[Vision2020] Donovan, Canadians ARE Americans!

[Ralph Nielsen]

When I was in Gr. 5 in the small one-room school up the road in  
Edgewater BC a few years ago we had to learn the names, capitals and  
principal cities, and principal products or industries of all 48  
states to the south of us.

Later, when I worked in the tourist business in Radium Hot Springs, I  
found to my amazement and disgust that many Americans had no idea how  
many provinces there are in Canada, or even what province they were  
in. Some thought we used English pounds, shillings and pence, some  
thought we all spoke French. Some refused to take Canadian $2 bills,  
which were very popular in Canada. To them we would explain that  
Canadian $2 bills were lucky. In fact, twice as lucky as $1 bills.

Part of the trouble, of course, is that the USA is not a distinctive  
name. Some had suggested "Columbia," which was probably how British  
Columbia got its name. So saying "America" for the USA is not  
intentionally belittling any other country in the American  
hemisphere. We simply don't have a choice, do we?

Ralph


This goes along with issue I had about the High School: The U.S. History
textbook is wrongfully titled "American History", but I checked, it has
nothing in it about most of America, it only focuses on one set of fifty
states, one of which isn't even IN America.

I wonder if Donovan is a product of MHS, where the State mandated
"Social Studies" curriculum consists of:  U.S. History I, U.S. History
II, and U.S. Government.  Does anyone else notice what is missing in
this picture?  Like, maybe, the rest of the world?

Perhaps this is why Donovan and many others believe that the United
States owns the world.

It comes from confusing patriotism with nationalism.

Personally I don't trust any "ism".

Dave


Ellen Roskovich wrote:
 > *Well, Donovan, you have gone and done it.....forced me to hop up on
 > my soapbox and give you what for in the name of all my Canadian
 > friends.  Trust me.....they get very annoyed with their neighbors to
 > the south when we call them Canadians and refer to ourselves as
 > "Americans".....as if we owned the entire North American continent
 > instead of sharing it.*
 > **
 > *I rather like the notion that we have to share.....and that there's
 > another little bridge of land to the south with Mexico.....also
 > Americans....and if we follow that Central American bridge, we end up
 > in South America.  Kind of like going from one neighborhood to  
another.  *
 > **
 > *Stay warm, Moscow.*
 > **
 > *Ellen A. Roskovich*
 > **
 > **
 >
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