Comments on: I AM NOT AMERICAN™

I AM NOT AMERICAN™

tranquileye — Sun, 09 Mar 2003 06:52:50 -0800

Get your I AM NOT AMERICAN™ shirt here. From shirt creator Trevor Wilson: "This is not an anti-American web site, nor am I anti-American... These shirts are merely designed for folks from around the world - especially Canadians - to point out that they are not, from the United States. Though there's nothing wrong with coming from the good ol' U.S. of A, in the current political climate this shirt may come in extra handy."

By: clevershark

clevershark — Sun, 09 Mar 2003 06:59:39 -0800

Once again Canada defines itself as "not America"...

By: Pretty_Generic

Pretty_Generic — Sun, 09 Mar 2003 07:00:23 -0800

Yes you are American. You're North American. You're not United Statesian though.

By: bluedaniel

bluedaniel — Sun, 09 Mar 2003 07:10:37 -0800

How about simply "I am Canadian." Or does Mr. Wilson have a greater fear of that statement?

By: Postroad

Postroad — Sun, 09 Mar 2003 07:12:00 -0800

Negative! why not announce what the hell you are--a hustler trying to cash in on a messy situation.

By: andrew cooke

andrew cooke — Sun, 09 Mar 2003 07:30:17 -0800

why doesn't it have spanish on? i'd (probably) buy one (if it had spanish on). people are always assuming i'm american.

By: filmgoerjuan

filmgoerjuan — Sun, 09 Mar 2003 07:35:40 -0800

Um...I think someone's playing a joke on people here...the line in Arabic on the t-shirt translates as "Bikini Inspector". Of course, we'll need to go back to the U.N. if we want to include inspections for Saddam's hidden bikinis.

By: Vidiot

Vidiot — Sun, 09 Mar 2003 07:43:40 -0800

that's a mental picture I didn't need first thing in the AM, juan -- Saddam in a bikini. This reminds me of those little Canadian-flag patches that seemingly every Canadian backpacker in Europe sports. I've even seen a guidebook recommending that non-Canadians who don't want to get hassled should put them on their backpacks...which is lame. (In 25+ trips to Europe, I've never been hassled because I'm from the US. Engaged in political debate, yes. Had someone be a jerk to me because of who issued my passport, no.)

By: holycola

holycola — Sun, 09 Mar 2003 07:50:23 -0800

I'll stick with just displaying the maple leaf somewhere, without the verbiage. And I don't think Mr. Wilson has a fear of saying he is Canadian - he is displaying the flag after all. Instead, I think he's trying to emphasize the difference to those who think Canada and the States are exactly the same.

By: MrBaliHai

MrBaliHai — Sun, 09 Mar 2003 07:54:48 -0800

Utterly unecessary. I've been in the Netherlands and Germany for a week now, and not one single person has questioned me about my nationality, even when I stand up on the bar, drop trou', and demand that every cheese-eating surrender monkey in the joint kiss my red, white, and blue ass while I sing the Star Spangled Banner.

By: jonmc

jonmc — Sun, 09 Mar 2003 07:56:06 -0800

I'll wear this shirt thanks... I may sometimes disagree with what this country does, but I'll never be ashamed of being from here, thanks.

By: mcsweetie

mcsweetie — Sun, 09 Mar 2003 08:09:15 -0800

hold on a second, my half-brother Roddney needs to use the computer... hey buddies! it's Roddney. instead of a patriotic shirt, why don't y'all just get a patriotic bumper sticker? that way you can peel it off when a democrat gets elected! hoch ptew ding! eh! sorry about that, his ex-wife took his computer so now he has to use mine!

By: linux

linux — Sun, 09 Mar 2003 08:25:12 -0800

Interesting. If filmgoerjuan is correct, except for the Arabic, all the text say "I am not American" (the formal Japanese is a little hilarious, the Chinese and roman languages are straightforward, I can't read what appears to be Russian). Yeah, funny. For a multilingual Arabic reader. For the rest, not so funny. I'm with jonmc.

By: majcher

majcher — Sun, 09 Mar 2003 08:31:40 -0800

I'm not ashamed or proud to be American. It was a random fluke of luck (good or bad, depending on your viewpoint) that I was born within these arbitrary, invisible borders. There's a lot of good things about this country, and a lot of things that are, uh, not so good, but hey, that's life. Patriotism, or pride in your country, always struck me as being, well, silly. You had nothing to do with it. There's nothing for *you* to be proud of. Maybe you're ambitious enough to get into politics one way or another and give the elephant a tiny shove one way or the other, so sure, be proud of whatever achievements you, personally, have accomplished. But to be "proud" of being plunked down on this random patch of land or other is just ridiculous. You're just another sorry shaved monkey like the rest of us. Get over it.

By: Pretty_Generic

Pretty_Generic — Sun, 09 Mar 2003 08:42:01 -0800

Well said.

By: jonmc

jonmc — Sun, 09 Mar 2003 08:44:58 -0800

Patriotism, or pride in your country, always struck me as being, well, silly. To some degree, yes. But I, also believe, (and I say this as someone against the war in Iraq who does not like Bush) I still believe that for the most part, as a people our hearts are in the right place, and that I wouldn't want to live anywhere else. My grandfather and mother went through an awful lot of trouble to get to this "random piece of land" thank you very much as did most american mefite's ancestors I imagine and as may people still do today, makes you wonder how bad a place it could be. I'm disgusted with the jingoism of the "let's bomb Iraq int the stone age crowd" but I'm equally disgusted with "America is the source of all evil, this crisis is interrupting my self-absorption, how can I turn this to the advantage of my particular cause" crowd too. I'm oversimplifying sure, but that's about the level of debate I'm seeing on these issues.

By: btwillig

btwillig — Sun, 09 Mar 2003 08:47:50 -0800

Typical, another Canadian whose national identity is based on what Canada is not. I'm not a fan of Bush or his foreign policy--I'm glad our country tries to maintain it's own stance on global issues--but I'm growing tired of our countries constant search for validation in the eyes of the rest of world. The only country in the world who should be trying to define themselves by what they are not, is Iceland. That whole Iceland/Greenland thing gets confusing.

By: dobbs

dobbs — Sun, 09 Mar 2003 09:02:15 -0800

How about simply "I am Canadian." unfortunately, I am Canadian is a trademarked slogan of a shitass beer company.

By: condour75

condour75 — Sun, 09 Mar 2003 09:11:43 -0800

I've said this in other threads, but the way I figure it is, if you're going to take pride in your country you also have to take responsibility for all the shit it's done over the years. So if you're proud to be American, fine, but then don't complain about being blamed for slaughtering the indians, slavery, et. al. If you're sincerely not a nationalist, then you needn't feel ashamed of those things, but take the frickin' "These Colors Don't Run" sticker off your SUV.

By: Shane

Shane — Sun, 09 Mar 2003 09:13:04 -0800

Reminds me of another perennial favorite, unamerican activities. Got my Nature is Pissed t-shirt there. I feel uncomfortable (to say the least) living in OH and often wish I were a Canuck. I mean, they call it "the beer store." How cool is that? Back in the day, me an a punked-out friend were looking for a liquor store on a trip to Rochester NY, an' this big ol' car full of flannel shirts pulls up beside us and starts yelling. We knew the score, but we lamented, "Shit--no baseball bat in the car." So we grimaced and I rolled down the window. And it was just a carfull of friendly visiting Canucks yelling "Eh--where's the beer store, eh?!" How cool. I'm sorry, I just feel like a pariah 24/7. I know it's a ratrace wherever humans have infested and you'll hear NSync and see Hollywood movies just about anywhere on the globe and I'll always be happier playing with my dog in the woods anyway, but I still hate where my tax $$ go. I hate Bush. I hate it when someone I've just got to know invites me into their confidence by telling me a crude joke about black people (what century is this?) I hate it when someone from Europe immediately assigns me the politics and IQ of the average "yank," despite them not knowing who I am or where I've been. I hate the fact that the "yank" reputation is largely deserved, based on the actions of the majority of America. Okay, you can tell me to love it or leave it now. Tell me how lucky I am and tell me to f*** off somewhere else. Begin Feeding Frenzy. But I am admitting: I don't feel right here.

By: andrew cooke

andrew cooke — Sun, 09 Mar 2003 09:18:07 -0800

you know, it's not that difficult to move to another country. if you're reasonably young, well educated, and prepared to work, most places will admit you (based on my admittedly limited experience). why not try it - not saying you're wrong or right about the states, just suggesting that if you do feel that way, you can do something about it.

By: Shane

Shane — Sun, 09 Mar 2003 09:20:06 -0800

it might be in the cards eventually, andrew : )

By: btwillig

btwillig — Sun, 09 Mar 2003 09:30:05 -0800

Shane, if it's any consolation we do have our share of red necks up here and our tax dollars aren't always well spent . The beer is good, though. Ah... I mean, eh.

By: skoosh

skoosh — Sun, 09 Mar 2003 09:30:09 -0800

About the Arabic part: filmgoerjuan is full of crap. He was just making a dumb joke. The Arabic text does indeed read, "Ana lastu Amrikiyyan," or, translated, "I am not American." The "Ana" bit is actually redundant, though, or it would be if a vowel marker was placed over the T in "lastu". Or, you could just trust me. I second andrewcooke's objection: ¿Donde está el español?

By: condour75

condour75 — Sun, 09 Mar 2003 09:30:21 -0800

I have an application for permanent residence in Quebec. It's sitting on my desk. My mind is not entirely made up, but I'm learning French. I really don't want to have to leave. My ancestors came here in search of a better life 3 generations ago, and we owe our middle class status to the GI bill. Both my grandfathers served during World War II. I've grown up loving the principles of the Constitution, of the Declaration of Independence. But when push comes to shove, I'll be loyal to the principles of those things, not to the cadre in power. In the meantime, I'll fight my damnedest to not have to move. Oh and by the way, if I do have to move, you'd better believe I'll be using my absentee ballot. Even though Bush only likes recounts when they're in Turkey.

By: jpoulos

jpoulos — Sun, 09 Mar 2003 09:31:38 -0800

We Americans have been making a point to tell the rest of the world "You're not American" since WWII, and now you're all pissed off when they agree? You can't be Mr.-Tough-Guy-Don't-Take-No-Guff in the neighborhood and then expect everyone else to like you.

By: raysmj

raysmj — Sun, 09 Mar 2003 09:40:28 -0800

jonmc: America's certainly not the source of all evil, but our president is going to leave us hated by much of the world. In any case, why should people feel self-sacrificing about this particular crisis? I watched the Bush press conference the other night. He spoke so slowly and without any noticeable passion. Was that supposed to get people stirred up? What are people supposed to think - even if they nominally feel they should support the president in a time of crisis? At the same time, what may seem like self-absortion in some cases may actually just be the pursuit of happiness at work. And why that pursuit should be interrupted for this particular larger cause is a case Mr. President has yet to make, or even really try to make.

By: boost ventilator

boost ventilator — Sun, 09 Mar 2003 09:48:16 -0800

I'm not ashamed or proud to be American. It was a random fluke of luck... "I'm only American cos my parents fucked here" - Bill Hicks on nationalism

By: rusty

rusty — Sun, 09 Mar 2003 09:50:43 -0800

What's really funny is that the Japanese text reads "I'm disrespectful to dirt!"

By: cardboard

cardboard — Sun, 09 Mar 2003 09:54:59 -0800

Maple-leaves and Vancouver mailing address not-withstanding, the guy says he's an Australian. Beyond that, he seems to be just another unremarkable entrepreneur trying to take advantage of petty nationalistic urges, like all those post-9/11 flag vendors in the US.

By: condour75

condour75 — Sun, 09 Mar 2003 09:55:24 -0800

Rusty: You're thinking of the pro-war shirt that says "Join us or die: Can you do any less?"

By: Shane

Shane — Sun, 09 Mar 2003 09:58:47 -0800

Was that supposed to get people stirred up? That was supposed to tip people off to the teleprompter he was reading from... Metafilter: "I'm disrespectful to dirt!" (sorry, taglines=passé, but couldn't resist that one)

By: romakimmy

romakimmy — Sun, 09 Mar 2003 10:09:22 -0800

Vidiot:This reminds me of those little Canadian-flag patches that seemingly every Canadian backpacker in Europe sports. I've even seen a guidebook recommending that non-Canadians who don't want to get hassled should put them on their backpacks...which is lame. (In 25+ trips to Europe, I've never been hassled because I'm from the US. Engaged in political debate, yes. Had someone be a jerk to me because of who issued my passport, no.) Working in the backpacking industry, there are two nationalities who tend to get their panties in a wad when you mistake them for another; Canucks who get mistaken for Yanks, and Kiwis who get mistaken for Aussies. This obviously doesn't hold true in all cases, but I'll be damned if that little flag on the backpack isn't a great indicator of "Ball Breakers when mistaken for another nationality." IMO, if you feel the need for a flag on your backpack in order to display your nationality, then you really haven't grasped the concept that travelling is about respectfully experiencing different ways of life and not waving your goddamned flag in the locals' faces expecting to get special treatment. An asshole is an asshole is an asshole, no matter what passport they hold.sorry, pet peeve of mine. And Shane, what andrew cooke said. Deciding to live in Italy has been one of the better decisions I've made. :)

By: Shane

Shane — Sun, 09 Mar 2003 10:19:57 -0800

Kiwis who get mistaken for Aussies. LOL! I remember the look I got when I suggested to an Aussie friend that Split Enz (band) were from Oz. "They are an infamously Kiwi band!" Heh! Pretty heated cricket match, that one is, too.

By: five fresh fish

five fresh fish — Sun, 09 Mar 2003 10:52:32 -0800

I don't think this shirt is being marketed to Canadians. I don't think many Canadians would ever buy it. And, besides, we don't need it. There are Americans who go abroad, trying to disguise themselves as Canadian by pinning the maple leaf to their backpack. Those are the type who'd purchase this shirt.

By: VelvetHellvis

VelvetHellvis — Sun, 09 Mar 2003 11:03:16 -0800

I'm American. I don't support war on Iraq. Period. This shirt doesn't so much offend me as it makes me sad. I invite anyone not from here to come visit the USA sometime and you'll find that the most people who reside between its borders will treat you kindly and lend a helping if you need one. We are like any other country in the world that has shed blood in the name of a myriad number of bloody causes. Every one who is a citizen of the world has blood on his or her hands through some ancestral connection from his or her past. The USA is just the biggest war-mongering poster child on the block right now. Think about it.

By: smackfu

smackfu — Sun, 09 Mar 2003 11:57:50 -0800

In the future, I shall be wearing a shirt that says: "I am not gay." Though there's nothing wrong with being homosexual, in the current political climate this shirt may come in extra handy.

By: languagehat

languagehat — Sun, 09 Mar 2003 12:01:13 -0800

there are two nationalities who tend to get their panties in a wad when you mistake them for another Totally off topic, but this is also true of Slovaks mistaken for Czechs.

By: holloway

holloway — Sun, 09 Mar 2003 12:01:44 -0800

Off topic, sorta: At the NZ premiere of the Two Towers (last December) they decorated the theatre with a large Gollum. This morning some protesters had placed an American tophat on Gollum's head, while his hand plays with a John Howard marionette (still, live)

By: mcsweetie

mcsweetie — Sun, 09 Mar 2003 12:03:53 -0800

you know, it's not that difficult to move to another country. if that were true, I would have been long gone. unfortunately, I find myself too lazy to have been born into a middle/upper class family! in other news, america is a pretty cool place to live. too bad it's full of americans.

By: Shane

Shane — Sun, 09 Mar 2003 12:05:33 -0800

this is also true of Slovaks mistaken for Czechs. Croats and Serbs! etc most people who reside between its borders will treat you kindly and lend a helping if you need one It's true, there are loads of good, well-meaning people in the US. People I like.

By: stifford

stifford — Sun, 09 Mar 2003 12:09:54 -0800

in other news, (Earth) is a pretty cool place to live. too bad it's full of (Humans). ; )

By: jonmc

jonmc — Sun, 09 Mar 2003 12:31:46 -0800

you know, it's not that difficult to move to another country. mcweetie:if that were true, I would have been long gone. Anyone wanna start a telethon? I say we send him to Albania.

By: Vidiot

Vidiot — Sun, 09 Mar 2003 13:09:31 -0800

(Slovenians and Yugoslavians/Serbians too...) IMO, if you feel the need for a flag on your backpack in order to display your nationality, then you really haven't grasped the concept that travelling is about respectfully experiencing different ways of life and not waving your goddamned flag in the locals' faces expecting to get special treatment. Preach on, romakimmy. I'd like to think that when I travel, I'm giving America a better name than my government gives it. You know, the Golden Rule makes sense, and it works. If you treat people with courtesy anywhere in the world, they will almost unfailingly treat you with the same courtesy in return. I'm not trying to sound like Rick Steves here, but the more I travel, the more I learn: both about the rest of the world AND where I live. I learn about my place in a world that's home to "six billion equally important people", to borrow a phrase from Steves. And when I get home, I look at America through new, wiser eyes. I read an interesting article saying that to be truly anti-American is to "disapprove of the United States 'for what it is, rather than what it does.'" (The same article asserts that you "can't be anti-American if you love Bruce Springsteen.") My government does a myriad of things that I disapprove of, but I'm still not sure I want to trade passports with anyone. My country and its government disappoint me every day, yet I'm proud of my country for the ideals that it was founded upon and the systems that work. There are many things for which to be proud of America...as long as you don't assume that that means that "America is the best country in the world" (by what rankings?) Nor should you assume that America has any kind of unshakable lock on the truth or exact knowledge of where the moral high ground lies. (Plus, living in Rome...I'm so jealous. Have a Giolitti cone for me!)

By: wendell

wendell — Sun, 09 Mar 2003 13:15:38 -0800

Sorry, no USian MeFies are allowed to expatriate themselves until #29 gets back from SXSW and makes up his mind. I'm NOT criticizing Cam; he was one of the two people who got me interested in the weblog thing a hundred net-years ago, and I still respect what he says. However, the last time he moved, it was TO New York City. YMMV.

By: five fresh fish

five fresh fish — Sun, 09 Mar 2003 13:33:13 -0800

Austrians and Germans, too, I hear. I rather suspect that most country-citizens dislike being mistaken for other-country-citizens. Likewise, I rather suspect that most people are proud of their country.

By: _sirmissalot_

_sirmissalot_ — Sun, 09 Mar 2003 13:55:53 -0800

does anybody remember those black "fuck iran" t-shirts that rednecks and bikers wore back in the late seventies/early eighties? as a kid, i was surprised that people didn't get arrested for wearing something that said "fuck" on it.

By: languagehat

languagehat — Sun, 09 Mar 2003 14:07:35 -0800

I rather suspect that most country-citizens dislike being mistaken for other-country-citizens. Sure, but there's a special dislike associated with someone from a... how to put this?... less prominent, shall we say, country who is frequently taken for someone from a better-known place, a pugnacious resentment quite different from plain old annoyance at being mistaken for someone else. That's why I brought up Slovaks to go along with Kiwis and Canucks; the Czech Republic may not loom large to you, but as far as Slovaks are concerned, it might as well be the US of A. With Croats and Serbs you're talking about two equals who can't stand each other; with Austrians and Germans, there's an element of inferiority complex, but I don't think it's in the same ballpark. Croats and Austrians each have a proud (and in the latter case imperial) history to soothe them; Slovaks have always been part of somebody else's empire, except for a brief period of quasi-independence... under H*tl*r.

By: quonsar

quonsar — Sun, 09 Mar 2003 14:17:41 -0800

In the future, I shall be wearing a shirt that says: "I am not gay." Though there's nothing wrong with being homosexual, in the current political climate this shirt may come in extra handy. not unless you lose the assless chaps, smackfu.

By: andrew cooke

andrew cooke — Sun, 09 Mar 2003 14:33:07 -0800

if that were true, I would have been long gone. unfortunately, I find myself too lazy to have been born into a middle/upper class family! i'm not sure how important class is. to the extent that it correlates with an education, yes - having a degree is going to help. but that's all - no-one is going to check your parent's income when you apply for a visa. they just want people who will contribute to the economy. what have you tried?

By: nelleish

nelleish — Sun, 09 Mar 2003 14:35:00 -0800

Personally, I'd be much more likely to think someone wearing such a shirt was an American, despite what their shirt declares. Based on the number of Molson "I AM Canadian" beer shirts I see at univeristy makes it seem like most people prefer an affirmative statement than a negatory one. Or maybe they just like beer shirts, I have no idea. Also, maybe this is just me being nit-picky, but I personally find the primary placement and bolding of English to be a rather egocentric and odd choice. I would think English speakers would be the least likely to make such a mistake. (I can pretty much tell the difference just from speech patterns and vocabularly, and I'm not talking about "eh")

By: Karl

Karl — Sun, 09 Mar 2003 14:54:53 -0800

Anyone wanna start a telethon? I say we send him to Albania. I would suggest relocating him to the worker's paradise known as North Korea. In any case, laziness it not an excuse to stay in a place that is so morally upsetting to you. People should live wherever makes them happy, not wherever's convenient--and thus convenient/fashionable to criticize. By the way, do none of of you remember this article, posted to MeFi long ago, which says Canadians rank just behind Britons as the world's rudest tourists. Sorry, but wearing an "I'm not American" shirt sounds like a pretty spineless, pants-wetting way to travel. in other news, america is a pretty cool place to live. too bad it's full of americans. McSweetie, we're all sorry Americans are so beneath you. Surely you have decades of global travel and life-experience with which to qualify that perspective?

By: andrew cooke

andrew cooke — Sun, 09 Mar 2003 15:28:48 -0800

that article (on brits being unpopular) rings true. i think we might be changing on the language front, but when my parents came over to visit i was surprised at what cheap tippers they were (especially when chile is so much cheaper than the uk, relatively). hmmm. must improve my spanish. but related to this conversation - remember that it applies to tourists. it doesn't exclude you from acting as a country in unpopular ways. especially if it's unusual for most americans to travel abroad (the uk is - vaguely - part of europe, so the english do travel abroad quite a bit; perhaps this explains why mcsweetie feels class is more strongly related to travel/emigration than i do). any anti-american feeling i'm aware of here isn't because of (usually polite and courteous) american tourists, but because their country is perceived in a certain way. often (if unfairly) this perception carries over into a distrust of the actual people.

By: Karl

Karl — Sun, 09 Mar 2003 15:32:38 -0800

Thoughtful & balanced. Good points, Andrew.

By: mcsweetie

mcsweetie — Sun, 09 Mar 2003 15:38:37 -0800

haha! er, anyhow. Anyone wanna start a telethon? I say we send him to Albania. if anyone seriously wants to set up a telethon or fundraiser of some kind, please e-mail me. one caveat: can it be australia? otherwise, I'm out. i'm not sure how important class is. it's not a class thing. moving away is expensive. what have you tried? (still trying) saving up, building credit, etc. People should live wherever makes them happy, not wherever's convenient I'm definitely with you on that one! McSweetie, we're all sorry Americans are so beneath you. Surely you have decades of global travel and life-experience with which to qualify that perspective? yeah, I've been freakin' everywhere.

By: filmgoerjuan

filmgoerjuan — Sun, 09 Mar 2003 16:11:48 -0800

About the Arabic part: filmgoerjuan is full of crap. He was just making a dumb joke Say what you will about my knowledge of Arabic, say what you will about whether my joke was dumb or not...I stand by the fact that even if my translation of the Arabic portion of the shirt isn't correct, in a metaphysical sense it *should* say that.

By: mcsweetie

mcsweetie — Sun, 09 Mar 2003 16:16:28 -0800

that actually gives me a great idea. heads up, right wingers! I'm sure we're all aware of the awesome power of campaign contributions to the republican party. but the problem is, you have to keep contributing before every election to stay on top of the competition. well why not just eliminate the competition? no, I don't mean forced small pox vaccinations with the secret ingredient. here, consider these two scenarios: 1.) frantically passing the hat to get the leg up on the other side every couple of years, costing billions over time. 2.) sending potential opposition voters to another country once and never having to worry about them again. think about it! it would be much cheaper to send folks like me to the despotic and totalitarian liberal hell hole (like Canada, Switzerland, Australia, etc.) of their choice than to be constantly trumping the democrats. NRA members, spend the savings on ammo. Pro-lifers, on posterboard and sharpies. really, everybody wins except for the one group you don't want to win!

By: Ignatius J. Reilly

Ignatius J. Reilly — Sun, 09 Mar 2003 16:31:17 -0800

hear, hear, mcsweetie. i don't believe in god. can i live somewhere warm?

By: blue_beetle

blue_beetle — Sun, 09 Mar 2003 16:32:04 -0800

What we need is a good war for everyone to get their nationalism straightened out. If only there was one available.

By: hama7

hama7 — Sun, 09 Mar 2003 18:50:43 -0800

Hi. I'm in Korea, where every foreign face is "American" by default: no problem. (Canadians are instantly recognizable by the Canadian flag stickers and patches affixed to every visible surface of their bodies and belongings - just don't ask them if they're American, they bite!) If I weren't American, I might say I was just because of all the great things America has done and continues to do in the world. It's a nice nationality to be, and we're very lucky. But you probably knew I'd say that.

By: mcsweetie

mcsweetie — Sun, 09 Mar 2003 18:54:33 -0800

hear, hear, mcsweetie. i don't believe in god. can i live somewhere warm? how about the fiery depths of hell, you unbeliever? no seriously! I don't believe in god either, we can start a band in New Zealand.

By: kv

kv — Sun, 09 Mar 2003 19:18:23 -0800

they make cool puppets in New Zealand!

By: Macboy

Macboy — Sun, 09 Mar 2003 20:11:51 -0800

Canada - The land which our explorers saw to the north and thought, 'NAHHHH'

By: five fresh fish

five fresh fish — Sun, 09 Mar 2003 20:50:52 -0800

"Canada: We're bigger. We're on top. If this were prison, the US would be our bitch." -Rick Mercer

By: hama7

hama7 — Sun, 09 Mar 2003 21:44:01 -0800

Mark Steyn's "The world according to Carloyn, Francie and Jean" Not pretty.

By: deborah

deborah — Sun, 09 Mar 2003 23:50:58 -0800

you know, it's not that difficult to move to another country. not quite true. i'm an American married to a Canadian. the only reason we're married is that is the only way we could live together. nice, eh? i'm trying to become a Landed Immigrant. it takes lots of money (approx. $2000CDN - so far), lots of persistence (to deal with the government bullshit) and lots of time (almost two years - so far). you want to live in Canada? unless you work in a "specialized" field or are a political refugee (which you'll have to prove) you'd better marry a Canadian. oh, and pick up the accent. i no longer get accused of being a "Yank". on topic: the t-shirt? my husband and i found it hilarious. ditto on the "I Am Canadian" t-shirt.

By: titboy

titboy — Mon, 10 Mar 2003 05:10:35 -0800

Whenever I go visit another country, I have a t-shirt printed in the local language that reads "I love your wife".

By: stavrosthewonderchicken

stavrosthewonderchicken — Mon, 10 Mar 2003 06:06:56 -0800

I'm in Korea...Canadians are instantly recognizable by the Canadian flag stickers and patches affixed to every visible surface of their bodies and belongings... I've never seen this in Korea, ever. On the world-girdling backpacker trail I spent years tromping down, yeah. But not here. Of course, I don't get out much.

By: psychoticreaction

psychoticreaction — Mon, 10 Mar 2003 07:21:39 -0800

Shane: while you might be impressed by that which we call "The Beer Store", it's actually an evil monopoly owned by the two largest brewing conglomerates in the country. They actively conspire towards keeping superior independant brews out, open late, close early, and are employers of people so spectacularly rude that you'll think you've wandered into the post office by mistake. And they won't even carry cider! And it's the only place in the whole damn Province of Ontario you can buy beer to take out (except for the government-run LCBO stores, which I don't mind so much, being a pinko and all). Uh, sorry about the late and off topic ...

By: mcsweetie

mcsweetie — Mon, 10 Mar 2003 13:08:27 -0800

hama7 - you should hear some of the things gettin' tossed around about France on Fox News, talk radio, the VFW, et al. not pretty. it's almost enough to make one ashamed to be associated with the US.

By: five fresh fish

five fresh fish — Mon, 10 Mar 2003 17:02:25 -0800

Almost? Out of curiousity, what would it take, then?

By: mcsweetie

mcsweetie — Mon, 10 Mar 2003 17:05:34 -0800

if any member of the administration ate a baby, or said The Beatles sucked.

By: koiran

koiran — Mon, 10 Mar 2003 18:48:57 -0800

Don't knock the Beer Store: you can get Sam Adams Lager there. And it's not true that American beer is non-carcinogenic because it has been passed through an organic filter called a horse.