Globe and Mail: Canadians look down on Americans

[Newsjock]

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20050623.wcanam0622/BNStory/International/

Washington -- Canadians are becoming even more negative about Americans, viewing them as “rude, greedy and violent,” suggests a survey released Thursday by the Pew Research Center.

And while a majority of Canadians agreed Americans are inventive and hardworking, less than half called them honest, said the poll, which charted some minor improvements in a major global image problem that spiked after President George W. Bush's invasion of Iraq in 2003.

But the survey, conducted among nearly 17,000 people this spring in the United States and 15 other countries, suggested America remains “broadly disliked” in 10 of them and regard for Americans is going down, said Pew director Andrew Kohut.

... A favourable opinion of America in Canada slipped to 59 per cent in 2005 from 72 per cent in 2002, the first year the study was conducted by the independent group.

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[John Q. Citizen]

1. Gosh, why would that be?

[screembloodymurder]

29. Hell I felt this way after a visit to the baby pool yesterday.

The four year olds are being taught aggressive behavior is good. No wonder I no longer feel safe in America.

[FlemingsGhost]

2. I don't blame them, really.

In fact, my opinion of my fellow citizens is not nearly as forgiving.

[tuvor]

3. Present company excepted, of course.

Some of us know better.

[BlueJazz]

4. All that tells me is, Most folks outside of the USA don't have.....

...their head up their ass....

[TaleWgnDg]

5. rude? greedy? violent? how can that be? n/t

[daleo]

6. Canadians don't look down on Americans

But we are concerned about the Bushian crazy part of the population, who do tend to be "rude, greedy, and violent". And the scary religious fanatics too.

[Spazito]

7. It would be really nice if they would ask questions that would

clarify whether the dislike was for Americans in general or primarily bush and his followers. My bet is the majority would say it was bush and his followers.

[Gemini Cat]

8. *GASP*

How shocking!!

[Canuck55]

9. Its the Policy, Stupid!

We love you guys, we just hate your current Overlords.

[shanti]

14. if it's any consolation

we hate 'em too!

[CBHagman]

24. Oh, we are of one mind, Canuck55.

I swear on my Loreena McKennitt CD that if you offered me 50 cents for the entire Bush family, I'd throw in the Republican leadership for free. :evilgrin:

[Dragonfly]

28. Effective post easily landing in the

affirmative camp in my part of Missouri, too. I was in TO for 2 years and B.C. for 2 ('75-'79). Wrote a piece back in '80, during an irregular journaling interlude, which included a thank you to Canada for "sane and instructive refuge."

I think a similar phenomenon is occurring in Mexico and Central America at present. Maybe the continent is coming together in ways not yet so visible to petty "Muggles."

[eleonora]

10. rude, greedy, violent and hmm...

more and more uneducated? My dad who's french always wonders why americans are so lethargic when they're faced with government decisions they don't like...the problem is we have to grasp what's going on first to react.....and most well, just DON'T!! :crazy:

[LynnTheDem]

11. And; Britain has a more favorable view of CHINA than of us, as do 11 of 14

nations surveyed.

WAY TO GO, BUSH!

Stupid MFer.

[IndianaGreen]

12. “rude, greedy and violent,”

Boy, that sure describes Bush's foreign policy to a Tee!

We will be paying for Bush's sins for generations to come!

[Swede]

13. I think if more Canadians read DU thier opinion would change.

The Bush crew is tainting the world's opinion of course. On DU we get the truth from the decent people that they are.

[Brundle_Fly]

15. I am Canadian

and I love everyone of the people on DU

I love 99% of the democratic party.

But there is lots of work to get rid of the "Ugly American" stereotype, that not just Canada holds against you.

[llmart]

21. Thank you for that.

I, too, hate that I'm lumped in with the republican assholes that support the way our country has become under BushCo. I'm embarrassed when I go to Canada that someone may look at me and think, good god, there goes an American. I wonder if she voted for Bush or supports him? I just want to wear a sign that says, "I've been fighting these Republicans with everything I have and I'm NOT LIKE THEM."

All you have to do is look around you every day and see how rude and self-centered and self-serving we've become.

[Brundle_Fly]

16. FYI

you would hate america more too if you saw the news we did, and not the watered down propaganda your news stations pour out.

[applegrove]

17. They could have asked a more specific question: why? Why do

you change your opinion? And the answer would have been Bush. This is such a silly poll. Everyone in the world is down on the Bushites! How come they generalized to American?

[FlemingsGhost]

18. I'm thinking it's because there's no NHL Hockey this year

I'm just saying ...

:shrug:

[applegrove]

20. Well if Canadians have been watching MSM they are surely mighty

frustrated. Compare that 'America bend' news to what we get and it would look sad.

Rove & Norquest & the GOP gang have surely done a number on the MSM by separating them from their viewers.

***holes.

[Robert Oak]

19. the only thing that bothers me

is how I'm trying my best to stop all of this insanity yet I'm lumped
in with the idiots.

[muriel_volestrangler]

22. In a nutshell, America's problem is George Bush

Look at this - a comparison of the US reaction to the tsunami, and Bush's 're-election':



Everyone thinks the US did the right thing for the tsunami victims; everyone (with the exception of Poland, who don't really seem to give a damn - maybe they remember the "you forgot Poland!" remark?) thinks that Bush getting back in send a big "fuck you" message to the world.

[Spazito]

26. Thank you for this!

It shows clearly that it is bush Canadians don't like not Americans in general although his 're-election' didn't help the overall view of Americans. The terrible damage he is doing is seen clearly.

[waynew706]

23. I agree with Dealo....

Canadian's are smart enough to know that most American's are not George W Bush and company. We only hope that somehow the masses in the US will get on the band wagon of getting rid of this POS and all that he stands for, and get back to rebuilding America. Right now Bush threatens the entire globe with his attitude, arrogance, and ignorance.

[ckramer]

25. “rude, greedy and violent,”

They should distinguish democrats from republicans who indeed are “rude, greedy and violent”

[Lisa]

27. In my case, it's only because of the map orientation ...

And of course, there are plenty of places where Canada is "below" the US (e.g. Windsor is south of Detroit).

But seriously, the majority of us make a definite distinction between BushCo and the rest of the USA. (I frequently meet Americans who are more progressive and open-minded than Canadians.)

Looking at organizations such as DU and Democrats Abroad, I am finding even more to admire now about Americans who are coming forward (sometimes even at the risk of their jobs, families, and friends) to speak out.

[BiggJawn]

30. Eh? I'm a Cannuck?

" Canadians are becoming even more negative about Americans, viewing them as “rude, greedy and violent,” ..."

Guess that makes me a Canadian, then. I don't find a DAMN thing I disagree with in that article except for Danforth's bloviating, and hey you lurking freepers, if I COULD find a JOB up there, I'd be SO out of this country of bloody-minded bread-munching circus-watching Teeeee-Veeeeeee ADDICTS SO fast.....

"Co-chair John Danforth, former United Nations ambassador under Bush, insisted the survey results don't reflect a personal hatred of the president but ambiguity about the best way to protect against new threats and the desire for another country to rival U.S. power"

Damn, but that Kool-Aid takes a LONG time to work its way out of the body, doesn't it?

Provided, of course, that one STOPS drinking it....