Aladdin Sane

Canada: People good. Government bad.

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Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.

canuckguy

I love the concept of these threads, but when it comes down to certain subjects it can turn ugly quick......anyway I am glad to see the diverse answers to the question. Good or bad, its always nice to hear what other people think. I would still though, like to take this chance to apologies for something.




Every year during the winter months my grandparents DRIVE to there winter home in florida. I do apologies to any who may enounter them on the highway doing 30mph. Or stopped by the side of the road, letting the snake drain as my grandfather says. And when you happened to get behind them inline and they talk for 15 minutes to you about there grandchild. Again i am sorry.


I invite everyone over to my place from some episodes of the BeachCombers and some Moosehead beer. Afterward we can play some road hockey!

maleficent

Awwww - that was you nekkid on the bearskin rug? you were such a cute baby... I think I've met your grandparents a few times.... even changed a tire for them once (you reall should tell them to get AAA)

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Grasshopper Green

Honestly, I don't really have an opinion about Canada, which I think is probably typical of many Americans. I've never been there, never met a native (I've only talked to people online from Canada), and honestly know little about the country. The only thing I really can say about Canada is that they gave a very beautiful memorial service after 9/11....I watched it on TV and was very impressed and honored, as an American.

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"They say that patriotism is the last refuge to which a scoundrel clings; steal a little and they throw you in jail, steal a lot and they make you king"

Formerly Medusa

Charlatan

Touche.........

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"My hands are on fire. Hands are on fire. Ain't got no more time for all you charlatans and liars."
- Old Man Luedecke

Glava

I think there's a good chance that your professor came to the United States so he wouldn't have to pay as much taxes, considering that his professorship places him in a relatively high income bracket.

My perception of Canada? The US with nicer people, less crime, and a better government. I'd be afraid to visit for fear that I'd want to stay.

My tax-shrunken paycheck would definitely piss me off, though.

Tophat665

Canada is what America should want to be when it grows up.

If it weren't so goddamn cold in the winters (It has to be colder than Connecticut, and that is way too cold for me), I would be figuring out how to emigrate. (BC keeps looking better every year, though.)

It seems to me that all of the dawsigs, moosenoses, and uncle phonys in Canada are in Alberta, where they can be safely ignored.

Finally, Flyman is Canadian. That's good enough for me.

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Light a man a fire, and he will be warm while it burns.
Set a man on fire, and he will be warm for the rest of his life.

alansmithee

I don't really see the cultural diversification at all. And I seriously doubt anyone envys your healthcare.

As for more general opinion, I consider Canada a second or third-tier player on the world stage. I see what influence they do have being mainly due to their proximity to the US. They seem to be what mainland European countries would be like if Europe were to lose their desire to be involved in world affairs. So in terms of world affairs, I don't think of them much whatsoever. Windsor seems more American than Canadian, Toronto is a great city, the rest is kinda ehh. People seem decent, a little more backwater than what I usually deal with (excepting Toronto). Although I haven't been into western canada, and almost all my experience comes from heading east through Ontario and Quebec.

la petite moi

Frankly, I don't know much about Canada- other than there are French-speakers (always a good thing)...oh, and they are talked about on South Park. :shrug:

Aladdin Sane

Ben, you obviously think Canada is just this side of heaven--and that's perfectly okay. Love of country is a healthy thing.
But, Ben, the fact remains that most people around the world hardly share your enthusiasm for all things Canadian. In fact, I'd bet you a dollar (U.S. please) that if they know anything about your country at all it's that Canada is the cold place inhabited by people who are so strikingly like Americans it is hard to tell them apart.

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Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.

powerclown

I live right on the border and have been to Canada many times (2 words: Exchange. Rate.). 99% of the Canadians I've met were laid back, friendly people. And good manners, too. Even the homeless are polite in Canada. Having lunch in Montreal years ago, an elderly street lady flashed her dirty, saggy boobies right outside the window not 2 feet away. Pressed them right onto the glass. Big city fun!

Once upon a time, I went to hockey school in Montreal, stayed with a hockey exchange family in Toronto, had the best Chinese food dinner of my life in Toronto, stayed in a very, very fancy hotel in Quebec City, gone to multiple Canadian Grands Prix, Toronto Science Center, Niagara Falls, on and on. Both Toronto and Montreal have superb subway systems. I hope to be able to explore the Western, mountainous half of the country in the near future.

Speaking from a tourist POV, I love Canada.

tspikes51

I think of Canada often as a teenage kid. They aren't surer of who they are, but they try and emulate the fastest-growing trend (which in this case is Continental Europe). Most of the culture seems to be like the US, but in most other respects seems to be like Europe (i.e. the centralized healthcare). I've only been to Canada once, and seeing as I was only eight, I can only comment on its beauty, which it has plenty of.

And I hate to threadjack, but:
Yes, it is my money, being socially responsible is a choice in a true capatalist society. You give to those who are in need, and if you don't then you probably won't be well liked. Of course, in socialist society, you have a choice too, but if you choose not to be socially responsible, the punishment is much more severe.

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"I'm telling you, we need to get rid of a few people or a million."
-Maddox

Aladdin Sane

Is Charlatan the only one paying attention?

:O)

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Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.

noodle

Canadians. Hee Hee... I live in Florida. My lifetime experience with people from the Great White North?

--Frequently lobsterfied on the front, still frozen on the back.
--Shopping carts full of vinegar, yogurt, baking soda, oatmeal... and aloe. Notably absent? Sunscreen.
--Teva and Birkenstock Gurus. And those gym shorts from 1972. Green ones. With the white piping.
--Maybe just my dad's family, but they washed the plastic plates, utensils, and cups from get-togethers and hauled them in the trunk all of the way back to Ft. St. John every year. I have 82 cousins. That's a lot of forks.
--Really, really annoying quarters. Get your own designs, man. The washing machines won't take them and I have to search through 10 coins to figure out which is the wrong one.

Great sense of humor, occasionally good musicians (take Celine back!) and actors (that 90210 guy, too!), slow drivers, endless entertainment for the sarcastically-inclined. All in all... pretty cool people.

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noodle

Wait! I just got it. Nice.

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bad jane

as a country, i don't really give canada much thought. i hate to say they are insignificant, because that just comes off so rude. but their impact on the world as a country just isn't as pronounced as many others.

i think their healthcare system stinks in practice but can appreciate the theory behind it. i'm hardly one of the wealthy, but i much prefer the system we use in the states. canada is beautiful in many places--but i can say the same of the states (and while i don't have experience, i'm pretty sure every country has its own beauty to offer).

as for the people there, i don't notice a difference between them and us to be honest. i've met nice canadians and i've met some real jerks--same with my own countrymen.

majik_6

I tend to get up north fairly often (I've been to Montreal 4-5 times this year, with two more trips planned), so I figured I'd try to give my opinion. It's very hard for me to make comparisons, since I'd be comparing (mostly) my part of the US (rural southern towns) with Montreal (large city with a diverse population), but here goes:

I find that Canda does tend to be a little full of itself, especially when talking to/about Americans. However, they often have good reasons to do so.

The health care isn't exactly the quickest or most personally attentive, but then again, I'm from a town where the doctor not only knows you name, he asks how your mother, father, and grandfather are, and says how sorry he is about your grandmother and uncle. They know you personally. It's hard not to in a town of 4,000. Having been without healthcare before, I definitely respect the ability for anyone to get what they need done without going bankrupt. However, when I was up there one time, ophelia and I went to see one of her friends in ER and they had her on a gurney in the middle of a giant room with everyone else that was staying over that night. Here, when you're sick, you get a private (or at least semi private) room.

I find that the culture tends to be quite diverse, at least in Montreal.

As for politics, I tend to agree with the overall liberal and accepting mindset, but tend to find myself disagreeing with some specific policies.

I find that a lot of Canadians tend to poke fun at Americans for being "die hard patriots", yet insist of having everything they own embroidered with maple leaves.

Overall, I love Canada, and honestly, I'll probably end up living there for at least a portion of my life. I don't see it as America Jr. or anything like that, although I do think it's quite like a more liberal brother...maybe America's the brother that's a CEO, right-wing politics, aggressive, capitalist...Canada's the 24 year old grad student in the family, still idealistic, still reading all the banned books, clinging hard to the liberal politics and long ponytail.

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it's all about self-indulgence

cellophanedeity

I can't say anything about Montreal, but you must be kidding about Toronto. It's alright, but most of us find it a pain in the ass.

I don't think we're that much different (people wise) from Americans, at least not until you get to the East Coast. (then they're crazy! I haven't been, but man, are they nuts! Newfies are the only people I know who identify eachother by the shape of their province on the rear window of their car! )

I agree with many of you on your views.

I'd rather be in BC. We have both good people and assholes. Our government is practically useless at times, and the hospital lines are too long. If you like snow or adventure, Canada seems like a good place to be. The boys are cute, but not so much as Canadian chicks. We try so hard to define ourselves against Americans that we look silly sometimes, and we perpetuate our own stereotypes.

All in all, I like Canada. We're screwed up, but we're at least headed in the right direction. If we just warmed up a bit, there'd be no place I'd rather live.

maleficent

...and there's a certain very cute canadian young lady who looked adorable in her maple leaf skivvies

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powerclown

You've never been to NYC, apparently.

jay-g

cellophanedeity

Hey, we like our leaves and beavers here!

Ustwo

About the only way I can tell the difference between Canada and the US besides the money, is that in Canada the roads are a bit worse and every now and then you are forced to see a bit of written French no one pays attention too.

Otherwise the stores are the same, the food is the same, the people dress the same, though I'd say the standard of living is lower. (Guys your 'free' health care costs you more in taxes per-person than I spend on my insurance by far, go go socialism).

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Agents of the enemies who hold office in our own government, who attempt to eliminate our "freedoms" and our "right to know" are posting among us, I fear.....on this very forum. - host

Obama - Know a Man by the friends he keeps.

hrandani

I think he meant it in the sense of the molson commercial, e.g.

I .. AM... CANADIAN!

eribrav

We had trouble choosing for our first trip: Temagami versus Algonquin. We went to Temagami first, figuring we would go to Algonquin the next year. Well, we never made it to Algonquin because the paddling in Temagami is so spectacular, we went back every year. I think you could spend a week there every year and not come close to covering half of it. It's endless.

Willravel

Canada has loads of potential on the whole, a few really good writers, some honestly nice people, and the kind of snowy weather that'd make a polar bear shiver - and I love cold weather. And I think Michael Moore has a cruch on you (but you didn't hear it from me).

feelgood

God, I love that commerial, it gets me all riled up inside

William Shatner? He's Canadian, what more do you need to know?

You can still get a private or semi private room up in Canada. I had the option to get that when I had my surgery few months ago. Granted, the wait period sucks.

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Looking out the window, that's an act of war. Staring at my shoes, that's an act of war. Committing an act of war? Oh you better believe that's an act of war

eotlemac

um....unless you are a super conformist drone......i think it matters very little what country you are from....

Aladdin Sane

Canada’s first aircraft carrier, the HMCS Jean Chrétien.

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Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.

feelgood

Canada's had a carrier before

Plus, will it be tilted?

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Looking out the window, that's an act of war. Staring at my shoes, that's an act of war. Committing an act of war? Oh you better believe that's an act of war

sadistikdreams

That'd be so rad, but then there'd be 2 Vancouvers.

And GODDAMNIT MAN, I FUCKING LOVE CANADA.

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"Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is the noble art of leaving things undone.
The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of non-essentials."
-Lin Yutang

hearts, by d.a.

Fly

don't forget the maple syrup eh........

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BASTARD

SterlingStudios

ruggerp11

Canada?

Robin Williams described it as "a loft apartment above a great party"

My personal view of Canada?

Amazing place. Gets a bad rap sometimes from American's, but personally I love it. I don't have experience with much of canada, but I do have some.

My girlfriend is Canadian. It's cute when she says Eh? Shes beautiful (a lot of canadian women are) very kind (ditto) and intelligent (yep). When I've visited her I got to meet some of her friends and other people from Montreal. They were all very nice (one girl apologized to me for adressing me in her first language, french, because I don't speak it and didn't understand what she asked). There are exceptions, of course, but I view Canada having a lot of qualities that I would like to think MN has.

Its effing freezing but I've lived my whole life in either Fairbanks, AK or Minneapolis, MN it doesn't bother me.

I go to Winnipeg for a rugby tournament every year to much success. A shit tonne of fun and nice people

The company I work for is based in Vancouver (I'm very excited to visit!!!) and they are a pleasure to work with.

I may even be moving to Montreal next year, and to be honest I'm very excited!!

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Patriotism means being loyal to your country all the time and to its government when it deserves it.
--Mark Twain
Do What makes you happy
--Me
BUT!
"Happiness is the absence of the striving for happiness" - Chuang-Tzu

Elphaba

Hey, no problem. North and South Vancouver's. Better yet, we become one nation away from the Cali's. Let Oregon deal them bastages.

Gary_the_Rat

I honestly haven't ever paid too much attention.

Just know you say "eh" a lot or something.

Bill O'Rights

What'd I miss?

Canada? Canada's cool. The metric system blows my mind...but what're ya gonna do? I remember crossing the border into Manitoba, seeing a speed limit sign marked 100, and thinking...Awesome! Then thinking...Wait a minute, looked at the little orange numbers underneath the big white ones, on my speedometer, and going...Shit!

Canadians? Like anyplace else, you get the really cool and friendly ones, and you get your foul and ill tempered ones. To this day I want to know just what I did to piss off what appeared to be a very nice lady that ran an antique shop in Winnipeg. At least I assume that I pissed her off. Why the hell else would she have recommended "Foody Goody" to me. By the way...if you're ever in Winnipeg...and you feel like having Chinese...stay the hell away from Foody Goody.

I think that Canada keeps a "low profile". They don't piss anybody off. They mind their own damn business, and tend to be pretty laid back. Overall...I'd say that Canada is just about as good a next door neighbor as you're likely to find.

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"I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do because I notice it always coincides with their own desires." - Susan B. Anthony

"Hedonism with rules isn't hedonism at all, it's the Republican party." - JumpinJesus

It is indisputable that true beauty lies within...but a nice rack sure doesn't hurt.

Charlatan

Try living in Canada where we get BOTH versions of the ads. Degiorno on the US TV leaking accross the border and our own... we often have that, "something isn't quite right" feeling and then just realize we are watching a US feed (TBS or Spike come to mind).

My favourite non-TV example of this is Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone vs. the Philospher's Stone. Apparently the US publisher condescendingly decided to "dumb down" Philosopher's Stone to Sorcerer's Stone.

Up Talking. This is a recent trend amongs the younger generations. It serves the same purpose as "huh?", "eh?" or the brits "isn't it?". Except the question is implied rather than asked. The question implies complicity in the listener with the statement.

This is a relatively recent trend (last 10 to 15 years?). Our patriotism, traditionally has always been a bit more understated. This is changing in part because of the "I AM CANADIAN" commercial. It seemed to have triggered a dormant patriotism or maybe it just fed on a growing zietgeist. Regardless, Canadians have become much more fervent about their patriotism. I'm not sure I like it.

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"My hands are on fire. Hands are on fire. Ain't got no more time for all you charlatans and liars."
- Old Man Luedecke

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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Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.

Charlatan

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).

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"My hands are on fire. Hands are on fire. Ain't got no more time for all you charlatans and liars."
- Old Man Luedecke

eotlemac

i think its bs...that my post got edited.....it was an blatant joke....

im having trouble not being really annoyed