Canadians and Americans: A sad comparison

Perhaps you have not noticed that for the Left/Progressives, any sense of national pride, or heaven forbid, patriotism, is considered evil. It must be eliminated to be replaced by multiculturalism, where we must admire all cultures except our own.

Alain, you can add loyalty to "Marxist internationalism" to that.

Do you have any idea what you're talking about? I bet my left pinky that Canadian networks employed Americans in Atlanta and Salt Lake. It would be of detriment to their coverage not to do so.

You're also ignoring the dynamic. We're a small country relatively. Being on the world stage is not something that happens to us in the same context that it does with the United States. So American networks take interest by virtue of the fact that they want to know how we take to all the attention.

You're looking for a reason to complain and making something out of nothing.

WTF are you going on about, Mark? Have you been drinking?

Or did Kate leave you with a posting quota and you found yourself at a total loss?

Did some of you misread his post?

ChrisinMB:

I don't think so. Mark ust decided to grab some random event and use it to blast the Canadian media.

There are enough real offences to blast them for, no argument there, but this one is just bizarre... Which is why I asked about the drinking.

Major fail, IMO.

While I am inclined to agree with Steve above....

There is something to Mark's theme.... in a mountains out of molehills way.

If you want to take a view on the Canadian media .. try looking at how they've been repeating the death of a luge competitor all day long.

I heard about this at work today and sure enough after five ... at the bar ... CTV shows the violent wreckage of a young athlete over and over.

I watched in amazement as well. NBC really showed Canada in a way I have never seen depicted in any presentation. Not one "but" "although" or "except for". Only praise. It takes a big man to praise another. The United States is made up of many big men. We Canadians should take a lesson from this - its okay to see the best in things. We too need to recognize greatness. If we don't, how can we ever better ourselves? Thank you NBC.

Mark is correct though, there would be snowballs in hell before the Canadian MSM would have said anything favorable about the US if the tables were turned.

I just saw Harper there. why isnt he working?

now they are sticking up big phallii

It's only 20 minutes into the opening ceremonies and they're already gawd awful. Let the politically-correct games begin!

Mark is right. If Canada wants to be an important country - and truely, the BBC World Service poll saying we've gone down in the international ratings really gives me hope - it need to act like one. That means being gracious.

Hating the USA is not an identity.

I think they could have improved the opening ceremonies easily. Harper + Michelle Jean splitting the ventricles of a Harp Seal while sitting together on that giant drum the first peoples were beating on.

I take it they are trying to educate their viewers and bring some perspective to the coverage. I know the best coverage of the Highway of Heroes was by an American network on Remembrance Day. Why the Canadian media did not produce a video story of that quality I don't know. They would have to supply an answer.

Very, very, very disappointed they chose to Canadian idol the national anthem.

With the time honoured rendition of O Canada, the venue and the country would have been able to sing along. You could have heard it across the land.

That is if a Canadian network would actually acknowledge employing Americans.
~Mark

What?
Hiring Americans instead of Haitians or some other 3rd Worlder?
Are their any non-white Americans even working for a Canadian TV Network?

What is the American supposed to say?
"Hi, Mom, this is Jane up here in Canada, you know, the Little League."

the yanks can only be happy that Obama was a no show. so far his record on winning is dismal.

I will say this- there are countries with only ONE person representing them. No doubt, they've had to sacrifice greatly to get where they are at this moment. Good luck to them and I don't want to hear how more funding should be given.
Canadians are a very self-conscious people. It's the nature of the beast.
As for flag waving, perhaps we should thank God that our leaders aren't socialist, narcissistic empty suits apologising for absolutely everything and making fools of themselves on the international stage like some current American leaders.
Just my thoughts.

Actually I'm watching the opening ceremonies on NBC - started out on CTV, but their commentators were awful

A few WWII items of which neither Canadians or Americans have much knowledge:

Canada held off declaring war against Germany for several days to allow American factories to complete as many Canadian arranged British war contracts as possible and rush the material across the border. Once Canada declared war the uncompleted contracts were embargoed for export from the USA pending an act of Congress to allow shipments to resume. That took some time.

Canada was almost bankrupted in the early war years by the tremendous costs of war production and was saved by the US Lend-Lease Act. It is not widespread knowledge that much of Canadian war production and other supplies destined for Britain were paid for by this US program and Roosevelt had to use all his political skills to make it happen in the face of isolationist and pro-German sentiment prior to Pearl Harbor. The reason America was involved in this Canadian war production/supplies effort had several facets but US war conversion program delays were a big reason. One factor in this was the crash armaments program in the US which relied on cost plus contracts to the largest industries and they promptly went out and hired all skilled trades to "be ready" on the government tab. Meanwhile, the smaller subcontractors charged with all phases of building factories and installing the vital production machinery were shorthanded, shortchanged, and priced out of the wage market while thousands of people sat around GM, Chrysler, Ford, etc doing nothing.

Senator Harry Truman broke the scandal wide open across the US and by his whistle blowing got out from under the smear of being labeled the "Honest Stooge" who fronted for the corrupt Pendergast political machine in Kansas City. Didn't do too bad later as president either.

We may have started fighting earlier and should be proud we were well above our weight class in effort all during the war, but without American financial help in the darkest early days, it would have been a far bloodier and desperate enterprise.

OT but the jig is up at CRU and IPCC. Gore no more. From Jeff Id and also at WUWT.

http://go2.wordpress.com/?id=725X1342&site=noconsensus.wordpress.com&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.bbc.co.uk%2F2%2Fhi%2Fscience%2Fnature%2F8511670.stm

Also check out the great comments at WUWT and Id's nonconsensus on the Phil Jones interview.

http://noconsensus.wordpress.com/

http://wattsupwiththat.com/

As an American, I'm used to my country being resented for it's dominant role in world affairs. Heck, even our new President (much to our disgrace, for having elected him) travels the world showing how resentful HE is.

But when I saw the part of the "boost-Canada propaganda" regarding 9/11, it brought back a lot of memories of the stories back then of tiny Canadian towns really putting themselves out to help out stranded American air travellers during the darkest time America has seen in many decades. It still chokes me up a little; we're usually on the OTHER end of that sort of thing. You Canadians have really been the best of neighbors for a very long time.

Oh, and thanks for producing all that oil & gas for us. You KNOW we're the only country in the world that doesn't have the sense to make use of our OWN resources.

Anyway, I wish Canada the best of luck with this; I'm sure this Winter Olympics is in the best of hands.

our leaders aren't socialist, narcissistic empty suits apologising for absolutely everything and making fools of themselves on the international stage
~Osumashi Kinyobe

Yeah, not since Chretien.
Geeze Louise, was that guy an embarrassment.

I'd show you a picture link of him wearing the Blue UN Peacekeeping Helmet backwards, but the web has mostly been scrubbed of a good color picture of him looking like a doofus in Bosnia 1994.

Sgt Lejaune, nice little bit of history.
Thank you, I learned something today.

I wasn't attempting to belittle Americans, just their current leaders. Good luck, guys.
I'm trying hard to forget Chretien.

why thank you optimizer..

might i add the whole world owes the U.S. of A. many many many thank-yous for all it does for poor suffering humanity.

Mark!! Get a life eh!

nothings changed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mwv-dndrMDE

As an American I'm fine with Canadians talking about how proud they are of the Olympics and with the likelihood that it wouldn't be reciprocated were the tables turned. It really isn't a big deal. Lots of Canada wants to trash us but we'd still protect all of the ones who hate us if they were attacked. All of that comes with the territory and it's really what I think we are about, so there's not a lot of point in getting worked up about it. I hope Canada does well in the Olympics and that it dominates curling so Americans can look on with our customary puzzlement at that odd activity.

I remember my uncle Sam divvying up his WW2 army gear among all the boys in our family. It was the 1960's...He was captured after D-Day, nearly starved to death before a prisoner trade was arranged, had everything intact but his weapon which the Germans took. I was somewhat amazed even as a kid in my teens & a war-buff, that nearly ALL his equipment was US regulation , even down to his helmet. Only the British ever paid the US back for all that they supplied.

I was watching the NBC coverage just now, being in Phoenix today, and I was pleased to see the USA team get a big happy cheer from the assembled masses. Good showing Vancouver!

I was also pleased to see Stevie Harper -singing- the national anthem, even though they sang it really funny. Stevie's not afraid to hang it out there and maybe get it wrong.

I compare and contrast with The One, and IMHO we did ok with this guy. Although even Mr. Dithers wasn't half the dork Barry is, and that's really saying something.

These ceremonies have been rather boring. The singers were all good but the rest ...

Poor Rick hansen.

Typical cdn solution - rather than have one person light the flame they have four. No disrespect to the four, but could that actually make a stand and pick one? Pathetic.

Caring and sharing, a perfect symbol of this left coast Olympics.

As a Christian, I've gotta say, not too worried about the competition from Zeus.

Wayne Gretzky, however, has me a bit concerned.

What was the morbidly obese "rapper" they found on youtube? He had a great Michael Moore beard and an oratory style that would make any Lib proud, all flash, no sizzle. Well at least we had Bobby Orr and Wayne Gretzky.

Gord said: "...actually make a stand and pick one..."

What, pick one and leave out all the others? For shame, Gord! Next you'll be saying the torch bearer should be chosen because he runs the fastest or something. This is the OLYMPICS Gord, its not about competition or who's the best...

...oh, wait....

As I see it, NBC did a good job of praising Canada's people and the Canadians gave the American athletes a very warm welcome. It is as it should be.

We Americans genuinely like and admire our northern neighbors. What perplexes us is why you guys hold onto an inferiority complex when you shouldn't have one.

The opening ceremonies were spectacular. In the vernacular of this neck of the woods, you all done good tonight, real good!

btw, K. D. Lang ain't much to look at, but boy can she sing!

Orr and gretz is nice but what happened to howe and Lemieux? (personally i rank them Orr Lemieux gretz howe).

john Begley @ 11:35, I second that motion.

I listened carefully to the words of the youtube rapper poet guy, expecting to hear the typical liberal, politically correct, save the planet type of crap that we hear all the time here in the States. Instead I heard a man speak who takes pride in his nation, its civility and culture. I thought what he said was pretty good. JMO

Apparently four mysterious columns were supposed to come up, and only three did -- I think this was a subtle reference to the CBC's At Issue panel.

Personally, I was hoping that Rex Murphy would light the cauldron, while Don Cherry lit Ron Maclean.

Another last minute cut from the ceremonies was Scott Thompson, who was going to figure skate his way into the crowd and light up the Swedish hockey team.

OK Gord - You pick - WHO?

IMO - Great and awesome job Vancouver. You are the jewel of our Pacific coast. Well done! You dazzled your country and the world.

As much as i dislike kd's politics their is no doubt she is a stunning vocalist. (frank Sinatra presnted a similar conflicted image)

The pick for me was easy - nancy greene. A true amatuer gold medal Olympian a fantastic lifelong ambassador for Canada - created the young skier program. Played a pivotal role in the creation of whistler - the most ambitious ski project in north America. And a native of Rossland BC.

The reason why she wasn't is simple - no one in the US has ever heard of her.

And was that Romeo d'allaire helping carry the flag? Nauseating.

From an AP article "Rain was forecast through the weekend in Vancouver, with high temperatures near 50 degrees, prompting some to dub these the Spring Olympics." That was the best opening ceremony for a Spring Olympics ever.

I missed the first part of the Olympics Opening (saw the last couple of hours on CTV) ... so I started watching on NBC (repeat).

CTV should be embarrassed ... it's a completely different show on NBC. Bravo NBC.

For CDN's that watched it on CTV - tune to NBC now ... it really is a different show.

OPTIMIZER

I third that motion and i wouldl iek to extend a very warm and gracious canadian thnak you as well . for much more personal reasons americans have been more that hospitibale during my time of need down south as well .

I would like to state very simply if america was not our and mexico's nieghbour ...who would be ? and who would you want to be .....me personally i will take a freedom loving democratic gun and flag waving bunch of rednecks over ANY other posssibility on this planet . JUst becasue you love your guns and beelive in the "don't tred on me " slogan doesn't mean you don't have a heart or compassion .

As a very proud canadian i can say i love america almost as much as i love canada. peace . and GO CANADA GO !!!!.