fallguy wrote:With flag burning, I think there would be reactionaries that would flip out on all sides, mostly on the right who like, as in the U.S, to pain things in stark, stupid 'love it or leave it' terms. But the overall response would probably be more muted. Part of that is the channels for amplification. Right wing media, and broadly sensationalistic media in general, are far less prevalent. That said, Canada is mostly left of center - especially on social issues. Democrats would be regarded as compromised centrists in Canada, and marginally right wing on fiscal issues.
The 'First Nations taking a knee' example is interesting. It's a despicable legacy wrt the First Nations in Canada and there's quite a bit of guilt and shame about it in the population. At least when it's brought up. It's hardly front of mind for most. I think it would be received very differently here though, as it was last year when Gord Downie (a Canadian musical icon and one of the greatest frontmen in rock history) used the platform of the final tour of his band to bring broader attention to issues of the residential school crisis.
As someone who loves both countries (and is working on a plan to maybe move to California) I see the biggest differences between the two as the way each treats education, health care, criminal justice and international interventionism. That's where the (interesting) debates lie...
Right on. Although I do maintain that there is probably a solid 20% of Americans who are even more liberal than Canadians. Would also point out that Canadians basically live the exact same fossil-fuel dependent collective lifestyle that drives much of our foreign policy, even if a greater percentage of the oil used is their own.
I mean, while I can criticize America's faults all day, and it is less applicable to Canada or Australia than Western Europe, I am just nationalist enough to point out that the US is the #1 reason why the Western World has enjoyed the most peaceful and prosperous lifestyle in human history since WW2. We drive the overwhelming bulk of the innovations in technology and health care, and our economic and military might is a massively stabilizing force for the global economy. Other Western countries participate in all that, but do not pay their fair share of the costs and derive far more benefits than what they put in. Only thing I agree with Trump on, quite frankly. So the criticisms of the US should only go so far, IMO.
Had an intern from France last summer, who would give me the standard lectures about how we suck lol. Almost got to a point where I had to tell her that (a) my grandfather was at Normandy on D-Day to liberate her people, and that (b) a major reason they had universal health care and we didn't was that we were paying for their national security with our massive military expenditures.
As to Canada, a major difference in many of the differences IMO is that you guys cherrypick your immigrants. They now take modest amounts of political refugees, but for quite some time, the only people Canada took in either had to have a professional skill the country was in need of, or savings of at least $10k CAD in the bank (aka white collar workers). That's a far cry from the typical American immigrant, who have traditionally been highly skewed to the poor, low-skilled and often illiterate.
Anyhow... where in CA? Have lived all over the state for the last 15+ years as a transplant myself. I say bring our own job, and a house... and water jk lol. But easily the best place(s) I have lived.
