Canadians sometimes get confused about our own identity... and I was thinking this may be "systemic" of areas of the globe.

You see, many Canadians (not all) assume to exert a sense of national pride, one must be "Anti-American"... or, at minimum, do comparisons... usually negative ones.

Canada is "cleaner". Canada has "less crime". Canada has a better "social safety net". Canada has "free health care".

Well, parts of Canada are cleaner... and parts are as bad if not worse than our neighbours. Canada has less crime, but we have tougher gun laws... and a smaller population base. Canada has a better social safety net, but our taxes are far higher to support it. Canada has free health care, but mismanagement has made it very poor quality.

I hear Canada's a peaceful nation... which I suppose is why we have troops in Afghanistan... and a reasonable (but ill equipped and poorly paid) military.

Re-visiting crime, Toronto's had over forty murders this year so far... now, forty in a population of around three-million ain't bad... but tell that to the victims and their families... tell them we have less crime. Oh, and Toronto's not the "worst" per-capita-crime city in the country.

Canada enjoys pointing out how little Americans tend to know about us... to which the answer I've heard more than a few times from American's is Who cares? which doesn't really help.

From Ann Coulter: Canada is "lucky we allow them to exist on the same continent".
From Tucker Carlson: "Without the U.S., Canada is essentially Honduras".

...if I may add again...

From Thomas Jefferson: The conquest of Canada would be "a mere matter of marching."

...a few years later, President Madison would find out this wasn't the case...

Anyway, there's no doubt that SOME Americans don't help matters (as noted above)... but then again, perhaps they don't understand the one simple truth...

We, Canadians, are bombarded with "U.S.A. #1!!!" things... about how America is the GREATEST nation on the planet... about how America's #1!

Why are we bombarded? One word... media.

Imagine, if you will, (and I've used this before...) if Mexico was the largest producer of media in the world... and all your magazines, TV programs, movies, and music was Mexican. Every day, many times a day, you heard "MEXICO IS NUMBER ONE!" and "THE WORLD WISHES THEY WERE ALL MEXICAN!" and some Mexicans said, "Who cares about America? They're small! We're a SUPER POWER! WE'RE NUMBER ONE!"

If you were (or are) an American, how would you feel?

As for personalities, think about this...

America's motto is "Life, Liberty, and The Pursuit of Happiness."

Canada's motto? "Peace, Order, and Good Government."

Canada was a colony... that through diplomatic and governmental initiatives became a sovereign country with only a minute connection to the "mother country" in terms of figure heads and customs.

America was born in anger... and rebellion... and genuine "trying to make things better using all means necessary" gumption. Force severed the ties to the old country.

It's this basis that I believe set up the two nations...

Heck, look at Canada's "symbols"... one of them is a police officer! The Royal Canadian Mounted Police!

American's also have symbols like this... like the three "patriots" marching with Old Glory...

...an image of three proud rebels standing up to the might of a "seeming" oppressor... a far cry from a cop, eh?

So, different imagery and ideals... and origins... but the same roots.

Canadian's tend to be toned down about our national pride... Americans are over-enthusiastic about their's...

...but that's what I admire about our neighbours.

They don't need to say "America's the Best Because YOU SUCK!", they simply say that they are the best... period... and they'll wave their flags and sing proudly of their nation.

Canada... well... we get a wee bit excited over our patriotism... but it's never over the top... and we tend to those "negative comparisons".

Many "Proud Canadians" got much of their patriotism from a series of beer commercials... "My Name's Joe and I AM CANADIAN!"

See: Commercial One on YouTube
Or...: Commercial Two on YouTube
Or...: Commercial Three on YouTube

Do you see what I mean?

What my country needs is a sense of self... of pride within itself, NOT within a "negative" comparison.

Canada's a pretty good place... so's America... so's pretty much anywhere!

...but I am Canadian... and I love my country... and I have no issues with my friends and neighbours...

Oh sure, on the occasional political thing, I wish things were different down South... but I still recognize... most American's feel the exact same way.

So do not say America sucks... just because you don't understand any other reason to be proud of your own country... Find out WHY you should be and realise that America is great... and so are you too.

Last One from YouTube

...if you have some time, please read my Fourth of July entry here too...

In Addenda: If the American people knew about the exploits of James Fitzgibbon and Charles-Michel de Salaberry during the War of 1812, (to name just two... I can think of several more examples and not strictly wartime... Wop May, William Lyon Mackenzie, Frederick Banting and Charles Best... I could go on...) they'd think Canada was NUTS for not having cities, provinces, and memorials to these heroes... but surprise, surprise... most Canadian's don't know these names anyway.

What does that say about Canada? Most of us are HORRIBLY unaware of our own heritage... but thanks to TV and movies, we're very aware of American history and heritage... sad, really...

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