Canada/USA (insurance, neighbourhoods, university)

[Lillietta]

Very good post, Roby. You got a rep from me for it. But I'm not sure about

They also don't get Canadian media and most never travel north of their border, or outside of their country, period

Everyone I know has been to another country.

Also:

So if you're looking to get extremely wealthy and you're caught up in the capitalist "how can I get richer" mindset, the USA's the better place to be.

Though this advice would truer in the US than in other countries, it comes off a little stereotypical and unkind. There are people who don't don't have this mindset.

By contrast, the USA is heavily populated across their entire country, whereas in Canada has more empty spaces and there are larger distances between large cities.

No, there are many states I can name with small populations and huge empty spaces - to mention a few, South Dakota, North Dakota, Wyoming. Then there are states, like Minnesota having only four "rather" large cities -- it's a big state with lots of empty space. Chicago is surrounded by urban sprawl, but an hour away, you have vast farmland, as well as in Iowa and Wisconsin and other faming communities.

[mikeyyc]

Originally Posted by Lillietta

By contrast, the USA is heavily populated across their entire country, whereas in Canada has more empty spaces and there are larger distances between large cities.

No, there are many states I can name with small populations and huge empty spaces - to mention a few, South Dakota, North Dakota, Wyoming. Then there are states, like Minnesota having only four "rather" large cities -- it's a big state with lots of empty space. Chicago is surrounded by urban sprawl, but an hour away, you have vast farmland, as well as in Iowa and Wisconsin and other faming communities.

Comparably speaking the US is densely populated. You have a smaller total land mass with over 10X the number of people. The Chicago example is Canada at its greatest density. Metro Toronto or the Vancouver Lower Mainland.

Alberta is an area roughly the size of Texas with a total population less than the city of Houston. Calgary has just over 1M people, and the next city of size is Toronto, over 3000 Km east. (no offence to Winnipeg, Saskatoon and Regina who's population combined wouldn't reach 1M people)

Think of all the major US cities that fall in the 'underpopulated' centre of the US. Salt Lake City, Denver, Kansas City, St. Louis, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Austin, Chicago, Indianapolis, Detroit, Nashville, New Orleans and so on. There really is no comparison.

[Robynator]

I think this map portrays what I was hinting at:

[Lillietta]

OK but you make it sound as if all of the country is densely populated. (By contrast, the USA is heavily populated across their entire country, whereas in Canada has more empty spaces and there are larger distances between large cities.)

The last post speaks specifically of cities and I was responding to our country as a whole. Glad you put the map here because now the OP can see how it really is - there are a lot of unpopulated areas.

[Robynator]

Originally Posted by mishigas73

Can I respond to this as a Yank who is forced to watch Canadian news when she's up there?

I don't see that "spin" that you do. As a matter of fact, I find it quite amusing that you see it as a "Big Brother" thing. I have seen the same exact sound bytes up there (CTV and Global) that I've seen down here, with the same comments. You all have some sort of "insight"? Nah. I've heard that one before by some of your fellow citizens, but have yet to see it myself.

"News" is the same there as it is here. There's no "reporting". There's no more "insight" there than there is here.

This just IS. Not good or bad, but just IS. It's been about two years that I've been seeing your newscasts regularly, and I sure haven't seen anything that makes me say, "WOW, they certainly see it better than we do".

But, of course, that's because I'm an American. I have also come to accept that answer and laugh to myself about it. Can't have the leopard change its spots, can we?

Perhaps I shouldn't have used the term "insight".

I didn't mean to suggest that Canadians are learning any real secrets about American society, or that by watching American news channels, we're seeing the USA from a different perspective.

I mean that I can turn on my TV and watch Seattle news and know that 1-5 is backed up all the way to Everett. I can watch CBS football and see the commercials telling me that "we must remain the world's economic superpower" mixed with commercials for large trucks. I can watch the weather report for the whole western half of the USA and know that in California, they're going to be experiencing temperatures down to 50 F. Etc, etc. Or as a child, watching Sesame Street and seeing how Big Bird is explaining the importance of the 4th of July to New York children.

What I've just witnessed isn't anything secretive or new... but it's watching television which has been marketed to an American audience. Growing up with television marketed to an American audience, you are given that kind of "insight" into American culture. That's what I meant by "Big Brother". I can turn on my TV and feel as though I'm a fellow American citizen living in Seattle... or somewhere. But I am merely an outsider looking in.

Yes, Canadian TV shows use the same Reuters clips and whatnot on their TV newscasts. But Tamara Taggart on CTV reporting live from the PNE to tell you that it'll likely be raining in Kelowna probably isn't available in Texas. Or that the traffic flow over the Lions Gate Bridge is coming to a standstill... probably isn't going to be found on Californian televisions.

By "Canadian slant" - I mean when you watch CBC stories on international events, they'll usually tell you about the Canadian relation... "5 Canadians are safe in Thailand after a plane crashed down..." or "2 more Canadian soldiers were killed in Afghanistan this morning, making the tally of dead soldiers up to 47". Etc. That's what I meant by "Canadian slant".

And that's all I meant by insight.

Obviously there's a lot that blurs together and we both get the same old crap on TV. The shows are the same. But what I was suggesting before was that the average Canadian watches TV made specifically for an American audience more than the average American watches TV made specifically for a Canadian audience.

[Robynator]

Originally Posted by desibear

thanks Robynator. The above analysis ofyours should be a 'sticky' on this site. Enjoyed it a lot

Thanks!

[Robynator]

Originally Posted by Lillietta

Very good post, Roby. You got a rep from me for it. But I'm not sure about

They also don't get Canadian media and most never travel north of their border, or outside of their country, period

Everyone I know has been to another country.

Also:

So if you're looking to get extremely wealthy and you're caught up in the capitalist "how can I get richer" mindset, the USA's the better place to be.

Though this advice would truer in the US than in other countries, it comes off a little stereotypical and unkind. There are people who don't don't have this mindset.

Oh yes, I'm very much aware of this which is why I peppered "mass generalization" here and there throughout my original post. I made it very clear that the USA and Canada have a lot of diversity from within and that you really can't just make blanket statements about such huge topics... because there are so many exceptions to them, you'd need several lifetimes to explain them all!

When I said that the USA's a better place to be than Canada if you're caught up in the "get me rich!!!" mentality, it wasn't because I thought that's how all Americans are. I've been to the USA many times and many of my good friends are Americans (who clearly don't fit that stereotype). And it is very much a stereotype. But the point was that the USA is more capitalist than Canada in that regard, and that if your plan was to make as much money as possible, you'd be best to do that in the USA, as opposed to Canada. The two countries don't compare when it comes to gaining (and keeping) immense personal wealth. The USA is by far the best economic powerhouse there is.

About the point that Americans don't travel outside of the country... again, another mass generalization that I made. Obviously millions do travel and there are millions of well-travelled Americans out there. And likewise, there are Canadians who have never left their own country who are pretty ignorant about the world outside even their own province!

But Canada's population, as we saw from that map, is located predominantly along the US border, so for most Canadians, the US-border is a short drive away and is something people do frequently. In the USA, since the population is spread out all over, you have a lot of people who live far away from the Canadian border, so they don't get that opportunity to visit. As a result, you have many more Canadians who visit the USA than Americans who visit Canada.

This is also pretty interesting:

How many Americans own passports? (Phil Gyford: Writing)

[cleveburg]

[quote=Robynator;2455529]Yes and no.

So if you're looking to get extremely wealthy and you're caught up in the capitalist "how can I get richer" mindset, the USA's the better place to be.


I realize from your earlier response (and the above quote) that you are "generalizing," but this quote is a bunch of garbage.

You say that Canadian's are inundated with American media. Well that's the problem. The media does nothing but boast about NYC and LA Hollywoodists that give the outside world the impression that we are all materialistic. NOTHING could be further from the truth! Have you visited the mid-west states, mountain states, southern states? If you did, then you'd completely see that the MAJORITY of those states have more grounded values and the poorest people are the most giving in our nation!

Another note . . . yes, I agree, most people get the "impression" that people in the states know nothing about the rest of the world. Another media fallacy! Be careful . . . a lot of people (especially the generations y's and x'ers are very educated about the world. We have to be, as we are completely "on" to the bullcrap that the babyboomer generation (in our government) have been pulling.

Bible-belt . . . Puhleeeeeze. In the states (around election time) this is all we hear. I have yet to meet one of my friends that votes based on religious principles! Is Christianity a foundation in our county? Of course, that is what our country was built upon. But to listen to the media and assume that everyone votes based upon religion, abortion, death penalty . . . what a bunch of garbage!

Freedom of the press? Yeah . . . supposed to be. But don't think for one minute that each news channel doesn't have their own agenda. That is EXACTLY why the younger generations education themselve and read up on EVERYTHING.

Judge actions . . . not people (especially based upon a few friends and media).

This country is WONDERFUL *AND* so is CANADA! I LOVE CANADA!

[KerrTown]

Originally Posted by cleveburg

Is Christianity a foundation in our county? Of course, that is what our country was built upon.

Wow you ate the right-wing crap really well. The Founders were not Bible-Believing Orthodox Christians like Jerry Falwell et al. would like you to believe. They were deists; they believed in that 18th-century heresy.

[chrismpv]

Originally Posted by mattncind

Both countries are extremely diverse so this question really cannot be answered in such a broad sense.

You would really need to compare a particular region of each country to each other to really get an educated answer on this topic.

I agree with comparing by regions and not country. Even in the US, there would be a big difference between New England, the South, the Midwest, California. Canada would have quite a difference from Maritimes to BC.

(Vermonter originally from Montreal)