Quote:
Originally Posted by Clever_Iggy
For the record, I'm Canadian residing in the US.
Canadians are judgmental. For some reason, Canadians like to point out as many flaws in the US and discuss them as though in doing so, it makes Canada better. Not to say that other countries aren't equally judgmental (including the US), but Canadians, for whatever reason, love to differentiate themselves from the US and almost define themselves based on these differences. Only my perception though.
The next paragraph is not intended to be argumentative, rather just trying to answer your question. I don't want to and I don't think there's any reason to get into the socialist v. capitalist debate in this thread. With that caveat:
I suppose socialism is a "bad word" in the US because it is the opposite of the foundations of the US system and culture. Capitalism is the driving force behind virtually every area in the US - healthcare, industry, universities, taxes, elections, etc.... To introduce socialism is tearing down that capitalist structure. It would be like introducing completely private healthcare to Canadians or promoting something that directly detracted from beer or hockey. 
I think that it was compounded by the Cold War and fears of the "Red Soviets" taking over the world and all the propaganda that went along with it. There is obviously residual effects of that still in the population that grew up during the Cold War and the generation or two immediately following. |
If you are a Canadian residing in the US and Canadians are judgemental, doesn't that make you judgemental? I'm half joking and serious.
I think a lot of it has to do with the US influence. You bombard our market with everything you have so sometimes we have to fight to retain our independence. In fact, we put up with countless US invasions in the history of confederacy. For centuries US decision makers thought that it was only a matter of time until manifest destiny occured and Canada would be swallowed by the US. Nutjobs like Pat Buchannon and Tucker Carlson still think so.
A lot of it has to with the sheer ignorance the US has of Canada. I was once asked in Seattle by a US citizen if we had the internet in Canada. Seattle! The huge city which only a few hundred kilometres from Vancouver. They rip our more effective health care system, taxation but have no idea Canada's population is made up of 16% VISIBLE minorities. People in the US seem to think we are all white. Most people don't know our capital and many think we live in ingloos. Few people in the US realize we have a better standard of living and quality of life, better health care, great economy and iconic global companies like Cirque du Soleil and RIM. Many people in the US have a Blackberry or have been to one of their shows but I would wager most have no idea they are from Canada.
A lot of it is also sheer ignorance of the world outside the US. Politically and economically virtually every country on earth has a reason to hate the US, just like most did Britain a few centuries ago. I always laugh when abroad a US citizen introduce themselves by telling you what state they are from rather than country. I bet most don't even know where the name America came from.
And frankly, every country makes fun of someone. The US makes fun of Mexico, the Swiss of the German, the Aussies of the Kiwis, Chileans of Argentina, England and France, etc. The US is just our target, most likely because you are our only neighbour.