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Note the two recent posts complaining about reservedness and bad manners are from Mississauga and Oakville. I will note the people in Niagara Region are often very friendly though somewhat more reserved than Americans. Closer to the GTA, I have noticed, the people are often not so friendly, though usually still very polite compared to many Americans. It's the big city vs. small town thing.
I completely agree: Canadians in general are more reserved. This is very obvious to even moderately observant people (if they didn't grow up here or have traveled significantly). And yet there are people on this fourm who will swear that Canadians are at least as friendly as people of any other nationality.
I think Toronto has to be the worst. And I find that women here are worse than the men; they try very hard not to look at you. I understand this primarily as being unusually averse to unwanted advances, which is a quite perplexing aversion to have since men here are not aggressive at all and don't often approach random women (which is itself probably a consequence of how the women act).
Whatever explains Canadian reserveness, I've had enough of it. This anti-social way of living is not human. At any rate, it is not for me.
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From the tourists I've met I've found Americans the less likely to want to engage with you, actually. This only applies to younger Americans, though. The older Americans all seem very chatty. I'm sure there's truth to it, though...Canada is more Scottish-English than the US, which is a more reserved culture. In some ways Australia and NZ are the same. Some reserved people can be very friendly too.
From the tourists I've met I've found Americans the less likely to want to engage with you, actually. This only applies to younger Americans, though. The older Americans all seem very chatty. I'm sure there's truth to it, though...Canada is more Scottish-English than the US, which is a more reserved culture. In some ways Australia and NZ are the same. Some reserved people can be very friendly too.
I was wondering if NZ in particular was the same as the only person I met from there was very reserved and then warmed up after a while. I think NZ people are similar to Canadians. Also some parts of NZ look a lot like Canada geographically.
Location: The western periphery of Terra Australis
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gosling
I was wondering if NZ in particular was the same as the only person I met from there was very reserved and then warmed up after a while. I think NZ people are similar to Canadians. Also some parts of NZ look a lot like Canada geographically.
I don't want to sound make blanket statements again, but young American tourists often seem brash and kind of, dare I say it, jerks. I've observed this on more than a few occasions. Maybe it's just the few I've met, but I don't know, they just seem like just smart-asses and overtly cocky compared to the other nationalities, most Europeans, Canadians, Australians, I encounter.
but young American tourists often seem brash and kind of, dare I say it, jerks.
Uh ... and how does one tell who is an American tourist? I'm sure there's a good number of 19-20 year olds who come to Canada for the obvious reason (drinking age) and cause a ruckus. But even then how would you know if they are American or Canadian? I have travelled to Canada many times and the only way people know I am American is if I tell them. I mean, its not as if I have a big Texas accent and an American flag bandana.
Oh, wait, since I was born Canadian maybe I really look like a Canadian?
It's hard to tell an American in Canada but it's much easier abroad. Most American regional accents don't sound Canadian, only American Standard sounds like it could be from Canada, traditional New England, Midwestern, Californian etc. accents are recognizable not to mention of course the southern ones. And I find there are certain types of body language, manners of speaking, and other things that are typical of those who've grown up in parts of the United States. It's a bunch of things, but one can usually tell an American if you meet one in, say, Amsterdam.
Uh ... and how does one tell who is an American tourist? I'm sure there's a good number of 19-20 year olds who come to Canada for the obvious reason (drinking age) and cause a ruckus. But even then how would you know if they are American or Canadian? I have travelled to Canada many times and the only way people know I am American is if I tell them. I mean, its not as if I have a big Texas accent and an American flag bandana.
Oh, wait, since I was born Canadian maybe I really look like a Canadian?
I think demeanor and familiarity is the telling point with tourists from other countries. You say you're Canadian born but did you live in Canada a long time before moving to USA or did you move to USA as a very young child? When you travel to Canada now, do you demonstrate that you're knowledgeable about Canada or do you ask a lot of questions? Here on the board, without me knowing where you actually live I might have considered you to be a long time Canadian resident because in past posts you've demonstrated you're quite knowledgeable, understanding and fairly non-judgemental about Canada.
What I'm getting at is you can generally tell where visitors come from by their overall manner and the kinds of comments they make and the questions they ask. I have a hard time determining where people come from based on their accents or appearance. Based on their accents I would not know a Texan from a Tennesseean, an Australian from a South African, a German from a Pole or a Mexican from an Argentinian because to my ear there are too many similarities in their accents. However, their mannerisms and the kinds of conversations they get into, their knowledge they demonstrate and the type of questions they ask, and the comments, criticisms or complaints they make will give me a better idea of where they come from. Americans have a tendency to make comparisons between Canada and USA and often make personal comments about other people, whereas visitors from other countries don't do that so much.
Maybe its not that we Canadians are so reserved but by comparing us to the current American penchant for hysteria over just about everything we Canadians appear by comparison to be rather slow and reserved.
A matter of perspective perhaps..
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