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Originally Posted by Janey
In most situations that I have been exposed to such behaviour, it's the end result of a pissing contest. Usually with a group of Americans, or Europeans who insist on lumping us together as the same country. I find it embarrasing to have to do the jump up and chest thumping my self, yet it happens.
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I am engaged to an American, and my grandmother is American. I spend a lot of my time in the U.S., mostly in the SouthEast, and people are shocked when they find out I'm Canadian. Why? Because I don't "talk funny", or walk around continuously talking about Canada, and how it's so different. In fact, when my future BIL imitates me, he uses a British accent. It bothers me when people assume Canadians to be what they see on South Park or SNL, without realizing what major exaggerations are made.
Yes, Canadians are patriotic; we are proud of our peace-keeping army, cattle and lumber industries. The RCMP is equivalent to the FBI, and not all of them ride horses. . We are also the only country in the world which produces Aluminum, and prostitution is legal here (solicitation is not), which many don't know. However, it's a much quieter patriotism then I've witnessed in the States. That could be due to, in my opinion, on the many cultural identities that reside here, such as the Inuit, Acadians, and Metis. Each province is different, both geographically and socially. There's less of a need to "prove" a love for the country here.
However, that doesn't mean that we're so much different than Americans, or that they're so much different then us. Asking what do you really think of Canada or America is like asking someone from Maine what they think about Kentucky; it all depends on how and where you were raised, and what you're used to.