Still...(edit : umm, imagine a rising inflection here which would indicate my susceptability to the patriotism virus, even though yadda yadda....)
Canada is every bit as querulously alert to the achievements of its sons and daughters as the rest of the world is completely unaware of them. The Canadians proudly say of themselves -- and are unheard by anyone else -- that 1% of the world's population has provided 10% of the world's peacekeeping forces. Canadian soldiers in the past half century have been the greatest peacekeepers on Earth -- in 39 missions on UN mandates, and six on non-UN peacekeeping duties, from Vietnam to East Timor, from Sinai to Bosnia.
Yet the only foreign engagement that has entered the popular non-Canadian imagination was the sorry affair in Somalia, in which out-of-control paratroopers murdered two Somali infiltrators. Their regiment was then disbanded in disgrace -- a uniquely Canadian act of self-abasement for which, naturally, the Canadians received no international credit.
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bearman said
Consider the source in this one, Stav. If the Canada Post had it's way, our country would be full of flag-waving, gun-toting, health-care-privatizing, I-Am-Canadian-commercial-loving, Canadian-Alliance-voting, Canada-Rocks-bumper-sticker-wearing, well, you get the picture.
I remember pretty much knowing everything I needed to know about someone if they happened to have a Canadian or a BC flag or both as curtains in their apartment window. I think any of those people now, who aren't in jail, subscribe to the Post.
The rest of us, I'd like to think, anyway, are much more worried about what we think Canada is or should be than what the rest of the world thinks.
April 30, 2002 6:04 AM
stavrosthewonderchicken said
Well said, indeed, bearman. I sense that I was unnecessarily cryptic in my post, though, re-reading it this morning. I meant that I still feel a twinge of patriotism, reading about how swell Canada is, even if it's the last refuge etc etc.
Nonetheless, very good point.
April 30, 2002 2:22 PM
bearman said
Agreed. I just haven't read much from the Post that doesn't say, in between the lines, either why aren't we more like the USA, or why doesn't the USA like us more. I say get over it and concentrate on what really matters - what do the citizens think about Canada, and why, and what can we do better.
Good to hear your thoughts on the odd thing Canadian!
April 30, 2002 4:56 PM
John said
I think (and we all know how much my thoughts are worth) that the reason that people overlook the really amazing contributions that Canada has made to the western world is because nobody expects it from them, for whatever reason. Like, there's not glorious history of a Canadian Empire, that sort of thing. When someone says that the Canadians and the British are doing something, one tends to go "Oh, isn't that nice that the Canadians helping the British" when a lot of the time it's the other way around.
And of course, we Americans don't respect any country it seems because we're raised to be short-sighted and pig-headed (I mean, man I love America, but we've got to get our collective heads out of our asses and start working with the rest of the world...)
April 30, 2002 5:43 PM