Canadians are very narrow-minded thanks to socialist fearmongers.
Posted at 2008-02-02 19:51:22 [PermaLink]"The World Needs More Canada."
Such a great slogan for a company whose flagship stores have atrophied Canadian history and politics sections from three full ranges down to, at best, three shelves on one rack.
More room for Oprah's picks and candles, candles, candles.
This is an aspect of our national character that is so ingrained, few of us can see it. We quite rightly take pride in our innate peacefulness, moderation and decency, especially when compared to those loud, trouble-making good ole' boys below, but we don't often see the smugness and even neuroticism that goes with it. Having spent the last few years blogging with American conservatives, believe me, they do, at least those of them who know anything about us.
Robertson Davies once remarked that although Canadians tend to define themselves has half-American, half-British, we're really not much like the Brits and half-American, half-Scandinavian would be more accurate. Simpson's positive reference to the Sandinavians is a little misplaced, because they are prone to the same strengths and weaknesses as we, only more so. Ever met a modest Swede who thought Sweden should look outwards to help solve its problems?
Today, it is more than fair to lay the blame for this xenophobic tendency on the left, which hates the thought that we are a modest part of something bigger (North America, the West, etc.), unless the bigger is so big as to be meaningless ("Humanity"). I'm not sure it was always so or always will be.