Comments on: Are Canadians Inherently, Perhaps Genetically, Nicer, Smarter, Gooder? https://gregladen.com/blog/2013/07/02/are-canadians-inherently-perhaps-genetically-nicer-smarter-gooder/ Wed, 03 Jul 2013 17:45:10 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.6 By: phanmo https://gregladen.com/blog/2013/07/02/are-canadians-inherently-perhaps-genetically-nicer-smarter-gooder/#comment-488573 Wed, 03 Jul 2013 17:45:10 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/?p=17106#comment-488573 @ Lars
Hear, hear!
I can’t vote for national elections anymore, as there’s a 5 year limit on being resident abroad, but I managed to squeak in under the wire for the last elections. Unfortunately Harper was reelected anyways!
Here in France, the “new” point of view of the Canadian government hasn’t quite percolated down yet so I haven’t had to suffer what I saw Americans suffering during the Dubya years (being held accountable for what a government you didn’t vote for does) but it’ll come sooner or later unless the Canadian government changes radically. Muzzling tax-payer financed scientists and slashing environmental programs while vehemently defending asbestos exports to developing nations is not my Canada.

]]> By: Greg Laden https://gregladen.com/blog/2013/07/02/are-canadians-inherently-perhaps-genetically-nicer-smarter-gooder/#comment-488572 Tue, 02 Jul 2013 22:00:48 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/?p=17106#comment-488572 Now you know what it is like to have a certain kind of person “leading” your country!

]]> By: Lars https://gregladen.com/blog/2013/07/02/are-canadians-inherently-perhaps-genetically-nicer-smarter-gooder/#comment-488571 Tue, 02 Jul 2013 20:40:47 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/?p=17106#comment-488571 Greg, we are still inherently nicer, smarter, gooder, etc. (than who – the average bear?) – unfortunately, all that anyone abroad sees when they look at Canada these days is a vista of the pimply pallid buttocks of Steven Harper and his party of epsilon semi-morons, bared not only at the rest of the world but at those of us here who disagree with them. Actually, he has degraded the national discourse to the point where I, a true Canadian, do not blush at your unearned complimenting adjectives but instead merely take them as given, merited – before Harper any of us would have been too modest to accept such praise.
But seriously, this guy and his bottom-trawling fellow-travellers have gotta go – they are really stinking the place out. For what it’s worth, our first-past-the-post electoral system makes it possible for a party with a minority of votes (around 30%, in the ReformaTories’ case, in the last election) to take a majority of seats. So, while he trashes our institutions and there’s not a lot that can be done to stop him until the next election, he and his minions do not represent the majority of Canadian. Who, while nice etc., are getting mightily pissed-off – few of us want a foreigner looking at Harper (or any of the Con-bots) and thinking “So, that’s what a Canadian is like, eh?”

]]> By: Andy Skuce https://gregladen.com/blog/2013/07/02/are-canadians-inherently-perhaps-genetically-nicer-smarter-gooder/#comment-488570 Tue, 02 Jul 2013 17:10:19 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/?p=17106#comment-488570 Canada does have its own version of Fox News, alas.

http://www.sunnewsnetwork.ca/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_News_Network

It even includes people like Ezra Levant, the Ethical Oil guy.

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