensitive to immigrants”, but they want English to be our official language??? Wouldn’t that hurt all the Hispanics in the US? Looks like we’re damned no matter what we do. Three-hundred million people ALL speaking the same language? There are boatloads of bilinguals in the US. If you ask me, I think they’re all too busy trying to shove something in America’s face to have the time to learn about the US. Aren’t they the same people who whine that we don’t know enough about them?

What you guys have “learned” in your biased agenda-ridden grade schools and from the good ole slanted CBC does *not* make you an “expert” on the US. Clearly, ignorance is something that we can easily say we have in common.

And more!

Which is better: Canada or America?

This thread on Facebook is ridiculously laden with Americanophobic hurls. The following is one of the more nicer comments:

I totaly agree, we dont start wars everywhere and the only reason we’re so full of gay stuff is all cuz we are so close from the usa and by that i mean the medias and commercial music, fast food and tv that make everyone lazy and fat…we live right next to the kingdom of greasy food and bad tv so we might end up like that. an oh yea, there’s more ppl smoking dope in canada than in the usa

Yanno? Nobody’s forcing you people to buy and use our stuff, ya dingaling? But yeah, I think I’d smoke dope too if I were among you very angry, ungrateful, disgruntled group of people. Now, I’m not talking about all Canadians – just the “holier than thou” “WE’RE *&%$*#@$ BETTER THAN UUUUUUUU LOLZ!!!!!!111″ folk.

By the way, did I forget to mention, America Sucks? It’s also suffice to say that we didn’t have any part in conquering Nazi Germany in WWII. The Canadians have conveniently re-wrote history. It’s time to get enlightened:

wow you didn’t do shit in WW2! you were too busy with japan, britain Canada and france did all the work…read a freakin unbi-ist history book!

To make matters even more amusing, as you can see from my comment section of this entry, Canadians are running here still flapping their mouths calling Americans “stupid” and “ignorant”. I guess, as the expression goes, Ignorance IS bliss!!

This is relatively an innocent thread, and one Canadian even went as far to share a balanced, intelligent, and reasonable view of the states:

Let’s not judge a country’s people on what their forein policy is. I have dealt with many Americans through work, and i dissagree with the stereotype that Americans are dumb or ignorant. They really are a smart, well educated people. World media just seems to enjoy portraying them as Xenophobic ignorant people, and they just aren’t.

In the same hopes that the outspoken minority of negative americans in this group will learn the fallacy of their ways, let’s not judge Americans like this.

But then it started getting nasty, but in a gentle kind of way. One woman speaks of what will happen if a Canadian were to visit America:

You should have a bad impression. That’s all that they leave. The only good thing about the US is that I can go over the border and buy stuff cheaper than it is here.

Correct me if I’m wrong. How is it that Canadians need to cross the border for cheaper stuff when they have “free” health care, live in a welfare state and even are WEALTHIER than Americans??? You’d think they’d have some money left over, EH? All I know is that if I hated a country THAT much, I’d pay a couple dollars more and buy my products in my OWN country. Get a job, much?

I will part for now. My goal is to entertain, and I will not leave you empty handed. Please stayed tuned for more lunacy from our great friends to the North.