前几日记载小儿对美国人的一番童言引出不少认真的跟帖评论。见万维网站博文：

儿子对美国人的鄙视让我哑口无言

http://blog.creaders.net/logcabin/user_blog_diary.php?did=85136

此文被有些网站转载，在那些被ZT的论坛里也同样有各种评说。 综述大家的意见如下：有视小儿为反美小将的；有赞他分析力强的；有说他无知无趣的；有骂他小五毛的；有将他归为童言无忌的；更有担心他已被洗脑的。当然，也有些读者将小儿的思想归罪于我的不教之过，庸俗肤浅，和极端观念。也有人说：孩子的思维必然是父母思想的镜子反映。 其实，在我家里，孩子们一直被教育的是要学会用他们自己的眼睛去观察周围的世界。学会用他们自己有限的认知来评估他们看到的一切。他们被我引导的只是独立思考的原则。他们被教的是不人云亦云，不随大流。他们被灌输的是想错了，想歪了不可怕。怕的是不知道该如何去独立思想。 儿子们从小就知道大人们说的做的不一定就是对的。老师在课堂上讲的也不是不可被挑战的。他们二位，特别是小儿，在这种环境下自然而然地会对他们周围的一些事 情发表他们的见解。对于孩子们的童言，无论是多么荒谬, 我从来不加以训斥。让他们自己渐渐明白他们的错误所在。让他们慢慢去体会错误的言论与思维是如何形成的；如何纠正的。这并不等于说在行为上，兄弟俩没有被 规范。但是在思想上，我还真是从来不预设框架，反而总是奖励他们独特的见解–既便是天方夜谈。 当然，孩子们的看法总有偏差之处。与其告诉他误在何处，倒还不如让他去自我发现，自我校正。诚然，每个父母的parenting skills和styles都不可能相同，也不可能都被互相认可。我的放养术肯定是不可能被所有父母接受的。 孩子的世界观难免受到环境的影响。拿小儿的那几段＂反美＂言论来说，他是很明显地受了加拿大相对于美国的自卑情结Canadian inferiority complex的影响。这种情结是心理上的一种纠结，大概只有在对美加两国的文化和历史差异有一定程度了解的读者才能真正体会得到。 美加两地的强弱在国际政治和经济上相差极大。国民心态也全然不同。美国人民对世界的认识是以美国为中心，而加拿大人则常常把世界视为自己的中心。通常美国人在海外旅行以自己是美国人而自豪；而加拿大人则时常对被误认为美国人而闷闷不乐。不少加拿大人在海外，常常会自报家门：“I am Canadian”以别于美国人。因为在说话口音上，根本很难对这两地的国民有所区别。 基于这种强弱之别，加拿大人就像任何弱势者一样，对美国会尽心尽力去了解，去分析。但是作为强者的美国人，却时常以傲慢示人，对加拿大很少去动脑筋思想。举 例来说：百分百的加拿大人知道美国在位总统是谁，首都在何处；而百之九十以上的美国人不知加拿大总理是何人，更不晓得加拿大建都在那里。有关美加之间的区别，有兴趣可以参考An American’s view of Canada一文。这种区别，在对国民拥有枪械的认识上；在对同性恋婚姻法案的认可上；在对公费医疗服务的接受等等问题上则更是经渭分明。 我想，正是由于儿子的加拿大国民属性，和他从小就被鼓励去独立思考的家教，才会在那天发出要鄙视美国人的声音。他有他的道理。他还在成长，他的world view一定会改变。思想的正确与否，并非一定是只有黑白两种选择。 为父的我，依然坚信孩子们独立思想，和自由意志的表述不该被父母强制规范。我可以不认同儿子的思想，但我必须提供他一个安全的时空来表达他的想法。我会一直告诉他：你的独立思想不容侵犯，虽然你还是个孩子。

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加拿大相对于美国的自卑情结Canadian inferiority complex：

Many cultural commentators in Canada have also suggested that a similar process operates in that country as well. The specific phrase "cultural cringe" is not widely used to label the phenomenon in Canada, although it has been used in isolated instances; more typically, Canadian cultural commentators speak of a "Canadian inferiority complex", or label specific instances of the phenomenon with satirical terms such as beaver hour.

Prior to the 1970s, Canadian radio stations gave almost no airtime to Canadian music, and apart from CBC Television, Canadian television stations spent very little money on Canadian-produced programming. The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) adopted Canadian content regulations to resolve this, although even today such regulation is still criticized by some Canadians as representing inappropriate government interference in the right of Canadians to choose US entertainment.

Similarly, English-language Canadian film has an extremely difficult time garnering an audience in Canada.

It has also been claimed that some segments of Quebec society experience cultural cringe in relation both to the rest of Canada and to France. In addition, some western Canadians, mainly from the province of Alberta also have an extended cultural cringe from the rest of Canada. The feeling of isolation from mainstream Canada, and envy of the more populated provinces of Ontario and Quebec contribute to this inferiority complex.

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有关美加之间的区别，有兴趣可以参考An American’s view of Canada：

It’s not just the weather that’s cooler in Canada: You live next door to a clean-cut, quiet guy. He never plays loud music or throws raucous parties. He doesn’t gossip over the fence, just smiles politely and offers you some tomatoes. His lawn is cared-for, his house is neat as a pin and you get the feeling he doesn’t always lock his front door. He wears Dockers. You hardly know he’s there. And then one day you discover that he has pot in his basement, spends his weekends at peace marches and that guy you’ve seen mowing the yard is his spouse.

Like teenagers, we fiercely idolize individual freedom but really demand that everyone be the same. But the Canadians seem more adult – more secure. They aren’t afraid of foreigners. They aren’t afraid of homosexuality. Most of all, they’re not afraid of each other.

I wonder if America will ever be that cool.