What's the difference between Canadians' & Americans' ?
- Thread starter kiwi_NZ
- Start date
Canadian Myth.
What is there to pretend. American culture is so infused in Canada that it was the Canadians that felt the need to wear the maple leaf to say what they are not.
This is from a Canadian on this topic. A cut and paste
Great post! Stirred the pot a lot with that one, Canadians have a tough time laughing at themselves. I began backpacking a few years ago, and was definitely guilty of buying a Canada flag patch with the backpack. Somehow my backpack ended up having 2 on them. It wasn’t until a friend I met from Germany brought them up did I try to explain why I put them there. “So we don’t get confused for Yanks” “To let them know where we’re from” “to help identify my bag” … after the words finally left my mouth I realized how stupid they were. I met plenty of Americans who I became very tight with, have no valid reason for not wanting to be mixed up for an American. Aside from Dubya (George) - But common, he was hilarious. I even managed to get a few other Canadians to remove their flags. It’s not a sign of defeat, more of a sign of Non-conformity. More Canadians have them than don’t. If you really want to put a sweet patch on your bag, go for a Led Zeppelin patch, or some band that is universally loved. Flags are too patriotic, when you’re out traveling the world, theres really no need for that. Once again, good post.
Bullsh*t. Most Americans wouldn't even know what that is and those that did haven't given it a second thought.
If you are going to get an accurate comparison between Nationalities, it might be better to study the ones who stick near home, rather than the international travelers, who are probably at the lucrative end of the scale, but it also quite likely that that is where you''ll meet a lot of the shammers and scammers & ones involved in all sorts of skulduggery. If you want to determine the true character watch the ones at home milking the cows and stoking the fire.
We are not comparing nationalities here JLM, we are simply saying that some Americans when they go abroad pretend to be Canadians. This done not say anything about the two nationalities. Since Americans are unpopular abroad, some take the path of least resistance and try to pass as Canadians.
A while ago I remember seeing a website where he has given a map of the world, colour coded to show which part of the world Americans are unpopular. I will see if I can find it.
Here is an interesting article from The Times about the subject.
Why Americans pretend to be Canadian - Times Online
They talked to an American entrepreneur who sold Canadian paraphernalia to Americans to help them pretend to be Canadians. He had a few tips for Americans.
On sports the guide suggests: “This is easy to remember. There is only one real sport in Canada and it is called hockey. Regardless of any trivia question, the answer is ‘Wayne Gretzky’.”
He also gives a Canadian to American dictionary.
Allophone: someone whose first language is neither English nor French
Chesterfield: a sofa
Eh?: an utterance regularly injected into conversations which has the meaning “don’t you think?”
Elevator: lift
Homo milk: full fat (homogenised) milk
Housecoat: dressing gown
Keener: sycophant, an overly keen person
Lineup: queue
Loonie: one dollar coin, on which appears a
Loon: native Canadian bird
Pogey: unemployment benefit
Poutine: a dish typical to Quebec consisting of fries, cheese curds and gravy
Runners: trainers
Tap: the same as in British English, rather than the US faucet
The States: the USA
Toonie: two dollar coin
Tuque: knitted hat
Washroom: toilet
Zed: the final letter of the alphabet
Why Americans pretend to be Canadian - Times Online
They talked to an American entrepreneur who sold Canadian paraphernalia to Americans to help them pretend to be Canadians. He had a few tips for Americans.
On sports the guide suggests: “This is easy to remember. There is only one real sport in Canada and it is called hockey. Regardless of any trivia question, the answer is ‘Wayne Gretzky’.”
He also gives a Canadian to American dictionary.
Allophone: someone whose first language is neither English nor French
Chesterfield: a sofa
Eh?: an utterance regularly injected into conversations which has the meaning “don’t you think?”
Elevator: lift
Homo milk: full fat (homogenised) milk
Housecoat: dressing gown
Keener: sycophant, an overly keen person
Lineup: queue
Loonie: one dollar coin, on which appears a
Loon: native Canadian bird
Pogey: unemployment benefit
Poutine: a dish typical to Quebec consisting of fries, cheese curds and gravy
Runners: trainers
Tap: the same as in British English, rather than the US faucet
The States: the USA
Toonie: two dollar coin
Tuque: knitted hat
Washroom: toilet
Zed: the final letter of the alphabet
Anyway, I was right, after Obama was elected, at least some Americans stopped pretending to be Canadians.
Americans, Feeling the Love
At least one American overseas is admitting to being American again, after a bout of pretending she was Canadian because with Bush out and Obama in, “it’s cool to be American again.”
Americans, Feeling the Love
At least one American overseas is admitting to being American again, after a bout of pretending she was Canadian because with Bush out and Obama in, “it’s cool to be American again.”
It took some doing, but I found the map. The article can be found here.
Aaron's Head: An American in Canucks' Clothing
The green areas (which is most of the world) are where it is better for an American to pretend to be Canadian. Yellow areas (Australia and New Zealand) are borderline.
Incidentally, I found the map in one of my posts at the canada.com forum (we discussed this subject in a separate thread over there).
Aaron's Head: An American in Canucks' Clothing
The green areas (which is most of the world) are where it is better for an American to pretend to be Canadian. Yellow areas (Australia and New Zealand) are borderline.
Incidentally, I found the map in one of my posts at the canada.com forum (we discussed this subject in a separate thread over there).
Thanks, EagleSmack- S.J.- I was under the impression that this thread was about Canadians vs. Americans unless it got side tracked.
Had to go back and look at the title of the thread:
Yeah. No comparisons at all going on here.
Shrinkage, can never be full size up north. Why is it the little guy who tries to be a bully all the time?
Difference between Canada and America..Here,In Canada, the sign says "Don't Jump"...In America it say.." Jump at own risk"..Think it's a health care issue..
Difference between Canada and America..Here,In Canada, the sign says "Don't Jump"...In America it say.." Jump at own risk"..Think it's a health care issue..
That really reinforces what I said, Greenfish. Canadians are much more respectful of authority than Americans.
I've met lots of each & I certainly wouldn't agree with that. Just take one simple little thing that happens in Canada millions of times every day- drive while using cell phones- how many times have we been advised "don't use your cell phone while driving"?