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It's very apparent in relation to Australia, and surprising when you consider Canada is quite a bit larger in area and population.
I agree with the former, but I don't think it's surprising.
Australia overshadows New Zealand, and its other neighbours in the Asia Pacific are culturally different from it. Culturally, Australia has no competition in its region.
Canada has to compete with the world's cultural superpower for recognition, so it's a different scenario.
Canada and America are not like siblings. They are two separate and different families with their own households, each household having its own values and occupations, both living in the same town (North America) and there has been a good neighbour fence erected between their two properties. For the past 150 years or so they have shared a friendly and tolerant but slightly uneasy truce.
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A slightly uneasy truce? That seems like a bit of drama to me. When I think of uneasy truces, I think of Israel and the Arab world, Sudan, the Ukraine, etc. The US and Canada have differences, but sheesh....
It is the largest undefended border in the world. Many Canadians spend months of the year living in the US, it is the number one tourist destination for Canadians and Canada is the number two destination for Americans. The US is Canada's number one trading partner and Canada is the number two trading partner of the US. Canadians do not stand out in the US (except for their license plates when there is a lot of traffic ) and Americans do not stand out in Canada. Many have family on both sides of the border and many marry on the opposite side of the border. Our governments share vast amounts of information, have special agreements for visitors to each other's countries and work together on many issues.
Isn't that just geography, and the large neighbour effect, though? The whole Canada-US dynamic is eerily similar in a lot of ways to the NZ-Australia relationship. Kiwis even like to distance or distinguish themselves from Australia, as Canadians do from the US. In some ways its almost like two pairs of siblings, that are almost like collective twins. The smaller siblings are focussed a lot more social programs and welfare, while the larger siblings take a more active role in global affairs; both larger siblings have pretty noisey and full-on political scenes compared to the smaller twins, but are quite OK with that.......the smaller two like to view their history as lacking some of the darker sides they see in their older brothers, both of whom seem more at ease in acknowledge the incongruities, paradoxes, darker moments and ambiguities of their pasts...
A lot of it has to do with ignorance. New Zealanders, as do Canadians, are mistaken for another Nationality. Same with Austrians explaining they aren't German.
So these groups get accused of being insecure,(mainly Canadians it seems ) or lacking their own culture, when really what they are doing is explaining who they really are and not what people think they are.
I've experienced this in real life and on this board. Canadians are accused of being nothing but " not Americans" and when differences are brought up, we are shot down
God forbid we even try and do anything to preserve and create our own culture.
In terms of accent, it's often nearly impossible to tell them apart.
Except for the ones who say things like: "Ay, see you aboot", and "Ay! There's a Moose on the loose in my hoose!"
Totally depends where in the US and Canada the person is from. There are many words where the emphasis is said differently. Permit, and detail are just two. I can tell some Americans by the way they pronounce it.
I live in a US /Canada border city and if I go 100 miles north or go 100 miles south either way it's very similar. You'll know your in a different country but it feels very similar.
I probably have more in common culturally with Canadians than I do with people in Arizona.
A slightly uneasy truce? That seems like a bit of drama to me. When I think of uneasy truces, I think of Israel and the Arab world, Sudan, the Ukraine, etc. The US and Canada have differences, but sheesh....
It is the largest undefended border in the world. Many Canadians spend months of the year living in the US, it is the number one tourist destination for Canadians and Canada is the number two destination for Americans. The US is Canada's number one trading partner and Canada is the number two trading partner of the US. Canadians do not stand out in the US (except for their license plates when there is a lot of traffic ) and Americans do not stand out in Canada. Many have family on both sides of the border and many marry on the opposite side of the border. Our governments share vast amounts of information, have special agreements for visitors to each other's countries and work together on many issues.
That is not an uneasy truce.
This sums up my feelings and experience as i have seen as well. From what I have personally observed there seems to be a good relationship with a friendly sibling type rivalry between us and our friends to the North. We don't always agree on everything but at the end of the day were more alike than not and know we have each other's back.
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) and Americans do not stand out in Canada. Many have family on both sides of the border and many marry on the opposite side of the border. Our governments share vast amounts of information, have special agreements for visitors to each other's countries and work together on many issues.
