I am sick of hearing fellow Canadians bad-mouth the United States and make fun of Americans. Whenever I hear a Canadian make a joke about "dumb Americans", complain about how "evil" America is, or compile another tiresome laundry list of their faults, it makes me ashamed to be Canadian.
I admit that this offends me on a personal level. Some members of my extended family are American, and they are neither stupid, nor arrogant. Like most Canadians, they are decent, kind, intelligent people. When my American relatives get lumped into the "dumb" category along with Dubya, I am deeply offended.
Is this what it means to be Canadian? Does being patriotic necessarily mean being bigoted? Must we be a nation of petty, jealous, mean-spirited bigots? And that's what most Canadians are. To be bigoted is to be, according to Oxford's, "unreasonably prejudiced and intolerant". When you claim all Americans are dumb, that is, by definition, intolerant. Too many Canadians are intolerant of Americans, intolerant of their politics, culture and way of life. Too many Canadians say things about Americans that they would NEVER say about any other nationality or ethnic group. Imagine the backlash if one of our politicians said "damn Italians, I hate those bastards". Yet when former MP Carolyn Parrish said that about Americans, far too many Canadians agreed. It fills me with shame and makes me sad. It also makes me wish I had been born somewhere else.
The worst part of the anti-Americanism in this country is that the US is our best, and often only, friend in the world. You think anyone else gives a rat's ass about us? Think again. When we asked for help in Afghanistan, our so-called allies in Europe all found excuses as to why they couldn't help. Even Britain, the leader of the Commonwealth we're supposed to be part of, declined. Yet America sent us 12,000 soldiers and tons of military equipment. The USA was our ally through three wars, and still is our ally in NATO. America is our biggest customer, too. 75% of the stuff we pull out of the ground or make is bought by the USA. They buy our stuff and enrich us, and we treat them like SHIT. It pisses me off. Canadians collectively forget which side their bread is buttered on. They forget who helps pay the bills. They forget who sticks up for us. And they indulge in the sort of negative stereotyping that would be considered offensive if it were directed at any other group.
Let me make this perfectly clear. Anyone who hates America should be ASHAMED. There's nothing wrong with criticizing their government, or expressing distaste for a specific leader or foreign policy. Yes, George W. Bush is an idiot. Yes, Sarah Palin is an idiot. This does NOT mean that EVERY American is just as stupid. Engaging in this sort of negative stereotyping is not only counter-productive, it is stupid. Calling all Americans morons is no better than saying the same thing about the citizens of any other country.
Furthermore, it makes me laugh, albeit bitterly, when Canadians describe Americans as "egotistical". When Canadians look down their noses at Americans, or describe them all as stupid, what does that imply? It implies that we're BETTER THAN THEM. Too many Canadians feel that we're kinder, smarter, more tolerant, BETTER people than Americans. If that kind of smug superiority is not egotistical, then I don't know what is. Yes, Americans can be overly patriotic and self-centered. Yes, some Americans really are egotistical. But is the smug, self-righteous Canadian any less egotistical than the Americans he or she belittles? I think not.
What really disturbs me is how this makes us look as a country. Anti-Americanism isn't just inaccurate and intolerant, it lessens us, too. If, as a nation, all we do is complain about how rotten our neighbours are, what does that say about us? I think it says we're a bunch of insufferable, holier-than-thou nitpickers, a country of whiners and jealous little know-it-alls. We've become a nation of passive-agressive jerks, hiding behind a veneer of politeness. Is this the face we want to present to the world? Are we a country that defines itself by how often it can shit all over its friend and ally? Am I the only one who finds this disturbing and unacceptable?
This unreasonable prejudice against Americans has become an unfortunate part of our culture, and that's what depresses me. This unreasonable intolerance of another group of people has become popular, and that is deplorable. Anti-Americanism is disgraceful. It is un-Canadian. It is bigoted and shameful. Canada is supposed to be a multi-cultural country, a nation of inclusion and tolerance and kindness, and yet the majority of Canadians carry a seething intolerance of the United States. We should be deeply ashamed of ourselves as a nation. I know I am. Every time I hear a fellow Canadian talk about how much America sucks or how stupid Americans are, I am ashamed to be Canadian. It makes me very sad.
