In many ways, my "blogfather" Ian Welsh is the classic U.S.-bashing Canadian that people like Larry Zolf mean when they bring up the stereotype about Canadians hating Americans. The difference between Ian and the guy who blindly recites smug platitudes about "melting pots and cultural mosaics," though, is that Ian not only thinks for himself, but he also lays out his arguments so convincingly that he makes it awfully difficult to disagree with him.
I have long thought that with a bit of editing, his posts should be required reading in U.S. high schools. He'd provoke people, sure, but he'd also get them thinking critically about their country and its ideologies, which could arguably help undermine the very characteristics he criticizes. And his comments section is pretty good, too.
(Hat-tip to Declan.)
Thursday, January 11, 2007
"The most opaque nation in the world"
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4 comments:
The thing about Ian is that rather than sit up here and take potshots across the border, he's long put most of his blogging effort into posting at American sites and addressing American readers. He does it both because he cares about what happens to the U.S. and because he, rightly I think, believes if that the U.S. doesn't its current course we all go down with it.
That last bit should have read:
"he ... believes that if the U.S. doesn't change its current course"
Oops.
The reason I get away with it (remember, both BOP and the Agonist are large American blogs - the Agonist is one of the larger ones by far (in terms of traffic in the same area as MyDD, for example) is that I ask Americans to live up to their own ideals and I believe that they can. And I defend America at times - I believe they have done a great deal for which they can be proud as well - it's just that that's the part of their legacy they need to emulate.
And... heya IP, nice to see you again. :)
-Ian
Ian,
Daddy! How ya been? Long time no see! ;-)
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