Why do Canadian fans want the U.S. to lose?

[Le Golie]

Just like Steen being Swedish. His dad Tomas Steen was playing in Winnipeg, Alexander was born, and they eventually moved back home. Alexander Steen is a Swede--and what a Swede!!!

Yeah, eventually... Like when he was 15. Actually I skated with Thomas and Alexander this summer in Winnipeg, he and his dad were back visiting like they often do. Both really nice and genuine guys.

 

[Devonator]

Yes their is a tremendous insecurity with Canucks, especially left wing Canucks vis a vis the States and one thing Vancouver has is a lot of liberal nuts who hate the States.......by the same token, their is a stream of Canucks who are unbearingly smug and somehow think we are superior to America (we are not in any form or fashion save for Hockey)...........we have both streams here and they are both annoying as all hell.......

As a Albertan first and foremost, I love the States and what she does for us and I can't stand what the Left has done here in Canada and is trying to do in the States also............we are indoctrinated from Grade 1 to worship the nanny state here and hate America..........thankfully, probably most Canucks see through this left wing bs but obviously many don't........these would be your type that hate America and will boo anything you do, from your Anthem to your Junior players..

Do not worry......when our country separates as it will soon from either Quebec or Alberta, you will see our balkanized parts lining up too be your good friend and ally and the idiocy that is Anti Americanism will take a back seat to far more important things...

Remember when Canada is attacked by terrorists (which again is only a matter of time) the hypocrites that were booing your great nation will be the first to clamour for your help.......

In the meantime, try not too take it personally......many of us up here love America especially out here in Alberta..........we hate Ottawa and the seat of govt. as much as anyone out here and rightfully so....

So here's to a great junior Tournament for America and Russia (my 2 fav teams) and when Alberta gets it own team, that will be my absolute fav...

Thanks

 

[KariyaIsGod*]

I am a Canadian. I have lived in Canada my whole life.

Thus, I feel as though I am well qualified to comment on this topic, since I have associated with fellow Canadians every day of my life and know a lot about them.

I will give you an honest answer for the question you are asking.

The honest answer is: Most Canadians have a big inferiority complex when it comes to the U.S.A.

Explain... Why can't people dislike the United States? Why is it always jealousy. Only by ignoring the foreign policy, the tariffs imposed on Canadian exports, the American elitist attitude so often encountered by travelling Canadians etc, the policing of the world by one nation..., could you actually come to the conclusion you came to and honestly believe it.

Most Canadians are always measuring themselves up against the U.S.A., whether it be in politics, economics, education, religion, movies, music, and sports. It is a part of Canadians culture to either try to 'one-up' U.S.A. in all of these aspects of life, or try to be as different as possible from the U.S.A. in all of these aspects of life so as to 'stand-out'.

A few examples of the 'chest-pounding' Canadians like to do as it relates to Canada vs. U.S.A.....

I agree that there is a certain segment of the Canadian populous that fits your description, however I would say that it's far less than you think.

1) You will still hear Canadians talk about a war that took place almost 200 years ago (War of 1812), and how they beat the U.S.A. in that war.

The United States celebrates the War of Independance with a national holiday even though it took place before the war of 1812... What's the difference?

2) You will hear Canadians constantly degrade George W. Bush, or whatever leader the U.S.A. has at the time, while not paying as near as much attention to the flaws of the Canadian leader.

Totally inaccurate. Canadians degrade George Bush for his questionable policies. Rarely do Canadians ever degrade Bill Clinton or any other American President other than Bush Sr. and Jr.

3) You will often come across Canadians who will try to find any and all ways of proving that Canadian education is better.

No, you will find Canadians who share the opinion that their education is better. Whether they are correct or not is for another debate but someone's opinion, especially when backed by credible points, is certainly not any sort of evidence of Canadians trying to one-up the USA.

4) You will often come across Canadians who will bring up the fact that Canada has free health care, and the U.S.A. does not, even when the topic had nothing to do with U.S.A. health care in the first place.

So what? You're telling me that Canadians just hop into random conversations and tell people about their free health care? Please... You'll find just as many Americans who will speak favourably of Canada's free health care anyway...

5) A lot of Canadians like to shove it is anyone's face who will listen the amount of Canadian movie stars there are and the amount of Canadians music stars there are. And these Canadian movie stars and Canadian music stars are ALWAYS the best.

Again, the amount of Canadians who do this is very small. Take a look at the album sales in Canada and it clearly supports the fact that the Canadian entertainment consumer rarely considers nationality when buying...

6) It is fashionable for Canadians to think that if you are a Canadian, then move to the U.S.A., that you become a 'traitor' and that the country is better off without you. It is fashionable to think that if you move from Canada to the U.S.A., that you weren't worthy of being a Canadian in the first place, and that you must not have been good enough or sophisticated enough to handle Canadian way of life.

It's fashionable for certain Canadians to do so, sure. Would it be any different if the situation were reversed and it was an Aerican moving to Canada? No... A small number of people would still have that overly patriotic point of view you described.

7) A lot of Canadians like to have a double-standard when it comes to a specific issue of athletics, one that not surprisingly serves to try to make Canada look more athletically dominant than they really are. This double-standard refers to the fact that people from other countries who play for Canada are 100% Canadian (see Donovan Bailey, Dany Heatley, etc.). And people from Canada who play for other countries are still 100% Canadian but are merely 'traitors' (see Brett Hull). This is absurd. A country can't take credit for Brett Hull, then continue to take credit for Donovan Bailey.

Yes, they can. In one respect you are talking about athletes who immigrated to Canada, often during the infant years, and have decided to represent their country which they consider to be their homeland.

Hull, is totally different. He chose to play for team USA because in the beginning, he wasn't good enough to play for team Canada. That's fine. If he feels more loyalty to the United States, great. Canadians don't like his reasoning, that's it.

8) A lot of Canadians cling to anything that somehow makes them better at sports than the U.S.A. Or at least makes them have a bigger claim to sports than the U.S.A. Hockey is Canada's sport, because Canada is the best at it. Basketball is Canada's sport, because Canada invented it. Golf is Canada's sport, because Mike Weir won the Master's a couple of years ago. Soccer is Canada's sport, because a Canadian's great-grand-father had a cousin, whose cousin had a father, who had a best friend, who had a brother, who had a best friend who was a former room-mate of someone who went to school with the inventer of soccer (this is made-up, but this is indeed something that a Canadian might say).

You exaggerate a lot...

But anyways, enough examples as I am sure you get the point by now.

To answer your original question, most Canadians have an inferiority complex when it comes to the U.S.A. They like to see things happen that either: a) makes Canada look better than the U.S.A. (ie. Canada succeed); or b) makes U.S.A. look worse than Canada (ie. U.S.A. fail).

Saying all of this, however, I still remain a proud Canadian. I am still proud of my coutnry. I just tend to try to ignore the overly-obnoxious majority of people that surround me.

*I am sorry if all of this upset anybody here. Keep in mind that I am only referring to MOST Canadians when I typed all of this, not ALL Canadians.*

No you aren't. You are referring to a small segment of the Canadian population. You could go to the United States tommorow and find just as many ignorant people who share these radical views you described.

 

[MountainHawk]

A stalemate where the American capital ended up burning, of course.
It would probably be a little tougher to do now, mind you.

I've got no particular problem with the American team, they are our biggest competition in winning this tourney, that's all. Any losses by the Americans makes the road tougher for them and easier for us.
We just want Canada to take gold.

First of all, Canada (well, Britain at the time) ended up with Toronto. Hard to call it a win when you end up with Toronto.

On topic, I think it's pretty sad. Americans would always prefer Canada to win than any of the Europeans team, but I think it comes from the general inferiority complex Canadians seem to have ... they always compare themselves to the Americans, and take a ton of pride in the things they do better; and blame the Americans for a lot of the things that go wrong (see the Toronto violence surge, and the references to it being due to the American culture influence instead of the problems in Toronto.)

 

[JimEIV]

Yep, just like Americans being stereotypically American and that is even more sad thank you very much. Have you noticed that there are as many AMericans prejudiced against Canada? Don't make Canada the one sided coin chum.

American predjudice against Canada???

Most Americans Know nothing about Canada.....Like 2% of our population lives within 100 miles of the Canadian Border while like 95% of Canada lives within 100 miles of the US border. There is nothing negative about that, its just Americans don't know or care to know.

As long as you aren't sneaking over the border with truck loads of your cousins to wash our dishes, Americans barely know Canada is there.

I feel confident in making the blanket statement Americans as whole don't care about much that happens outside the US in general. They don't even know if Canadians like them or not.

I think if you ask most Americans about Canada all they know about Canada is Hockey. And maybe beer.

 

[Devonator]

Btw, good too see many of my fellow Canucks here to see through this reflex Anti American idiocy and good too see my American friends also who understand what it is all about.....

For the most part, excellent posts and not too many idiotic insecure canucks on board to spew their idiotic hatred of America!!

Good Stuff!!!

 

[GPF]

Without reading all that here - I can remember an article during the 96 World Cup of Hockey which I think inherits a lot of truth! I try to quote it it as far as I can

" The US has four major league sports and a lot more sports heroes than hockey players. So if they loose - that's not a big problem for them."

on the other hand after the final I can remember the headline ..

"20 american hockey player struck in the heart of 28 Million Canadians"

What I wanne say is ... isn't it the significance of the sports that makes the difference?!? If the Canadians loose to anyone - the nation feels down. The more if the big neighbor beats them in their last front garden. On the other hand ... hockey isn't that important in the states so they can be more patronizing than on the other side of the border ...

 

[Pangu]

I hate the States about as mcuh as I hate Alberta. Actually wuite a bit less, since only half of the US are George Bush supporting... while more than half of Alberta falls under that category. I think that a lot of Canadians have similar sentiments though with less animosity for Alberta and more disregard. But like I said its mainly rivalry. Even if the States don't give a damn about us, we still see it as a rivalry and that is only natural (I mean almost all geographical neighboors are rivals and its not our fault if the US doesn't care about us).

Also, Canada is still technically under the rule of the British crown just as we were in 1812. I think its fair for us to claim victory.

 

[bonefizzle]

Yeah don't worry so much. When USA plays Russia we will see who the real booing is for. Canadians just give America a hard time because of recent polotics.

the booing has nothing to do with recent politics.... the fans aren't booing teenagers because of recent choices made by their political leader which they have no control over. It is just because of they are the favourite going into the tourney and our closest rival....

 

[Randall Graves*]

A stalemate where the American capital ended up burning, of course.
It would probably be a little tougher to do now, mind you.

I've got no particular problem with the American team, they are our biggest competition in winning this tourney, that's all. Any losses by the Americans makes the road tougher for them and easier for us.
We just want Canada to take gold.

You don't want to mess with America now, not with who our current president is...he'll invade you just for the fun of it.

 

[USA!]

You don't want to mess with America now, not with who our current president is...he'll invade you just for the fun of it.

Wouldnt take much to do so

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

Yep, just like Americans being stereotypically American and that is even more sad thank you very much. Have you noticed that there are as many AMericans prejudiced against Canada? Don't make Canada the one sided coin chum.

Can you explain to me what the stereotypical American is? This should be funny...

 

[Big Phil]

I think because with Canada Hockey is the sport we are the best at. And everyone knows it. We cant beat the US in Football, Basketball or Baseball but Hockey we can and we do. I dont remember there being a bias against USA Hockey until about '96 after the World Cup. We felt shattered that we had lost the last thing that we could beat the Americans at. Before '96 it was always a Canada-Russia rivalry in hockey since the US was never a big threat. And it still is especially in the WJC.

but to me the Canada-USA is still just a bit behind the Canada-Russia rivalry. We love to beat Americans, and some we hate too (Tkachuk, Hull, Chelios, Hatcher) so it is sweet to beat them, but there is just more of an aura with Can/Rus because of the history. Personally I dont care who wins in a USA vs. Russia game, just as long as we beat the winner of that game.

 

[Steveorama]

As a Canadian, I have noticed that many Canadians are prejudiced against Americans. It is due in part to jealously of the power of the US and in part to our nation's pacifist nature - the majority of this country is anti-war and really, anti-anything conservative.
I think many Canadians are being stereotypically Canadian and that is sad.

Actually, Canadians "hate your freedoms".
Because God knows your country's actions and policies couldn't cause people to dislike you, right?

 

[SpezNc2]

I am a Canadian. I have lived in Canada my whole life.

Thus, I feel as though I am well qualified to comment on this topic, since I have associated with fellow Canadians every day of my life and know a lot about them.

I will give you an honest answer for the question you are asking.

The honest answer is: Most Canadians have a big inferiority complex when it comes to the U.S.A.

Most Canadians are always measuring themselves up against the U.S.A., whether it be in politics, economics, education, religion, movies, music, and sports. It is a part of Canadians culture to either try to 'one-up' U.S.A. in all of these aspects of life, or try to be as different as possible from the U.S.A. in all of these aspects of life so as to 'stand-out'.

A few examples of the 'chest-pounding' Canadians like to do as it relates to Canada vs. U.S.A.....

1) You will still hear Canadians talk about a war that took place almost 200 years ago (War of 1812), and how they beat the U.S.A. in that war.
2) You will hear Canadians constantly degrade George W. Bush, or whatever leader the U.S.A. has at the time, while not paying as near as much attention to the flaws of the Canadian leader.
3) You will often come across Canadians who will try to find any and all ways of proving that Canadian education is better.
4) You will often come across Canadians who will bring up the fact that Canada has free health care, and the U.S.A. does not, even when the topic had nothing to do with U.S.A. health care in the first place.
5) A lot of Canadians like to shove it is anyone's face who will listen the amount of Canadian movie stars there are and the amount of Canadians music stars there are. And these Canadian movie stars and Canadian music stars are ALWAYS the best.
6) It is fashionable for Canadians to think that if you are a Canadian, then move to the U.S.A., that you become a 'traitor' and that the country is better off without you. It is fashionable to think that if you move from Canada to the U.S.A., that you weren't worthy of being a Canadian in the first place, and that you must not have been good enough or sophisticated enough to handle Canadian way of life.
7) A lot of Canadians like to have a double-standard when it comes to a specific issue of athletics, one that not surprisingly serves to try to make Canada look more athletically dominant than they really are. This double-standard refers to the fact that people from other countries who play for Canada are 100% Canadian (see Donovan Bailey, Dany Heatley, etc.). And people from Canada who play for other countries are still 100% Canadian but are merely 'traitors' (see Brett Hull). This is absurd. A country can't take credit for Brett Hull, then continue to take credit for Donovan Bailey.
8) A lot of Canadians cling to anything that somehow makes them better at sports than the U.S.A. Or at least makes them have a bigger claim to sports than the U.S.A. Hockey is Canada's sport, because Canada is the best at it. Basketball is Canada's sport, because Canada invented it. Golf is Canada's sport, because Mike Weir won the Master's a couple of years ago. Soccer is Canada's sport, because a Canadian's great-grand-father had a cousin, whose cousin had a father, who had a best friend, who had a brother, who had a best friend who was a former room-mate of someone who went to school with the inventer of soccer (this is made-up, but this is indeed something that a Canadian might say).

But anyways, enough examples as I am sure you get the point by now.

To answer your original question, most Canadians have an inferiority complex when it comes to the U.S.A. They like to see things happen that either: a) makes Canada look better than the U.S.A. (ie. Canada succeed); or b) makes U.S.A. look worse than Canada (ie. U.S.A. fail).

Saying all of this, however, I still remain a proud Canadian. I am still proud of my coutnry. I just tend to try to ignore the overly-obnoxious majority of people that surround me.

*I am sorry if all of this upset anybody here. Keep in mind that I am only referring to MOST Canadians when I typed all of this, not ALL Canadians.*

Some of them are really true.. But i disagree with you about heatley and bailey...

Do you know why there 100% canadian.. Because they have LEARN HOW TO PLAY HOCKEY and TRACK & Field here in CANADA...

Adam deadmarch is Canadian because he is born and raised in Canada.. and Also because he played minor hockey and junior hockey here in Canada.. he also currently lives in B.C...

Heatley is raised in Calgary..

yeah O'marra and heatley aren't born here in Canada but they are 100 % Canadian... Theirs parents are Canadian and as long as they can remember, they have lived in canada...


Pat Eaves of the ottawa senators is 100% american even if he was born in Canada...

Brett Hull is born and raised in Canada.. But Choose the U.S because he didn't crack Team Canada lineup... Samething for Brady Murray....

It's not the samething.. Can you see the difference...?

 

[nomorekids]

Can you explain to me what the stereotypical American is? This should be funny...

That much should be obvious. I've been to Europe a few times, and each time, everyone seems shocked that I'm not carrying an arsenal that would make Frank Castle blush, and that I'm not 400 pounds and wearing a Chicago Bears jersey.

The bottom line is...yes, there's a lot of ignorance in America toward Canada and the rest of the world. By the same token, and I feel qualified in saying so, having spent considerable time there...there's an equal amount of ignorance in Canada toward America(summarized by one poster's statement that in Canada, everyone questions the leadership of the PM, whereas it's evil to criticize in the States. Come down here and ask around--you'll find that Bush isn't very popular here, either...and if the elections had come maybe a year later, in a more stable time..and the democratic opposition wasn't a weak offering like Kerry, there's no way Bush is even re-elected, but that's way OT and no more need be said about it). There is a pretty distinct rivalry between Canada and the USA when it comes to hockey...but I think that the rivalry only goes that far for the USA..whereas many Canadians just like to see anything American fail. Why that is...I can't speak on. Am I a little disappointed in the animosity toward my country? Sure. Do I understand? Yeah, I do.

Do I have any problem with Canada or Canadians? Not at all. Great country, good people.

Would I cheer for any team playing Canada?

You bet.

 

[Steveorama]

Do not worry......when our country separates as it will soon from either Quebec or Alberta, you will see our balkanized parts lining up too be your good friend and ally and the idiocy that is Anti Americanism will take a back seat to far more important things...

When oil-rich Alberta separates from Canada, it will be one step closer to annexation by the USA. And I am curious to see what your reaction to that will be.
By the way, I am not particularly left-wing. I work in the oil industry. And I am not anti-American at all, although I do take issue with the current ruling junta in Washington.
And if you do not think that the US covets Alberta's oil wealth, you have another think coming. It will be lot easier to conquer people who want to be conquered than the Middle Eastern countries.

 

[Old Hickory]

Adam deadmarch is Canadian because he is born and raised in Canada.. and Also because he played minor hockey and junior hockey here in Canada.. he also currently lives in B.C...

I have heard that he is living in Montana.

 

[gobolt7]

This thread is supposed to be about "Why Canadian fans want the US to lose" This is not the political board, any more off topic posting will result in this thread being closed.

 

[Steveorama]

This thread is supposed to be about "Why Canadian fans want the US to lose" This is not the political board, any more off topic posting will result in this thread being closed.

Now I think YOU "hate our freedoms"!
j/k
Okay...I'll get off of my political soapbox, now.
Looking forward to tonight's game and Saturday's "game of the tournament".

 

[Ogopogo*]

Yep, just like Americans being stereotypically American and that is even more sad thank you very much. Have you noticed that there are as many AMericans prejudiced against Canada? Don't make Canada the one sided coin chum.

I completely disagree. I know many Americans and have never heard an anti-Canadian word from any of them. Some Americans may not even think about Canada but, the ones that do like Canada.

Not sure who you met to get you to think otherwise.

 

[Seachd]

When oil-rich Alberta separates from Canada, it will be one step closer to annexation by the USA.

Of course, that won't happen in our lifetimes or our grandchildren's. Alberta is as close to separating from Canada as New York is from the US.

 

[Ogopogo*]

I hate the States about as mcuh as I hate Alberta. Actually wuite a bit less, since only half of the US are George Bush supporting... while more than half of Alberta falls under that category. I think that a lot of Canadians have similar sentiments though with less animosity for Alberta and more disregard. But like I said its mainly rivalry. Even if the States don't give a damn about us, we still see it as a rivalry and that is only natural (I mean almost all geographical neighboors are rivals and its not our fault if the US doesn't care about us).

Also, Canada is still technically under the rule of the British crown just as we were in 1812. I think its fair for us to claim victory.

Under the rule of the British Crown? Good Lord...

 

[Stammer Time*]

Under the rule of the British Crown? Good Lord...

Yeah, there have been alot of pathetic posts in this thread but that one takes the cake.

 

[All-Star]

I hate Team USA like I hate the Leafs... Deal with it.