Canada's strong anti-americanism (city hall, how much, best schools)

[jambo101]

Originally Posted by Jim Carols

For those of you who are offended by the question I have to say it's not even that controversial. I mean just read this article on washington post Before You Flee to Canada, Can We Talk? (washingtonpost.com) where the author clearly says she had some people say that america deserved it. There was also a article on the nytimes which quoted an american college student at McGill which mentioned but I can't find it at the moment. I'm sorry for those whom I may have offended but it was something I was curious about because of things I've read or heard, not that I expect violence or anything, I know canada is a safe country, but perhaps a lot of political discussions that would feel like I was talking to a George Galloway like figure, if that makes sense.

By the way here's another online article which says that much of Canada's political culture is defined by anti-americanism. Anti-American Attitudes in Canada » J.J.'s Complete Guide to Canada

Theres 36 million of us up here,judging an entire country on the rantings of a few is rather narrow minded.If you think coming up here will get you continually beaten up for being American i can almost guarantee it aint going to happen unless you are constantly berating Canadians and Canada as somehow inferior to the USA, Canadians dont get or dont care about what rightwing America has to say.

[mikeyyc]

That's twice in two weeks that the same damn article from eight years ago has been brought up. Something is amiss.

[green_mariner]

Originally Posted by botticelli

I don't think you need to worry about that. Canada in general is quite pro-America I would say.

Just show your good personality and avoid the stereotypical American "centre of the universe" sort of arrogance, and you will be fine. Just don't judge when every time you see something different from America.

Be realistic about learning French in Montreal, first it is quebec French, which is different from European French, especially in accents (it is like Austrian English accent), second, Montrealers don't like to talk in French the minute they find you are not a Quebecois.

Why? If you can speak French, why not?

[Dreison Rhodes]

Originally Posted by green_mariner

Why? If you can speak French, why not?

the Canadians (sorry if spelling is off) I have met have, without exception, been much friendlier and fun to be with than almost all of the french I have had the unfortunate experience of meeting, particularly in Paris, those folks were downright rude.

[netwit]

Originally Posted by Jim Carols

I'm sorry for those who are angry at the question but there's actually a lot of americans who have experienced this. Maybe not as bad as the reaction in saudi arabia but still shocking for a country many americans consider very similiar to their own. I mean just read this article on washington post Before You Flee to Canada, Can We Talk? (washingtonpost.com) where the author clearly says she had some people say that america deserved it. There was also a article on the nytimes which quoted an american college student at McGill which mentioned but I can't find it at the moment. I'm sorry for those whom I may have offended but it was something I was curious about because of things I've read or heard, not that I expect violence or anything, I know canada is a safe country, but perhaps a lot of political discussions that would feel like I was talking to a George Galloway like figure, if that makes sense.

By the way here's another online article which says that much of Canada's political culture is defined by anti-americanism. Anti-American Attitudes in Canada » J.J.'s Complete Guide to Canada

That Washington Post article was the article I was thinking of when I made my post because it is a ridiculous article on many levels. There really wasn't a true example of anti-Americanism in it - what you really had in that article was someone who had fantasized about Canada from afar and came to the conclusion that we were a nicer version of America. We didn't live up to her expectations that we were really just like Americans. Maybe she had never been out of the US before she came to Canada and as she herself said at the end, maybe she was just a "typical" American after all. She came across herself when she came to Canada - as the saying goes, you take yourself with you wherever you go, and she turned out not to be as liberal, or whatever that means in the US sense, as she thought she was.

That happens to a lot of people when they travel - culture shock.

And I don't mean "typical" in a bad sense although she's using it in the pejorative sense she thinks Canadians apply to that. I'd go through that article point by point but I don't have the time.

I will say that Bush's policies still reverberate throughout the world - four years is not long enough for memories to fade. But if Canadians were truly anti-American as opposed to anti-Bush, when Obama came to Parliament, he would not have received practically a hero's welcome.

And if the anti-Americanism in the rest of the world were not based mostly on antipathy to the Bush years, Obama would never have been awarded that Nobel Prize. It was quite stupid of the Nobel committee to award him the Peace Prize but I think it spoke volumes of how sick the world was of the Bush team and their dismissive ways of reacting to the rest of the world.

We all have a vested interest in the future of the planet. For the most part, relations between the US and Canada have been good but there will be times when American interests do not coincide with Canadian interests. That is only natural.

[Mouldy Old Schmo]

Originally Posted by botticelli

Just show your good personality and avoid the stereotypical American "centre of the universe" sort of arrogance, and you will be fine.

Because Toronto is the "Centre of the Universe"!

[Mouldy Old Schmo]

I think you would find the most "anti-Americanism" in Canada among college students (also the most likely "anti-Americans" in the United States; they usually outgrow it) and those few Americans who moved to Canada for political reasons. Have any of you met any examples of the latter?

[BruSan]

Originally Posted by Mouldy Old Schmo

I think you would find the most "anti-Americanism" in Canada among college students (also the most likely "anti-Americans" in the United States; they usually outgrow it) and those few Americans who moved to Canada for political reasons. Have any of you met any examples of the latter?

Ah yes, the university or college experience, with a plethora of foreign students from all over the globe who just have to have a cause or a flavour of the month hate club going. Those kiddies haven't quite outgrown the peer group influence so they're gonna bust on who happens to be the worlds boogyman at the moment. The U.S. will always be a favourite for that role as it is involved in more froeign affais than any other country, some good and some bad.

Canada will not necessarily be any different than any other foreign country for the U.S. student in that case.

I have many U.S. friends and am easily able to differentiate them from the political policies of their country and even simply agree to disagree with the ones who will often refer to Canada as the country that went from being a frontier to a socialist nanny state in less than a hundred years. We argue mightily over many things but I sense when the fun is turning to ire and quickly offer another brewski while changing the subject. All's well with them and in that sense we truly are alike.

[green_mariner]

Originally Posted by Dreison Rhodes

the Canadians (sorry if spelling is off) I have met have, without exception, been much friendlier and fun to be with than almost all of the french I have had the unfortunate experience of meeting, particularly in Paris, those folks were downright rude.

Maybe it might be you. I've met quite a few French people in my life, mainly students, but a few people who were a bit older as well. I've met maybe one or two French persons who were rude to me. Other than that, I've had decent experiences with some French people. I often notice, as an American, if I speak French to some French people, some of them seem marveled to the point of "wow, for being a native English speaker, your French is quite nice". I haven't ran into many French people that I would consider rude.

[minibrings]

Originally Posted by Jim Carols

I'm sorry for those who are angry at the question but there's actually a lot of americans who have experienced this. Maybe not as bad as the reaction in saudi arabia but still shocking for a country many americans consider very similiar to their own. I mean just read this article on washington post Before You Flee to Canada, Can We Talk? (washingtonpost.com) where the author clearly says she had some people say that america deserved it. There was also a article on the nytimes which quoted an american college student at McGill which mentioned but I can't find it at the moment. I'm sorry for those whom I may have offended but it was something I was curious about because of things I've read or heard, not that I expect violence or anything, I know canada is a safe country, but perhaps a lot of political discussions that would feel like I was talking to a George Galloway like figure, if that makes sense.

By the way here's another online article which says that much of Canada's political culture is defined by anti-americanism. Anti-American Attitudes in Canada » J.J.'s Complete Guide to Canada

Well let me tell you my experience as an American living in Toronto. This is from personal expereince (not from some ******* that wrote an article years back on the washingtonpost.com).

Nothing of the negativity written in that article. Zippo. Some ribbing on lack of health care for americans (but I agreed with them). People don't hate America or Americans. Some may find American politics strange (and I agreed, esp. during the McCain/Palin campaign). And folks were genuinely saddened by 9/11, which killed 26 Canadians. I don't know Jim Crow insists that he is right based on an article or two. My experience is only from living in Toronto. The greatest city in the world. (OK I was pretending I was still living in Toronto by the last 2 comments.. and Canadians will understand what I meant)