My neighbor to the east is a neighbor from the north

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I have recently come to know my neighbor to the east, she is from Canada.

I was apparently the first American who spoke to her, asking her name and chatting with her, so she likes me. We soon discovered that our dogs suffered from the same disease, Addison's, and we discovered that we enjoyed speakng with each other, and we are becoming friends.

Today my friend stopped by with a huge sack of blueberries from her vines and a question as to which vet we used.

But it is something she said in an early conversation that continues to haunt me.

She said: "Americans think they're free but they really have no idea what freedom is".

Someday soon I imagine that we will be good enough friends for me to discuss this with her but...... what do I know?

C'mon Canadian friends of A2K --

What "idea" do I need to know?

Thanks?

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Maybe they have true freedom from the government.

Maybe their government doesnt try to watch everything they do, as ours does all the way down to cameras on highways.

Maybe their news is REAL news and not just about a murder down the street. Maybe they hear the real stories about what is going on with their country.

Maybe they are so comfortable with just being humans, that the act of sex isnt seen as 'sinful' and wrong.

Maybe their television shows are not a pornography of violence that american tv is. In our country, you will see someone shot in the head on prime time tv before you see a simple naked behind. Violence is ok. Killing is ok and it is almost a requirement for a show to be good. But show some skin and you are wrong and dirty.

but
im just fantasizing..

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I think I know, boomerang, what the "idea" is that your new friend in talking about. But we will leave it to others (perhaps from Canada) to weigh in first.

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as a canadian here's my interpretation of your neighbours statement

i've always felt that america is confined by it's own freedom, it's a hard concept to try and put into words, i find that canadians are somewhat less nationalistic than americans, we love our country, but we don't have this enormous need to constantly remind ourselves and the rest of the world how great we are, america seems a litlle insecure in it's own skin with all the flag waving and bands playing

i think that canadians are better versed in diversity, we don't really hold to the melting pot idea, we have i believe a better system in place to address social issues, we have the freedom to get sick, without worrying that it will bankrupt us (there are issues of availability of healthcare, but no system is perfect)

and then there's the guns, it's a complex issue, but it's a definite point of difference between the two countries

some ideas to help you begin your pondering of your freedom versus ours

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well stated , djjd62.
That is getting very close to where what I was thinking.

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bm

Very interesting thread, boomerang.
Looking forward to reading the responses you get.

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ditto

(oh, can add, that I am fascinated by YOUR words: "Someday soon I imagine that we will be good enough friends for me to discuss this with her but...... what do I know?" I am intrigued by what you mean by "good enough friends to discuss this". For me, the fact she said it would have triggered the discussion, since it was out there, and I am almost certain not to have waited to discuss it, if I liked her and respected her views. Could you explain a little more about your having decided to wait?)

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Nodding to djjd62.

Boom, just out of curiousity, which part of Canada is she from? Her background may flavour her thoughts. My bf who grew up Up North (I just like saying Up North) (small native community) feels even more strongly about this than myself. I grew up in this province but have spent time in much of Canada.

As soon as I read this, I got a lump in my throat and I started to find myself getting excited.

Thank you for asking! I feel gratitude.

It is difficult to describe, but I will try. I obviously can not answer for her - she has her own ideas - however sometimes I find myself thinking the exact same thing. Especially when spending time with some of my American friends and acquaintainces.

Please nobody skin me alive:
Americans seem to generally have a veil covering their eyes. A darker veil than us Canadians, that sees the world as a dangerous place. There are Americans, then there is The Rest of the World.

There is an insecurity. Sometimes expressed in deep nationalism. This nationalism can be blatant and flag-waving, or sarcastic and joked at: yet it runs deep. Many American 'liberals' do not seem so liberal to me - there is rarely not that core of protect-america-it-is-the-best. Something as simple as openly discussing alternatives to a two-party system....how many seriously entertain this thought? How many believe it can happen or would be just as good if not better than what is there now? How many are working for that?

This is worded so poorly. Hope the idea comes across.

I agree with all the points djjd made. For example, I love my country and my city. I feel like this city is very international. Canada - as a whole - often seems to me to be like a beautiful experiment for the whole world coming together in one community in peace. Diversity is celebrated in general: recognized as something healthy.

Americans seem to have a different love for their country. Almost like a child who grew up in a dysfunctional home: there develops this skin of arrogance, this need to protect, this reflex attack and compete. The American Dream: that's it, a dream. A dream to escape reality.

On a simpler level, there is the honest lack of freedom Americans believe they enjoy, yet do not. IMOHSO Humble Opinion. Smile

Surely, it is a horrid idea to believe that one is lacking freedom. Worse yet, to learn this and accept this after one has been taught from every possible angle from birth that One Enjoys Freedom More Than Anyone Else.

Freedom is choice, no?

Then again; maybe I am wrong. Maybe I have been brainwashed to believe Canada is very free and it is not. Some Canadians do feel this way. :wink:

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I guess what I meant about being able to discuss it with her is many pronged - she said it when we bumped into each other out walking our dogs, Mo was there, it seemed like a big topic to try to cover in a short space of time. Also, I'm as dumb as most Americans on what life is like in Canada.

The responses for djjd and flushd show that it is a complicated issue. I wanted to be better versed in the ideas behind her comment before I brought it up.

Americans do assume that everyone wants to live like us, that we are the "free-est". Her comment really intrigued me and I've been turning it over in my head for the month or so since she said it.

djjd and flushd have given me a lot to think about. I'm going to ponder it a bit before delving back in.....

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bm.

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I have no arguments with anything dj or flush'd said, seems right on. Not all of us fit the mold though, like just about anywhere.

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Sooooo......

Hmm. Okay.

My neighbor to the east/from the north got into a little public altercation the other day. Mo was just finishing up his swimming class when the sherrifs showed up. Neighbor was upset and crying and Mo and I stood by her side, vouching for her and .... whatever....

Mo, the impatienient, wanted to go goofing so once I felt that she was okay I took Mo to goof. She promised to stop by later and fill me in and visit and stuff.

Mo and I didn't get home until late and I found a note in my mailbox which looked like a copy from a blog entry - talking about what happened.

Soooooo.......

It was a real anti-American diatribe. Funny as hell, though. Hilarious to tell the truth. It had me in hysterics ..... up to a point.

The point being that there was no mention of anyone standing beside her and the point being that she got out of a huge fine.

It was all kind of a bitch about "fat Americans" being "c--t- and idiots and jerks and" .... did I say idiots?

Sooooooo.......

Hmmm. Okay.

By leaving this in my box was she trying to impress me or to piss me off?

Because it really did kind of both.

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djjd62 wrote:

as a canadian here's my interpretation of your neighbours statement

i've always felt that america is confined by it's own freedom, it's a hard concept to try and put into words, i find that canadians are somewhat less nationalistic than americans, we love our country, but we don't have this enormous need to constantly remind ourselves and the rest of the world how great we are, america seems a litlle insecure in it's own skin with all the flag waving and bands playing

i think that canadians are better versed in diversity, we don't really hold to the melting pot idea, we have i believe a better system in place to address social issues, we have the freedom to get sick, without worrying that it will bankrupt us (there are issues of availability of healthcare, but no system is perfect)

and then there's the guns, it's a complex issue, but it's a definite point of difference between the two countries

some ideas to help you begin your pondering of your freedom versus ours

I think those kidney stones are making you a more insightful person, djjd62.

You might want to consider leaving those things in place.

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boomerang wrote:

Sooooo......

Hmm. Okay.

My neighbor to the east/from the north got into a little public altercation the other day. Mo was just finishing up his swimming class when the sherrifs showed up. Neighbor was upset and crying and Mo and I stood by her side, vouching for her and .... whatever....

Mo, the impatienient, wanted to go goofing so once I felt that she was okay I took Mo to goof. She promised to stop by later and fill me in and visit and stuff.

Mo and I didn't get home until late and I found a note in my mailbox which looked like a copy from a blog entry - talking about what happened.

Soooooo.......

It was a real anti-American diatribe. Funny as hell, though. Hilarious to tell the truth. It had me in hysterics ..... up to a point.

The point being that there was no mention of anyone standing beside her and the point being that she got out of a huge fine.

It was all kind of a bitch about "fat Americans" being "c--t- and idiots and jerks and" .... did I say idiots?

Sooooooo.......

Hmmm. Okay.

By leaving this in my box was she trying to impress me or to piss me off?

Because it really did kind of both.

Hmmmm.....

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A Canadian is just an unarmed American with health insurance.

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Quote:

A Canadian is just an unarmed American with health insurance.

Well, close enough!

Diatribe? What set her off?

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boomerang wrote:

Sooooo......

Hmm. Okay.

My neighbor to the east/from the north got into a little public altercation the other day. Mo was just finishing up his swimming class when the sherrifs showed up. Neighbor was upset and crying and Mo and I stood by her side, vouching for her and .... whatever....

Mo, the impatienient, wanted to go goofing so once I felt that she was okay I took Mo to goof. She promised to stop by later and fill me in and visit and stuff.

Mo and I didn't get home until late and I found a note in my mailbox which looked like a copy from a blog entry - talking about what happened.

Soooooo.......

It was a real anti-American diatribe. Funny as hell, though. Hilarious to tell the truth. It had me in hysterics ..... up to a point.

The point being that there was no mention of anyone standing beside her and the point being that she got out of a huge fine.

It was all kind of a bitch about "fat Americans" being "c--t- and idiots and jerks and" .... did I say idiots?

Sooooooo.......

Hmmm. Okay.

By leaving this in my box was she trying to impress me or to piss me off?

Because it really did kind of both.

Bump.

She sounds like a freakshow, seriously icky, though her earlier comment re: freedom was provocative and could have merit. I rather believe she was simply trolling.

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Why is she living in the US? Has she lived there long? If not, was it her choice to move there or was she following a spouse's job? If so, maybe she isn't allowed to work and desperately wants to and so is really unhappy -- not that she should be taking it out on you! A lot of people are really negative about their situation when they're somewhere they don't want to be. Just wondering.

(Yep. I'm Canadian too, eh? Politeness is a national trait -- you sure she's Canadian? Very Happy

)

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I got stopped for speeding in Hamilton once, and the cop went off on me about how fast i was going, about how fast everyone was going, about how sick and tired he was about everyone roaring through Hamilton like it wasn't there . . . then, when he returned with my license, registration and the ticket, he all but apologized for going off like that. Yeah, Canadians are obsessive about courtesy.

I note that when Canadians complain about the United States and Americans, they complain about the blindspots Americans have. Canadians have their own blind spots. With a Westminister-style of parliamentary government, the Prime Minister and his ministry have far more power than an American President exercises. If the ministry have an absolute majority in Parliament, they can act almost unrestrained. Lacking a single, coherent written constitution, a government can write just about any laws they wish, and the only check for this is that the courts can overturn the law. But the government can come right back, and if they have an absolute majority or a reliable coalition, they can alter the law in a manner to allow the previous legislation to operate without fear of being overturned by the courts. In the United States, if the courts strike down a measure, amending the Constitution, a difficult, time-consuming and doubtful process, is the only way around it. Prime Ministers can also legislate through the issue of written policies through a ministry--the most egregious example of which i can think is Mulroney's dodge about the capital gains tax. Shortly after he formed his first government, his finance minister issued a tax regulation, which was not subject to parliamentary review, which allow people to defer the capital gains tax if they had created a trust for disabled children, or any child who might someday be disabled, until that child reached 23 years of age. If that child were married by that time, the money could be put in trust for their children who were, or who might become, disabled, even if they did not yet have children. They could enjoy the the income of the trust as the guardians of any such child. Carefully manipulated, such a provision would allow the deferment of the capital gains tax indefinitely. It was never struck down by a court, and so it was never necessary for the Parliament to review the policy, which was simply issued as a tax regulation. You can't pull stuff like that in the United States.

Canada is, and throughout its history has been, far more plutocratic than the United States. In the last census conducted before the Second World War, the then equivalent of Statistics Canada found that two thirds of the population lived below the poverty line. The war set Canada up for prosperity, much as it did for the United States. So the Canadians have had a tenuous prosperity which tends to allay any resentment they might otherwise fell toward the Plutocrats. Conrad Black is being prosecuted in the United States, not Canada. If he had been dealing with a Tory government, he might even have gotten his Canadian citizenship re-instated. He may yet, although i don't know that that would help him now.

As long as a government does not violate the Charter of Rights and Freedoms (or seen to be violated by a court), any Canadian government can do pretty much what they like. The only other hedge on government is the Canada Act, formerly the British North America Act. As Canada is a confederation, it's "constitution" can only be amended by unanimous agreement of the Provinces. In certain matters, of which all Canadians are well aware, that will never happen.

Both nations have warts. Largely, the Americans are unaware of Canadian warts, as they are of their own. But Canadians, while unaware of their own warts, are fonding of pointing out American blemishes.

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Setanta wrote:

Both nations have warts. Largely, the Americans are unaware of Canadian warts, as they are of their own. But Canadians, while unaware of their own warts, are fonding of pointing out American blemishes.

Largely, I'd say you nailed it here.

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My neighbor to the east is a neighbor from the north

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