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I would have to disagree with most of the American generalizations.
Please see the second sentence of my post where I wrote "all generalizations and probably apply to only a small number of people".
However, it doesn't surprise me someone from Colorado would want to come to Canada. I went through grad school in Colorado and now live in Alberta. Both places are very similar in my perception.
I like living in Canada. I am here for work and plan to stay for many years. With that said, aside from fishing or hunting, I can't think of any reason to visit Canada.
With that said, aside from fishing or hunting, I can't think of any reason to visit Canada.
I think the issue here is that most Americans simply don't know enough about Canada to know why they'd want to visit.
Things like hiking through the old growth temperate rainforests on Vancouver Island, going skiing in Whistler, tasting the best Hong Kong style dim sum or shopping at mega Asian shopping malls in Vancouver, attending the Calgary Stampede, going wine tasting in the semi-arid Okanagan Valley, going whale watching for orcas in the Gulf Islands, discovering the indigenous cultures of the Haida on the Queen Charlotte islands, experiencing the nightlife and Quebecois culture in Montreal or the history of 400 year old Quebec City...
... never seem to come into the equation when discussing reasons for visiting Canada because they don't go along with the Canadian stereotypes Americans generally have of Canada. And that most Americans simply don't know what there is in Canada and therefore don't see it as a place they'd want to visit. Your sentence above kind of proves my point.
But I don't really buy the argument that "Americans have no reason to visit Canada". The same can also be said of Canadians visiting the USA. There's no real reason why Canadians visit the USA. They don't have to, but they do. And I think the major reason they do is that they already know what exists there and they know it offers some things that they can't necessarily experience or see in Canada. And likewise, there are many things you can experience in Canada that you can't experience in the USA...
... but most Americans fail to recognize them because they simply don't know about them.
Oh well, ignorance is bliss!
Last edited by Robynator; 02-15-2008 at 04:06 PM..
However, very few significant events happen up here. Since there is little reason for an American to visit Canada, there is really no need to keep up with Canadian currency values, politics, or anything else.
Heck ya. Why worry about your largest trading partner, the source of 65% of your imported natural gas, the second largest oil reserves on the planet, and half of your fresh water. They aren't really important anyways.
I lived in the US for close to 2 years and met many wonderful Americans. I loved my job and my colleagues and made some close friendships that will last for a lifetime. I moved back to Canada because I found a better job in my field.
Sure, some of them teased me because of my "accent" but I just teased them back with regard to theirs. I knew they weren't being insulting. They were just trying to connect with me.
I did live in a border state and I believe that people in these states are a lot more knowledgeable and aware of Canada. It makes sense that people in the South would be less likely to know anything about Canada. I mean, I live in Ontario and I can't say that I really know much about what really goes on in Saskatchewan.
Overall, I believe that most of the Canadians that have anti-American sentiments are not targeting it at individuals, rather it is targeted at government and policies (esp. foreign policy).
I do think that the Cdn media (such as the CBC) really encourages Canadians to think about themselves in relation to the US and sometimes they go overboard. Maybe if they stopped making comparisons, Canadians would stop worrying about how they stand next to the US. The US media doesn't do it.
There's no real reason why Canadians visit the USA. They don't have to, but they do. And I think the major reason they do is that they already know what exists there and they know it offers some things that they can't necessarily experience or see in Canada. And likewise, there are many things you can experience in Canada that you can't experience in the USA...
I think many Canadians have three great reasons to visit the US...
Weather, weather, and weather.
Thinking back over the past couple of months, I have had a number of employees take vacations in the US. Two went to Palm Springs to golf, one to Vegas, one to Disney World, and one to Hawaii. All of these were driven by weather (okay, maybe not the Disney trip but I doubt she would have went if it was cold there).
I honestly can't think of many things that a wide range of people enjoy that are unique to Canada and cannot be found in the US. There are certainly valueable and interesting things to do and see in just about every major city in the world. People that like to ski could find amazing slopes in Canada, Swizerland, or Austria. It doesn't make an American ignorant if they are content with domestic locales like Vail, Aspen, or Breckenridge. There are great vineyards in a number of countries, but you can't blame someone that is happy travelling to Napa California.
Don't misread my posts. I have nothing against Canada and enjoy living here. I just see many more people taking trips to the US than trips to other parts of Canada.
Heck ya. Why worry about your largest trading partner, the source of 65% of your imported natural gas, the second largest oil reserves on the planet, and half of your fresh water. They aren't really important anyways.
IMHO, these really aren't all that important to the average consumer. I can see where you suggest people that use these resources should be concerned with the economy of the source country. However, China, Japan, and Mexico are all very significant trade partners (not far behind Canada). I don't think it would be reasonable to expect US consumer to keep up with, or even care, about the politics or exchange rates of all these countries.
If I drive a Japanese car, do I have to know what the Yen trades at today?
I'm an American who hasn't gone to Canada, but would like to! I like visiting large cities and I would love to visit Toronto, Montreal, and Calgary.
There isn't much to see in Calgary but if you make it up here, shoot me a PM and the first round of beer will be on me
I've only been in Calgary for about a year now. Just about every time I have met someone new and tell them I moved here from California, they ask "why would you ever want to move here???"
With that said, lots of people here have encouraged me to visit Montreal. It sounds like an awesome city.
I think many/most Americans like air-conditioning too much.
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