A slogan that began to appear on t-shirts and hoodies in Canada during the late 1990's.
Popular among teenagers and Gen-X'ers for its combination of nationalism, rebellion, and
irony, all in three words.
Nationalism: In the same way that saying South Park "kicks ass" is a good thing, we say
the same for Canada. Hence, nationalism.
Rebellion: Though most Canadians do love Canada, the Canadian attitude normally won't
allow us to say it. Americans are known for spouting rhetoric about "The Land Of The
Free, The Home Of The Brave" even when their school entrances have metal detectors, their
kids carry handguns, etc. etc. Canadians compare themselves to Americans with a smirk,
but rarely profess superiority to the outside world. On the other hand, Canada Kicks Ass
is quite a big nationalistic statement, totally without the modesty diplayed by most
Canadians.
Irony: In truth, Canada can't really kick anyone's ass at all. In terms of military
power, the Canadian army and air force have been so underfunded for the last 30 years
that some politicians consider scrapping the whole thing and starting over. Our few
helicopters are rusting to death, our technology is behind the times, and our military
contains very little soldiers. All the might of the Canadian military probably wouldn't
be enough to take over Belgium.
Economically, Canada is even worse off. This is primarily due to our links with the
American economy. When the American dollar rises, the Canadian dollar drops. Why? Nobody
knows. Our economy is kept afloat by selling our forests, oil, and minerals to the US.
That is not to say that Canada doesn't have good technological companies. It's just that
the Americans keep buying them. And when the American dollar drops, the Canadian one does
too because the Americans pull all their money out!
So in the end, Canada Kicks Ass is a slogan that is completely opposite to the truth.
Maybe that's why it's so popular.