Definition: Apophasis - mentioning something you won't mention,
such as "I won't even mention his arrogance!"
----------------------------
such as "I won't even mention his arrogance!"
----------------------------
Someone from some third country asked on an "answers" forum why Americans in general compare so unfavorably to Canadians. He described Americans as unhealthy, inconsiderate, not generally very bright or aware, and interested only in celebrities and fast food. He got a lot of responses describing him as an ass and worse, and bragging that the US is "the best in the world!", describing Canadians as lazy and "We can whip their butts!", and shortly after I typed in my response, his question was taken down.
On that site, questions and responses can be flagged as obscene or spam, and apparently the powers don't bother to check - so if someone gets pissed at you, they can have your entry removed, and too many of those reports will get you banned. I think that's what happened here, which pisses ME off, because it was an observation with merit, and "why?" is always a valid question.
This was my response, written with little thought, off the top of my head, but still material for further rumination:
I agree with your assessment (the comparison of Americans to Canadians). The blame can be laid in many areas: our educational system, economic system, political system, social mores, virtually everywhere. I think it all stems from the concept that "all men are created equal", which is true, that all people start out equal, and deserve the same opportunities. But in practice, it has become an attitude that the opinions of all are equal, and that all deserve the same consideration - that the village idiot's opinion is as valuable as that of an intelligent, educated, successful person. We don't recognize our betters, let alone respect them. (Intelligence is a disadvantage. Our educational system has deteriorated because we no longer demand excellence of either students or teachers.)
This attitude is encouraged by advertisers and exploited by politicians. The result is an unrealistic sense of entitlement. It explodes into all areas. Many of us know that certain things are bad for us, but others like those things, want those things, and therefore think they deserve those things - and there are those who laugh up their sleeves and give it to them, because they can make a lot of money on their stupidity. Economically speaking, stupidity is GOOD. Politically speaking, stupidity is GOOD (look at the last election, the way herds of stupid people were manipulated).
Stupidity is encouraged, stupidity is spreading, because those who know how to work it can profit from it. We are encouraged to think we are so very wonderful, because it's profitable, and it makes it easy to control the herd. But other countries laugh at us, and China is well on the way to outpacing us economically. Most Americans are not aware of how little we are intellectually respected (beyond our military power) because they refuse to look beyond their own affairs.
When I travel, I pretend to be Canadian, because the arrogance, crudeness, discourtesy, insensitivity, and loudness of other American tourists embarrass me.
.
3 comments:
Great post..... the only thing I differ with is the last sentence. I spent a lot of time in Canada and I was always amazed at the rude natives I encountered, perhaps they weren't so loud, but very arrogant and insensitive, so I would not have bettered myself by pretending to be them. Actually don't you think bad behavior is the norm for all people regardless of where they live? When we visit other places it looks more attractive than home just because we're not there long enough to see the dirt.
I lived in Ottawa, Canada, for a few years in my youth. I didn't notice arrogance. I did notice fierce pride, and a bristliness when Americans criticize Canada, especially among those who deal with tourists.
In Britain, I found that the people will cut off apologies and effusive gratitude. "Them's the facts, ma'am. Stick to business." Otherwise, they were very nice, especially, I suppose, because the English thought I was Welsh, and the Welsh thought I was English.
The French, north and south, were downright rude when they thought I was American, but much more accommodating when they thought I was Canadian. (By the way, I speak French with a Scottish accent.)
Good point. I have several times been embarrassed by the behavior of fellow Americans while traveling overseas. I have been to more than 25 different countries and currenly live in Europe, so perhaps I am a little different than my non passport holding countrymen. I prefer to admit I am American to hopefully present a better stereotype to my host country.
Post a Comment