American Myths; What Canadians Think They Know About the United States

by Rudyard Griffiths

• ISBN13: 9781552639832
• ISBN10: 1552639835
• Format: Trade Book
• Copyright: 2008-05-01
• Publisher: Key Porter Books

Summary

Geography dictates that Canadians share a continent with the only global superpower; naturally, we are wary. Yet centuries of interaction have led Canadians and Americans to talk, trade, fight as allies, intermarry, and immigrate to each other's territory. As a result, we believe we intuitively understand our neighbours and often proclaim that we 'œget' the U.S. better than anyone else. But Canadians cherish ideas'”even myths'”about Americans that may not be true. Many would argue that Americans are warlike, while Canadians are the world's peacekeepers; that Canada is a beacon of social-welfare innovation, while America is a regressive and uncaring state; that America's ethnic melting pot is hidebound and discriminatory, while Canada is the enlightened and tolerant nation in North America. How appropriate is this conventional wisdom? Do we truly understand Americans, or have our internal political battles and insecurities led to a distorted perception of our neighbour to the south? How do our myths about the United States affect the relationship between the two nations? Comprising 15 essays, American Myths offers a wide-ranging look at the perceptions and preconceptions Canadians have about their neighbours to the south. Intelligent, thought-provoking, and often polarizing, American Myths issues a challenge to Canadian readers: strive to better understand who we are, or run the risk of defining ourselves simply in opposition to the U.S. It is required reading for anyone interested in this country's future.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements	p. 7
Introduction	p. 9
Sometimes Making Peace Means Making War	p. 17
The Just Society	p. 29
America: Hardly a Melting Pot...	p. 41
Is America the Real North American Democracy?	p. 51
Bred in the Bone	p. 63
The Future of Canada-U.S. Relations: Bring Back the Special Relationship	p. 75
"You Want an Americanization of Canadian Health Care!"	p. 91
Across the Medicine Line	p. 105
The Environmental Question	p. 119
Our Mythology of Values	p. 137
Can Canada Be as Innovative, Competitive, and Entrepreneurial as the United States?	p. 151
Our Shared Urban Future	p. 181
Further Reading	p. 207
Author Biographies	p. 209
About the Editor	p. 213
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