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PaperclipPerfector  5d ago (text post)   17030 thread views

Culture War Roundup for the week of August 10, 2026

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Perhaps the repeated jokes from the POTUS about Canada being the 51st state and the tariffs had something to do with that. This isn't exactly an unprovoked response, so I'm a bit confused as to why you're surprised?

In my experience, Canadians felt like that before Trump ran. It's less often expressed when a Democrat is president, but my impression is that Canadians feel like that all the time about Americans.

America might be respected abroad, but after the last 25 years of warmongering, there's a lot of people who dislike them.

With all due respect, that is exactly the kind of attitude that disgusts me from other Canadians.

Canadians will never be blamed if Iran gets a nuclear weapon and starts blasting everyone. If Saddam actually had WMDs and detonated them, I dunno, in Europe. Or if China seizes Taiwan and stops exporting chips to the rest of the world. We can sit pretty and always condemn "war" or "agression" or those silly Americans that put so much of their budget on their military instead of universal healthcare or whatever else we feel better than them about that day, safe in the knowledge that no one actually expects us to bear any responsability for the state of the world. The day Canadians will actually matter, then their complains about "warmongering" on the part of Americans will actually be deserving of more than a spit in the face.

In my experience, Canadians felt like that before Trump ran. It's less often expressed when a Democrat is president, but my impression is that Canadians feel like that all the time about Americans.

I can't speak for every Canadian, but I feel confident I've met probably an order of magnitude or two more than you. Most of the people I know would vacation in America (snowbirds, cape cod, skiing) and have been for decades. They've nearly all boycotted America since ~mid-2025. Seems to be borne out by the data.

I don't think they have any delusions about meaningfully hurting the US, but they're pissed and don't want to spend their money here.

Canadians will never be blamed if Iran gets a nuclear weapon and starts blasting everyone.

Nor will Americans. Arguably, the withdrawal from the JCPOA (supported by Europe) led to another war.

If Saddam actually had WMDs and detonated them, I dunno, in Europe.

Yeah, except he didn't, and America lied about it to justify a war.

We can sit pretty and always condemn "war" or "agression" or those silly Americans that put so much of their budget on their military instead of universal healthcare or whatever else we feel better than them about that day, safe in the knowledge that no one actually expects us to bear any responsability for the state of the world. The day Canadians will actually matter, then their complains about "warmongering" on the part of Americans will actually be deserving of more than a spit in the face.

I agree with this to some extent, but that isn't carte blanche for America to (as the realpolitikers are fond of saying) do as it wills while the rest of the world suffers as it must. And it isn't an actual rebuttal of their claims. Would an America with the same resources and economy coupled with the foreign policy of Canada be better or worse for the world on net?

I can't speak for every Canadian, but I feel confident I've met probably an order of magnitude or two more than you.

My friend. I am Canadian.

I mixed you up with Oracle, but so am I. I left as an adult.

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