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my thoughts:
America (that is, the USA) has 10x the population and many times the broadcasting power/reach. I fully agree that since Canadians are so heavily influenced by American media, we Canadians feel as though we might be paid some attention. It's hard as a Canadian to not pay attention to American news, politics, etc.
Also, that our cultures are actually quite similar makes us feel as though we should have more in common (politically, socially, economically) than we actually do. There's nothing out there that says "Americans should be more aware of their surroundings". Why should they? If Americans in general thought their ex-country surroundings would heavily influence their lives, they would pay closer attention to it. (Disclaimer: Every country has their ignorants)
One last word re: Rick Mercer and "Talking to Americans" -- to support Charlatan and Averett, this show is hilariously entertaining to Canadians, and does NOT have worldwide appeal. Who else would laugh at the "Peter Mans-bridge?" joke? Rick Mercer basically lays out a scenario at high speed and waits for some indication of either support or disagreement, and the Canadian interpretation makes it funny. Yes, the people he shows are generally the opinionated type who feel they have to comment on everything, but he also showed a couple of people who were wise to his ways. Regardless, it's a funny little jab back at the powerful nation that exerts influence on us at every turn.
So, are Americans ignorant? No. Are some Americans ignorant? Yes. So are some Canadians. Suck it up, Canadians.... the Americans aren't going away.
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