4.06.2005

welcome joy of sox readers

Allan has linked to this blog for the first time (outing himself about our move to Canada), so there's a stream of new traffic.

There's also a handful of highly unfriendly readers from a soccer discussion board who are inexplicably outraged by my abandoning the good ole' U S of A, and can't seem to let it go. I won't link to the post where some guy called me a bitch, a slut and whatever else, but here are some choice excerpts from one comment:
As a center-right American who voted for Bush and has relatives in Toronto, all I can say respectfully, is go and do what you want.
Of course, it's not all he can say; he goes on for three or four very long paragraphs. Why would anyone bother to tell another adult who he's never met, "Go and do what you want"? You mean, as opposed to asking your permission? Yes, I rather thought I would. He continues:
In Canada, you'll discover a country that struggles to find an identity, other than being "un-american."
This is very revealing. The writer unintentionally touches on a crucial reason I can leave the United States. Very little, if any, of my identity is tied up in being American. I'm an American by birth, but not by choice. If it turns out I live the rest of my life as an American in Canada, then so be it. But if in the future I begin to feel Canadian, I will welcome the change. I identify as many things, but I don't need a nationality to know who I am.

It also shows how little he understands Canada. Canadians are obviously proud of being Canadian. They are low-key about it, of course, not arrogant and pushy like the flag-wavers here. But the perception of Canada as merely "not America" is clearly a fiction. An extremely arrogant fiction at that.

The writer then goes on to defend Bush's Iraq "policy" - and he describes himself as center-right? heaven help me if I ever meet the right-right! - and then brings up another common theme in these silly, sarcastic emails: sharia law. He assumes I don't know what it is and suggests I consult google.

The wingnuts who write me often harp on the legalization of the use of sharia in Ontario. They act like it's mandatory, and I'm about to be forced to wear the veil. Wmtc readers must know that, as an atheist and a feminist, I don't look kindly on any religious practice that oppresses women, be it Hasidic (I'm Jewish, too, remember), Catholic or Muslim. But freedom of religion is an important principle. I'd rather my neighbors have access to sharia courts if they choose. Meanwhile, the US government is increasingly controlled by radical so-called Christians, but he doesn't mention that.

The writer looks with hope to the supposedly resurgent conservative movement in Canada. But from what I've learned, Canadian Conservatives agree with him on precious little. RobfromAlberta can assent or correct me if he feels I'm wrong.

In any event, I hope Joy of Sox readers are not grossly offended by what they find here - especially since we're now on the same team.

16 comments:

Rognar said...

Well, I don't claim to speak for all Canadian conservatives (and there are a few bozos I wouldn't even attempt to speak for), but I think most rightwingers up here would tend toward what Americans describe as moderate Democrats. Bill Clinton could easily qualify as leader of the Conservative Party of Canada.

laura k said...

"Bill Clinton could easily qualify as leader of the Conservative Party of Canada."

Rob, you're the best.

Anonymous said...

Good Morning L-Girl...
One of your loyal readers of wmtc would like to pass on a friendly Canadian "Eh" to all new readers, even if some are jerks!
ALPF...

Here is good article from today's National Post

http://www.canada.com/national/nationalpost/news/issuesideas/story.html?id=1082f0c1-1b14-4e4e-803b-e986c6760507&rfp=dta&page=1

laura k said...

And good morning to you, ALPF. Cool link. This is the kind of thing Redsock loves, being a refugee from Fundieland. Perhaps it will end up on his blog, too.

Rognar said...

Hehe...thanks.

Btw, the National Post is Canada's "conservative" national daily, or as Bill O'Reilly once described it, the "Canada's less liberal national newspaper".

laura k said...

By coincidence, it was a reference to the National Post that gave away the identity of the anonymous commenter/emailer. People wishing to remain anonymous should avoid quoting the same stories on different sites...

The right-wing Americans on this soccer board (no idea how or why they found wmtc) act as if the National Post is Fox News and Canadian Tories worship Bill O'Reilly. Hardly.

Rognar said...

Well, in the interest of full disclosure, I will admit there is a hard right component to my party of choice. If I were to guess, I would estimate it represents about a third of the total support of the Conservatives and consists mainly of rural Christian westerners and, yes, Alberta is home to most of them. For a time, Canadian conservatives were split in two parties, the Canadian Alliance (previously called the Reform Party) and the Progressive Conservatives (yes, I know, it's a contradiction in terms). The CA was the party of the rightwing conservatives and the PCs were more moderate conservatives. The parties united last year and now we have the Conservative Party of Canada (CPC). Recently, you posted that the CPC dropped abortion from its party platform. This was part of a series of policy reviews the party undertook to find its new middle ground between the platforms of the two previous parties. I was heartened by the move because it showed me that moderates are calling the shots.

Kyle_From_Ottawa said...

What I heard about "sharia" law in Ontario from American news agencies is the most ridiculous load of crap I've ever heard.

Basically, Muslims want to be able to use a Muslim arbitrator in civil disputes, a right which other groups such as Jews and various Christian groups already have. An arbitrator's decision is legally binding, but it in no way supercedes Candian law.

Kyle_From_Ottawa said...

As for Canadian right-wing zealots, the Conservative party spends an enourmous amount of effort trying to keep them quiet. Every so often, they blurt out something and the party goes into damage control mode.

Its quite a contrast to the GOP which sends its wingnuts to do interviews on Fox News.

Anonymous said...

Well, the wingnuts exist in all parties here.

On the right, you've got CPC head Stevie Harper making controversial decisions such as the incredibly offensive (no matter which side you are on) anti-Gay marriage ad campain without consulting his party. I'd like to see Peter MacKay behind the wheel - the man knows when to keep his mouth shut - the party may actually go somewhere then.

In the left-of-centre, you've got certain Liberal cabinet members (read: Carolyn Parrish) of Prime Minister Paul Martin screeching high-schoolish insults about the President of the United States (who, even if not liked by all, we still need to maintain a professional relationship with. You'd think a cabinet member would know this). At least Parrish was kicked out of the party over the issue ... one of Martin's more widely-approved moves.

And further to the left, there's Jack Layton of the NDP, who can always be counted on to continue his party's trend of finding something, anything wrong with the United States and seizing it to attack whoever the powers-that-be in this country are.

So, the idiots do loom large everywhere, not just in the right.

And yes, Slick Willy certainly could lead the CPCs out west. We could use a guy like him - if for nothing else than the possibility of a scandal generating some actual news up here.

laura k said...

Kyle, re Sharia, that's my understanding too. You can't imagine how insane these wingnuts are about this. (Or maybe you can.)

No matter how slick Bill ever was, he was ground glass and razor wire compared to the new Teflon White House. Thanks, in large part, to the Democrats...

Rognar said...

...and the liberal media.

laura k said...

I knew someone would finish the sentence! I should have known who it would be - our resident conservative! :)

Anonymous said...

My LCSW Supervisor who is Canadian made it clear to me what is really going on when I encounter people, sometimes strangers, who get vehemently angry about our pending move to Toronto.

He says that leaving the USA is the ultimate thing that you can do as an American. Declaring your independence from the group mentality. I (we) are doing something that people can only dream of or imagine - they are envious.

The USA is my place of birth, but has become less and less like my home. So like my parents before me and my grandparents before them I choose to immigrate for a better life.

Nick, Denver

Rognar said...

I'll never let you down. ;)

laura k said...

Hey Nick! Whenever you leave a comment, I end up posting it. Tomorrow...