So who loves the USA?

[HappyFunBall]

Like most other Canadians, I have little love for the Americans. Still, I think they are unfairly judged at times. Their biggest liability in the popularity contest is their enormous power which they often use to influence other countries to benefit themselves.

Unsurprisingly this offends people. Whether we are the ones being influenced, or whether we are watching the Americans interfere in other country, most of the time it pisses us off.

But I mean common, lets be realistic about this. Do we actually expect a country to have all this power and NOT use it to their advantage. Can you really say, "If my country had this power we would be truly altruistic and never arbitrarily wield that power for our own benefit."

Don't get me wrong, there's LOTS of things to criticize them for. They have always lagged behind the rest of the world, often by centuries. They kept slavery going for over hundred years after the rest of the modern world abolished it. They were the last modern industrial nation to set up a healthcare system. They remain the only modern industrial nation with capital punishment. They also have one the oldest governments on the planet. They are still operating under a political system which was set up in the late renaissance. A Beta version of Democracy as I like to call it. (Still using the electoral college almost two and half centuries later? Are you kidding me!!)

[sheikyerbouti]

Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!

Good to see this place still does this shit. Ask yourselves one question. Has anyone created a poll to see what the world thinks of your country? My guess is probably not. Well, none worth talking about anyway.

Carry on!

STYLIE !!!!   fuck yeah, good to see you around. this made my day and it was kind of shitty up until now.

 I like America but out of protest to the stringent rules about crossing the border, i have not actually been down to Washington state or elsewhere since 2002 or so,

 I do get friends to smuggle me Tillamook cheese though, (as much as they can bring, I have a terrible addiction to high quality, well aged White cheddar that isn't chock full of Canadian Dairy board monopolies and Bovine growth Hormones).


 I must confess that my life would suck without American TV and i fully intend to go to next years Electric Daisy Carnival and the Motorcycle auctions in Vegas. Airfare is so bloody cheap that it becomes an affordable goal. i also booked a 4th of july gig because i miss them so much, i guess the floodwater's have broken for me

 next stop: Passport and Nexus clearance...

come on down to portland for a hockey game and ill "smuggle" some cheese for ya!  I visit the tillamook cheese factory a few times a year.  also try "bandon" cheese  (its made by tillamook now, and usually a buck or 2 cheaper )

 great idea, Portland (winterhawks?) has a pretty cool vibe and i believe I have a place to crash down there, so a dash on the Boltbus might be in order. Hockey is always a good idea and since there's no bloody NHL this year, the WHL and AHL will be making more money off me. 

 I am partial to pub crawls (going on one tonight), so consider yourself warned. I could easily buy a trash bike and go get shit-canned on the town with you some day.


re: Bandon cheese, will give'er

[sheikyerbouti]

Like most other Canadians, I have little love for the Americans. Still, I think they are unfairly judged at times. Their biggest liability in the popularity contest is their enormous power which they often use to influence other countries to benefit themselves.

Don't get me wrong, there's LOTS of things to criticize them for. They have always lagged behind the rest of the world, often by centuries. They kept slavery going for over hundred years after the rest of the modern world abolished it. They were the last modern industrial nation to set up a healthcare system. They remain the only modern industrial nation with capital punishment. They also have one the oldest governments on the planet. They are still operating under a political system which was set up in the late renaissance. A Beta version of Democracy as I like to call it. (Still using the electoral college almost two and half centuries later? Are you kidding me!!)

note edited your post a little to remove some text wallage on my part...

@ HFb,
 Most canadians would rather be neighbours with America than any other country in the world. As a nation, we hold many pretensions but let's face it.

 "we are just as xenophobic, conservative, politically backwards and war mongering as the Yanks are"

[HappyFunBall]

note edited your post a little to remove some text wallage on my part...

My fault for trying to make two points in one post! Always stick to one point only in forums! I actually edited before posting as it had been an even longer rant

[sheikyerbouti]

 nah buddy, it was all my fault from responding to Kevino's post before.

your points were concise and well thought out...


 I personally feel that Canadian's admire the American's and that jealousy forms a major part of the love-hate relationship that we have with the USA.

 Apart from the odd religious zealotry, we are no different than our comrades to the south

[stylie]

You chose a great time to re-appear stylie.

Hey I gotta come back every once in awhile to make sure you all know Im still alive! Then disappear into the mist. How's everyone doing? I am glad to see alot of the same names still here though. Even you too Stefan! 

[Stefan]

hey stylie, hows the DJing going? i still enjoy FH forum tears

[TimeMachineAssassin]

Like most other Canadians, I have little love for the Americans. Still, I think they are unfairly judged at times. Their biggest liability in the popularity contest is their enormous power which they often use to influence other countries to benefit themselves.

Unsurprisingly this offends people. Whether we are the ones being influenced, or whether we are watching the Americans interfere in other country, most of the time it pisses us off.

But I mean common, lets be realistic about this. Do we actually expect a country to have all this power and NOT use it to their advantage. Can you really say, "If my country had this power we would be truly altruistic and never arbitrarily wield that power for our own benefit."

I like this point you made. In trying to generalize peoples attitudes, I think this is what im hearing, that people dont like this "influence" that the US exerts on its neighbors, meddling or whatever. Isnt that the nature of something powerful though? I mean a train coming down the tracks isnt necessarily trying to meddle with the car on the tracks, but it gets meddled anyway. Or a super nova has influence on its neighbors just because of its existence. See, im on the train I guess, but it doesnt feel like im on the train. Im subject to the same forces as everyone else, scrounging around trying to cut out a life for myself. Get used to being influenced by more powerful things because, well, thats the nature of this life.

Canada? Im still not entirely convinced that Canada even exists. I kid, I kid. Ive got nothing bad to say about canada, except that Ive heard they dont care much for us, which I dont really get, and dont fully believe anyway. The criticisms you mentioned dont amount to anything that would cause me to dislike a country. You ever spend time in an american prison? I know this old timer that spent most of his life in san quentin, fuck! kill me. Death isnt the worst condition a person can be in.

I dont feel the need to be super critical of a persons country when trying to relate to them. I suppose if my objective was to talk shit so I feel better than, maybe, but it doesnt really make me feel better, high all alone in my righteous tower.

Lets put the microscope on some other country for awhile. I promise to put nice things on your countries thread if you make one.

[Alakazou]

nah buddy, it was all my fault from responding to Kevino's post before.

your points were concise and well thought out...


 I personally feel that Canadian's admire the American's and that jealousy forms a major part of the love-hate relationship that we have with the USA.

 Apart from the odd religious zealotry, we are no different than our comrades to the south

That's why the Québec need to be free and need to have a Country. We arn't like canadian and American

[Tuco]

Im suprised Mexico doesnt like us more as their general population is basicly invading us.

[TimeMachineAssassin]

Dude, I visited where my dad is from in mexico, the only people left there are children and really old people. Everybody of working age is up here.

[Captain Pyjama Shark]

Im suprised Mexico doesnt like us more as their general population is basicly invading us.

that seems slightly hypocritical, given the fact that the United States conquered an area that was culturally Spanish long before white people lived there.

[Tuco]

 Most of my family is from Mexico, i just find it silly that we get badmouthed (particuarly Arizona) yet they do everything in the book to sneak in here.

[stylie]

hey stylie, hows the DJing going? i still enjoy FH forum tears

Not to bring the board down but I lost my Mom in April  . 2 year battle with liver and colon cancer. I made a promise to her (unspoken, in my mind) that I would be available to her any time any place. As a result I basically shut the business down completely. I could not possibly imagine having to DJ at a sweet 16 or something frivolous when she needed something. I wouldnt care if it was a glass of milk. I set out to make the last year 100% without regret and I was able to do it. As a result my fledgling business floundered. Still no regrets. Starting to pick up slowly again.

[Coca-Cola]

note edited your post a little to remove some text wallage on my part...

@ HFb,
 Most canadians would rather be neighbours with America than any other country in the world. As a nation, we hold many pretensions but let's face it.

 "we are just as xenophobic, conservative, politically backwards and war mongering as the Yanks are"

I think I've screwed this quoting up...

Yup, I wouldn't want it any other way. It's better to have a big brother who'll kick anyone's ass than, well, a weaker country.

Give me a greencard and I'll love you even more with all your nice games studios.

Plus, I really like most of the americans I meet. I can't say the same about most canadians, mind you it is probably because I've been in Vancouver for the last few years. Place is a magnet for pricks...

hey stylie, hows the DJing going? i still enjoy FH forum tears

Not to bring the board down but I lost my Mom in April  . 2 year battle with liver and colon cancer. I made a promise to her (unspoken, in my mind) that I would be available to her any time any place. As a result I basically shut the business down completely. I could not possibly imagine having to DJ at a sweet 16 or something frivolous when she needed something. I wouldnt care if it was a glass of milk. I set out to make the last year 100% without regret and I was able to do it. As a result my fledgling business floundered. Still no regrets. Starting to pick up slowly again.

Man, that sucks. I had the exact same thing happen to me three years ago, it was liver cancer, although I only was told about it when she had 2 months to live.