Talking to Americans - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

samcat · 07-24-2003, 06:37 AM

Ever wonder why there are so many misunderstandings in the world. A comic series of man-on-the-street interviews made by a Canadian TV show, kinda highlights one of the problems - a lack of curiousity about the world outside the US border.

Have a look at this. We thought it was pretty funny, though I'm sure I'll get a lot of " So who cares..." from this thread.

http://home.comcast.net/~wwwstephen/americans/

neo23 · 07-24-2003, 07:30 AM

Ah, This Hour Has 22 Minutes and Rick Mercer. Too bad he isn't with the show anymore.

The best episode was the one in which he managed to get a Harvard professor to sign a petition calling for the end of the polar bear slaughter in Toronto.

sportsrule101 · 07-24-2003, 08:02 AM

good humor is always welcomed

ninety09 · 07-24-2003, 08:09 AM

Hilarious show.
Makes you realize how ignorant some people really are. Even those who should know better.. (Gore, Bush)
*shakes head*

The_Dude · 07-24-2003, 10:21 AM

haha, hilarious stuff indeed.

how stupid are americans?? COME ON

this is worse than when jay leno goes jaywalking.

tinfoil · 07-24-2003, 10:30 AM

Rick Mercer... Classic.

Too bad he left the show.

I would be curious to see the ratio of correct to wrong to stupidly wrong answers they got.

Charlatan · 07-24-2003, 11:22 AM

I was at seminar Mercer gave at this year's Banff Television Festival... He made the point that he made a conscious decision to seek out people who were white and appeared to be middle to upper middle class (he didn't think it would be very funny otherwise).

He mentioned that there were very few cases where people asked if he was kidding or told him he was full of shit.

Phaenx · 07-24-2003, 11:42 AM

The irony of these shows is that the majority of people at home laughing at those people for being stupid, also didn't know the answer until they told them.

Zeld2.0 · 07-24-2003, 05:09 PM

Ah the beauty of America

BlueMan · 07-24-2003, 07:51 PM

Thing is, it's not only world issues that these people don't know about. These same ones are the ones in man on the street interviews that can't even tell you who the VP of the US is. The American public is largely ignorant of it's -own- issues, much less those outside it's borders.

The_Dude · 07-24-2003, 07:56 PM

that brings us back to the question, should they have the right to vote?

fnaqzna · 07-24-2003, 09:23 PM

Sure they do... the idiots will just cancel each other out.

Zeld2.0 · 07-24-2003, 10:04 PM

so if they didn't it wouldn't matter anyways ;p

And yeah, its sad - people don't even know the VP.

Hell some think there are $200 bills with GWB's face on it

Charlatan · 07-25-2003, 05:31 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Phaenx
The irony of these shows is that the majority of people at home laughing at those people for being stupid, also didn't know the answer until they told them.

Ummm no. The original audience was a Canadian one. No Canadian would think for a moment that there is a Polar Bear Hunt in Toronto (Scarborough maybe but not TO) or that our Parliment buildings are made of ice...

It was funny to us because Americans are just so much fun to laugh at...

What was really hilarious was when the US media tried to turn the tables and sent up their reporters to Canada to ask questions on our streets:

Reporter: "Our president, Martin Sheen, will be visiting Toronto soon. Do you have any comments for him/"

Canadian on the street: "Martin Sheen is an actor. George Bush is president..."

That was funny...

Daval · 07-25-2003, 06:03 AM

god i love this show, it is soooo freaking hillarious.

Rick Mercer is a comedic genius.

Charlatan · 07-25-2003, 09:47 AM

I really miss his weekly streeters (the black and white rants) he used to do on This Hour Has 22 Minutes...

almostaugust · 07-26-2003, 02:28 AM

Its been getting on my nerves for a while. I don't mind Americans all that much, and like to read or hear what they have to say. But, i have had a gut full of reading about this myth that America saved the world in ww1 and ww2. Its a myth that is very widespread- especially with this whole anotagonism towards the French. They were part of a conglomerate force during these conflicts. It should be noted that they have recieved certain flack for not opposing Facism until late on in the war (WW2). And yes, they did drop a big bomb on Japan's civilian population, but the war was already grinding to a horrible halt. For the record, my pop, who faught with the Yanks had nothing but praise for them and thier conduct Im just tired of reading romanticised History.

Xell101 · 07-26-2003, 02:43 AM

I think we're full of ourselves, also the TV here is mind bogglingly stupid. That doesn't help.

james t kirk · 07-26-2003, 09:06 AM

I love "Talking to Americans"

The one with the Harvard professor looking like a fool was great, and so was the one where the governor of Idaho (I think) congratulated Canada on adopting the 24 hour clock (how fucking stupid is that?)

I read an interview with mercer where he said he actually felt a bit sorry airing the governor one because the guy was actually a really nice guy and all and actually reccomended a few good restaurants in town, etc.

But then he thought it was too good to let go.

Mercer even managed to land on Nightline with Ted Kopel and he said that most people usually get the right answer, that is they get the wrong answer. A few will know he is full of shit, but they are few and far between.

The scary ones are when he asks people if they support the president bombing Saskatchewan, or the West Edmonton Mall, and they all say, "Yes, I think the bombing of Saskatchewan was a good idea"

Just goes to show you how aware some americans are about who they are bombing this week.

Lastly, the guy they hired to replace mercer on 22 minutes has quit, it would be great if he would come back, but somehow, i doubt it.

oh yeah · 07-26-2003, 07:22 PM

Even though it makes fun of the people of my country, it was still fairly funny. America is the most powerful and influential nation in the world. Everyone says Americans are so stupid but America is still far ahead of all the other countries in the world. What does that say about other countries if we are just of bunch of idiots but are still the world leader. Maybe other countries should follow our lead and worry more about thier own issues and less about other countries.

crewsor · 07-28-2003, 03:21 AM

I agree with oh yeah, This thread reminds me of the people in high school who spent their days ridiculing others because of their own insecurities and feelings of inadaquacy.

Remember people are people ,there are smart, dumb, informed and uninformed everywhere, even in Canada.

james t kirk · 07-28-2003, 05:16 AM

Thing is, you couldn't do a show "Talking to Canadians"

If you came to Toronto and said that you were with ABC news and you wanted to know the Canadian opinion of the United states banning the practice of putting senior citizens on the ice flows (or maybe in your case left in the desert), or congratulating the US on adopting the 24 hour clock, or giving the vote to the irish.

We'd know right away that you were full of shit

That's what makes "Talking to Americans" so damn funny is we just can't believe that Americans could possibly be so uninformed.

Charlatan · 07-28-2003, 06:18 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by oh yeah
America is the most powerful and influential nation in the world. Everyone says Americans are so stupid but America is still far ahead of all the other countries in the world.

i·ro·ny ( P )n. pl. i·ro·nies

a) Incongruity between what might be expected and what actually occurs: “Hyde noted the irony of Ireland's copying the nation she most hated” (Richard Kain).
b) An occurrence, result, or circumstance notable for such incongruity. See Usage Note at ironic.

reconmike · 07-28-2003, 07:30 AM

If I was to go Canada and leave the 2 major cities the whole country has I bet I could get alot of hicks to to answer a whole buch of stupid questions.

take off ey ya hoser.

Charlatan · 07-28-2003, 10:00 AM

If you were to follow the same rules as Mercer (ie go after the middle to upper middle class people) it just wouldn't happen... We are immersed in American culture and news up here there is no way that anyone with even half a brain would make the same mistakes...

That is the point of all this... American's (in general) are very insulated. They don't (in general) care what happens beyond their borders (with the exception of the surface scratching that appears on CNN and the nightly news).

splck · 07-28-2003, 03:27 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by reconmike
If I was to go Canada and leave the 2 major cities the whole country has I bet I could get alot of hicks to to answer a whole buch of stupid questions.

I doubt it. As Charlatan says, Mercer goes after non-hick types. He even went after your now-president.

crewsor · 07-29-2003, 03:35 AM

"Americans are dumb:" a myth to live by for smug Canadians

You Canadians may want to read this,(link) theres a lot of truth here.

Quote:

A quick survey of reality informs me that Americans, on average, probably aren't that dumb. If you don't believe me, perhaps when you visited the USA mall and stopped at the Full Serve gas station, you didn't encounter the top of American civilzation. Here's a positive example: there are more cancer doctors in one specialized hospital in New York than in all of Canada. It's in these kind of things that America really kicks our ass. Never mind Hollywood movies or the space shuttle: their universities, their companies, their society - there's a lot of leaders there. Plenty of dogs, sure, but still more cream than we can understand.

I stand by my previous statement. Most people who spend a lot of time trying to demonstrate their superiority are actually fearfull of their inferiority.

Charlatan · 07-29-2003, 09:09 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by crewsor
"Americans are dumb:" a myth to live by for smug Canadians
I stand by my previous statement. Most people who spend a lot of time trying to demonstrate their superiority are actually fearfull of their inferiority.

The point isn't that Americans are dumb... and the point isn't one of smug superiority... that would be your infference.

1) The truth of it is that a large percentage of Americans are ignorant of what is happening beyond their borders. In their defense, why should they care what happens in Canada?

2) As for Canada's inferiorty... better put we are the smart ass at the back of the class that makes jokes so the bully doesn't beat our ass at recess... keep 'em laughing...

james t kirk · 07-29-2003, 02:21 PM

Charlatan is quite right, Mercer doesn't seek out the dim bulbs, he goes after the upper middle class - governors, university professors, and even George W Bush.

(In case you missed it, while on the campaign trail, George W thanked our Prime Minister "Jean Poutine" for endorsing his candidacy. Of course, our Prime Minister is Jean Chretien, and Poutine is a Quebec delicacy that I still can't fathom)

I think this is where the root of the bad relationship between W and Jean all stemmed from. Jean was pissed that W didn't even know his name. W was pissed that a Canuck made him look like a fool. Thing is, it's not that hard to do.

james t kirk · 07-29-2003, 02:31 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by reconmike
If I was to go Canada and leave the 2 major cities the whole country has I bet I could get alot of hicks to to answer a whole buch of stupid questions.

take off ey ya hoser.

Actually, you would have an easier time stumping people in Montreal (Canada's second city) than you would in Brandon Manitoba about American anything.

Of that, I am sure.

ninety09 · 07-29-2003, 05:28 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by james t kirk
Actually, you would have an easier time stumping people in Montreal (Canada's second city) than you would in Brandon Manitoba about American anything.

Of that, I am sure.

Is that so? Could you please explain why?

Charlatan · 03-18-2004, 02:03 PM

The French-speaking populace in Canada has their own television and media and do not spend as much time as English Canadians do buried in the American "culture" spilling across the boarder...

tehblaed · 03-21-2004, 10:19 AM

I absolutely adore the little kid who says "Hold on! Canada has provinces!"

He knew more than his mom >< Often the disappointing but true story here in America.

07-24-2003, 06:37 AM	#1 (permalink)
samcat Upright Location: Calgary	Talking to Americans Ever wonder why there are so many misunderstandings in the world. A comic series of man-on-the-street interviews made by a Canadian TV show, kinda highlights one of the problems - a lack of curiousity about the world outside the US border. Have a look at this. We thought it was pretty funny, though I'm sure I'll get a lot of " So who cares..." from this thread. http://home.comcast.net/~wwwstephen/americans/

07-24-2003, 08:02 AM	#3 (permalink)
sportsrule101 Insane	good humor is always welcomed __________________ winning isn't everything but losing isn't anything

07-24-2003, 10:21 AM	#5 (permalink)
The_Dude The GrandDaddy of them all! Location: Austin, TX	haha, hilarious stuff indeed. how stupid are americans?? COME ON this is worse than when jay leno goes jaywalking. __________________ "Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity." - Darrel K Royal

07-24-2003, 10:30 AM	#6 (permalink)
tinfoil Fucking Hostile Location: Springford, ON, Canada	Rick Mercer... Classic. Too bad he left the show. I would be curious to see the ratio of correct to wrong to stupidly wrong answers they got. __________________ Get off your fuckin cross. We need the fuckin space to nail the next fool martyr.

07-24-2003, 11:22 AM	#7 (permalink)
Charlatan Getting it. Super Moderator Location: Lion City	I was at seminar Mercer gave at this year's Banff Television Festival... He made the point that he made a conscious decision to seek out people who were white and appeared to be middle to upper middle class (he didn't think it would be very funny otherwise). He mentioned that there were very few cases where people asked if he was kidding or told him he was full of shit. __________________ "My hands are on fire. Hands are on fire. Ain't got no more time for all you charlatans and liars." - Old Man Luedecke

07-24-2003, 07:30 AM	#2 (permalink)
neo23 Upright	Ah, This Hour Has 22 Minutes and Rick Mercer. Too bad he isn't with the show anymore. The best episode was the one in which he managed to get a Harvard professor to sign a petition calling for the end of the polar bear slaughter in Toronto.

07-24-2003, 08:09 AM	#4 (permalink)
ninety09 Flavour of the Weak Location: Canada	Hilarious show. Makes you realize how ignorant some people really are. Even those who should know better.. (Gore, Bush) shakes head

07-24-2003, 11:42 AM	#8 (permalink)
Phaenx The Northern Ward Location: Columbus, Ohio	The irony of these shows is that the majority of people at home laughing at those people for being stupid, also didn't know the answer until they told them. __________________ "I went shopping last night at like 1am. The place was empty and this old woman just making polite conversation said to me, 'where is everyone??' I replied, 'In bed, same place you and I should be!' Took me ten minutes to figure out why she gave me a dirty look." --Some guy

07-24-2003, 05:09 PM	#9 (permalink)
Zeld2.0 Cherry-pickin' devil's advocate Location: Los Angeles	Ah the beauty of America

07-24-2003, 07:51 PM	#10 (permalink)
BlueMan Upright	Thing is, it's not only world issues that these people don't know about. These same ones are the ones in man on the street interviews that can't even tell you who the VP of the US is. The American public is largely ignorant of it's -own- issues, much less those outside it's borders.

07-24-2003, 07:56 PM	#11 (permalink)
The_Dude The GrandDaddy of them all! Location: Austin, TX	that brings us back to the question, should they have the right to vote? __________________ "Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity." - Darrel K Royal

07-24-2003, 09:23 PM	#12 (permalink)
fnaqzna Meat Popsicle Location: Left Coast	Sure they do... the idiots will just cancel each other out.

07-24-2003, 10:04 PM	#13 (permalink)
Zeld2.0 Cherry-pickin' devil's advocate Location: Los Angeles	so if they didn't it wouldn't matter anyways ;p And yeah, its sad - people don't even know the VP. Hell some think there are $200 bills with GWB's face on it

07-25-2003, 06:03 AM	#15 (permalink)
Daval Junkie Location: The True North Strong and Free!	god i love this show, it is soooo freaking hillarious. Rick Mercer is a comedic genius. __________________ "It is impossible to obtain a conviction for sodomy from an English jury. Half of them don't believe that it can physically be done, and the other half are doing it." Winston Churchill

07-25-2003, 09:47 AM	#16 (permalink)
Charlatan Getting it. Super Moderator Location: Lion City	I really miss his weekly streeters (the black and white rants) he used to do on This Hour Has 22 Minutes... __________________ "My hands are on fire. Hands are on fire. Ain't got no more time for all you charlatans and liars." - Old Man Luedecke

07-26-2003, 02:28 AM	#17 (permalink)
almostaugust Junkie Location: Oz	Its been getting on my nerves for a while. I don't mind Americans all that much, and like to read or hear what they have to say. But, i have had a gut full of reading about this myth that America saved the world in ww1 and ww2. Its a myth that is very widespread- especially with this whole anotagonism towards the French. They were part of a conglomerate force during these conflicts. It should be noted that they have recieved certain flack for not opposing Facism until late on in the war (WW2). And yes, they did drop a big bomb on Japan's civilian population, but the war was already grinding to a horrible halt. For the record, my pop, who faught with the Yanks had nothing but praise for them and thier conduct Im just tired of reading romanticised History. __________________ 'And it's been a long December and there's reason to believe Maybe this year will be better than the last I can't remember all the times I tried to tell my myself To hold on to these moments as they pass'

07-26-2003, 02:43 AM	#18 (permalink)
Xell101 Junkie	I think we're full of ourselves, also the TV here is mind bogglingly stupid. That doesn't help.

07-26-2003, 09:06 AM	#19 (permalink)
james t kirk Junkie Location: Toronto	I love "Talking to Americans" The one with the Harvard professor looking like a fool was great, and so was the one where the governor of Idaho (I think) congratulated Canada on adopting the 24 hour clock (how fucking stupid is that?) I read an interview with mercer where he said he actually felt a bit sorry airing the governor one because the guy was actually a really nice guy and all and actually reccomended a few good restaurants in town, etc. But then he thought it was too good to let go. Mercer even managed to land on Nightline with Ted Kopel and he said that most people usually get the right answer, that is they get the wrong answer. A few will know he is full of shit, but they are few and far between. The scary ones are when he asks people if they support the president bombing Saskatchewan, or the West Edmonton Mall, and they all say, "Yes, I think the bombing of Saskatchewan was a good idea" Just goes to show you how aware some americans are about who they are bombing this week. Lastly, the guy they hired to replace mercer on 22 minutes has quit, it would be great if he would come back, but somehow, i doubt it.

07-26-2003, 07:22 PM	#20 (permalink)
oh yeah Tilted	Even though it makes fun of the people of my country, it was still fairly funny. America is the most powerful and influential nation in the world. Everyone says Americans are so stupid but America is still far ahead of all the other countries in the world. What does that say about other countries if we are just of bunch of idiots but are still the world leader. Maybe other countries should follow our lead and worry more about thier own issues and less about other countries.

07-28-2003, 03:21 AM	#21 (permalink)
crewsor Women want me. Men fear me. Location: Maryland,USA	I agree with oh yeah, This thread reminds me of the people in high school who spent their days ridiculing others because of their own insecurities and feelings of inadaquacy. Remember people are people ,there are smart, dumb, informed and uninformed everywhere, even in Canada. __________________ We all have wings, some of us just don't know why.

07-28-2003, 05:16 AM	#22 (permalink)
james t kirk Junkie Location: Toronto	Thing is, you couldn't do a show "Talking to Canadians" If you came to Toronto and said that you were with ABC news and you wanted to know the Canadian opinion of the United states banning the practice of putting senior citizens on the ice flows (or maybe in your case left in the desert), or congratulating the US on adopting the 24 hour clock, or giving the vote to the irish. We'd know right away that you were full of shit That's what makes "Talking to Americans" so damn funny is we just can't believe that Americans could possibly be so uninformed.

07-28-2003, 07:30 AM	#24 (permalink)
reconmike Thank You Jesus Location: Twilight Zone	If I was to go Canada and leave the 2 major cities the whole country has I bet I could get alot of hicks to to answer a whole buch of stupid questions. take off ey ya hoser. __________________ Where is Darwin when ya need him?

07-28-2003, 10:00 AM	#25 (permalink)
Charlatan Getting it. Super Moderator Location: Lion City	If you were to follow the same rules as Mercer (ie go after the middle to upper middle class people) it just wouldn't happen... We are immersed in American culture and news up here there is no way that anyone with even half a brain would make the same mistakes... That is the point of all this... American's (in general) are very insulated. They don't (in general) care what happens beyond their borders (with the exception of the surface scratching that appears on CNN and the nightly news). __________________ "My hands are on fire. Hands are on fire. Ain't got no more time for all you charlatans and liars." - Old Man Luedecke

07-29-2003, 02:21 PM	#29 (permalink)
james t kirk Junkie Location: Toronto	Charlatan is quite right, Mercer doesn't seek out the dim bulbs, he goes after the upper middle class - governors, university professors, and even George W Bush. (In case you missed it, while on the campaign trail, George W thanked our Prime Minister "Jean Poutine" for endorsing his candidacy. Of course, our Prime Minister is Jean Chretien, and Poutine is a Quebec delicacy that I still can't fathom) I think this is where the root of the bad relationship between W and Jean all stemmed from. Jean was pissed that W didn't even know his name. W was pissed that a Canuck made him look like a fool. Thing is, it's not that hard to do. Last edited by james t kirk; 07-29-2003 at 02:28 PM..

03-18-2004, 02:03 PM	#32 (permalink)
Charlatan Getting it. Super Moderator Location: Lion City	The French-speaking populace in Canada has their own television and media and do not spend as much time as English Canadians do buried in the American "culture" spilling across the boarder... __________________ "My hands are on fire. Hands are on fire. Ain't got no more time for all you charlatans and liars." - Old Man Luedecke

03-21-2004, 10:19 AM	#33 (permalink)
tehblaed Insane Location: land of the merry	I absolutely adore the little kid who says "Hold on! Canada has provinces!" He knew more than his mom >< Often the disappointing but true story here in America.