Posted on 07/02/2005 10:02:20 AM PDT by quidnunc
On Canada Day weekend I am supposed to behave like a good Canadian columnist. To say how wonderful this country is and how great and grand it is to be Canadian.
Sorry, not going to do it. I love Canadians, I love what this country has done for me, but I cannot serve it well if I play the game of adulation. Simply put, we're in big trouble.
The notion that this is the greatest country on Earth and that our cities are "world class" is, frankly, quite ludicrous. We have little history, few passable museums, mediocre galleries and minimal national pride. Our cities are mediocre at best and pale into insignificance compared to genuinely world-class centres like New York, Paris, London or Rome.
We do have natural beauty, but our summers are now clouded, in all senses, by smog warnings and endless housing developments are darkening the light of what was rural splendour.
We used to be a safe country. Not now. Gunplay is increasing at an extraordinary rate and, if we are to believe many street cops, at a much faster pace than we are told by various politicians and police chiefs. Some of our inner cities are becoming virtual no-go areas and the culture no longer has the courage to fight back.
Contrary to what you might be told, we are not particularly respected internationally. It is true that nobody hates us, but the reason for this is not affection but indifference. We are found amusing rather than admirable, a huge and empty country where lumberjacks and Mounties play in the snow.
-snip-
(Excerpt) Read more at torsun.canoe.ca ...
Michael Coren is a little (ok a lot) too fiscally liberal for me, but he always makes good points about this kind of thing. Kinda depressing...
Well... (counting fingers) none out of five. Sorry, Canada. As long as you look across the Atlantic rather than across your southern border for inspiration, you'll participate in the Eurodecay of our old cousins.
The guy is too hard on his country. Canada has plenty of culture. Why, I often cross the border to Fort Erie to watch the Canadian Ballet.
The workers flag that shrouds our dead,
In all it's folds is colored red...
It's the socializm stupid! Kick out the commies, take back your country, and you'll get the good things back.
Now we need to take that advice ourselves.
Good. Cause we're looking south for inspiration.
And see smog.
But I guess it would be nice if those 26 million people had a good attitude about their freedom-loving neighbors to the South.
I think you're thinking the 70's.
No, not really. Think about what I said . And the statement I was responding to.
Actually, believe it or not I do think about what a poster has said when I respond to him/her And, remarkably, I even think about the comment to which he/she may have replied.
Have another beer, eh?
You mean lumberjacks log-stomping?
Not even close.
A a few of them are OK...but with some Canadians does that ever get old.
It involves French-Canadian girls, poles, high heel shoes and little else.
Sounds like my kind of ballet. Did you mean poles, or Poles?
poles
"But I guess it would be nice if those 26 million people had a good attitude about their freedom-loving neighbors to the South."
And it wouldn't be too bad, either, if we, who DO live in the greatest country in the world, had a good attitude to our neighbors to the north. Not all Canadians are American-hating liberals. It's easy to despise others who despise you back. The test of character is to love the ones who despise you. And I believe that Americans should be people who show the most character.
Of course there are individuals in Canada who are good people...just as there are in China, Cuba, etc. But Canada's record as a country lately is pretty bad. For example...the homosexual ruling? Putrid!
LOL
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