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Certainly there are similarities between English Canadians and Americans especially in terms of style, built form {although Canada is definitely more urban and urbane}, language, accent etc. There is no denying that.
The thing is that people from outside NA often comment on how different Canada "feels" from the US. The people are more relaxed, liberal, far less religious, have a more international world view, are more understated, less boisterous, more egalitarian, less visionary but at the same time more pragmatic, and tend to be far more willing to have the government play a roll in their everyday lives. Canadians very much unlike Americans, do not view things from a moral vantage point. Americans tend to see things as right or wrong, good or bad, winner or losers friend or foe, criminal or just..............Americans tend to see things in absolutes where as Canadians tend to view things as not black or white but rather varying shades of grey.
Many say this is why Canadians are a tad boring compared to Americans because we don't shout or even stand out in a crowd which can make us look like we agree with everything and believe in nothing. Conversely that has helped make a Canada a far more peaceful, tolerant, and egalitarian society.
America's ideals are the classic and lofty goals of Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness while Canada's is a far less visionary and more pragmatic Peace, Order, and Good Government.
In many ways our national animals very much describe our differing viewpoints, values, and lifestyle. The bald eagle is an independent, strong, self sufficient, predator, who reins from on-high looking at the world around him. Canada on the other hand has the beaver.........lives communally, industrious, non-violent, somewhat reclusive, and non-threatening.
I'm quoting myself here only because my comment seems to have struck a chord but helps those who don't feel like reading the last 10 pages.
Am I biased?.........of course. That said my intent was not meant to be any form of slander against our American friends.
Americans are far more willing to take leadership roles {whether for good or ill} than Canadians. In concert with this they also have a strong entrepreneurial spirit that Canadians will never have. Americans also tend to take responsibility for their actions whereas Canadians will blame the government for their short comings.
Americans will shout out in the crowd their beliefs where as trying to get a view out of a Canadian is like going to the UN. We act like a bunch of diplomats never really saying what we feel in case we hurt someone's feelings. As the old joke goes.............why did the Canadian cross the road?..to get to the middle.
American culture is a passionate one where Canada's is far more pragmatic and far less lofty. You may not agree with what the US stands for or what it tells the world but at least with the US you know where they stand.
Americans are like the Lone Ranger..........they have a vision of what they want and take the idea by the balls and run with it. Canadians are like the bureaucrats who, after seeing someone else's vision, will study it endlessly, way the pros and cons, engage "stake holders" and carry out the vision but making sure that all the regulations are in place first and make sure that their Lone Ranger needed assistants are hired by a point system where the diversity of the Lone Ranger's domain is represented in the hiring process while always making sure that the Lone Ranger' vision abides by the local zoning bylaws.
Its a well accepted fact with everyone i know that Russia and Canada are the largest countries in the world... i used to actually think Canada was bigger than it really was.
I only learned recently that Canada and America are roughly the same size, i used to think Canada was almost twice the size of America.
Then you've proved my point about people not knowing the actual size of Canada.
I'm quoting myself here only because my comment seems to have struck a chord but helps those who don't feel like reading the last 10 pages.
Am I biased?.........of course. That said my intent was not meant to be any form of slander against our American friends.
Americans are far more willing to take leadership roles {whether for good or ill} than Canadians. In concert with this they also have a strong entrepreneurial spirit that Canadians will never have. Americans also tend to take responsibility for their actions whereas Canadians will blame the government for their short comings.
Americans will shout out in the crowd their beliefs where as trying to get a view out of a Canadian is like going to the UN. We act like a bunch of diplomats never really saying what we feel in case we hurt someone's feelings. As the old joke goes.............why did the Canadian cross the road?..to get to the middle.
American culture is a passionate one where Canada's is far more pragmatic and far less lofty. You may not agree with what the US stands for or what it tells the world but at least with the US you know where they stand.
Americans are like the Lone Ranger..........they have a vision of what they want and take the idea by the balls and run with it. Canadians are like the bureaucrats who, after seeing someone else's vision, will study it endlessly, way the pros and cons, engage "stake holders" and carry out the vision but making sure that all the regulations are in place first and make sure that their Lone Ranger needed assistants are hired by a point system where the diversity of the Lone Ranger's domain is represented in the hiring process while always making sure that the Lone Ranger' vision abides by the local zoning bylaws.
Don't sweat the criticism mooguy.
Obviously we are all individuals and, sure, there are sexually-repressed Brazilians somewhere out there, but it's also true that certain groups of people have certain behaviour and character types more represented within them than others.
Modern society has become so individualistic that everyone has come to believe they are "special" and immune to any influencing from the group/nation/people they are a part of.
That's usually far less true than each of us like to think about ourselves.
Obviously we are all individuals and, sure, there are sexually-repressed Brazilians somewhere out there, but it's also true that certain groups of people have certain behaviour and character types more represented within them than others.
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You simply can't deny it! My partner as you know from Venezuela calls me an Ice Queen and i'm far less of an Ice Queen than soo many of my colleagues (fellow born and raised been here for a few generations Canadians) but yeah, the influences are still there and he would laugh if someone stated that Canadians weren't a more reserved bunch than pretty much any Latin American country. Point being the environment we live in be it from childhood to adulthood in one's family, community and yes nation will influence behaviour and perception growing up.. Its not the whole story of every individual but its an undeniable part.
I have been to Canada and while it is almost a copycat of America there are distinct differences. Ireland is a copycat of the UK and whether they like it or not basically controlled by the UK.
If the UK goes down Ireland is going down too.
The UK and Ireland, in the Western World
Technically, Irish and British (UK) citizenships are the same within the British Isles, both countries conform the Common Travel Area, with even less restrictions for their citizens in an already permissive area of free movement of peoples, the European Union.
The Irish have Euros, the Brits, Pounds. But the UK has Celtic and Germanic peoples other than English (Scottish, Northern Irish, Welsh, Cornish, Ulster Scots, Shetland Scots, etc, Manx and Channel Islanders with UK citizenship) so if Ireland, a country of 4-5 M people joins the UK, it wouldn't be odd.
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