On Nationality

Query: Why is it OK for Americans to bash America but not Canadians?
Obvious Answer: Because they don't live here.
Query: Is that reason good enough?

It's fascinating, the long and odd history that Canada and the United States has. We are possibly the most bitter rivals close friends can be.

It's funny, because, when it comes down to it... it seems that Canada is desperately waving it's hands going "LOOK! We're Not America! Look! We have our own culture! We have our own politics! Our own viewpoints!" And.. that's true.. Canada is NOT America... but it's pretty damned close.
We aren't too different, Canada and the United States.
What's REALLY the difference between The Kids in the Hall and The Royal Canadian Air Farce?
Or...Barenaked Ladies and Sugar Ray?
Not much.

If a Canadian makes it into the Top 40, it's a BIG DEAL! (That Shania Twain, she's a Canadian) not just in Canada, but in the US either.
It's not such a big deal if the singer/band is NOT Canadian, though.
Quick, what nation did U2 come from? ABBA? AC/DC?
Do you know?
Oh, but I bet you know that Bryan Adams is Canadian.

So why the bitter rivalry?

Part of it is blatant misunderstanding.
For example, and I ask all my Canadian friends out there (Especially you, rhayden).. have you ever LISTENED to the words to "Blame Canada"? or did you just hear the words "Blame Canada" and go "Oh god, more American shit."
It's funny, because I HAVE listened to the words. They're not really anti-Canadian, they're more anti-people who need to blame scapegoats for their own problems.
Part of it is a certain small-mindedness, on both side of the border. Sort of an "I'm better than you" attitude. But that's prevalent everywhere. When last I checked, we didn't have this sort of bitter rivalry with Britain or Australia or any of our other close allies. So I'm not sure that's REALLY it.

I'm not sure that the United States is any better than Canada, in any way. Our government is one of the best (which I suggest as true due to the number of rights we have compared to other countries), but theirs is good as well.
Are Canadian people better than American people? As a group? I doubt it. Person by person... depends.
Our culture... I don't know.. where does American Culture end and Canadian or British or Australian or whatever culture begin?
How do you define that?

The problem is... our world is getting smaller. Thanks to the Internet, we can talk to people all over the world.
Some think that this is a good reason to get to know each other, to find that we are not so different, to become more open-minded.
The fact of the matter is what the internet is REALLY GOOD for is for allowing people with similair interests to get to know each other, whether it's Star Trek, Cats or Anti-Americanism/Anti-Canadiasm.
In actuality, I think we're no more open-minded now than we were before. The internet is just another forum for hate to breed, whether in the petty machinations of a community like canadakicksass (which is at least as concerned with mocking Americans as discussing how Canada kicks ass ) or in more private conversations.

Though, between you all and me, I know plenty of otherwise intelligent Canadians mocking America, but few otherwise intelligent Americans mocking Canada. That's not to say there aren't any, just that I don't know of any. We're too busy being disgusted with other things (such as our own government) to really care what's going on in Canada and, hence, to mock it.

Anyways... this is a little rambly (aren't all my entries?) but hopefully I made my point.