Heather Mallick [ Toronto Star commentator ] wrote a piece criticizing Americans for their immaturity, narrow thinking and small minds.
She may be correct in her views but should the husband whose wife asks, “Does this dress make me look fat?” respond?
Heather Mallick hits many points right on. Read her commentary at HEATHER MALLICK
Canadians are competing with crass, cruel and violence-prone Americans. Luckily, we fail to imitate them completely, but we are edging closer and closer. Quebec’s Bill 62 deserves American neo-natal care.
Comparing Americans to children may have much validity but it doesn’t imply that they think with the intelligence of a child. They don’t but they act like children, throwing temper tantrums, screaming. “My way, my way!”
Americans insist on remaining focused on things they have done the same way, forever. Again, like children holding on to a wish, a desire, a demand, forever. Just as you cannot reason with the child in the midst of a temper tantrum or a blind selfish demand, the same holds true for Americans. They are focused on their gun laws, racial views, immigration processes and no amount of arguing, explanation or logic going to move them off the stump.
Mallick is attractively cute with her observational conclusions about Americans being set in their childish ways from the observation of how attached they are to drinking their soft drinks with a straw. It is a humorous observation but likely very accurate and it does reiterate they are children frozen in time. Next time you are at Macdonald’s do a bit of sociological observation: watch how some Canadians will take the top of their drink and drink it sans straw. Those that don’t have succumbed to the flirtatious overtures of America. No big deal, but an interesting thing to observe.
Mallick comments how deeply Americans are drawn into the fantasyland of the Disney world. True but it isn’t Disneyworld that is sucking them in; it’s American commercialism. TV ads incessantly tantalize and tempt American (and Canadian) viewers with those provocative ads selling the joyous escape of Disneyland holidays. Endlessly, they pitch the wonders, happiness and joy which can be had by taking a Disneyland vacation.
Cruise holidays flaunt the dream: do our holiday and you will be living heaven on earth. The commercials are either working or they are not, as they are repeated ceaselessly, over and over. So often and so much, it is no wonder the cruise tourists look like taser gun stun victims as they disembark their cruise ships. Smiles fixed in place, trudging down the gangplanks like programmed automatons ready to invade the destination at which they have docked.
Mallick is no mental slouch. She does her homework before writing her commentaries. Alex de Tocqueville, a French diplomat, historian, philosopher, wrote in the mid 19th century and his observations about the United States hold very well even today.
Finally, Mallick is so right in her comments about Americans using euphemisms and political correctness ad nauseam. “Fallen” soldiers, “Gold Star” families for those who have had sons/daughters killed in battle, such delusional malapropisms. Call a spade a spade. They are not “fallen” and calling them by any other name, does not lessen the severity of the loss. They died and are dead soldiers. To take Mallick’s point a touch further…armed soldiers at sports events, jet fly by’s, honouring vets or overtures to the capitalists exploiting war for capital gain. Acts to alleviate the pain suffered by the families of killed soldiers, not likely.
Mallick’s commentary is more profound than first glance suggests. Her views of Americans acting like spoiled children is much closer to the mark than any American would admit, nor many Canadians would agree with. Don’t paint us with that black brush you are using on Americans. We agree with you with painting them that way, but Canadians, oh no, we’re better than that.
No, we aren’t Heather. We have been sucked in by the paradise of America as portrayed by their TV shows, their cinematic propaganda and their ceaseless commercialism in selling the illusion of America, great again and always.
