Talking to Americans

It's not just Canada...how can you justify not knowing the continent of Australia? (Google media putfile and search for a video On-The-Streets-Of-America-3)Please - don't get me wrong - I understand that not all Americans are this ignorant. What I find so disturbing is that there are grown adults (with the right to VOTE!!!) who advocate DECLARING WAR on a country when they have no clue where on the face of the planet said country is located. How do these people discern whether an invasion is justified? Hmmmmm..... to answer my own question - they DON'T - just look at the horrific mess in Iraq! This is my first posting, and wow! What's this 10 line minimum requirement all about? Sheesh - I've always appreciated comments that are brief and to the point

Probably the most watched comedy special on Canadian television, this show has brought on so many harsh reviews from Americans. This isn't a documentary. It's not someone's political campaign. It's a satire. Why are Americans so touchy about this show? W hen South Park sang "Blame Canada" did you see us sulking? When Bart Simpson said that it's easy to join the Canadian Olympic basketball team, did you hear us complaining? We just sat back and laughed. Lots of American movies and television have material that is offensive to other countries. Why isn't it funny when other people make fun of you? Have a sense of humour! This is just a TV show.

I'm from the U.S., but it drives me nuts how people from this country know about Canadians. This special, compiled from Rick Mercer's ongoing series on This Hour Has 22 Minutes, made me want to be on the other side of the joke. It's so easy! Writing the setups must be a blast ... "Congratulations, Canada, on adopting the 24-hour clock" ... and on 500 miles of paved roads, and on Prime Minister Tim Horton's double-double ... and on ... and on. Thanks to the staff of 22 minutes for some great laughs!

Ignorance is one of the scariest things in the world, and certainly one of the most dangerous, but ignorance of Canada is just plain funny. Folks- the joke's on us. Don't you get it? Although it is used by many as 'proof' that Americans are stupid, "Talking to Americans" is one of the most enduringly popular and most re-run comedy specials ever to air on Canadian television, and it is far, far cleverer than that.

Before Borat there was Rick Mercer. Originating as a segment on "This Hour Has 22 Minutes" (back when it was actually good), "Talking to Americans" was a completely spontaneous occurrence initially, as Rick Mercer realized that Americans, ignorant of their neighbor to the north, would fall for just about anything. The resulting sketches and this masterpiece of a comedy special are built on much more than just mocking Americans' ignorance of Canada (although there are some seriously dumb things people say here- who would really believe that Canada had a 20 hour clock or would call the five dollar coin a 'woody'?), but is an incredibly clever and perceptive lampooning of human nature's desire to come out with a bold and confident statement on matters they are ignorant of.

In addition, the special is one of the most distinctive examples of purely Canadian culture in existence. Pummeling elk with timbits? Seals in Saskatchewan? Bombing West Edmonton mall? Getting on top of Peter Mansbridge? Only Canadians can get the most enjoyment out of the majority of these short interviews. They're brilliant in that Mercer is talking about things he knows full well nobody down south will understand, so it's almost like bouncing humor off an incredibly receptive blank canvas- they'll believe anything he tells them, allowing him to make insanely hilarious puns on Canadian pop culture phenomenon, which to the interviewees probably seem like perfectly honest and reasonable questions.

The low points of the special come when Mercer goes for trying to make celebrities sound dumb. It's still hysterical to see Dub-ya be thrilled to have Jean Poutine's endorsement for President, still hilarious to see Al Gore not reacting to Mercer's naming of Toronto as Canada's capital, still fun to see Mike Huckabee congratulate us on the preservation of our national igloo, but these parts of the special fail to capture the brilliantly straight-faced pop culture and history-based hilarity that Mercer captures in the rest of the special.

9.5/10

This show is a wonderfully imaginative, and classic example of the ignorance America exhibits over Canada. And in response to Raelon: I'm a fifteen year old Canadian girl, from Vancouver and yes, I am aware who the first three leaders of Canada were, what a cougar is, what the bluenose was, and I, as are many other young Canadians, am educated on American politics and history. I feel it's only fair for them to return the favor. And also, you say talking to Canadians wouldn't be funny? Take Jay-Walking on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno as an example, where he stops random people on the street to talk about American current events. Most often, they haven't a clue, and it's hilarious. All in all, this is good solid entertainment, and there nothing funnier than that little smirk Rick Mercer has on his face while singing the...modified Canadian National Anthem. I highly recommend it!