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I already knew a lot about Canada before seeing this film. But honestly, I was surprised to learn about this Canadian attitude of "we're the tag-along, insecure little brother of big-brother America" portrayed in this film. I guess I assumed that Canadians were probably as ambivalent about Americans as we were about them, but each feeling equal to the other. Two nations peacefully living side-by-side, each being acknowledged by the other when it was relevant, and each being a very nice place to visit or live.
I have never expected ANY nation to know the particulars of American history, it's people, or its culture. If someone wants to learn, then fine, be our guest! Until recently, most visitors or those wishing to emigrate, have been welcomed with open arms inside American borders. Admittedly, it's grown dark the last four years with the current (and almost past-YEA!) administration cultivating suspicion, distrust, and near-hatred for some groups, attempting to prevent their entrance. Its very sad, but this has not been the norm throughout America's history. Indeed, it's been just the opposite. Both Canadian and American nations came into existence due of the courage, hard work, and fierce determination of emigrants coming from all over the world, seeking to improve and enrich their lots in life. Pretty amazing phenomenon when you think about it, and I'm proud to have been born from such stock.
For Americans, our neighbors to the north have always been regarded with nothing but good will, equality, and a genuine feeling of affinity & camaraderie. At least that's what I've perceived my entire life. I've never known or heard of any American harboring ill-will against Canadians. Just because Americans (not all) may be blissfully ignorant about Canada as a whole, does nothing to degrade that positive emotion and trust.
I, for one, never thought Canada was a land of permanent ice, or that people lived in igloos, or that bears roamed the streets of its towns, or that everyone lived in either Toronto or Vancouver on nothing but maple syrup and poutine. That whole premise is just silly. I considered Canadians, by and large, as living very similar lives to Americans.
But that's just me (and everyone else I know)...
I'm glad it is just you, because I see that very differently. If everyone you know fits that bill, then you must be living in a vacuum. The past 4 years has seen an administration that is tired of seeing America carry the load for everyone else, including other prosperous countries. They rightfully expected others to start carrying their fair share of the defense burden, and they also expected fair treatment in international trade, no apologies offered. Like administrations in every other country, it represented it's people first and foremost. It was not the President of Canada. Justin has that role. He is respected for doing the very same for his country.
Canadians do live similarly to Americans, but there are cultural differences. After all, they have been different countries for more than 2 1/2 centuries. The roots are the same, but the development, especially politically and culturally, has been very different. From the perspective of this particular American, and like you, this is just me, the primary identification in being Canadian is trying to make a case for not being American, even though they have adopted nearly every attribute of our culture (politics excepted).
European countries are very interconnected. They’ve gone through so much history together, that the level of cross pollination between them is fairly extensive. By comparison, someone living in Kansas or Nebraska is quite isolated from the rest of the world.
During the lifetime of the last generation (those dying in their 90s today), Canada was closely connected to European countries. Ukrainian jokes were the thing in Alberta until the early 1970s. Ukranian was replaced with another ethnic group until it became politically incorrect to recognize cultural similarities - it was labeled (e.g.: racism).
Many Germans and Dutch immigrated to Canada after WW2 due to fear of Russian communism and German nationalism. That's why some Canadians pay more attention to countries other than the USA first - history. That doesn't mean that Canadians take their eye off the ball. China, Russia, USA - always in turmoil threatening Australia, Ukraine, EU & Canada.
It's nothing unusual for the USA to yell hey, you know all about me because I'm so important, but I know nothing about you. If I pay attention to you, you should feel honoured. The USA is always yelling about something selfish.
There's a joke about the Germans, Italians and French ... today is it racist, derogatory, or stereotyping to put words to a statement about cultural group similarities?
The USA is a country with political upheaval, social unrest, admitted deception, economic aggression and big bombs. What else should people from other countries know about the USA? Canada is not like the USA and does not want to be like the USA aside from a small gang of mentally ill people in Manitoba.
Canadians only know what the rest of the world knows about the USA, which is different from what people in the USA know since USA news is fake - according to the outgoing president.
I'm glad it is just you, because I see that very differently. If everyone you know fits that bill, then you must be living in a vacuum. The past 4 years has seen an administration that is tired of seeing America carry the load for everyone else, including other prosperous countries. They rightfully expected others to start carrying their fair share of the defense burden, and they also expected fair treatment in international trade, no apologies offered. Like administrations in every other country, it represented it's people first and foremost. It was not the President of Canada. Justin has that role. He is respected for doing the very same for his country.
Canadians do live similarly to Americans, but there are cultural differences. After all, they have been different countries for more than 2 1/2 centuries. The roots are the same, but the development, especially politically and culturally, has been very different. From the perspective of this particular American, and like you, this is just me, the primary identification in being Canadian is trying to make a case for not being American, even though they have adopted nearly every attribute of our culture (politics excepted).
The G7 defence burden is significantly lightened when not chasing imaginary weapons of mass destruction. If one country is stirring up international trouble, and by definition the allies must join, then defence expenses skyrocket. Maybe the guy who started the trouble ought to pay a wee bit more. Guarding the Ukraine from a hostile takeover should be in a different category than cost for waging war. Apparently the USA does not see protecting territory as different from take-overs.
Canadians do not live similarly to people in the USA. Canadians replace fashion every 3 months, different clothes for every season and no one wears last season. USA roots have a much higher influx of Mexico and Africa than Canada.
The primary case for people from other countries not being like people from the USA is nationality, culture and ideology. Commonwealth Nations are not like the USA particularly regarding values. The only people in Canada who are imitating USA mob-think are a small group of people in a small town who appear to be somewhat intellectually compromised.
To answer your implicit question, I only google when I want information I don't know offhand.
If you ask me or most Americans who Canada's first PM's were they would know it was Macdonald followed by Mackenzie followed by Macdonald. I didn't know that until I recently read Pierre Berton's The Impossible Railway. I venture to guess that most Americans know that from childhood, as well as American Presidents and Canadian Prime Ministers in order. I first learned about Pierre Trudeau when I read Trudeau; Son of Quebec, Father of Canada. I first learned about Brian Mulroney by reading On the Take.
That was hilarious. I can't believe that people are dumb enough to think southern Alberta has igloos.
You are mistaken. If someone asked me about the first Prime Minister of Canada, I might say Laurier. It sounds like remembering the names of former presidents is something that is taught in school in the USA. Remembering Prime Minister names is not taught in Canadian schools.
The USA is just another foreign country when it comes to Canadians - one that is not appealing today.
I wouldn't be too quick to dismiss snow forts in Alberta.
It's nothing unusual for the USA to yell hey, you know all about me because I'm so important, but I know nothing about you. If I pay attention to you, you should feel honoured. The USA is always yelling about something selfish.
You can blame foreigners for why the US is so important on the global stage. What happened earlier this year with BLM? Why did protests follow in all developed countries. It’s interesting how the death of an unarmed black person in France or the UK didn’t cause any global reactions. It should have been renamed Black American Lives Mater, because apparently they are far more important than those of other countries.
That’s another classic example of foreigners promoting American exceptionalism, yet being too dumb to realise it.
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The USA is a country with political upheaval, social unrest, admitted deception, economic aggression and big bombs. What else should people from other countries know about the USA? Canada is not like the USA and does not want to be like the USA aside from a small gang of mentally ill people in Manitoba.
The US is a superpower. Therefore it must undertake all necessary steps in order to maintain the status quo. Comparing it to Canada makes little sense in the political domain as they operate on two entirely different levels.
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Canadians only know what the rest of the world knows about the USA, which is different from what people in the USA know since USA news is fake - according to the outgoing president.
Canadians tend to know a lot more as we are right next to the giant and get tons of coverage of it.
European countries are very interconnected. They’ve gone through so much history together, that the level of cross pollination between them is fairly extensive. By comparison, someone living in Kansas or Nebraska is quite isolated from the rest of the world.
Someone in Kansas or Nebraska will find Colorado, Oklahoma, Missouri, etc. more relevant as they are neighboring states. This would be the equivalent of The Netherlands learning about Belgium and Germany.
You realize that map has a huge error on it, right?
It doesn't matter, it's a minor thing, not a huge error, and more to the point I think it was done intentionally by whoever created that map. If the correct one for that time period had been used on the map most people today - including nearly all CD forum members and all Americans - wouldn't have a clue what they're looking at and they couldn't care less either. The one that is displayed, even though for wrong time period, is still correctly representative as intended and it's something that is so distinctive it's recognized now by EVERYBODY in the world today, as intended. It jumps out and smacks people in the face so there is no way to mistake it for anything else on the planet.
And please educate me as to the error. Is it the Mapleleaf flag which didn't come into play until either 1963 or 1964 (again my appalling ignorance about Canada) as opposed to the ensign?
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