Would you say anti-Americanism is dying down?

[Sarah89]

I literally NEVER hear anything negative about Americans anymore. Yeah there's the supposed anti-Trump talk but I really don't see or hear much of this either in the real world.

There was a time when we seemed a little insecure about ourselves and the U.S but now I don't see this anymore. The opinion is more balanced. What do you think?

[Architype]

That may be true in the media, but it isn't in private; however, media fatigue may have a lot to do with it. We have better things to do.

[vid]

I think it's moved away from anti-Americanism and become American-pityism. Lots of people I know feel bad that the Americans are living in the kind of country they've got right now, not just because of their government but because of the state of things like healthcare, police brutality and lack of independent media.

[headhorse]

I think our society has just been penetrated by american propaganda as more media moves into the country and more citizen's get their media from american companies.

[GlassCity]

A pity has developed for sure, but there's still a good dose of envy/inferiority complex in other aspects too. But is anyone "anti-American?" Not that I can see, but I'd be surprised if people ever really were.

[vid]

I'm anti-American Hegemony and anti-American Military Industrial Complex. Not sure if that counts though, since many Americans share the same opinions and the vast majority of Americans benefit from neither.

[Architype]

Originally Posted by GlassCity

A pity has developed for sure, but there's still a good dose of envy/inferiority complex in other aspects too. But is anyone "anti-American?" Not that I can see, but I'd be surprised if people ever really were.

That's correct, it isn't really "anti-Americanism" as the OP suggests, which is mostly a misnomer; it's actually mostly disapproval of the Trump administration in particular and it's policies and values.

[Sarah89]

Originally Posted by GlassCity

A pity has developed for sure, but there's still a good dose of envy/inferiority complex in other aspects too. But is anyone "anti-American?" Not that I can see, but I'd be surprised if people ever really were.

Oh come on, American's don't really know anything about us (except our accents). How can we have any ill will at all towards them? They're just going about their lives and we're just going about ours.

[Doady]

It's kinda hard to look down at the people of the USA after Donald Trump was elected president, echoing Rob Ford's election as mayor of Toronto, Canada's largest city. Canadians, especially Torontonians, are seeing history repeating itself and realizing that USA and Canada are no different.

[GlassCity]

Originally Posted by Sarah89

Oh come on, American's don't really know anything about us (except our accents). How can we have any ill will at all towards them? They're just going about their lives and we're just going about ours.

It was your question! And I'm saying we really don't have any ill will. You asked if anti-Americanism is dying down, and I said it practically doesn't exist. I think everyone has annoyances with different issues with the US, but I wouldn't say any of it goes so far as to be anti-Americanism.

[GlassCity]

Originally Posted by Architype

That's correct, it isn't really "anti-Americanism" as the OP suggests, which is mostly a misnomer; it's actually mostly disapproval of the Trump administration in particular and it's policies and values.

Yeah, and even then the question was is it dying down, and yeah, I don't think people really have anything against the country or its people.

I'm personally not thrilled about the power imbalance we have with them, but even then, considering it Canada's actually come out very nicely. I'm also not into the hegemony that vid referred to, but really we don't notice it on a day-to-day basis so it's easy to separate it from our general feelings towards the US.

It's complicated to say what we really think because there are so many different issues here. For the most part, I do look at the US with the (strange) mix of pity and envy that I mentioned earlier. I am turned off by the way they treat their own people, and much of their foreign policy. At the same time, I think it's a great place to visit and they're still our greatest ally. The US is an odd place, so it's bound to incite many conflicting feelings.

[kool maudit]

Viewed from the outside, as I haven't been back for any prolonged period in quite a while, it seems like English Canadians are essentially absorbing themselves into the 'blue city' tribe of Americans, so what was once tinged with cross-border angst and self-definition is now more colored by the intramural political and social rivalries engaged in by this US tribe.

How are we meaningfully separate from these people, anyway? Health care? They want that too. The British Empire? Long dead. Multiculturalism? Los Angeles has plenty.

I was in Toronto in November, Southern California in April. Most of the casual conversations were about the same television shows and US political narratives. Sometimes the Canadians shared their takes on 'our version of [insert US phenomenon]', i.e. Doug Ford.

There is a reason Canadians like Samantha Bee kind of slot right in. Frenchmen can't do that in Germany. Italians can't in Russia.

[Delusio Cogno]

Originally Posted by kool maudit

How are we meaningfully separate from these people, anyway?

We have water. You want to see anti-americanism, wait until they ask us to share more of it.

[jigglysquishy]

This is the highest I've seen anti Americanism in my 30 years.

Very little love for America or Americans

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by kool maudit

There is a reason Canadians like Samantha Bee kind of slot right in. Frenchmen can't do that in Germany. Italians can't in Russia.

Though Belgian and Swiss francophones can do it in France, Austrians can do it in Germany, the Flemish can do it in the Netherlands.

Or at least I am pretty sure that they can.

Though perhaps not as totally seamlessly as Samantha Bee, David Frum, Ali Velshi or Mark Steyn can...

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by kool maudit

Viewed from the outside, as I haven't been back for any prolonged period in quite a while, it seems like English Canadians are essentially absorbing themselves into the 'blue city' tribe of Americans, so what was once tinged with cross-border angst and self-definition is now more colored by the intramural political and social rivalries engaged in by this US tribe.

How are we meaningfully separate from these people, anyway? Health care? They want that too. The British Empire? Long dead. Multiculturalism? Los Angeles has plenty.

I was in Toronto in November, Southern California in April. Most of the casual conversations were about the same television shows and US political narratives. Sometimes the Canadians shared their takes on 'our version of [insert US phenomenon]', i.e. Doug Ford.
.

Not sure if you're saying that there is a kind of sea-change happening but to me it seems more like this is part of a long, slow but steady march in this direction.

When I was in university in the 1990s I remember being mystified at how my friends and classmates were totally mesmerized by the whole Oliver North/Iran-Contra hearings and trials. They even broadcasted it live on the big screen TVs in the campus lounge.

Since I am wearing my bullet-proof vest, I might dare suggest that this behaviour is more prevalent in the GTA than elsewhere, but honestly... I'm not even sure that's true. (Though Quebec is obviously an outlier as you well know, generally preferring to navel-gaze on its own affairs before paying attention to anything outside its borders - and this includes goings-on in the rest of Canada.)

[HomeInMyShoes]

For me it is just a growing apathy towards what goes on in the US these days. I've grown tired of what I was outraged about going on with our neighbour to the South. Unless it is direct NAFTA talks and trade issues a lot of my attitude just boils down to having no desire to visit the US for any reason and no desire to have Americans come to my country in any form.

The less we are like them from a political debate perspective the better.

[kool maudit]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Though Belgian and Swiss francophones can do it in France, Austrians can do it in Germany, the Flemish can do it in the Netherlands.

Or at least I am pretty sure that they can.

Though perhaps not as totally seamlessly as Samantha Bee, David Frum, Ali Velshi or Mark Steyn can...

Yes, these sort of suburb-nations are something of an analogue... but it works better on a Continent where small nations are the norm. There is less of that one-way mirror effect.

[WhipperSnapper]

Originally Posted by Doady

It's kinda hard to look down at the people of the USA after Donald Trump was elected president, echoing Rob Ford's election as mayor of Toronto, Canada's largest city. Canadians, especially Torontonians, are seeing history repeating itself and realizing that USA and Canada are no different.

Ford didn't inherit a button.

Lol No. Not even close with their campaigns.

[WhipperSnapper]

Anti-Americanism is a thing? Even those proclaiming they only buy Canadian are few and far between.