Angry in the Great White North

Here's a perfect example:

We have essentially taken over for the U.S. in Southern Afghanistan after they "cut and ran" from the area. How much do they care about non-American dead? Well, here's links to the front page of CNN, ABC, CBS, and Fox. I see Zippo on the front page. We clean up their shitty war, and this is how our contribution is valued.

OK, so I randomly picked ABC. The American Broadcasting Corporation. Let's look at the front page:

The top headline of the "Top Headlines" section:

NATO: 200 Taliban, 4 Canadians Killed

Admittedly, only ABC mentions Canadian deaths on the front page. Every other news organization (including MSNBC, which was left off the list) puts the story about the fighting in Afghanistan "above the fold" without mentioning Canadian casualties in the headlines. Some versions of the newswire story from AP speak only of NATO troops.

But every front page of every website has a link to a story covering the fighting in Afghanistan. Every single one.

Frankly, I don't care what the American media thinks about Canadians fighting in Afghanistan. They don't represent the government, or based on the politics, much of the American people, either. But when the liberal media, no friends of the Bush administration, fails to meet up to the standards of good liberal internationalism as demanded by Canada's liberals, then suddenly we don't hear of criticism of the American media for being playing to the stereotype that their American audience has no interest in world events. Instead it becomes an excuse for offended Canadians to blame all Americans.

Presumably it gives these Canadians a bit of self-righteous thrill.

As I see it, if you don't like the coverage, take it up with the reporter, not with guy watching the TV. Oh, and while we're at it, you can try to be less concerned about what Americans (and expecially the American media) think of Canadians. It's a terrible indulgence that tradition dictates that must be part of the Canadian psyche. Let's drop that tradition.

But then I'm sure someone will point out that not being concerned of what others think of you is an American thing.

Of course, all this would make a lot more sense if his original complaint was actually legitimate.