Posted on 12/08/2003 12:40:28 PM PST by albertabound
Canadian flag causes flap in the U.S. Maple Leaf on baggage irks 'sensitive' Americans
Jack Aubry The Ottawa Citizen
OTTAWA -- Canadians should be careful not to appear "boastful" to Americans, who are insecure because of the war in Iraq and admit they are annoyed by northerners showing off the red maple leaf on their luggage when they travel, a recent federal report warns.
In focus groups held this fall in four U.S. cities where the federal government is opening consulates, Americans acknowledged they don't know much about Canadians.
"Some participants expressed a certain amount of annoyance at what is perceived as a systematic attempt by Canadians to make the statement that they are not Americans by sporting the maple leaf," said the recently released report. "This underscores the American sensitivity at feeling rejected by the rest of the world ...."
A front-page story by the New York Times this week, which declared that Canada's stance on social issues is opening rifts with the U.S., is unwittingly confirmed with the findings of the report.
Canadian comedian Rick Mercer said at a recent Toronto show that being attached to America is like "being in a pen with a wounded bull," joking that between gay marriage and pot smoking, "it's a wonder there is not a giant deck of cards out there with all our faces on it."
The report says even Americans who blame the Bush administration to some extent for the country's poor relations with the world, do not seem to understand why friendly countries and neighbours such as Canada would want to distance themselves from Americans.
For instance, an American from San Diego is quoted saying: "What bugs me about Canadians, if I may, is that they wear that damn patch on their bags, the Canadian flag patch. That way, they differentiate themselves from us."
The report is based on eight focus groups conducted in September by Millward Brown Goldfarb in San Diego, Raleigh, Denver and Houston where Canadian consulates are in the process of opening.
Pierre Bechard, a spokesman for Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada, said Millward Brown Goldfarb was paid $49,543 for the October report and focus groups. He said the findings will act as a base for the consulates to work to understand how much Americans understand about Canada and how they feel about their relationship with their northern neighbours.
© Copyright 2003 Vancouver Sun
Oh yeah? Try speaking "Americun" in Quebec.
What I don't care about is some sort of phony rivalry or "rift" which some Canadians seem to have conjured up between our two countries and which exists only in their own minds.
Untrue. France has good wine and cheese. New Zealand has good white wine and kiwi fruit. As for Brazil? Coffee!!
But ever since "Kids in the Hall" was cancelled, Canada isn't producing anything worth caring about.
(Note to the humorless, the above is intended as a joke. I like Canada just fine, even if their politics makes the Democratic Party look pretty good by comparison.)
Some good comedians, and a couple good rock bands, too. I didn't say Canada had no interesting exports to speak of :)
What are you talking about? What makes you think Americans have any problem with Vietnamese or Afghan patriotism?
Actually, the reason they display their flag on their stuff is so they aren't mistaken as Americans when travelling abroad, in the hopes that it will ward off any terrorist attacks that might be aimed at Americans.
Yeah, right, terrorists are such straight shooters. They always go out of their way to avoid any collateral damage.
We all deal with stereotypes, that´s what makes fun out.
Your post #50 is very funny, and, of course, xenophobia isn't restricted to the U.S. Actually, it's also within countries. My grandmother, for instance, once warned me (a Texan) against dating a New Yorker, because, "They're not like us".
My Polish in-laws in New Jersey despise their next door neighbors because "they're Italian". As far as I'm concerned, the only people I don't like are the ones that play that godawful rap boom box music really loud in their cars with the windows rolled down, while waiting at red lights and you've got to sit there and listen to it.:D
It doesn't bother me either.
Sounds like the makings of a plan. And as far as I can tell, you can distract anyone who's still conscious simply by putting on a hockey match of some kind. Draft the NHL into your conspiracy, put on a few carefully-timed exhibition matches, watch the arenas fill, lock the doors behind them, and the country is yours for the taking. Bwahahaha!! I love it when a plan comes together.
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