Brad, you’re right! This is common when a smaller nation is neighboor to a bigger one. Belgium and France is another good example of inferiority complex.
I’m not attributing the inferiority complex on an individual level. it’s more like a national malaise.
Moe
A Newfie is anyone born in Newfoundland, Canada. For thos who don’t know Newfoundland is the most eastly province of Canada.
There is also a tradition that anyone from the mainland can be “Screeched In” to become an honorary Newfie, this involves repeating a saying, kiss a Cod Fish and taking a shot of Screech. Screech is a Rum, made with molasses and a few other things added.[/quote]
Screech is a cheap Jamaican rum that was traded for salted fish before the governemnt to control of liquor business.
Great summary T bone.
You should read “How to be Canadian” by the Ferguson brothers. It’s easy reading and hilarious.
hey tiffy, i am a canadian girl now living in florida, i miss my country but also love it here in the usa,our governments differ, we are set up like the british govt, our taxes are higher because of all our social programs, we have homless problems like the us does, we have medical problems like the us does, like southerners have accents so do some areas of canada, in some parts of canada it is as hot as fla in the summer but we also have alot of places that are cold just like alaska.canada may be more of a melting pot when it comes to our people, there seems to be more tolerance of interracial relationships, but we also do have racism, so in the end what is the difference, you guys are 10 times the population we are, we have more land, we pay more taxes, but all in all they are both good countries to be proud to come from
oh and you also forgot that we do not have running water or toilets, we use oot houses(not a typo)and get water from the well or in the winter we bring in the snow eh, and yes we are all a bunch of hosers
super:
Very funny post! Thanks for the laughs.
I live in upstate NY so I have been to Canada quite a few times. Never to any big cities though. We used to drive our boat across the St laurence river and park it in kingston for the weekend when I was 18-20 we would then proceed to get seriously messed up in some of the nice bars and clubs there. It was really some of the best times I have had partying. Meeting Hot Canadian girls never seemed to be a problem and there are way more drunken old guys to have conversations with about some nonsense stuff like how their dog hates them or whatnot.
In general I’d say for me Canada is a great place to visit. I didn’t like the fact that they didn’t support us in Iraq but what the hell, i’ll get over that.
Vegita ~ Prince of all Sayajins
Barr you are hilarious! The leading cause of death had me laughing for 5 minutes.
super saiyan, that was some pretty good material too!
As for the whole Iraq situation, I’m glad that Canada did not participate. If the UN would have given approval we would more than likely have provided some assistance.
As Ron James says, we would have joined you in Iraq but don’t you need weapons for that, eh?
I wouldn’t mind the taxes but I wish our government would invest the proceeds a bit more sensibly.
I find it interesting that China (a “communist” country) has a less socialized health care system than Canada.
Also, despite this plan, my parents could not afford to send me to a dentist after the age of 10. Ironically, I had to come to Texas in order to afford dental care (as a grad student none-the-less). Now, my tooth is fine, thanks for asking.
Cheers
I love canada but i hate canadians, i am a self loathing canadian. As such here are my criticism of canada, note it is because of my love for this nation that i write this, for the day we quit striving for perfection is the day we die.
oh yeah we have a prime minister(president) our parliament (house of representatives), a “senate” (appointed so its bullshit), our Provinces(states) have premiers (governors) our system runs by electing parties rather than people and then the leader of the party runs the show.(provincial and federal)(also horshit)
but our beer is good.
I am a Canadian (it hurts me to even say it). I have enough contempt for this country to fill a book, but in the interest of space I will be selective:
If you are an American, know that 80% of all Canadians hate your guts. Why? Because they are jealous of you. Not jealous in a ?boy I wish I was like you? way, but jealous in a malicious and hateful sense. In fact, if I have to listen to one more Canadian moron explain to me why he hates Americans, I am going to explode.
Yes Canadians have national pride. It is based on two things: hockey, and the fact that we are not Americans.
No, our federal government is not like yours. We go to the polls approximately once every three to five years (whenever the prime minister feels like it). And in case you were thinking that our Prime Minister is the Canadian version of your President, think again. Our last Prime Minister summed it up perfectly in his statement ?the difference between me and the President of the United States is that I have complete power over my country, while he does not?. You probably take for granted the checks and balances of your federal political system and the significance of your voice in all things democratic. I spend a lot of time just wishing for some form of democracy.
Our country is split into ridings with the majority of the seats located in Ontario. Whichever party wins the most seats forms government and that party?s leader is automatically Prime Minister. As a matter of fact, the governing party?s leader does not even have to win a seat to become Prime Minister. Technically, nobody in our entire country outside of the tiny membership of the party itself will ever have to vote for this person, and this person can still become our all powerful leader, and hold onto that power for decades if they are good at manipulation like our last Prime Minister was.
Our Senate is appointed by the Prime Minister. Our Senate if viewed as a figurative institution by many but mostly just the ultimate gravy train. Most Senators rarely show up for work. Our Prime Minister then forces his party to vote on each issue along party lines. He enforces this with patronage appointments and strict party discipline. The Senate then signs on the dotted line. The entire state of my country is run by of the whims of one person with no other institution in place to hold him in account.
The corruption of our government is sickening. Being a Canadian means that you get to enjoy both crippling taxes and watch billions of dollars vanish into thin air. If anyone wants to join me in a wearisome account of Canadian federal government scandals from the past ten years, just let me know. And for this pleasure we pay taxes that would cause any American who has ever grumbled about taxes to thank his lucky stars. Three years ago I read this statistic: the average disposable income in Mississippi, America?s poorest state, is still higher than the average disposable income in Alberta, Canada?s richest province. Nice.
I may add to this post when I am not so tired. That is assuming that everyone here does not get bored of talking about Canada. I totally wouldn?t blame you. But if anyone is interested I have many opinions about such things as Canadian health care, the Canadian Armed Forces ? namely the disgusting lack of funding, and my favorite - Canadian social values.
Just a note - Canada is really big. Speaking as someone from Vancouver (the West, north of Seattle), anything that most people say about “Canada” they’re usually saying about EASTERN Canada. Toronto, Quebec, and so on. Out near Detroit, New York State, etc.
The West and the East are two different cultures, and much of the West lives in alienation of the East. The Canadian government is out East in Ottawa, as is the majority of the Canadian population.
Vancouver is a very diverse city, with less than 50% (49.4) of the city’s population speaking English as their native tongue. (The other major languages in order are Chinese, Punjabi, Flipino, Vietnamese, French, and Spanish).
Canuckia is great. Basically, you can just think of Canada as the unofficial 51st state, that the US just hasn’t gotten around to annexing yet.
Just kidding.
We’d actually make it a dozen states.
Seriously, I used to live in Washington State and New York State, and I used to take lots of trips up to the “Great White North”. While there are some definite differences, the similarities are much greater, in my opinion.
In fact, honestly, after spending quite a bit of time in Canada, and dealing with friends that are Canadian, I don’t feel there is that much more of a difference between WA and Canada (or NY and Canada) as the difference between WA and NY.
Ha! See, we even have our brand of self-loathing haters just like Americans.
There are malcontents and conspiracy theorists in any free country. LOL!
Vroom,
Just in case it was me you were referring to, I just wanted to say that I would not consider myself ?self loathing?. I was simply born in the wrong country. I very much intend to leave.
And, just so you know, I did not start out this cynical. I started out as a young conservative with a lot of energy and ideas. I have been involved in politics since I was 17 years old when I joined my first federal party and served on their board at the riding association level. A couple years later I also became involved in provincial politics and served at the local board level. I have also spent two years as a director and vice president of our Chamber of Commerce. I have been to more meetings and conferences and helped organize more fundraising events in the hope of turning our country around than you can imagine.
What I have concluded after years of volunteering in any way I could, hoping for change, watching every election unfold, paying attention to every political story and assessing the reaction and the general mindset of Canadians, is that most Canadians like the status quo. They love our shity health care system, our left leaning values, our pathetic military. Most Canadians would love to see more social spending, equal income distribution, more labor union power, more red tape, and a less friendly business environment.
There are bright conservative minds around. However, they don?t and will never form a large enough group to make changes. The trend is the other way, to even more liberal thinking and since such a large majority of the conservatives are located out west, well, you know exactly what that means.
JP, I hear you. I have some very conservative leanings with respect to government and business even though I’m branded a huge liberal in these forums. I’m not sure how to make the changes I’m interested in either… but the question of change and the role of the majority are pretty interesting questions.
I’d have to be a hypocrit to think my ideas had to be put into place for Canada to be effective if the majority of the people in Canada want something similar to the status quo.
Fortunately, I’m of the belief that there are solutions that implement leaner government, more efficient social systems, more freedom for people and business with desired levels of social programs. However, I have no power and no cronies to draw upon, so I too am destined to frustration.
Well, maybe, I am thinking about starting some type of publication that will let me espouse values and changes and get my ideas out. If I do this, it will let me get other people to consider the merit of the ideas and to take action, since I have no power to effect them myself.
However, I am leery that nobody will care and that I’ll expend a lot of time and effort for nothing. Damn, I’d rather go drink beer and watch hockey than waste my time endlessly. Sigh, what to do.
Moerte, I have read it. And I agree that it is hilarious.
Well, that about sums up the populist aspects of the country. Any other questions?
ha ha you guys are insane! Born in the wrong country, WTF? It hurts to say you’re Canadian?
Here you are born into a country with almost endless opportunity to become very wealthy, and you sound like you want to disown it.
Are you tired of paying high taxes in Canada? Go hire a Financial Advisor, tax avoidance (not evasion), can save you thousands annually. Or start a business in which case you will be taxed on your net income (opposed to taxation on a gross receipt basis).
Jealous of Americans, well I know I’m not, quite frankly most Canucks I know aren’t either. I love most Americans and I believe America is a great nation. I also think New York and Los Angeles would be great places to live.
Has our government been as fiscally responsible as we would all like? No. But who can honestly say that they have a problem with their tax dollars going to help people in Haiti, the Sudan, (or various other places around the world)? Or going to help single parents?
As for our military, yes it is very small but why do we need a big armed forces? Canada has continuously proven itself in military conflicts. I don’t think that a large military is a necessity anymore. If I felt Canada was being threatened I would volunteer (and all my friends would as well), just as my grandfathers did in WW2. I am extremely proud of our armed forces and what they do.
Canadians are pussies? Canada, just as any other country has its fair share.
We need the US? Yes we do, and they need us.
Russians are extremely good hockey players. The US,Sweden, Czech Republic,Slovakia, Finland, and Germany all produce excellent hockey players.
Our medicare system definitely needs reform, and it will come.
You honestly believe that the majority of Canadians would want equal income distribution, and a less friendly business environment? No dice.
Hey SCC, are you a Canadian? Because you totally remind me of one.
Sorry about getting Martha’s Vineyard confused with Canada…I was 6 years old when I went on the trip to PE Island and I called my dad the other day and he said that we went to Martha’s Vineyard after PE Island. He laughed at me too:-)
JPBear…You should seriously come to America. Say you are defecting from your country for political reasons(if one can do such a thing) and run don’t walk to the Republican party in the US. You will finally feel like you have come home. You will have many new friends and will get to be part of the people that run the US. Plus they think pretty much like you.