The mosaic vs the melting pot

[Carmanah]

Originally posted by kobayashi


are you referring to our stereotypical igloo weather or our actual weather(or at least the conditions that windsor-quebec city corridor are under right now) of temperatures between 80 and 100 F, smog warnings in toronto and affecting kingston, ottawa and montreal?

That does sound appealing, doesn't it?

[RavenStar]

I came across this website called americans guide to Canada. It was hilarious. I liked the part about how when you cross the border the temperature doesnt drop 50 degrees nor does the speed limit double. The reason Canadians dont want to be called "American" always confused me. Us Canadians are just as American as someone fron The U.S. But Canadians (And "Americans") dont like being confused for each other is simple. It's the same reason Chinese people dont like being called Japanese. It's not that we hate them, its just that we're NOT american. Thats why I dont have a complex when someone thinks Im from the states. It's very hard for outsiders to tell the difference between the two countries.

We were discussing in class one day why Canadians know so much about the States while Americans know so little about Canada. The reason isnt that Americans are just dumb, or that they couldnt care less about us. It's just that Canadian know alot about the States. Since the USA is just so active in the world it is hard not to know alot about them. Having Canadians know so much about the USA makes it look like the USA knows so little about Canada.

[kobayashi]

Originally posted by RavenStar
Having Canadians know so much about the USA makes it look like the USA knows so little about Canada.

you are right but i think there is also some truth to the statement that american's know very little of canada. and that is not neccessarily the fault of any american.

it is systemic. american's do not have as great a facility to learn about nations other than itself simply because they don't have the need. canadian's take extensive american history but american's certianly don't take extensive canadian history.

i think it would apply for any nation and the united states really.

[sulawesigirl4]

HEY! Not all of us American are ignorant about the rest of the world. Then again, I was denied the dubious pleasure of growing up here and benefiting from the public school system....

[kobayashi]

Originally posted by sulawesigirl4
HEY! Not all of us American are ignorant about the rest of the world. Then again, I was denied the dubious pleasure of growing up here and benefiting from the public school system....

what was that old thread called...? i wanna revive it

[sulawesigirl4]

Originally posted by kobayashi


what was that old thread called...? i wanna revive it

your old canadian inferiority complex thread? I forget.

[RavenStar]

so you say Americans arent ignorant? Answer me these questions then: (Ill answer some american questions too if you like)

1. Name 10 provinces.
2. Our capital city
3. The capitols of 5 of those provinces.

Good luck!

[kobayashi]

Originally posted by RavenStar
so you say Americans arent ignorant? Answer me these questions then: (Ill answer some american questions too if you like)

1. Name 10 provinces.
2. Our capital city
3. The capitols of 5 of those provinces.

Good luck!

i have a pretty good feeling sula will pull this off. but then sula isn't a 'normal' american.

she's what i call superamerican

[RavenStar]

im sure she can pull it off. But alot of Americans cannot.

[sulawesigirl4]

Off the top of my head?

British Columbia
Alberta
Saskatchewan
Manitoba
Ontario
Quebec
New Brunswick
Newfoundland
Nova Scotia
Prince Edward Island

Ottawa

B.C. - Victoria
Alberta - Edmonton
Saskatchewan - Regina
Manitoba - Winnipeg
Nova Scotia - Halifax
Newfoundland - St. John's

Did I get any right?

[sulawesigirl4]

So how bout naming 4 or 5 of the 26 Indonesian provinces?
Capital of the country?
What language(s) are spoken?
Who is the President?

The fourth largest country in the world, the largest population of Muslims in the world, and I would be willing to bet money that most people are wholly ignorant about it.

[RavenStar]

first of all, Canada does not share a border with indonesia. Second, we don't even speak the same launguage as them.

you got all of them right, now my turn

California
Indiana
Florida
West Vriginia
North Dakota
Alaska
Maine
Texas
Utah
Colorado

Washington D.C

California- Sacramento
Indiana- Indianapolis
Florida- Tallahasse
West Vriginia- Charleston
North Dakota- Bismarck
Alaska- Juneau
Maine- Augusta
Texas- Austin
Utah- Salt Lake City
Colorado- Denver

[sulawesigirl4]

So sharing a border is the only requirement for the absence of ignorance? How very fascinating.

[RavenStar]

sharing a border helps. Do you know the president of Ethiopia off the top of your head? Or the capitol? It's only the poorest country in the world.

[kobayashi]

border war!


ravenstar, what are you trying to accomplish here?
all sula said was 'not all american's are ignorant' and proceeded to complete your 'quiz'.

[sulawesigirl4]

Addis Ababa was the capital of Ethiopia last time I checked. I'm not positive of the name of the ruler in charge at the moment, but I do know that they've just "hopefully" finished a war with their neighbor Eritrea over border disputes.

Afganistan is considered to be the world's poorest country.

I suppose it may be a blow to the prevailing wisdom in the Canadian psyche that takes comfort in the knowledge that "all Americans are ignorant" but it seems to me that bolstering one's ego at the expense of making sweeping generalizations about someone else is hardly a stable or productive way to go about forming opinions. On the subject of ignorance, in actuality, I have found that neither North American country is all that good when it comes to being aware of the world around them. And in my opinion that is of greater value in the long run.

Oh and just for the record...I've been mistaken for a Canadian on numerous occasions. Oh the heresy.

[FizzingWhizzbees]

Originally posted by sulawesigirl4
So how bout naming 4 or 5 of the 26 Indonesian provinces?
Capital of the country?
What language(s) are spoken?
Who is the President?

The fourth largest country in the world, the largest population of Muslims in the world, and I would be willing to bet money that most people are wholly ignorant about it.

I know this wasn't directed at me, but I *think* I can answer a few of those questions and so I'm just wondering if my answers are right...

1 - I don't know any of the provinces
2 - Jakarta is the capital?
3- I'm not sure, but I think there is a language called Indonesian? And because the country is a former Dutch colony, perhaps Dutch is still spoken there? And I'm sure there are many other dialects spoken in different areas of the country, but I can't name any of them.
4 - President Megawati? (spelling?)

It is shocking how little most of us know about other countries, I think our media are partly to blame for this as we hear very little about events in other countries in comparison to our own. Also, schools very rarely teach anything about the history or literature or current events of other countries - particularly countries in Africa and Asia.

There's so much we can learn from other countries, and our lives are richer when we learn about cultures different from our own. Our lives would be so much poorer if we refused to read books such as Crime and Punishment or War and Peace because their authors were from the USSR. Or imagine if we didn't listen to music by Beethoven or Bach or Rachmaninov because they are from other countries. (I'm writing this from a British perspective). We can learn so much from people of different nationalities or different cultures, and ultimately that can only benefit us.

[sulawesigirl4]

Originally posted by FizzingWhizzbees


I know this wasn't directed at me, but I *think* I can answer a few of those questions and so I'm just wondering if my answers are right...

1 - I don't know any of the provinces
2 - Jakarta is the capital?
3- I'm not sure, but I think there is a language called Indonesian? And because the country is a former Dutch colony, perhaps Dutch is still spoken there? And I'm sure there are many other dialects spoken in different areas of the country, but I can't name any of them.
4 - President Megawati? (spelling?)

3 out of 4 is great! I am impressed!

1. Aceh, Bali, Bengkulu, Irian Jaya, Jakarta, Jambi, Jawa Barat, Jawa Tengah, Jawa Timur, Kalimantan Barat, Kalimantan Selatan, Kalimantan Tengah, Kalimantan Timur, Lampung, Maluku, Nusa Tenggara Barat, Nusa Tenggara Timur, Riau, Sulawesi Selatan, Sulawesi Tengah, Sulawesi Tenggara, Sulawesi Utara, Sumatera Barat, Sumatera Selatan, Sumatera Utara, Yogyakarta (and no I didn't type those all from memory...used to be able to recite them along with their capitals, but it's been a while )
2. Jakarta is the capital.
3. The official language is Indonesian also called "Bahasa Indonesia"; there are thousands of other languages used within the country.
4. Megawati Sukarnoputri is the President.

And yes, War and Peace and Crime and Punishment are great novels.

[bonoman]

Sula, your attempt at proving that this Canadian doesnt know much about Indonesia is laughable. I can take Ireland for example and ask you 5 questions and u might not be able to answer them. Does that mean your inferior no. Why should u know anything about Ireland. how much does your life involve Ireland. I could say name 3/4 provenices or 10 counties. The capital of 5 of them their independence. Why would u know that unless u had some intrest in that country that is not usual.

Canada and US are neighbours, we are eachother biggest trading partners. Without eachother we would be at a disadvantage. If this is an arguement about who knows more about the world u'll probably win but i can guarentee you if you were to take 1000 Americans and 1000 Canadians the Can. would have more common knowledge of the other.

[kobayashi]

Originally posted by bonoman
if you were to take 1000 Americans and 1000 Canadians the Can. would have more common knowledge of the other.

that was understood from the outset. sula simply said not all american's are ignorant. even with her limited american capacities she proved such

as a canadian, it is my belief that 'american's are stupid' is a view which propagates in large part within the minds of canadians rather than the actions of americans.