Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Lucknow, I know how you feel (and I'm American)!!!
In Canada, conservatives and liberals see each other as respectable, reasonable people who just happen to have differing viewpoints on what's best for Canada.
In America, conservatives think liberals are the devil incarnate, evil, crazy, Godless terrorists who are bent on destroying the country and turning it into a socialist, Mexican (they're paranoid over immigration) version of Soviet Russia. Likewise, American liberals think conservatives are crazed Nazis wanting to destroy the country and turn it into a fascist banana republic. The level of paranoia and vitriol in American politics is insane, especially among the right wing, fear-driven Republicans.
I know what you mean about the poor being the enemy in the US. Canadians want to help the poor, give them jobs and help them get back on their feet. Many Americans would rather see the poor starve in the street than give them one dime of their money. Universal healthcare? Forget it. A mild, stripped down version of semi-universal healthcare was passed ("Obamacare"), and the right was going on and on about "death panels" and "communism." The bill will likely be repealed by the Republicans.
Also, the rabid nationalism. So many Americans are convinced that the U.S. is THE greatest country on the planet and FAR superior to anywhere else, and that the rest of the world is TRASH compared to the United States of America. There's actually a philosophy called "American Exceptionalism" basically saying that America is unique among nations and far better than anywhere else the planet has to offer. Don't get me wrong, America is a great country, but many other countries are great, too.
You mentioned Glenn Beck. Heck, he isn't even the worst right-wing pundit. People like Michael Savage and Jay Severin make Beck look reasonable. Also, that's not to mention people like Sarah Palin, Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, John Gibson, I mean, the list just goes on and on.
Don't misunderstand me, I love my country, but I'm really getting sick of the attitude of a large portion of its population. Canada just seems to offer a much better quality of life, and a much more reasonable populace. You guys are really blessed to live up there.
My sentiments exactly! I am getting so sick of the blind nationalism here. I live in Appalachia, and while it's bad here, I can imagine that it's probably worse in the deep South. Most of the people I know who have the "America's #1! All other countries suck!" philosophy have never left the U.S. Heck, some people I know have never left their state for more than a week. I've actually lived in the UK and spend a week or two each time I go to Canada. While their health care systems are not perfect, I have yet to see anyone who had to pay $10,000 for a broken leg with insurance.
Or, someone who was ripped of by a medical company b/c the company chose to file over a year late and the insurance company wouldn't pay for it b/c of the deadline. Yet, one of my relatives was still required to pay $4,000 (after negotiating it down) because even though the company promised to file with the insurance company a year earlier, they said they are not required to do it. Her lawyer said what the medical company did was horrible business, but unfortunately it was not illegal b/c it's considered a "courtesy" to file with insurance companies instead of a requirement.
I do like America, but there's a difference between loving your country and being arrogant about your country. There's nothing wrong with saying that you prefer living in America to other countries, but claiming that America is the only good country and everyone else is freedom-hating socialists--and everyone who wants to leave the U.S. temporarily or permanently hates America--does not make sense. Plus, the idea of American Exceptionalism makes us look close-minded and foolish in the international community. I know of others who love their countries, but they don't claim that everyone else is wrong.
It seems as though whenever you talk about a few flaws that America has, or talk about how you would like to live in another country for a couple of years, some individuals become very defensive and associate you with a terrorist or socialist (and some don't even know the true meaning of the term). I would love to live in Canada and England for a couple of years each to see what it's like living and working there. I think we can learn a lot from one another and I believe we can learn a lot about ourselves if we traveled more.
P.S. Check out the political forum if you want a picture of American politics. It's pretty insane.
I won't lie about this. I was born and raised in the USA and I have considered moving to Canada. I remember thinking about this in my teenage years. I sometimes felt like I would fit in better in Canada for some reason. Today I still consider moving to Canada once I have graduated from college.
I won't lie about this. I was born and raised in the USA and I have considered moving to Canada. I remember thinking about this in my teenage years. I sometimes felt like I would fit in better in Canada for some reason. Today I still consider moving to Canada once I have graduated from college.
Don't worry, I've felt the same way too. I was hoping to work there for a year or two after graduation, but the only thing I'm missing from the points system is the one full-year of full-time employment. That, or the equivalent, is required. So, if you have that and have enough points then you should give it a shot.
P.S. Check out the political forum if you want a picture of American politics. It's pretty insane.
Oh, I've spent a lot of time over there, unfortunately. Some of the comments there nearly made my head explode! I mean, how can people possibly be that ignorant? Not only ignorant, but PROUD of it!!!
Don't worry, I've felt the same way too. I was hoping to work there for a year or two after graduation, but the only thing I'm missing from the points system is the one full-year of full-time employment. That, or the equivalent, is required. So, if you have that and have enough points then you should give it a shot.
Ditto. I've wanted to move to Canada since I was a little boy. Unfortunately, I don't have the year of work experience, either. I have a year of work experience, but it's all in crap jobs and nothing "professional." Plus, I'm broke as a joke. At least Minnesota is like Canada in it's outlook on life (and hockey!).
Oh, I've spent a lot of time over there, unfortunately. Some of the comments there nearly made my head explode! I mean, how can people possibly be that ignorant?
It's quite easy for many people to be THAT ignorant. It doesn't surprise me the level of ignorance among some people, and the lengths of uncivil behavior that come with it.
It's quite easy for many people to be THAT ignorant. It doesn't surprise me the level of ignorance among some people, and the lengths of uncivil behavior that come with it.
It must be really bad where you are. I could only imagine having to live in the deep south. I actually lived there (in GA) for a while as a kid, and it drove me nuts.
It must be really bad where you are. I could only imagine having to live in the deep south. I actually lived there (in GA) for a while as a kid, and it drove me nuts.
Depends on what part of the South you are in. Where I live(Cobb County), there are quite a few people who listen to Neal Boortz, which is basically a radio version of Fox News. It also depends on who you associate with. The further away you get from the city of Atlanta, the crazier things can get. I have ran into quite a few ignorant people in college as well as where I once lived(in Paulding County). The difference is that Paulding County is out in the sticks. Cobb County, however, has more "city" to it. Still, I have ran into some very ignorant people. And the way I see it, many of the ignorant persons I have ran into seem to have no shame about it. It was my experiences living in Paulding County that made me consider living in Canada.
Can you even imagine a personality like Glenn Beck being popular in Canada? Canadians generally regard a person like that as a certifable nut case and he would have no one who was willing to waste their time listening to him. He might be able to get a job with something like This hour has 20 minutes as a parody of everything Canadians hate about this wacked out dangerous segment of the American population.
I understand a lot of Americans out there want to try Canada out and disagree with American Exceptionalism - as someone said. That is fine and all but the fact is - those Americans want to try Canada out because they understand that America will offer them the environment which is best long term.
Some people would prefer Europe for the extensive social net. Some prefer Canada for the cold climate. or Australia for the spiders and right hand drive oddity cars. Some want America for its least amount of government intervention in your paycheck, that you can find in this world.. And that's ultimately what I am looking for.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
