How does the World view Canada?

skatingbc · Mar 31, 2009

In my politics class, we have been studying Canada's relations with other countries. He has shown us some pretty extreme news clips.

How to lose friends and alienate countries:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcJn5XlbSFk&feature=related

Ann Coulter :banging: on FOX/Tucker Carlson on CNN

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5Eq9GNEPIA

I know these are some pretty extreme views, but do people actually listen to this and take this seriously?

I felt pretty sick to my stomach while watching these clips. It bothers me how people can be so ignorant.

Mathman · Mar 31, 2009

Not to worry.

I looked at the first clip. I had never heard of Gary Gutfeld before, so I looked him up. He got his start as an editor for "Men's Health" magazine. 'Nough said. :laugh:

Then he was editor for Maxim magazine in great Britain, but was fired when their readership dropped by 40,000 readers.

I have never heard of this "Red Eye" program -- I suppose because I do not stay up late at night watching TV.

But if it has anything to do with Fox News, you can be sure that no one in the U.S. is taking it seriously. Fox News is very well known as a haven for disgruntled conservatives and for giving a far right slant to eveything they broadcast. Think Elisabeth Hasselbeck on The View, if you get that silly U.S. daytime talk show.

In particular, they just can't stand it that Barrack Obama is president.

As for the second clip, I didn't have to look at it. Ann Coulter is well-known to be a foaming-at-the-mouth ranter. I am not sure whether she does it on purpose just to get on TV, or if she really is as mean-spirited as she pretends to be.

As for the question "what do Americans think of Canadians?" -- I do think there is a feeling that Canadians are "nice guys" who are a little on the bland side, compared to the spicy Latins or the irrascible Irish, for instance

skatingbc · Mar 31, 2009

Mathman said:
Not to worry.

I looked at the first clip. I had never heard of Gary Gutfeld before, so I looked him up. He got his start as an editor for "Men's Health" magazine. 'Nough said. Then he was editor for Maxim magazine in great Britain, but was fired when their readership dropped by 40,000 readers.

I have never heard of this "Red Eye" program -- I suppose because I do not stay up late at night watching TV. But if it has anything to do with Fox News, you can be sure that no one in the U.S. is taking it seriously. Fox News is very well known as a haven for disgruntled conservatives and for giving a far right slant to eveything they broadcast. Think Elisabeth Hasselbeck on The View, if you get that silly U.S. daytime talk show.

In particular, they just can't stand it that Barrack Obama is president.

As for the second clip, I didn't have to look at it. Ann Coulter is well-known to be a foaming-at-the-mouth ranter. I am not sure whether she does it on purpose just to get on TV, or if she really is as mean-spirited as she pretends to be.

As for the question "what do Americans think of Canadians?" -- I do think there is a feeling that Canadians are "nice guys" who are a little on the bland side, compared to the spicy Latins or the irrascible Irish, for instance

Ok, that's reassuring.

I don't mind so much if people don't like Canadians for whatever reason. That's fine. I can get over that. I can't get over people disregarding our troops who are fighting in Afghanistan or people who call Canadians "the retarded cousin you see at Thanksgiving and pat 'em on the head" (Thank you Tucker Carlson).

I don't always have the highest opinions of the USA, but I would never ever make a negative comment about troops fighting in Afghanistan or Iraq.

jennylovskt · Apr 2, 2009

I would say that "ignorant" is the word. I have never seen any thing on TV close to this, but I don't watch TV that much. Those examples are really extreme. They don't reflect the way of the majority of the Americans thinking. A good portion of the Americans, sorry to say this, don't know, and don't even bother to try to know things outside of their own country. They don't know, therefore they don't have an opinion about Canada and Canadian, positive or negative. I am a Canadian who live in the heartland of Texas. I have never heard any American talking about Canadian or Canada, nor disrespected them.

CzarinaAnya · Apr 4, 2009

Greg Gutfeld says everything tongue-in-cheek. He doesn't expect anyone to take him seriously.

merrywidow · Apr 4, 2009

As soon as Ann Coulter appears on my TV screen I quickly change the channel. She is a nut! Unfortunately, we have a lot of people on our news shows who love to hear themselves speak but really have nothing constructive to say. I live close to the border (Alberta) & have always found the Canadians I've met to be friendly, kind, helpful & very pleasant.

Ladskater · Apr 4, 2009

skatingbc said:
In my politics class, we have been studying Canada's relations with other countries. He has shown us some pretty extreme news clips.

How to lose friends and alienate countries:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcJn5XlbSFk&feature=related

Ann Coulter :banging: on FOX/Tucker Carlson on CNN

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5Eq9GNEPIA

I know these are some pretty extreme views, but do people actually listen to this and take this seriously?

I felt pretty sick to my stomach while watching these clips. It bothers me how people can be so ignorant.

I would not take any of this seriously. First of all not everyone in the world shares these views. Canadians are rather well liked by most nations - especially the French and Dutch peoples - they always hold us dear to their hearts on Remembrance day. I don't know if they covered this in your history class, but it was the Canadian soldiers who liberated the Netherlands during World War 11. The Dutch still say "thank you" to our vets and any Canadian who visits them. They will never forget.

http://www.craigmarlatt.com/canada/symbols_facts&lists/remembrance_day.html
http://www.warmuseum.ca/cwm/educati.../canadian-war-museum-remembrance-day-toolkit8

After World War 1 and World War 11 Canada took on the role as Peace Keepers. Our stance was a non-violence view; however, thanks to the Bush administration and our new Prime Minister Stephen Harper we are no longer just in the "peace keeping" role. It's unfortunate.

The very day these broadcasts were made 4 of our Soldiers were killed in action. It was very upset for us and Greg Gutfeld has since apologized.

I hope this helps....

heyang · Apr 10, 2009

Ann Coulter's a shock jock and ultra-ultra-ultra conservative. I can't stand listening to her. She fails to realize that if not for civil rights, she would not be allowed to have her current career. I can't stand listening to her rant.

Spun Silver · Apr 27, 2009

Mathman said:
Not to worry.

I looked at the first clip. I had never heard of Gary Gutfeld before, so I looked him up. He got his start as an editor for "Men's Health" magazine. 'Nough said. Then he was editor for Maxim magazine in great Britain, but was fired when their readership dropped by 40,000 readers.

I have never heard of this "Red Eye" program -- I suppose because I do not stay up late at night watching TV. But if it has anything to do with Fox News, you can be sure that no one in the U.S. is taking it seriously. Fox News is very well known as a haven for disgruntled conservatives and for giving a far right slant to eveything they broadcast. Think Elisabeth Hasselbeck on The View, if you get that silly U.S. daytime talk show.

In particular, they just can't stand it that Barrack Obama is president.

As for the second clip, I didn't have to look at it. Ann Coulter is well-known to be a foaming-at-the-mouth ranter. I am not sure whether she does it on purpose just to get on TV, or if she really is as mean-spirited as she pretends to be.

As for the question "what do Americans think of Canadians?" -- I do think there is a feeling that Canadians are "nice guys" who are a little on the bland side, compared to the spicy Latins or the irrascible Irish, for instance

This is OT because I'm not weighing in on the q at hand and haven't even read the quotes here. I just want to register my disappointment at your (MM) prejudice here.

It's very easy to dismiss one's political opponents via invective ("foaming at the mouth," "disgruntled") or dismissal ("no one takes it seriously").

Much harder to acknowledge that conservative viewpoints represent a lot of people, some of whom are (gasp) intelligent and reasonable.

But then that would require you to listen to them, distinguish among them (extremists and moderates, social and economic conservatives, this and that position, etc.) and consider their arguments. But why bother when you can just insult them and assume that your egregious bias will be endorsed by everyone who matters?

Like I said, I'm disappointed. FWIW, one reason I have moved strongly in the conservative direction in the past few years is that I actually started reading the stuff and immediately discovered that typical liberal stereotypes of conservatives as, say, "foaming at the mouth" and stupid were simply untrue. I engaged in those stereotypes myself for years, so they're quite familiar to me. Mea culpa.

As to Canada, I love Robertson Davies... and you have some pretty good skaters. : )

ETA: I don't know if you could substantiate that statement about Fox, either. Seems to me I've seen an awful lot of stories like this.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/reese-schonfeld/foxnews-soars-cnn-snores_b_169540.html

Ptichka · Apr 27, 2009

There are many conservative commentators I have great respect for; however, the likes for Ann Coulter, Rush Limbaugh, or for that matter Michael Moore across the battle line - those I can safely dismiss.

dorispulaski · Apr 27, 2009

Ann has always seemed to me to be a female version of Howard Stern-someone who wants to shock people, has found that shocking people pays handsomely.

I don't think of her as a political figure so much as an entertainer whose schtick is one I do not enjoy.

For example the following 'report' of the 2004 convention for USA Today (which got Ann let go by USA Today):

My pretty-girl allies stick out like a sore thumb amongst the corn-fed, no make-up, natural fiber, no-bra needing, sandal-wearing, hirsute, somewhat fragrant hippie chick pie wagons they call "women" at the Democratic National Convention.

I don't think of her as a 'commentator' at all. The above criticism of the Democratic women is they are fat, flat chested, badly dressed, and smell. That's playground level insult, and it's typical of Ann's work.

Spun Silver · Apr 28, 2009

Doris, your assessment of Ann Coulter as an entertainer and shock jock seems pretty accurate to me and I find her TV persona abrasive and offputting. (Although in writing she's better.)

Rush is an entertainer too, but a great one (very funny, and with that nice Midwestern twang), and he's also brilliant, IMO. (I used to demonize him too but that was before I started listening to him.)

As for Elizabeth Hasselback, I don't understand the criticism. I find it painful to watch the View because of its outrageous bias (I don't watch daytime TV anyway) and Hasselback seems ill-equipped to stand up to Whoopi, Joy, and Barbara. But anyone who can be a lone minority voice day after day, amid a group of strong-willed birds of another feather flocking together, deserves major points for courage in my book.

Basically, I'm troubled by any demonization of opposing parties or viewpoints, especially when it's based on hearsay and groupthink instead of facts. After all, what's the alternative to multiple parties and viewpoints? One-party rule?

How does the World view Canada?

skatingbc

Mathman

skatingbc

jennylovskt

CzarinaAnya

merrywidow

Ladskater

~ Figure Skating Is My Passion ~

heyang

Spun Silver

Ptichka

Forum translator

dorispulaski

Wicked Yankee Girl

Spun Silver

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