Holy Smoke! I was away a couple of days, and boy did I miss some action.
As for the America/Canada situation. I just finished watching "Bowling for Columbine" last night. I recommend it...now hear me out. I know Michael Moore is not the poster boy for most gun owners, but I still think it should be looked at.
This film - on the surface is about guns and gun control, but by the time it is done, digs into a lot of cultural differences that show up between our two countries, and between the States and most other countries in the world.
One of the main differences that of general attitude. There is an "us against the world, everyone is out to get us" attitude prevalent down there. A society based on fear of attack, from the first Pilgrims meeting the first Natives, right up to today. This carries down to everyday people on the street. Defense seems to be the cornerstone of the whole society, from international policy down to protecting the family home from burglers. The whole society is inundated with news and media reporting that is mainly consisted with warnings of danger of all kind. Watch CNN for a while, and pay attention, disaster is good for business. After a lifetime of this, who could help being defensive?
It was quite an eye-opener, and made me proud to be a Canadian. Far better to live in a country where understanding and discussion are the main focus, than one where the prime directive is "watch your back, everyone's out to get you". We may have our flaws, but we are basically a very humane society.
That's my rant for the day.
As for the America/Canada situation. I just finished watching "Bowling for Columbine" last night. I recommend it...now hear me out. I know Michael Moore is not the poster boy for most gun owners, but I still think it should be looked at.
This film - on the surface is about guns and gun control, but by the time it is done, digs into a lot of cultural differences that show up between our two countries, and between the States and most other countries in the world.
One of the main differences that of general attitude. There is an "us against the world, everyone is out to get us" attitude prevalent down there. A society based on fear of attack, from the first Pilgrims meeting the first Natives, right up to today. This carries down to everyday people on the street. Defense seems to be the cornerstone of the whole society, from international policy down to protecting the family home from burglers. The whole society is inundated with news and media reporting that is mainly consisted with warnings of danger of all kind. Watch CNN for a while, and pay attention, disaster is good for business. After a lifetime of this, who could help being defensive?
It was quite an eye-opener, and made me proud to be a Canadian. Far better to live in a country where understanding and discussion are the main focus, than one where the prime directive is "watch your back, everyone's out to get you". We may have our flaws, but we are basically a very humane society.
That's my rant for the day.
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