Peaceful Canada (violent crime, construction, income)

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by callmemaybe

Do Canadians really like beer any more than Americans? I mean hell, the whole country is semi-dry in the sense you won't find any beer at 7-11, Safeway etc, you have to go to a beer store.

I am not sure that there is a significant difference in appreciation for beer but it is a thing that Canadians seem to have latched onto for identity purposes.

One angle to it is that Canadian beers tend to be stronger in alcohol content than American ones.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Stubblejumper

It's not really a given, as some parts of the prairies and the north are actually more violent than much of the US.

I'd argue that all across North America, areas with endemic poverty and social issues tend to create a culture of criminality, as people find the easiest way to survive and pass those skills on to their children.

Canada, though obviously not exempt (as the example of the prairies and the north illustrate) is less burdened by those issues than the US.

I largely agree with what you and BIMBAM said, but I would say that poverty is only a partial explanation. Newfoundland until fairly recently had very high rates of poverty but extremely low violent crime rates. So much so that their police officers didn't even carry guns until 1998.

But one of the reasons I guess is because the "prosperity differential" in Newfoundland was not as extreme as in the U.S. Sure, there always were more well-off people in Newfoundland, but it was not off the scale like it could be in the U.S. And also the colour of one's skin wasn't a factor in determining whether one had a good chance of being wealthy or poor.

So I would say Canada has a lower crime rate due to a series of factors, including:

- a better social safety net to help the down and out

- relatively small historical visible minority groups with a history of being less well off

- less of a "prosperity differential" between people, and especially between people of different origins

- gun control (yeah, I think it is an important factor)


One thing I notice is when a certain number of these factors break down or are absent, such as with aboriginal groups in certain Western Canadian cities or with young black men in Toronto, then you can still have certain sub-sectors of Canadian society where violent crime can be as high or even higher than in some parts of the U.S.

[BIMBAM]

Good point about the prosperity differential, that rings true for me. Montreal is not a prosperous city and yet crime rates stay fairly low and I think this could be part of it. I was of course comparing Canada to the Unites States because the OP is from the United States and I knew that was his reference point.

And it's true that Bowling for Columbine was being very odd in claiming big city Canadians don't lock our doors. Everyone I know locks their doors, it's just an easy and common sense thing to do.

[Chris Balducci]

Originally Posted by botticelli

Good question. Why do many people keep pretending there is only one country outside Canada?

if you look at crime stats among industrialized countries, Canada doesn't really stand out at all.

List of countries by intentional homicide rate - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Canada's homicide rate actually is higher than average, higher than Japan, Australia, and New Zealand and all EU countries except Finland. Hardly impressive.

After looking at the link, I see that PEI has the lowest intentional homicides per 100,000 residents in Canada. That reminds me of the SCTV skit "Magnum PEI" where John Candy went after someone stealing potatoes.

[callmemaybe]

Yeah I guess America is just so violent for a first world country, Canada seems very peaceful in comparison?

[BIMBAM]

Originally Posted by callmemaybe

Yeah I guess America is just so violent for a first world country, Canada seems very peaceful in comparison?

Sounds like it.

As for the beer thing, I do remember reading an article about how light beer is much more popular in the United States than regular beer. I found that shocking, I don't know hardly anyone who drinks light beer, so perhaps that's how we got our reputation.

[callmemaybe]

Originally Posted by BIMBAM

Sounds like it.

As for the beer thing, I do remember reading an article about how light beer is much more popular in the United States than regular beer. I found that shocking, I don't know hardly anyone who drinks light beer, so perhaps that's how we got our reputation.

I mostly drink Pabst Blue Ribbon which is about 5 percent. I don't really like Bud Lite, etc, though I dislike really hoppy beers such as India Pale Ales more.

[maclock]

Originally Posted by Acajack

I largely agree with what you and BIMBAM said, but I would say that poverty is only a partial explanation. Newfoundland until fairly recently had very high rates of poverty but extremely low violent crime rates. So much so that their police officers didn't even carry guns until 1998.

But one of the reasons I guess is because the "prosperity differential" in Newfoundland was not as extreme as in the U.S. Sure, there always were more well-off people in Newfoundland, but it was not off the scale like it could be in the U.S. And also the colour of one's skin wasn't a factor in determining whether one had a good chance of being wealthy or poor.

The Boat Who Wouldn't Float - Farley Mowat - Google Books

[Chris Balducci]

Our beer preferences were dictated by what the macrobreweries (Anheuser-Bush, Miller, etc.) provided the nation in the early 20th century. Some people claim that pre-Prohibition beer was different than afterwards. Our beer tends to be lighter-bodied and served cold due to our hot summers. You will find beers of varying alcohol levels in both the United States and Canada.
Each state in the U.S. has its own regulations regarding the sale and distribution of alcohol. Some of these are at the local level. For example, a town in one county might allow beer and another in the same county will not. Mississippi and other states have "dry" counties, but not the one where I live. In other states, like Louisiana, you can buy hard liquor in grocery stores. As for Mississippi, we can drink stronger beer after July 1:

Mississippi governor signs law to allow stronger beer | Politics - WAPT Home

[Vansdad]

Canada's beer is full flavoured...not like that watered down stuff from the states. lol