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I had the same experience when I was working as a tour bus guide, in Toronto. It was a double decker ex London Transit bus. The driver sat in a little cabin, up front and I sold tickets, and did the commentary , using a wireless mike, from the second level.
As part of my "introduction " I was required to ask the passengers with kids, to make sure that they stayed in their seats, and did not reach out over the edge of the bus's body, as at a number of places, we came very close to come buildings, and bridges. It was a standard message, that most people understood, and complied with.
However, some Americans thought that it didn't apply to THEIR kids, and I had to remind them about the safety situation. Talk about attitude !
A second ongoing problem.... was the type of American who wanted to talk, at the top of their vocal range, all the way through the 3 hour tour. I would work around the problem, but when some one ELSE went over and told the jerk to shut up...... I smiled.
To pass the time, between trips, I would play a game with my driver , guessing what country a potential passenger was from, based on their clothing and general appearance. The British tended to be pale and over dressed for the hot weather, while the Germans were more stylish and fitter. The Scots were willing to ride "up top " even in a pouring rain storm, as long as they could "have a smoke " .
With a double decker of that vintage, the stairs are "one way only " meaning that two people cannot pass each other, and those wanting to go up stairs , have to wait for those that are coming down the stairs. Most people get it. Some Americans don't want to wait, for anything, and try to push their way through. Lots of fun.
One thing that I did learn, early on.....never tell a German that the bus is leaving in 10 minutes, because at 12 minutes they will be demanding their money back.
BruSan- You offered some really great insight. As an American living in Utah I have been interested in the "Canadian Way of Life" especially in comparison to the "American Way". I must say I wasn't aware of probably 3/4 of the information you posted. Other points you made were opinions/beliefs I had imagined to be true but had no real idea until you explained it.
I personally appreciate many things about Canada and feel Canada's values are more aligned with my own than America's "values". I find Canada to be beautiful (though I've only seen pictures, unfortunately). I find the attitude and behavior of many of my fellow Americans to be an embarrassment.
Something you mentioned that is interesting was in regard to Hollywood/film/movies- I hadn't thought of that before and perhaps it IS because all things American are basically "in your face" that it honestly hadn't crossed my mind that other countries are being left out/disregarded. During Hurricane Sandy I was truly worried for our Canadian neighbors and felt saddened/wondered why there wasn't much mention of how Canada was being affected by the storm. I'm actually surprised to hear that most Canadian news stations would report much of our weather! I think there is a lot that 'us' Americans simply aren't aware of in a similar regard. While some Americans may not think beyond themselves and what we have here, I do.
Thanks again for all the interesting information. (Btw- I've only read page 1 so far so there might be more you've written that I have yet to read) Take care!
When I was 16 or so and working retail near the Halifax waterfront, an American woman came in and bought something using US currency, which we accepted. The change I gave her, however, was Canadian. She looked at it with disgust and snorted, "What the hell am I supposed to do with this?"
I don't dislike Americans at all. I've travelled there a bit and I've found everyone I met to be really friendly and more personable than your average Canadian stranger. The same goes for Americans I meet as tourists here and have met as fellow tourists abroad. A friend lived in South Carolina for a few years, and after moving back home to Edmonton she says she misses how friendly and polite everyone was. I look forward to going to the US again, I have hiking in the Grand Canyon in mind for next year if all goes well.
If I happen to dislike any Americans, it's not because of their nationality.
BruSan- You offered some really great insight. As an American living in Utah I have been interested in the "Canadian Way of Life" especially in comparison to the "American Way". I must say I wasn't aware of probably 3/4 of the information you posted. Other points you made were opinions/beliefs I had imagined to be true but had no real idea until you explained it.
I personally appreciate many things about Canada and feel Canada's values are more aligned with my own than America's "values". I find Canada to be beautiful (though I've only seen pictures, unfortunately). I find the attitude and behavior of many of my fellow Americans to be an embarrassment.
Something you mentioned that is interesting was in regard to Hollywood/film/movies- I hadn't thought of that before and perhaps it IS because all things American are basically "in your face" that it honestly hadn't crossed my mind that other countries are being left out/disregarded. During Hurricane Sandy I was truly worried for our Canadian neighbors and felt saddened/wondered why there wasn't much mention of how Canada was being affected by the storm. I'm actually surprised to hear that most Canadian news stations would report much of our weather! I think there is a lot that 'us' Americans simply aren't aware of in a similar regard. While some Americans may not think beyond themselves and what we have here, I do.
Thanks again for all the interesting information. (Btw- I've only read page 1 so far so there might be more you've written that I have yet to read) Take care!
These types of thread titles are almost guaranteed to bring out the worst commentary imaginable: Start with an inaccurate hypothesis and pose a question based on that quicksand foundation as though it were an immutable fact.
One must strive to maintain a degree of tact which only gets tougher the longer the thread survives as many of the offerings are proferred with that origional "false flag" as their genisis.
Why we focus on this stuff is frankly beyond my understanding. Consider the examples of countries that have fomented world wars (some more than one) and whose citizens are now welcome around that world that was tossed into upheaval by those citizens ancestors, should we behave differently towards them?
Finding character flaws in an individual is undeniably easy but to then attribute what has been perceived as a character flaw which might be betterdescribed as a mere eccentricity to an entire country seems to be the popular norm.
As long as it remains confined to irrelevant musings such as those found on these boards, no harm, no foul.
I agree with everything you mentioned in your post. I'm going to use generalizations to make my point(s) and I realize there are exceptions to this. I could very well be wrong in my observations because I've never been to Canada. That said:
Perhaps this is why I struggle with "Being an American". I do not feel "free" as an American. Sure, it could be worse and I do appreciate certain laws, regulations, etc. to an extent because they can help maintain some order and respect among our people. Oftentimes having these laws pushed upon us causes the opposite- Divide and Disrespect.
I feel as though my "freedom" is being micromanaged by the government, organized religion, individual state laws, and so on... I feel my "live and let live" mentality is more aligned with the majority of Canada.
I feel that Canada is generally more progressive and allows more freedom of thought and choice. It's obnoxious and frustrating how religion and race have to be in the forefront of EVERYTHING in America. I'm sure religion/spirituality are important to people in Canada, however, I doubt there's as much judgement of others' religious beliefs like there is in America. From what I've read Canada appears to be far more accepting of others' race. Perhaps Canada appears more "proper" to some because they don't tend to get in a tizzy every time their personal views are challenged? I see America as being 'full of/thriving on drama' whereas I don't see Canada being that way.
One thing I've noticed in many forums (not just City Data) is that Americans tend to personalize comments and respond in a defensive manner, not wanting to just see things for what they are, acting as though they must defend their position and beat it to death because they have to 'be right'. In my opinion Canadians are more open to discussion, are able to toss ideas back and forth without personalizing or dismissing others' feelings. Canadians seem to be more candid in their conversations and accepting of others views; they don't seem to have the attitude that you must agree with everything they say, and in fact, are willing to learn or hear another's perspective.
I don't get the impression that "power" or "control" are high on their (Canadians) list of importance. In my opinion Americans have the mindset of "Agreeance/ Tolerance= Weakness". I think it's really sad because to me those things equal strength. I KNOW I have my personal opinions which I can proudly state and IT'S OKAY IF NOT EVERYONE AGREES WITH ME. Seems to be a difficult concept for most Americans to comprehend. Or am I imagining this?
We as individuals affect our society and our society affects us as individuals. I believe in freedom of choice and I feel it's equally important to consider the impact our choices will have on others. I don't feel others should be able to regulate my choices for me like they do here in the U.S.- It's ridiculous! I completely agree that we (in America) are individuals forced into tiny little boxes.
On another note- Canada has some beautiful people and great actors
You live in Utah...and your talking about how everything is about religion in america...
If this ban was at the request of the families, why was it removed? It was for purely political reasons. The images of dead soldiers coming home isn't helping you when you are trying to get people to support a war.
Certainly some families supported this form of censorship but not all. Some understood the real reason behind the ban. In fact when our PM in Canada suggested a similar ban there was a huge cry of outrage since people understood exactly the purpose behind such a ban. Also regardless where the request came from isn't it still censorship when one group can over rule the right of a free press?
You seem to believe that censorship does not exist in the U.S. It does. Here's a valiant fight against banned books in the U.S.
To suggest Canada does not have free speech is laughable.
Canada is more socially progressive. Gay marriage across the country since 2005. Gay couples allowed to adopt years before that.
Abortion. Any politician suggesting a re-look at the current laws quickly realized the majority of Canadians do not want to re-open that debate.
Nudity. Yes nudity. Canadians have a more relaxed attitude in general. You see nudity on regular T.V. even on the news if they are doing piece about a nude beach etc.
Yes universal healthcare is considered to be more progressive socially since it affects the entire society. Going back to a system that the U.S. has is considered regressive.
There are plenty of creative Canadians that do not move to the states. Certain occupations have people moving to the states to advance their careers, no doubt, it's a market ten times the size of Canada. However to single out Canada is silly. The same can be said about the U.K. and Australia, look just at the entertainment business, many actors, singers etc go to " Hollywood " because of the market.
I'm not sure why you think that Canada is a " proper " country. If you mean polite, that's the stereotype and people do tend to say please and thank-you a lot.
If you mean straight laced conservative you are dead wrong.
Would the type of country you describe do this?
Conformity is NOT expected in Canada...you seem to be confused with the 1880's or something. What is expected in Canada is to think of society as a whole, not just what in it for me. This sadly has eroded a bit with a new generation of me first type of thinkers.
You have to remeber that canada only has 45 million people so its going to be much easier to get things passed, unlike america in which we have 300 million.
You have to remeber that canada only has 45 million people so its going to be much easier to get things passed, unlike america in which we have 300 million.
Even smaller, we only have about 33 million as of the last census. You Americans probably have states with more people than us.
I'm not familiar with the way the government works in the USA, but the Parliament of Canada is currently dominated by one party, the Conservatives, hence the ease of getting things passed. With minority governments, it is more difficult.
Not every person, but as an overall set of national values as represented in how we govern ourselves, living here 49 years, that's how I think it is. People who defy those values are considered a bit strange, "questioning Murrica." It is alienatingly heartless and ruthless, increasingly ridden with "you can't do this because it's against my religion," and increasingly trips over three-syllable words. We sue way too often. We deride the poor; a lot of us call them 'takers.' We exalt the rich as being, obviously, the best people, because money is good and more money is better. I'm hoping we'll get a world government in my lifetime, so I can be governed by adults.
Couldn't agree with you more!
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I'm going to use generalizations to make my point(s) and I realize there are exceptions to this. I could very well be wrong in my observations because I've never been to Canada. That said:
