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Posted on 12/08/2003 1:05:28 PM PST by kever
Canadians too patriotic for sensitive Americans Focus groups in U.S. reveal growing rift
Jack Aubry CanWest News Service
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 and have low awareness that the country had not supported the U.S. in the war in Iraq.
"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 in 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 earlier 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."
Another one from Raleigh, North Carolina, notes that Canadians are "very patriotic," freely acknowledging they are from Canada while abroad. "Americans will tend to not even want to tell people because they think they'll get bad vibes from them," added the participant.
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 baseline for the consulates to work to understand how much Americans understand about Canada and how they feel about their relationship with their northern neighbours.
From the findings, federal employees opening the consulates will have their work cut out for them. Most participants said they were "shocked" by a fact sheet about Canada that they were presented during the focus groups.
"A few express some concern over the U.S.'s implied dependence on Canada for energy . . . However, Canada should be careful not to appear "boastful," which could backfire, as Americans do not like to be reminded of any kind of dependence on another country," the report warned.
It says while there is definitely some resentment at Canada's refusal to join the Americans in the war with Iraq, it is currently tempered by "a feeling of uncertainty as to whether the war should have been waged at all.
"Also, unlike France, which is viewed as having forcefully opposed the States, Canada is viewed more as having stayed on sidelines. This suggests that, as long as there are no more harsh and strong criticisms of the U.S. by Canadian officials (there was one mention of the incident where U.S. President George W. Bush was called a "moron" by an aide to Prime Minister Jean Chretien), the American public will not bear a strong grudge against Canada," said the report.
It says most participants felt the current Chretien government has been somewhat hostile but they surmise "that it does not reflect the opinion of the majority of Canadians -- especially Western Canada, which they see as closer to the U.S. in terms of values."
Canadian folks don't know what they are...just what they AREN'T...
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