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Originally Posted by Aladdin Sane
This is not quite right, eh. As long as I've known Canadians, they've been a patriotic bunch. I've spent time among them on and off over the years. My first encounter with large numbers of Cannucks was back in 1980. In Europe. Maple leaves everywhere. Canada this and Canada that. Lots of talk about how wonderful Canada is. If I heard it once I heard it 100 times-- Canada won a battle against the United States in 1812. In 1812 mind you. Seems to be a real inferiority complex more than anything else. They tried to define themselves more by what they are not (Americans) than what they are. They seemed to know, deep down, that there's not any difference between them and most Americans. As Shakespeare wrote, Methinks you protest too loudly...
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While I do think there are differences between Canadians and Americans (most at the political and social level rather than cultural) what you are seeing above (1812, etc.) is just about right. Canadians do have a bit of an inferiority complex when it comes the the US.
We sit on the border of the world's biggest economy and exporter of culture (aggresively so). We know we are different in our bones but have trouble expressing this in the face of movie theatre, radios and televsion prime time brimming with foreign culture. We are their biggest trading partner (not like most notice).
1812 is often raised because tweaking the US's nose is fun. No harm, no foul. We just think it's funny that many in the US don't know about the war of 1812 (we won) and the Fennian Raids shortly thereafter (we won again). For years we have been subjected to American chest thumping and sometimes deflating that chest is fun. Again, don't read too much into... we are a nation of irony and sarcasm (it's Mother's milk).
As for Maple Leaves on everything... you have to realize that isn't always patriotism. Stars and stripes are unmistakably the US flag... sometime a leaf is just a leaf. The Canadian flags on backpacks is so we can be differentiated at a glance from Americans. Don't blame us for the fact that Europeans like us and find Americans obnoxious (rightly or wrongly).