Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I agree, anyone who confronts a visitor to their country with the third degree about their countries politics (which they personally have no control over) is displaying a terrible lack of manners.
I will say this though, the only place I have ever been confronted about American politics in person is in Ontario. Yes this includes traveling extensively and living a year in the Middle East, Ontarians are the most obnoxious in my personal experience. Definitely do not want to paint all Canadians with one brush though, I frequently visit Quebec and have never had this type of exchange.
I think that in the case of many Ontarians and also some other Canadians, it might be that they consume so much American media (including news) that they think the have American politics all figured out and almost feel directly involved by it. Quebecers, not so much.
I think that in the case of many Ontarians and also some other Canadians, it might be that they consume so much American media (including news) that they think the have American politics all figured out and almost feel directly involved by it. Quebecers, not so much.
I grew up just about forty miles from the Canadian border and saw lots of Canadians in the U.S., and spent quite a bit of time in Canada (Ontario mainly.) In the past seventy years Canada and Canadians have changed quite a bit it seems even to me. I find them, well.........more like Americans. So, while I miss the Canadians of the past, the present-day ones seem simply like more of us.
I have lived in Europe for more than a decade now, but I love the U.S., and never miss an episode. I see and hear a modest amount of Canadians where I live, there are more U.S. tourists, however. The Canadians are lower-keyed, quieter and less of the Oh-yeah-gimme-a.....type.
Odd what happens to Canadians when they go to the U.S. Perhaps they are just trying to fit in. I recently met a Canadian couple at lunch. They were in their late fifties, and both had worked in Europe for a number of years. They were from Toronto originally. They were beginning to think of retiring and were scouting out places in Europe. When I asked why not Toronto, which after all has a bright and shiny reputation as a city now. They were vehement on - no. They characterized it as a rude place in several respects and had definitely ruled it out.
Hmmm, that may help explain some American conduct in Europe.
It may.
I personally have no horse in this race as I am neither American or Canadian. I have lived in both countries though and for better or worse am identified as an American when traveling because of my flat accent (only a trace of my original accent is apparent on certain words) and when asked where I am traveling from I obviously do not drivel on about my country of birth but rather answer where I currently reside.
Even with all that said, if someone said something insulting about American Politics I would have no problem correcting them, as I think it is rude and unnecessary. As I would with any other insult thrown towards any country I have a solid knowledge of. Thankfully though this has never happened to me outside of visits to Ontario, Canada.
So no need for me to plaster a Canadian Flag and lie about where I live on future visits
The funny part of this is that you will rarely, if ever, see a Canadian do this when they are in the US. I'm sure more Canadians flock to the US than the reverse. Every beach I visit in the US you will almost always see a Canadian plate in the parking lot.
In the winter, where I live, the whole beach area looks like Quebec has staged an invasion. There are probably more Quebec plates on cars than there are Florida plates. I was told by a hotel owner that Hollywood FL (where I live) has the largest population of French Canadians outside of Canada between Christmas and Tax Day.
Quote:
Originally Posted by edwardsyzzurphands
People who display any flag while abroad are basically uncultured and are terrible travelers. Why would you want to stand out as a bumbling tourist when you are overseas? Why would you not rather blend in with the local culture and actually experience the country, rather than stand out?
When I am overseas, the moment I see a flag on a backpack at some restaurant and bar, I turn around and go elsewhere. Why on earth would you pay to fly across the world and be stuck with a bunch of people that you spend time with at home on a daily basis.
Way back when I was a young vagabond with just a few belongings to my name I would buy a flag patch from whatever country I had just visited and sew it onto my backpack to show which countries I had been to. Kind of like those people with RVs who put stickers on them of the places they've been.
I wonder if it confused anyone as to where I was from? Doubt it because I wore sneakers and chewed bubble gum. Obvious American tipoffs.
Also, a joke within the restaurant industry is that any bad tipping table gets labeled as Canadian regardless of where they are really from.
The first time I encountered this was when I worked on Mackinac Island which gets a lot of Canadian tourists, but it applied to Canadians, Americans, Brits, or anyone else deemed a bad (or no) tipper.
And no country puts their flag on more things than Americans. I see American flags on every thing. Bikinis, flipflops, shot glasses, car hoods, t-shirts, button up shirts, underwear, hats, cats, bats, mats....
By the way, my landlords are from Alberta and are the most lovely people I've ever met.
As a Canadian do you see yourself being inferior to Americans?
I don't, but then again I don't try to define Canadian culture by "not being American" neither. In a lot of ways, Canadians try to make urealistic comaparisons between what we have here vs. what they have in the U.S. One common example that springs to mind is the constant comparisons between Toronto and New York. Why make such a silly comparison if not born out of inferiority? Toronto is absolutely nothing like New York, aside from being a major metropolis. Anyone who has either spent time in both cities or compares them objectively would know this.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jambo101
As for American patriotism you'll have to point it out to me as all i see is half the country trashing the other half of the country, the President is being called everything from Kenyan Communist to Murderer, Gays,Mexicans,environmentalists,blacks,Latinos,the poor are all vilified. Odd interpretation of patriotism.
Seriously... You don't see America as a patriotic country? You wouldn't get offended If I said the twit currently serving as your so-called "Commander-in-Chief" is just as daft as the moron he replaced? Can you honestly say that you have no opinion whatsoever when foreigners ridicule your country, its people and its politics? Wow.
Quote:
Originally Posted by us66
Living quite close to the Canadian border, we have both Canadian and American pop culture from which to choose. We have quite a few Ontario radio stations, from Leamington, Windsor, Sarnia, Chatham, and even London if conditions are right. The music is definitely different, probably because of the CRTC, but you don't hear a lot of Canadian stuff (except for the absolutely biggest hits...Call Me Maybe comes to mine at the moment) on the American stations. CBC Windsor is on our cable television here, and I spent more time watching CBC children's programming than American children's programming back in the day. The last cable provider I had even had Global Toronto, and I miss watching the morning news show and the shots of the Gardiner, the QEW, and the DVP in morning rush hour. Canadian television programs definitely feel different than American. Shows like Little Mosque on the Prairie would never get play here. Food is slightly different, I'm thinking peameal bacon and vinegar on fries. (I will say I wish American Costcos had the Montreal meat sandwich in their food courts like Canadian ones do.) Beef tastes different to me, too, but I'm not sure exactly why. Milk in a plastic bag is never seen in the US. On the whole, Canada feels different, but not wildly different. My wife barely notices the difference, but her family owns land on the Bruce Peninsula, and she thinks Ohio feels more different than Ontario compared to Michigan.
The reason you don't hear Canadian music so much is because we don't have the population base that would buy enough CDs for many artists to be certified gold or platinum. You have 330,0000,0000 people within your boders, we have one-tenth of that up here. As for morning TV, my wife watches the Today Show over our own Breakfast Television. Shows like Little Mosque are produced with public funds by the government funded CBC. It would never survive the ratings slaughter if it ran on a commercial television station like CTV. The food differences you point out are regional as well. In Toronto, many of us put vinegar on fries. However, in Wisconsin they put garlic and parmesan cheese on them, in Quebec they make them with gravy and cheese curds and in Newfoundland they put gravy and "dressing" (kinda like stove-top but made with bread crumbs). These are all regional differences and are not constants throughout either country.
Quote:
Originally Posted by kevxu
Odd what happens to Canadians when they go to the U.S. Perhaps they are just trying to fit in. I recently met a Canadian couple at lunch. They were in their late fifties, and both had worked in Europe for a number of years. They were from Toronto originally. They were beginning to think of retiring and were scouting out places in Europe. When I asked why not Toronto, which after all has a bright and shiny reputation as a city now. They were vehement on - no. They characterized it as a rude place in several respects and had definitely ruled it out.
I can't say I wouldn't disagree with them. Housing has become quite expensive here and Toronto commands "New York" prices for dining and entertainment, despite severely lacking in both regards. The city is also congested, dirty and overrun with homeless people. I was born in Toronto and commute here every day. This city is nothing like it was during the heyday of "Toronto the Good" back in the 80's when it was clean and friendly.
....I can't say I wouldn't disagree with them. Housing has become quite expensive here and Toronto commands "New York" prices for dining and entertainment, despite severely lacking in both regards. The city is also congested, dirty and overrun with homeless people. I was born in Toronto and commute here every day. This city is nothing like it was during the heyday of "Toronto the Good" back in the 80's when it was clean and friendly.
I used to love Toronto, but this was back in the 50's; so, I supposed that was the heyday of "Toronto the Better."
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
