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'Canadian Idiot' inspires U.S. fans
Weird Al Yankovic's 'love letter to Canada' spawns outpouring by teens on the Internet
Nov. 23, 2006. 09:22 AM
CANADIAN PRESS
The stereotype of the Canadian as a beer-swillin' hockey nut is alive and well on the Internet, thanks to the computer prowess of some American teenagers.
Young fans of the parody song "Canadian Idiot" by Weird Al Yankovic have supplied the Net with cheeky homemade music videos about the Great White North's "Monopoly money" and "silly accent."
The offerings, on YouTube.com, range from a simple animated video by 16-year-old Danielle Burke of Burlington, Vt., to the more elaborate lip-synching performance of 17-year-old Stephen Georg, of Myrtle Beach, S.C.
All, however, revel in the ludicrous Canuck images featured in Weird Al's song — a spoof of the Green Day hit "American Idiot."
Several of the video creators admit that many Americans know little about their northern neighbours.
"Canada isn't really a place I often think about — but when I do think about it, I often think of maple syrup, Mounties, Celine Dion and Jim Carrey," says Georg, a high school senior who dons makeup and black clothing for his video.
"I imagine Canadians wear a lot of red flannel shirts for some reason," says Burke, a novice filmmaker who says that she spent several hours on the project.
Weird Al has described "Canadian Idiot" as written from the perspective of an ignorant American, and calls his song "a love letter to Canada."
The ditty makes light of all things typically that are associated with Canada, for better or worse:
"They all live on doughnuts and moose meat," Weird Al croons.
"And they leave the house without packing heat,
"Never even bring their guns to the ma-a-alllll."
But it's clear that some Canadians just don't get the joke. Dozens of angry comments have been posted on websites featuring the homemade videos, with viewers admonishing the young filmmakers for encouraging the stereotypes.
"I am a Canadian," lostxfreakx42 says in the comments section for a video tribute made by a 17-year-old named Anthony who goes by the moniker Apollo22237.
"I can laugh at this because pretty much all of it is untrue."
Canadians shouldn't be offended by Weird Al's lyrics, says a 13-year-old fan from Columbus, Ohio who identified himself as 'Phil McCracken'.
"It's really making fun of the Americans and their views on the Canadians," he says, who acts out each verse of the song in his simple video.
Brit filmmaker Dominick Allen says he went out of his way to state in his YouTube bio that he's from the United Kingdom, not the United States, to head off the flood of anti-American sentiment that initially flowed his way.
"The video is not meant to be racist in any way," says Allen, 15.
"It is more insulting to Americans than Canadians. It is saying, like: `Look you stupid Americans, this is what you think of Canada all summed up in 2:23 minutes. See how stupid you really are now?'" he says.
"When I hear kids talking about Canada where I live," Burke says, "it's usually about how they wish they lived there because the drinking age is 18, instead of 21."
Canadian Idiot
Weird Al Yankovic's 'love letter to Canada' spawns outpouring by teens on the Internet
Nov. 23, 2006. 09:22 AM
CANADIAN PRESS
The stereotype of the Canadian as a beer-swillin' hockey nut is alive and well on the Internet, thanks to the computer prowess of some American teenagers.
Young fans of the parody song "Canadian Idiot" by Weird Al Yankovic have supplied the Net with cheeky homemade music videos about the Great White North's "Monopoly money" and "silly accent."
The offerings, on YouTube.com, range from a simple animated video by 16-year-old Danielle Burke of Burlington, Vt., to the more elaborate lip-synching performance of 17-year-old Stephen Georg, of Myrtle Beach, S.C.
All, however, revel in the ludicrous Canuck images featured in Weird Al's song — a spoof of the Green Day hit "American Idiot."
Several of the video creators admit that many Americans know little about their northern neighbours.
"Canada isn't really a place I often think about — but when I do think about it, I often think of maple syrup, Mounties, Celine Dion and Jim Carrey," says Georg, a high school senior who dons makeup and black clothing for his video.
"I imagine Canadians wear a lot of red flannel shirts for some reason," says Burke, a novice filmmaker who says that she spent several hours on the project.
Weird Al has described "Canadian Idiot" as written from the perspective of an ignorant American, and calls his song "a love letter to Canada."
The ditty makes light of all things typically that are associated with Canada, for better or worse:
"They all live on doughnuts and moose meat," Weird Al croons.
"And they leave the house without packing heat,
"Never even bring their guns to the ma-a-alllll."
But it's clear that some Canadians just don't get the joke. Dozens of angry comments have been posted on websites featuring the homemade videos, with viewers admonishing the young filmmakers for encouraging the stereotypes.
"I am a Canadian," lostxfreakx42 says in the comments section for a video tribute made by a 17-year-old named Anthony who goes by the moniker Apollo22237.
"I can laugh at this because pretty much all of it is untrue."
Canadians shouldn't be offended by Weird Al's lyrics, says a 13-year-old fan from Columbus, Ohio who identified himself as 'Phil McCracken'.
"It's really making fun of the Americans and their views on the Canadians," he says, who acts out each verse of the song in his simple video.
Brit filmmaker Dominick Allen says he went out of his way to state in his YouTube bio that he's from the United Kingdom, not the United States, to head off the flood of anti-American sentiment that initially flowed his way.
"The video is not meant to be racist in any way," says Allen, 15.
"It is more insulting to Americans than Canadians. It is saying, like: `Look you stupid Americans, this is what you think of Canada all summed up in 2:23 minutes. See how stupid you really are now?'" he says.
"When I hear kids talking about Canada where I live," Burke says, "it's usually about how they wish they lived there because the drinking age is 18, instead of 21."
Canadian Idiot