# Holy shit, Canadians burning American and British flags! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 23, 2003, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-canadians-burning-american-and-british-flags/163527 "2003-03-23T07:21:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ProjectOmega](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b487fb/32.png) [@ProjectOmega](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ProjectOmega)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2003, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-canadians-burning-american-and-british-flags/163527/1 "2003-03-23T07:21:02Z")
[D:](http://canada.com/vancouver/story.asp?id=946BDEF3-8768-453B-838D-44D50602284C) The relative bits: **Tens of thousands of chanting, banner-waving Canadians took to the streets across the country Saturday to protest the war on Iraq and, in several cities, expressed their displeasure by burning the American flag.** … \*\*Protesters in Montreal chanted, “No to war, yes to peace” and “Bush, terrorist” as several participants set the Stars and Stripes ablaze. Old Glory met a similar fate in Halifax, Ottawa and Toronto. \*\* … \*\*As a protest leader reminded the weekend crowd their action wasn’t anti-American, a group of four men of Middle Eastern descent burned entwined British and American flags after dousing them with lighter fluid. \*\* Doesn’t this _have_ to signify the end of days or something? ---
**Author:** ![peepthis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9d8465/32.png) [@peepthis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peepthis)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2003, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-canadians-burning-american-and-british-flags/163527/2 "2003-03-23T07:26:02Z")
What, is America, Jr. still mad we wouldn’t let them be the 51st state? ---
**Author:** ![3trew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/13edae/32.png) [@3trew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3trew)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2003, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-canadians-burning-american-and-british-flags/163527/3 "2003-03-23T07:35:55Z")
Uh, no, it doesn’t. Run the numbers that are in the article and managed to make it to your post. “Tens of thousands” out of millions showed up, out of those tens of thousands some, in “several”, which by my rough count was 4, cities burned flags. Given a population of (WAG) 28 million of any group, do you think you could find 4 assholes with lighters, a few flags, plus assorted followers? We’re pretty low key up here. We haven’t burned the White House for a long time. While as a group you might scare the hell out of us (there are lots of you and you all seem to have guns and a tendency to quote the bible before you pour your first cup of coffee whenever you’re on the news (or sports)) it’s nothing we can’t work out a reasonable accomodation with. You just wait your turn while I deal with the flag burners. If you thought the threat of a unipolar world creating an adhocracy in place of a genuine set of international institutions and the resulting pan-global movement to curb the inevitable excesses of the sole remaining superpower was on my mind, just imagine what I’d like to do the the bastards who were rude on my behalf! Just because you oppose someone’s politics to the point that you’d happily die if it would slow them down is no reason to be rude. ---
**Author:** ![ProjectOmega](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b487fb/32.png) [@ProjectOmega](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ProjectOmega)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2003, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-canadians-burning-american-and-british-flags/163527/4 "2003-03-23T07:43:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by 2trew \* > **Uh, no, it doesn’t.** 😕 Was all that directed at me or the “DURRR, \” guy that posted right after me? ---
**Author:** ![Spit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/76d3ee/32.png) [@Spit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spit)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2003, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-canadians-burning-american-and-british-flags/163527/5 "2003-03-23T07:55:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by peepthis \* > \*\*What, is America, Jr. still mad we wouldn’t let them be the 51st state? \*\* Nah, it’s penis envy because we have Florida. ---
**Author:** ![3trew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/13edae/32.png) [@3trew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3trew)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2003, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-canadians-burning-american-and-british-flags/163527/6 "2003-03-23T07:59:37Z")
**ProjectOmega** , it was directed at you. The guy that posted after you was obviously either trying to be ironic or was stupid. Given the standards herebouts, I’ll take a chance on the irony. I’ll ream him or her later in another thread. ---
**Author:** ![ProjectOmega](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b487fb/32.png) [@ProjectOmega](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ProjectOmega)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2003, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-canadians-burning-american-and-british-flags/163527/7 "2003-03-23T08:01:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by 2trew \* > \*\ ***ProjectOmega** , it was directed at you. > \*\* In that case, I’ll just point out that I’m Canadian (I live around Vancouver), and Canada has about 32 million people 😉 ---
**Author:** ![3trew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/13edae/32.png) [@3trew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3trew)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2003, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-canadians-burning-american-and-british-flags/163527/8 "2003-03-23T08:05:07Z")
I said WAG. I’m in Saskatchewan. My other points remain. ---
**Author:** ![ProjectOmega](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b487fb/32.png) [@ProjectOmega](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ProjectOmega)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2003, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-canadians-burning-american-and-british-flags/163527/9 "2003-03-23T08:08:36Z")
Did the US troops drop a “shock and awe” on the collective sense of humour when I wasn’t looking? ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2003, 8:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-canadians-burning-american-and-british-flags/163527/10 "2003-03-23T08:18:17Z")
That’s Montreal. That’s also where they booed the American anthem at a Canadiens hockey game. Quebec sides with the French in this, and is very hostile to the war. The rest of Canada, not so much. Here in Alberta, our population favors it almost as much as the Americans do, and our Premier issued a letter of support to the American government. So did the Premier of Ontario. Canadian opinion is very split on this matter. We’re seeing more editorials like [this one.](http://www.nationalpost.com/utilities/story.html?id=6C2D923F-76C9-4B6D-82F4-E37183CA91DB) ---
**Author:** ![ProjectOmega](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b487fb/32.png) [@ProjectOmega](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ProjectOmega)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2003, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-canadians-burning-american-and-british-flags/163527/11 "2003-03-23T08:20:24Z")
It’s not just Montreal. Toronto, Ottawa and Halifax all had flag-burning spectacles too. ---
**Author:** ![Raygun99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Raygun99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raygun99)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2003, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-canadians-burning-american-and-british-flags/163527/12 "2003-03-23T08:24:03Z")
OK, but that’s the National Post. I am shocked, shocked! I tell you that they would have an editorital like that. Next thing you know, Fox News will be saying GWB is an alright guy. ---
**Author:** ![Apos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/838e76/32.png) [@Apos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apos)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2003, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-canadians-burning-american-and-british-flags/163527/13 "2003-03-23T08:24:12Z")
What, are Americans afraid of voodoo now? OooOOooOOOOoOooooo ---
**Author:** ![3trew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/13edae/32.png) [@3trew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3trew)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2003, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-canadians-burning-american-and-british-flags/163527/14 "2003-03-23T08:26:09Z")
**ProjectOmega** , in a situation where people have, with no trace of irony, changed their menus to say “Hamburger and Freedom Fries”, on a board with posters who are of opinions ranging from (I’m making these up as representative of the extremes as I can’t be bothered to search) “A single 150 killoton ICBM directed at Mecca would teach all Muslims that the US of A is meant to rule the world” to “Saddam Hussein is just a big cuddle bug who needs to have a group hug and if he shoots the people who are hugging him then that’s just because his inner child was unhappy with the toilet training and we need to love him and wait until he’s shot enough huggers that he runs out of bullets”, you need to do more in your OP to indicate that it’s ironic. ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2003, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-canadians-burning-american-and-british-flags/163527/15 "2003-03-23T08:26:27Z")
Good lord! And here I thought I was the only Saskatchewanian with an internet connection! 😛 I would point out in addition to observations already made, a number of relatively recent actions on the part of the US with regards to Canada have ticked off Canadians pretty severely, likely increasing the pool of people who might strongly enough to lead them to lighting up the stars and stripes. Somehow torching a union jack strikes me as being odder. On preview, Sam, I think you’re vastly overstating the francophone-anglophone split on this, and I don’t think the Quebecois are “following France” in any interesting sense - they’re reaching their views for their own reasons, which may or may not coincide with those of the French. As for Ralphie’s letter, I thought it wasn’t particularly good taste for a premier to try to conduct foreign policy. He can criticize Ottawa domestically if he wants, but trying to act like a head of state is just as distasteful as when Bouchard or Parizeau pulled similar stunts in other contexts. ---
**Author:** ![3trew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/13edae/32.png) [@3trew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3trew)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2003, 9:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-canadians-burning-american-and-british-flags/163527/16 "2003-03-23T09:04:29Z")
SaskaDope? We wouldn’t need to rent a hall or anything… ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2003, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-canadians-burning-american-and-british-flags/163527/17 "2003-03-23T11:02:04Z")
If that’s what they feel they have to do to let their feelings be expressed, let 'em do whatever they want. As long as they, y’know, paid for those flags and didn’t steal them from someone else. Of course, I’m equally free to call them small-minded dumb fucks. Ain’t it great how that works? ---
**Author:** ![I\_can\_t\_believe\_that\_s\_butter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@I\_can\_t\_believe\_that\_s\_butter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_can_t_believe_that_s_butter)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2003, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-canadians-burning-american-and-british-flags/163527/18 "2003-03-23T11:21:27Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by 2trew_ > **We haven’t burned the White House for a long time.** Just a nitpick/question: Wasn’t it the _British_ who burned the White [sub](incidentally, not ‘White’ then?)[/sub] House back in 1812, some 55 years before Canada came into being? ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2003, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-canadians-burning-american-and-british-flags/163527/19 "2003-03-23T11:58:41Z")
Yup. While many Canadian militia units aquited themselves most admirably in many battles in the War of 1812, the expedition that burned Washington was all British regulars. We didn’t burn the White House. We did, however, send many invading armies packing. The myth that Canadians burned the White House is pretty firmly entrenched in Canadian folklore, though. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2003, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-canadians-burning-american-and-british-flags/163527/20 "2003-03-23T12:15:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Gorsnak \* > The myth that Canadians burned the White House is pretty firmly entrenched in Canadian folklore, though. Sure, shatter my pleasant myths, why don’tcha? Bastard. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-shit-canadians-burning-american-and-british-flags/163527.md?page=2)