Posted on 03/05/2006 9:53:07 AM PST by Heartofsong83
Too close for some people's comfort
Those who think Canadians are manifestly distinct from the folks next door may be disappointed by a new study
Terry O'Neill - February 27, 2006
The drumstick of Canadian nationalism beats with predictable regularity on the head of Uncle Sam. Ask many Canadians to define their country, and chances are they'll do so by contrasting it, superiorly, to the United States. As former prime minister Paul Martin put it during the election campaign, while his attack ads were busy painting Tory leader Stephen Harper as "[George] Bush's new best friend," Canadians see America as "our neighbour, not our nation."
That much is true. But those who think that means Canadians are manifestly distinct from the folks next door may be disappointed by a new study by Ronald Inglehart, of the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan.
The political scientist says his empirical findings will come as a "shock to Canadians." After all, he says, "The worst insult I can make to my Canadian friends is to say, 'Aw, you're just like us.'"
But that may indeed be the case. As part of the Institute's World Values Survey, the professor plotted more than two dozen countries on a continuum: along one axis, he measured cultural attitudes associated with traditional or secular values; along the other, he gauged attitudes towards such things as tolerance for outsiders and self-expression. He then compared the current findings (based on data compiled no later than 2001) with those of two decades ago.
On the resulting graph, Canada ends up side by side not with Belgium, France or Sweden, but near the U.S.--with both registering values that fall roughly midway between secular and traditional, but with high levels of tolerance (Canada is marginally more permissive and marginally less religious). The only country measured that even approaches the philosophical space shared by our neighbouring nations is Ireland, which naturally skews slightly more religious and a tad less open-minded. Compared to data from the first time the countries were surveyed, at least 16 years ago, both the U.S. and Canada have shown similar rates of change toward secularism and liberalization.
Of course, an objective reading of the two nations' general approach to all manner of significant social and political issues (free speech, property rights, human rights, women's rights, minority rights, separation of state and religion, et cetera) would tell you so. That's why Inglehart likens the countries to rivalling siblings who exaggerate the ways they are unique instead of focusing on obvious resemblances. It's true, he allows, that the data used in the survey is now five years old, and it is possible the two countries may have diverged from their lockstep in the interim. "I'm sure the Canadians fervently hope so," chuckles Inglehart. Well, at least some do. Unfortunately, they'll have to wait till the next survey results are released, in late 2007, to find out.
I'd have to agree. After witnessing many of the crackpot pronouncements by assorted college professors I've had over the years (it took me a while to get my degree), I'd say your conclusion is right on the mark. Having a phd, in my mind, is no proof that the possessor of said is competent in anything. Certainly not outside their field of "expertise" and maybe not even inside it.
How so? I thought Ahern was relatively pro-American and anti-IRA.
Hey I'm backing you up here LOL. I think if you read my earlier posts I state that this whole Canadian vs American thing is over-hyped garbage.
Yes, you are.. My mistake and apologies.
All you Yankess look alike....
Virtually all Canadians get NBC,CBS,ABC etc. That is their window on America. If that's all I saw of America I would hate it too!!!
Note that the survey ends in 2001 for the time being. Any students of histiry will notice events can act as catalyst for a radical change to an individual or collective people's ideological stances. We have had 9/11, Iraq, Arafat's death, Iran threat, London and Madrid bombings, Paris riots, and riots over Danish cartoons in between - they could have radically altered many people's perspectives.
I gather that 9/11 has produced a right shift on the part of a vast majority living in the United States, and a left shift among the remaining minority. In Canada, as some other posters have said that 9/11 and terrorism are not too much of a concern (I should stress that it isn't a non-concern but that it is not a first critical concern as it is in the United States or to an extent, Australia), the attitudes may stay at the origin or may in fact have shifted slightly to the left.
You'll notice that a certain person keeps trying to convince us posters that Canada is a leftist country.
"66 posted on 03/05/2006 4:43:26 PM EST"
The graph is here:
http://www.worldvaluessurvey.org/statistics/some_findings.html
I notice that yes, the US and Canada are relatively close, it is interesting that Australia is yet a little bit closer to the United States (although not by much). In other words, Australia is the country closest to the United States, then Canada. New Zealand is relatively distant from the United States and more like Britain and continental Europe though.
You are correct that we all get the major U.S. networks, but
I think you're wrong about that it could/would make Canadians
"hate" America. In fact, data will show that the vast majority
of Canadians love America and Americans.
OTOH, Watching the U.S. MSM will make them dislike the current Administration.
I kinda sense from my friends that many Canadians feel sorry
for America and Americans..
According to the polls and the media most of the world hates us. Putting aside all the problems with polls, or survey in this case, let us assume that is true. The question then becomes, for some, why?
I suggest that most of the worlds media is controlled or heavily slanted by their government. In those where it is not, like the USA, Canada, and most of Europe, the left has done an excellent job of infiltrating and then dominating the media. I even include the Muslim states as left-controlled or at least heavily influenced by the left.
Those folks are campaigning for governments that impose rule and law from the top down and brook no interference. They are the opposite of the USA. Therefore, these controlled, or heavily influenced, media outlets are rich with anti-USA rhetoric. They present us as the devil so that no one under their influence will seek to be like us. We must be demonized to make themselves look tolerable so that they survive.
It is not that blatant in still free countries where the left has made strong inroads, like Canada, Europe, NZ, Australia, etc., but it is the same message presented in a subtle way. Then the polls or surveys, properly designed, claim the results they were seeking. They then give those wide spread exposure to reinforce the opinion that everyone hates America. The many who don't hate America feel they are odd because everyone else supposedly does. Therefore, they keep quiet or if asked, lie.
LOL!
Go Harper!!!
Well, it was bag groceries or become a college professor. Guess which one he chose?
Thanks mate. BTW the quote is made by a post-WWII anti-Communist Chinese journalist.
Actually I hadn't noticed . I was ignoring .
I think his problem has something to do with size rather than which way it points .
GMAC, Us high tory monarchists have a tendency to do that snicker thing . A lot lately. :)
Fortunately Australia lacks a hard Left. The Left in Canada and the US is probably well to the Left of anything in Australia.
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