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I'm not in Quebec but I didn't feel insulted. I do think Canada is a blank spot to most Americans (and not only Americans) but I saw the OP's post as a forthright acknowledgement of lack of knowledge, rather than a "Canada is America's hat" kind of post.
We don't get the grief Americans get for being a world power, so there are benefits to being a blank spot to most of the world.
Of course I think it would serve Americans well to have more knowledge of who is at their border but admitting you don't know something isn't necessarily an insult.
In the real world, no. On CD it is a very common way to start a thread, that may or may not get removed or closed because the OP is ********
IMO this is one of those threads.
However I do agree with what one friends says about the world and Canada. The less they know about us, the better Well some anyway.
Read my response again. I did not say "all Americans", I said "many Americans" and I said it rightfully so because so many Americans have come here onto the Canada forum (and the P&OC forum) and made exactly the same disdainful and audacious comments and much, much worse. The number of times it's been said here on City Data is uncountable because it's been said so many times it has become a common refrain.
The audacity of a foreigner coming to the Canada forum and saying blatantly insulting things like that while asking questions and expecting willing answers about Canada for their own personal benefit just boggles the mind. It is not endearing nor welcome. The OP says he is ...."thinking of widening my options to Canada because why not?" .... and then immediately offers an insult to all of Canada that is a self-explanatory reason and answer for "why not". I don't think he would like Canada very much if he said that a couple of times face to face to any Canadians he meets in person in Canada.
Thankfully not all Americans are that blatantly disrespectful and ignorant about their nation's closest ally, friend, neighbour and biggest trade partner. I think that all Canadians recognize that there are certainly a lot of wonderful Americans who are true friends of Canada and we appreciate, welcome and love Americans like that all to bits and pieces. But I can't help wondering how many more there are who feel that same disregard and disrespect that was expressed in the opening post but just don't openly say it to Canadians.
Sorry, but it rubs me the wrong way when people offer insult for no good reason and I refuse to placidly take it lying down and not respond to that kind of rude ignorance.
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Yes, in your first paragraph you did say "many Americans" and that was immediately noted. It's appreciated and a good start. But if you read your own second paragraph, you may note as I did, the absence of any qualifier. Being consistent in using one would make all the difference.
I completely understand your umbrage (I live in a country that is no stranger to being the target of rude ignorance), and there is no reason why you should take any of the OP's disdainful comments lying down. There are many Americans who love Canada and are in your corner in many ways. We just don't like being tarred with the same unsavo(u)ry brush that the OP deserves.
As a practical matter - regions of high unemployment, very high sales tax all around, high gasoline prices and mainly higher grocery prices (but not always).
Actually, the Quebec’s unemployment rate is the lowest in Canada. Even in rural regions the unemployment rate is very low. There are “Hiring” signs everywhere.
Sales tax is at 15% in Quebec. I don’t think that can be considered “very high” by global standards. 18% - 25% is common in Europe for example.
Actually, the Quebec’s unemployment rate is the lowest in Canada. Even in rural regions the unemployment rate is very low. There are “Hiring” signs everywhere.
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I would like to echo this.
Even the rural areas (at least any of them where you'd be interested in living) are quite prosperous in Quebec these days.
Of course, it's a different type of prosperity than in the US - not as over-the-top and ostentatious. It's more egalitarian. So there are fewer filthy rich people, but you don't have much depressing, egregious poverty either.
More of a ... traditional "conservative" mind set, a comforting throwback to times when family mattered more. Like everywhere, this is changing.
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I don't think this is completely off-base, but it merits a clarification.
Quebec isn't really "conservative" in most of the ways Americans think of conservatism.
Even in the rural areas, it's generally pro-abortion, pro-feminism, irreligious (even anti-religious in some cases), climate-concerned (if only superficially engaged, but willing to do more), anti-militaristic, pro-social programs, pro-gun control, etc.
At best, I'd describe it as "culturally conservative" in the sense that people don't espouse strong multiculturalist ideology, nor do they think of where they live as a "clean slate".
They have a pretty clearly defined cultural identity. They know who they are and what they aren't.
This is a major difference between them and other Canadians (and also many Americans). Québécois may eat pad thai and sushi as much as anyone else, but they scoff at the idea that that's local food like people in Toronto claim that any ethnic food that happens to be found in the city is wholly "Canadian" and local.
2. Small town folks - have always helped me, been generous, kind, informative, funny - and although they certainly do (almost exclusively) speak French - they are not to be confused with folks from France. Not much in common, that.
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While Quebec definitely isn't "just the same as France", there are definitely a number of traits here that both inside and outside outside observers would perceive as France-style.
Actually, just last weekend I spent time with someone from France who just recently moved to Ontario but who spends lots of time in Quebec due to "romantic reasons".
According to this person, who is quite familiar with the US, Ontario is "way more Americanized that I even imagined it would be". To the point where the only differences are extremely subtle and mostly "administrative".
On Quebec: "It's way more French (as in France French) than I imagined it would be. It's not like home of course but I really do feel reasonably at home here, and it's not just because of the language. Well, maybe in spite of the language!" (A wink to the differences between Quebec French and Euro-French.)
That even goes a lot further than I would in terms of the Quebec-France parallels. This isn't the first time I've heard this - though there are also French people who say Quebec is exactly like the US, but in French.
I'd also add that an American might also find that Quebec has a number of subtle Scandinavian traits. (The Scandinavian population in Quebec is miniscule, so these traits would be due to climate, geography, etc.)
While Quebec definitely isn't "just the same as France", there are definitely a number of traits here that both inside and outside outside observers would perceive as France-style.
Actually, just last weekend I spent time with someone from France who just recently moved to Ontario but who spends lots of time in Quebec due to "romantic reasons".
According to this person, who is quite familiar with the US, Ontario is "way more Americanized that I even imagined it would be". To the point where the only differences are extremely subtle and mostly "administrative".
On Quebec: "It's way more French (as in France French) than I imagined it would be. It's not like home of course but I really do feel reasonably at home here, and it's not just because of the language. Well, maybe in spite of the language!" (A wink to the differences between Quebec French and Euro-French.)
That even goes a lot further than I would in terms of the Quebec-France parallels. This isn't the first time I've heard this - though there are also French people who say Quebec is exactly like the US, but in French.
I'd also add that an American might also find that Quebec has a number of subtle Scandinavian traits. (The Scandinavian population in Quebec is miniscule, so these traits would be due to climate, geography, etc.)
That made me laugh. It's pretty much what my friend from Lyon said about Quebec...Montreal to be precise.
Well sure, I accounted for that with this:
though there are also French people who say Quebec is exactly like the US, but in French.
Yes I know, I read your post
I'm just backing it up.
Of course the impressions people have on places that they don't really know, are superficial at best.
We all do it.
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