US Public Opinion Grows More Unfavorable To Canada

The video embedded above paints a broad-brush picture of growing negstive views about Canada in the US, but this isn't the only case. According to Gallup from last March, before the latest tariff dispute:

Most Americans continue to hold positive opinions of Canada (80%) and Great Britain (76%), but views of both nations have dropped significantly in the past year and now are the lowest Gallup has measured for each. Since last year, positive ratings of Canada have fallen nine percentage points, while there has been an eight-point drop for Great Britain. Before this year, Canada and Great Britain averaged 91% and 88% favorable ratings, respectively.

According to a YouGov poll released on September 1, after the tariff dispute:

In recent years, a growing minority of Americans have come to view Canada as unfriendly to the U.S.: 39% of Americans currently describe Canada as an ally and another 25% as friendly, while 19% now call it unfriendly and 3% an enemy. The 22% of Americans who now view Canada as unfriendly or an enemy marks a new high since 2016.

In spite of this, the YouGov poll claims Americans don't support Trump in the trade war:

President Donald Trump recently imposed a 50% tariff on many Canadian goods, a move most Americans are strongly or somewhat opposed to, the latest Economist/YouGov Poll finds. 58% of Americans are opposed to raising tariffs on goods imported from Canada, while only 26% support doing so.

I think it's more correct to say Americans don't think much about Canada one way or the other, unless developments force them to have an opinion. Another issue is Mark Carney's public persona. At minimum, he's uncharismatic and humorless. It doesn't help that his semi-official height, based on his Harvard hockey team stats, is 5'9", but I have a feeling this is an exaggeration. He's also somewhat baby-faced. In fact, I think Carney is a punk.

Let's go into the connotations of this term. According to Dictionary.com, a punk is in slang:

• something or someone worthless or unimportant.
• a young ruffian; hoodlum.
• an inexperienced youth.
• a young male partner of a gay man.
• an apprentice, especially in the building trades.
• Prison Slang. a passive or submissive male inmate, especially one who is used for sex by another male inmate.

I asked Chrome AI mode, "Is Mark Carney a punk?" It dodged the question:

While Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is not a punk rocker by trade or lifestyle, he is a well-documented fan of punk rock music. His affinity for the genre became a public talking point during an interview with the iconic music journalist Nardwuar the Human Serviette at a Vancouver record shop.

Regarding Nardwuar the Human Serviette, his Wikipedia entry is here. I guess if you like poutine, you might also favor Nardwuar the Human Serviette, but I can also say with some confidence that Nardwuar fits several of the definitions of punk listed above, but like many Canadian things, he simply mimics an American model, Pee Wee Herman. But I also asked Chrome AI mode, "What does someone mean when he taunts, 'You're a punk?'" It replied, "When someone taunts you by calling you a punk, they are using a multi-layered insult designed to diminish your status, courage, or toughness. Depending on the context, the taunt usually carries one of three primary meanings:"

1. You are weak or cowardly: In confrontational settings, calling someone a punk implies they lack courage, won't stand up for themselves, or are easily intimidated. It is an attempt to label you as soft or fearful.
2. You are insignificant or subordinate: Historically and in street slang, the term implies someone of lower status who is forced to submit to others. By calling you a punk, the speaker is trying to assert dominance and position you as beneath them.
3. You are inexperienced or a novice: The term can also mean a young, foolish, or worthless person who hasn't earned respect yet.

It occurs to me that in all but so many words, Trump has been calling Carney a punk. I love it. I have a feeling that Americans who've been paying attention love it, too.