perhaps some introductions are in order
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
One of the things that isn't so great about meeting people from all over the world via either my blog or those of others, is that as soon as I tell a person from anywhere outside North America that I am from Canada, the association that almost invariably occurs within that person is that Canada = North America = United States. And if that person is American, a whole litany of ridiculous preconceptions about Canadians enters the picture.
What follows then is what I send to people that either don't know anything about Canadians, or think they do know because of interaction with (or because they are) Americans. It's from an old beer commercial that did a pretty fair job of distinguishing some of the highlights about being Canadian. Don't get me wrong; I like Americans. I have some great friends from the US. Wow, that sounds just like 'Some of my best friends are insert racial/religious/sexual minority here..' It is just that I am proud of the differences between our cultures. In large part, those differences define us.
Look for the video link of this message after the jump:
Hey, I'm not a lumberjack, or a fur trader....I am Canadian video (a la Youtube)
I don't live in an igloo or eat blubber, or own a dogsled....
and I don't know Jimmy, Sally or Suzy from Canada,
although I'm certain they're really really nice.
I have a Prime Minister, not a president.
I speak English and French, not American.
And I pronounce it 'about', not 'a boot'.
I can proudly sew my country's flag on my backpack.
I believe in peace keeping, not policing,
diversity, not assimilation,
and that the beaver is a truly proud and noble animal.
A toque is a hat, a chesterfield is a couch,
and it is pronounced 'zed' not 'zee', 'zed' !!!!
Canada is the second largest landmass!
The first nation of hockey!
and the best part of North America
My name isJoenot Joe!!
And I am Canadian!!!
Labels: everything else, narcissism
posted by raistlinsghost at 8/29/2006 01:46:00 PM
3 Comments:
I love that commercial. Your post reminds me of when I worked for a answering service in Winnipeg and I had to deal with American callers wanting information about a fly in fishing lodge. I swear that these people were serious when they were asking me things like "Does your husband hunt polar bears" "Do you drive sleds?" "Do I have to bring my own utensils?" "What time do they turn on the northern lights".
People are funny.
As long as you can tell the difference between New Zealanders and Australians I'm happy to tell the differences between Canadians and Americans ;-)
jennifer: People are funny. I watched a bit on Rick Mercer's Talking to Americans where he went to the campus of Harvard university and asked questions similar to the ones you mentioned. The scary thing is that they took the questions seriously. As in, "Yes I do support Grand Nagis Chretien in his weekly Toronto Polar Bear Hunt".
iiq: To be honest, I don't ever lump Kiwis in with Aussies (see, I know there's a difference!)
I've always thought that New Zealanders are very similar to Canadians: Liberal government, strong economy, peacekeeping, polite to the point of 'doormatism' (its a word if I say it is).
I really couldn't say too much about Aussies or the difference between them and Kiwis. I do know that we have them to thank for 'Men at Work', Fosters, and The Crocodile Hunter.
I'd like to hear what the differences really are from someone in the know.
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