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A Canadian must read.
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Author:  The Unknown Man [ June 11th, 2007, 6:57 pm ]
Post subject:  A Canadian must read.
I found this article, I have in no way participated in the making of it. I figured it could go here, since its a longer article made by someone else.




A British news paper salutes Canada . . . this is a good read. It is funny how it took someone in England to put it into words...

Sunday Telegraph Article From today's UK wires: Salute to a brave and modest nation - Kevin Myers, The Sunday Telegraph LONDON - Until the deaths of Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan, probably almost no one outside their home country had been aware that Canadian troops are deployed in the region. And as always, Canada will bury its dead, just as the rest of the world, as always will forget its sacrifice, just as it always forgets nearly everything Canada ever does.

It seems that Canada's historic mission is to come to the selfless aid both of its friends and of complete strangers, and then, once the crisis is over, to be well and truly ignored.

Canada is the perpetual wallflower that stands on the edge of the hall, waiting for someone to come and ask her for a dance. A fire breaks out; she risks life and limb to rescue her fellow dance-goers, and suffers serious injuries. But when the hall is repaired and the dancing resumes, there is Canada, the wallflower still, while those she once helped Glamorously cavort across the floor, blithely neglecting her yet again.

That is the price Canada pays for sharing the North American continent with the United States, and for being a selfless friend of Britain in two global conflicts. For much of the 20th century, Canada was torn in two different directions: It seemed to be a part of the old world, yet had an address in the new one, and that divided identity ensured that it never fully got the gratitude it deserved. Yet its purely voluntary contribution to the cause of freedom in two world wars was perhaps the greatest of any democracy.

Almost 10% of Canada's entire population of seven million people served in the armed forces during the First World War, and nearly 60,000 died. The great Allied victories of 1918 were spearheaded by Canadian troops, perhaps the most capable soldiers’ n the entire British order of battle.

Canada was repaid for its enormous sacrifice by downright neglect, its unique contribution to victory being absorbed into the popular Memory as somehow or other the work of the "British."

The Second World War provided a re-run. The Canadian navy began the war with a half dozen vessels, and ended up policing nearly half of the Atlantic against U-boat attack. More than 120 Canadian warships participated in the Normandy landings, during which 15,000 Canadian soldiers went ashore on D-Day alone. Canada finished the war with the third-largest navy and the fourth-largest air force in the world.

The world thanked Canada with the same sublime indifference as it had the previous time. Canadian participation in the war was acknowledged in film only if it was necessary to give an American actor a part in a campaign in which the United States had clearly not participated - a touching scrupulousness which, of course, Hollywood has since abandoned, as it has any notion of a separate Canadian identity.

So it is a general rule that actors and filmmakers arriving in Hollywood keep their nationality - unless, that is, they are Canadian. Thus Mary Pickford, Walter Huston, Donald Sutherland, Michael J. Fox, William Shatner, Norman Jewison, David Cronenberg, Alex Trebek, Art Linkletter and Dan Aykroyd have in the popular perception become American, and Christopher Plummer, British.

It is as if, in the very act of becoming famous, a Canadian ceases to be Canadian, unless she is Margaret Atwood, who is as unshakably Canadian as a moose, or Celine Dion, for whom Canada has proved quite unable to find any takers. Moreover, Canada is every bit as querulously alert to the achievements of its sons and daughters as the rest of the world is completely unaware of them. The Canadians proudly say of themselves - and are unheard by anyone else - that 1% of the world's population has provided 10% of the world's peacekeeping forces. Canadian soldiers in the past half century have been the greatest peacekeepers on Earth - in 39 missions on UN mandates, and six on non-UN peacekeeping duties, from Vietnam to East Timor, from Sinai to Bosnia.

Yet the only foreign engagement that has entered the popular on-Canadian imagination was the sorry affair in Somalia, in which out-of-control paratroopers murdered two Somali infiltrators. Their regiment was then disbanded in disgrace - a uniquely Canadian act of self-abasement for which, naturally, the Canadians received no international credit.

So who today in the United States knows about the stoic and selfless friendship its northern neighbour has given it in Afghanistan?

Rather like Cyrano de Bergerac, Canada repeatedly does honourable things for honourable motives, but instead of being thanked for it, it remains something of a figure of fun.

It is the Canadian way, for which Canadians should be proud, yet such honour comes at a high cost. This past year more grieving Canadian families knew that cost all too tragically well.
Author:  Adbot [ June 11th, 2007, 6:57 pm ]
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Author:  Alex 43 [ June 12th, 2007, 11:43 am ]
Post subject: 
Who's to say that we actually are doing this just to be acknowledged by the higher powers? We're doing this for what we believe in, and so that we as Canadians can always say that we made a difference, and at the same time, we stay somewhat hidden and forgotten.

I'm good with that. I'm sure Canada's good with that too. We've rarely had ANY acts of terrorism against us. Nobody's got any grudges on us. That's how we like it.

We are just a type of people that wants everyone to be able to live happily without any conflict, and we try our best to participate in anything that threatens our allies. In a sense (please don't laugh at me), we're sort of like the Spiderman of the world.

That's my opinion as a Canadian. There are a number of interesting facts in there stating that we should at least have SOME recognition. But the time will come. If we didn't believe it, we wouldn't have even sent our troops towards the ocean.
Author:  Simmy [ June 12th, 2007, 11:54 pm ]
Post subject: 
Alex 43 wrote:

Nobody's got any grudges on us.

I do. And you know that, Alex 43.
Author:  Mushroom Queen [ June 13th, 2007, 12:56 am ]
Post subject: 
This isn't a self-written article, therefore, it should go in Non-RS discussion.

Moving.
Author:  CreepyPirate [ June 13th, 2007, 2:53 am ]
Post subject: 
True what he says. I had no idea Canada was in ww1 or even helping out in the current wars.
Author:  The Unknown Man [ June 14th, 2007, 5:51 pm ]
Post subject: 
CreepyPirate wrote:
True what he says. I had no idea Canada was in ww1 or even helping out in the current wars.


You really had no idea? :shock:
Author:  Adbot [ June 14th, 2007, 5:51 pm ]
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Author:  Dan [ June 14th, 2007, 11:41 pm ]
Post subject: 
They played a major role in the Allied invasion of France during World War II, even conquering more territory than both the Americans and British on D-Day.
Author:  CreepyPirate [ June 15th, 2007, 4:28 am ]
Post subject: 
The Unknown Man wrote:
CreepyPirate wrote:
True what he says. I had no idea Canada was in ww1 or even helping out in the current wars.


You really had no idea? :shock:


You guys just don't get covered here. At all. Our current news reports british troops and American, no one else.

Never did learn about Canadians being involved in the world wars either, mostly was taught the British role in it although we did cover russia/america/france and a few others. Germany too of course.
Author:  The Unknown Man [ June 15th, 2007, 7:31 am ]
Post subject: 
CreepyPirate wrote:
You guys just don't get covered here. At all. Our current news reports british troops and American, no one else.

Never did learn about Canadians being involved in the world wars either, mostly was taught the British role in it although we did cover russia/america/france and a few others. Germany too of course.



Just like Dan said

Dan wrote:
They played a major role in the Allied invasion of France during World War II, even conquering more territory than both the Americans and British on D-Day.



I would really like to know why they don't tell what Canada has done for everyone.
Author:  CreepyPirate [ June 15th, 2007, 7:37 am ]
Post subject: 
The Unknown Man wrote:
CreepyPirate wrote:
You guys just don't get covered here. At all. Our current news reports british troops and American, no one else.

Never did learn about Canadians being involved in the world wars either, mostly was taught the British role in it although we did cover russia/america/france and a few others. Germany too of course.



Just like Dan said

Dan wrote:
They played a major role in the Allied invasion of France during World War II, even conquering more territory than both the Americans and British on D-Day.



I would really like to know why they don't tell what Canada has done for everyone.


Well, i would presume the countries we do cover had a bigger part in the war overall and that's why they get covered, we never got taught about these wars in remembrance for those that risked there lives, we got taught how it started, why and how it came to an end and so on.

That's the best answer i could give to you off the top of my head.
Author:  The Unknown Man [ June 15th, 2007, 8:52 am ]
Post subject: 
CreepyPirate wrote:
Well, i would presume the countries we do cover had a bigger part in the war overall and that's why they get covered, we never got taught about these wars in remembrance for those that risked there lives, we got taught how it started, why and how it came to an end and so on.

That's the best answer i could give to you off the top of my head.


Going by what you said and the role that Canada played in the First World War. You should know, they played a really major role. But I'm guessing it has to with something else. Maybe they just don't want to admit that Canada did so well and they didn't. Thats whats it like here between USA and Canada. I bet if you were to ask an American who won The War of 1812 they'd say United States. And they'd be wrong, Canada did.
Author:  CreepyPirate [ June 15th, 2007, 9:06 am ]
Post subject: 
The Unknown Man wrote:
CreepyPirate wrote:
Well, i would presume the countries we do cover had a bigger part in the war overall and that's why they get covered, we never got taught about these wars in remembrance for those that risked there lives, we got taught how it started, why and how it came to an end and so on.

That's the best answer i could give to you off the top of my head.


Going by what you said and the role that Canada played in the First World War. You should know, they played a really major role. But I'm guessing it has to with something else. Maybe they just don't want to admit that Canada did so well and they didn't. Thats whats it like here between USA and Canada. I bet if you were to ask an American who won The War of 1812 they'd say United States. And they'd be wrong, Canada did.


:s

Doubt it, We was on the same side you couldn't of done "better". No country could of done a better job than us considering what we was facing in ww2. XD I was actually talking about WW2 anyway, i never covered WW1 much infact my knowledge of that is very limited.
Author:  Jaden [ June 15th, 2007, 9:47 am ]
Post subject: 
CreepyPirate wrote:
True what he says. I had no idea Canada was in ww1 or even helping out in the current wars.

Canadians were considered the 'masters of the war' in reference to WWI. They were the one and only to capture hill 145, in which no one else managed to do. They discovered the protection against the gas attacks, and so forth.

I think that countries, such as the US or Britain don't want to talk much about what the Canadians did or put them in the spotlight. I think that they only talk about how themselves were in the spotlight and how they were the hotshots.
Author:  The Unknown Man [ June 15th, 2007, 10:04 am ]
Post subject: 
Dr Doom wrote:
CreepyPirate wrote:
True what he says. I had no idea Canada was in ww1 or even helping out in the current wars.

Canadians were considered the 'masters of the war' in reference to WWI. They were the one and only to capture hill 145, in which no one else managed to do. They discovered the protection against the gas attacks, and so forth.

I think that countries, such as the US or Britain don't want to talk much about what the Canadians did or put them in the spotlight. I think that they only talk about how themselves were in the spotlight and how they were the hotshots.



More widely know as Vimy Ridge. This capture showed people at the time that Canada is separate from Britain, and can do lots.
Author:  CreepyPirate [ June 15th, 2007, 10:54 am ]
Post subject: 
Dr Doom wrote:
CreepyPirate wrote:
True what he says. I had no idea Canada was in ww1 or even helping out in the current wars.

Canadians were considered the 'masters of the war' in reference to WWI. They were the one and only to capture hill 145, in which no one else managed to do. They discovered the protection against the gas attacks, and so forth.

I think that countries, such as the US or Britain don't want to talk much about what the Canadians did or put them in the spotlight. I think that they only talk about how themselves were in the spotlight and how they were the hotshots.


But that's not true. :?

I meantioned in an earlier post which countries i had covered during school but as i've said already, we never really got into world war 1, it was 2 that was the issue.
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