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Canada and Australia (2 of 53 countries) are most similar because they are Commonwealth countries and as such meet certain values and priorities (eg promoting world peace).
USA has not subscribed to Commonwealth values and priorities and are thereby dissimilar to Canada.
Aren't we being a little naïve about "Commonwealth values" here? I mean, countries like Sierra Leone are in the Commonwealth...
Canada and Australia (2 of 53 countries) are most similar because they are Commonwealth countries and as such meet certain values and priorities (eg promoting world peace).
USA has not subscribed to Commonwealth values and priorities and are thereby dissimilar to Canada.
To claim that the Commonwealth represents the value of world peace more then other countries is also a bit blindly ethnocentric. Most reasonable people all over the world want world peace, and there are groups in all countries that don't, or can be scared into supporting policies that don't given the right situation. The Commonwealth countries are not unique in this and the UK has in recent memory invaded Iraq which was in line with American foreign policies so I don't think it's right to say Commonwealth countries are somehow inherently superior morally. That wasn't an isolated incident either, the Commonwealth was born of the British Empire, which was an extremely aggressive and inherently oppressive. Being a moral country takes work and we can never assume we will always act as one, to do so invites complacency.
Canada and Australia (2 of 53 countries) are most similar because they are Commonwealth countries and as such meet certain values and priorities (eg promoting world peace).
USA has not subscribed to Commonwealth values and priorities and are thereby dissimilar to Canada.
Thanks for showing everyone you have no idea what you're talking about. What are "Commonwealth Values"? Like Pakistan's values? The Commonwealth matters so much less than many international groups...
Thanks for showing everyone you have no idea what you're talking about. What are "Commonwealth Values"? Like Pakistan's values? The Commonwealth matters so much less than many international groups...
lol!!!! Thank you, sir.
Look, I can almost guarantee I live in closer proximity to, and interact with, in real life, Americans, than nearly anyone else on this board. While there are of course differences between us, namely political, there are far, FAR more things that make us the same. And "the same" doesn't mean Canadians are simply "Americanized". It means a shared history, from day ONE. A closeness and familiarity between countries and citizens alike, that no other two nations on the face of the Earth can be so lucky to lay claim.
Nothing about being the same in so many much more important ways than politics is anything to get up in arms about, folks.
Are there things that happen that I just shake my head at? Damn right there is. I'm certain the same happens with them about us. Just like when
my brother and I shake our heads when the other does something embarrassing and stupid.
Last edited by Magnatomicflux; 03-22-2016 at 05:36 PM..
Look, I can almost guarantee I live in closer proximity to, and interact with, in real life, Americans, than nearly anyone else on this board. While there are of course differences between us, namely political, there are far, FAR more things that make us the same. And "the same" doesn't mean Canadians are simply "Americanized". It means a shared history, from day ONE. A closeness and familiarity between countries and citizens alike, that no other two nations on the face of the Earth can be so lucky to lay claim.
Nothing about being the same in so many much more important ways than politics is anything to get up in arms about, folks.
Are there things that happen that I just shake my head at? Damn right there is. I'm certain the same happens with them about us. Just like when
my brother and I shake our heads when the other does something embarrassing and stupid.
I thank you too for a post rooted in reality lol! The Commonwealth is easily one of the most insignificant, useless, and meaningless groups of its size around. Of course there are differences, but when looking at it and comparing with other countries around the world, Canada and the US are two of the most similar around and with the quality of life and opportunity available in both places, I wouldn't consider that a bad thing at all.
Look, I can almost guarantee I live in closer proximity to, and interact with, in real life, Americans, than nearly anyone else on this board. While there are of course differences between us, namely political, there are far, FAR more things that make us the same. And "the same" doesn't mean Canadians are simply "Americanized". It means a shared history, from day ONE. A closeness and familiarity between countries and citizens alike, that no other two nations on the face of the Earth can be so lucky to lay claim.
Nothing about being the same in so many much more important ways than politics is anything to get up in arms about, folks.
Are there things that happen that I just shake my head at? Damn right there is. I'm certain the same happens with them about us. Just like when
my brother and I shake our heads when the other does something embarrassing and stupid.
Well now, there's a little bit of logic with a bite.
The two countries share an almost common birthing experience like twins 5 minutes apart with Canada perhaps remaining a frontier longer and only by the happenstance of two kings with different heritage and priorities being of differing governments today.
To what extent we can thank the Bostonians for the King moderating his demands upon the colony to the north, we have no idea.
Back when the border represented nothing more than a hypothetical line in the dirt many of our ancestors traded countries like we visit the relatives for Sunday dinners in another town.
It's been said before and Mag has reaffirmed nicely; it we share far more similarities than we do differences. Remove politicians from the equation, we'd probably find we agree on far more things without the talking heads getting in the way and muddying the waters with their constant divisive chatter.
Granted, I know a good percentage of the visits by Canadians to the US and Americans to Canada are repeat visits by the same people, but over 20 million visits per year from each side of the border visiting the other make our populations VERY familiar with each other in numbers and intensity much more than Canadians are familiar with Australia. And I know that doesn't necessarily make us more similar but it certainly makes us much more knowledgeable about each other.
Look, I can almost guarantee I live in closer proximity to, and interact with, in real life, Americans, than nearly anyone else on this board. While there are of course differences between us, namely political, there are far, FAR more things that make us the same. And "the same" doesn't mean Canadians are simply "Americanized". It means a shared history, from day ONE. A closeness and familiarity between countries and citizens alike, that no other two nations on the face of the Earth can be so lucky to lay claim.
Nothing about being the same in so many much more important ways than politics is anything to get up in arms about, folks.
Are there things that happen that I just shake my head at? Damn right there is. I'm certain the same happens with them about us. Just like when
my brother and I shake our heads when the other does something embarrassing and stupid.
Way too general. I too have direct contact with Americans and Canadians and right away can tell you that the life experience can often be more different than similar in some areas.
There is a huge difference and until you have lived in both countries -- you don't know -- you just don't know.
I thought I'd throw some statistical data into the discussion:
Lifestyle:
Car ownership - vehicles per 1,000 people
US 809
Aus 731
Can 662
Size of new build homes- square meters
US 201
Aus 214
Can 181
Role of government in society
Taxes as a % of GDP
US 26.9
Aus 25.8
Can 32.2
Are all members of the state/province and federal legislatures elected?
US Yes
Aus Yes
Can No
World view - doves or hawks
Percentage of GDP spent on defence
US 3.3
Aus 1.8
Can 0.9
They’re all big, but how crowded?
People per square km
US 32.88
Aus 3.12
Can 3.64
Percentage of population born elsewhere
US 14.3
Aus 27.7
Can 20.7
On certain measures, Quebec sometimes skews the Canadian numbers given it's close to a quarter of the population. When Quebec is not included, the picture is sometimes a bit different. Not for everything, but for a number of things.
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