Can’t think of enough derisive adjectives for the latest Fox News “Feature” in which an inane panel derides Canada’s military, displaying an alarming thin grasp of the realm of fact generally, not just with respect to Canada. Fox doesn’t have or deserve a lot of respect, but the low here is astounding. Obnoxious doesn’t begin to cover it… a news channel that airs a moronic commentary like this with an imbecile saying he didn’t realize Canada was even in the war in Afghanistan. And this on a day when four Canadian soldiers died in Afghanistan, bringing our total to 116.
The arrogance and shallowness in this clip is astonishing. And Americans wonder why the rest of the world holds such a low opinion of them. Fox News should be turfing all these guys out on the street and issuing a formal apology. But of course, perhaps this is the form of drivel their audience demands. I am somewhat consoled by the fact that I know my intelligent American friends would be embarrassed by this display, proving that American citizens aren’t all rude, arrogant, and obnoxious. But a network airing something like this gives me great concern for the ratio.
i happened on that clip a few days ago…(i’m not even going to go near clicking on it here) i could only watch about 20 seconds. the foolishness makes me physically sick. nauseous.. i too hope that there is action taken/apologies made, but i’m not holding my breath (and barely holding my lunch)
I saw that clip earlier. Pretty astounding in its narcissistic celebration of ignorance and arrogance.
But then again, I think of Rick Mercer’s “Talking With Americans” schtick, which is basically mocking Americans while pretending to “interview” them, so that Canadians can enjoy a smug smirk at the expense of the Yanks. Fox doesn’t have a corner on mockery and cheap laughs at another’s expense.
However, to Mercer’s credit, he never stoops to the appalling low re: the army dead of another country that is supposedly an ally.
david,
thanks for pointing out the apology, but that’s a half hearted apology if I ever heard one, “Sorry for the offence, but that is the way we do things on this show.”
I find it hard to understand how some people can be so ridiculously ignorant of others. I suppose we all have our blind spots.
May mine never be as big as this.
absolutely.. no depth to the apology at all. “sorry, but..” never passes.
i’ve never really understood the appeal of rick mercer.
Well, I’m embarrassed by it. It’s an excessive display of the worst kind of machismo and nescience. Please allow me to sincerely apologize (as an American) for the dishonor, disrespect, and absolute crassness of this foolish display.
This is what I’ve come to expect from Fox News – one foolish display after another. It’s not news. News requires the reporting of facts. This is just sensationalistic ignorance on parade as some type of shallow entertainment. Reminds me of those trashy celebrity-gossip shows.
Anyway, thanks for not lumping us all together into tidy little stereotypes (as Fox News does to Canadians).
PS. I like Rick Mercer and have enjoyed his “Talking with the Americans” on several occasions. There’s a difference between being able to laugh at yourself… being able to laugh at your culture’s tendency to boldly give an opinion, even when knowing nothing about the topic… and outright devaluation of others.
We apologize. Some of us have given up on Fox “news” ever since Bill O’Riley tried to white-wash & censor his own co-worker on the ground [Shepard Smith, I think] during the Katrina debacle. Hopefully, you guys will forgive a wounded animal. I’ll try & spare the history lesson. You folks to the north know the truth of this: We would much rather fight among ourselves about; the 2000 vote, the second amendment, our federal budget deficit, being a world policeman (huge fights about that) Out-sourcing & off-shoring our employment, ect. rather than get involved in anybody elses affairs. BUT if extremist arabs insist (9/11) on dragging us into fixin’ THEIR problem… well we will address it, & I wont buy the Michelin tires for my (Canadian built) Chrysler antique that I wanted to. And if thats American arrogance/ignorance/stubborness/ect. so be it. & if the world had any doubts about our “values” as a people, the last 2 elections (’06 & ’08) should settle it.
If the world is a family, we’re the teen-ager of the bunch. Hopefully the rest of the world will forgive our occasional mistakes. we mean well. I submit the world would lose more than we would if we went back to pre-world war 1&2 thinking. Certainly the Palestinians wouldn’t be gettin’ $900,000,000 when we need to fix NYC & New Orleans. Again Thanks for all your help, & I apologize for my rude/crude/ect. countrymen.