Canada: kind of bland, lacking identity and a passive country.

[jd3189]

Originally Posted by Troll

I might be in a minority here, but the single thing I am most proud of as a Canadian is the flag. It's one of the world's most unique and well designed flags, standing out amongst a sea of tricolours and union jack derivatives. It's also vastly better than the design disaster that people hang from poles south of the border.

Nice that you love your nation's flag's design but did you really have to insult the Stars and Stripes?

[Centropolis]

Originally Posted by jd3189

Nice that you love your nation's flag's design but did you really have to insult the Stars and Stripes?

It is the Canada room, bit touchy?

[someone123]

Originally Posted by Gerrard

Woohoo going to Osheaga this weekend. And for Kool (or any Mtlers), any restaurant recommendations would be welcome since the 3 I wanted to book, Toque, Au Pied de Cochon and Garde-Manger are all booked.

Joe Beef's another one that at least seems to get a lot of attention. I'll be spending a few days in Montreal soon so I'd also be interested to hear what Montrealers think of these places.

[Beedok]

Originally Posted by jd3189

Nice that you love your nation's flag's design but did you really have to insult the Stars and Stripes?

They are a bit busy. Chile does that style much better.

[Razor]

Well if Canada's culture is viewed as what Quebec and the East coast has going on, then ya whoever said that is way off base..Unfortunately, if they are using Ontario as the stereotype and I dare say the rest of the provinces, than Canada is very vanilla sorry to say..Kinda Mid-westerny U.S with a dash of common wealth colouring if that's a fair assessment.What does Ontario and it's puritan roots have that stands out as identifiable besides maybe cottage country, some nice lakes,and trips to Wonderland? It's culture is bland and not really apparent...Besides Quebec, and the East coast, this country needs a few hundred more years to forge something for itself.Let's face it, it's still a young country.. Just saying.

[jd3189]

Originally Posted by Centropolis

It is the Canada room, bit touchy?

I know but it's kinda reinstating this, which was mentioned earlier.

Originally Posted by Bluenote

Our beer is better
Our women are hotter
Our hockey players are the best
We are not gun happy like the toilet below us
We grow quality green stuff
Most American TV and Movies are actually made here
Our special effects are renowned around the world in the movie industry
We don't make boy bands!!!
Compared to the UK we drive on the proper side of the road, and speak clear!!!

I find it sad that( and I'm not saying all or even most Canadians are like this since I don't believe you can exactly measure a population filled with different people in an absolute manner) many of you guys have to compare Canada to the US to try to make yourselves feel better( if this isn't you, it isn't addressed to you). Why not look within?

[freeweed]

Originally Posted by jd3189

I find it sad that( and I'm not saying all or even most Canadians are like this since I don't believe you can exactly measure a population filled with different people in an absolute manner) many of you guys have to compare Canada to the US to try to make yourselves feel better( if this isn't you, it isn't addressed to you). Why not look within?

To be fair, I've heard plenty of Americans use those exact same words. Usually ones who are in the same breath also mocking the dinosaur-riding cavemen in Kentucky museums, and other such unfortunate pieces of Americana.

It ain't just Canucks. Perhaps it is you who should look within.

For the record, I personally adore the stars 'n stripes. I think it's one of the nicest flags around. Just wish it wasn't wrapped around so many weird ideas.

[Razor]

Originally Posted by jd3189

I know but it's kinda reinstating this, which was mentioned earlier.



I find it sad that( and I'm not saying all or even most Canadians are like this since I don't believe you can exactly measure a population filled with different people in an absolute manner) many of you guys have to compare Canada to the US to try to make yourselves feel better( if this isn't you, it isn't addressed to you). Why not look within?

I personally agree with you, and don't side with some of those comments..Just keep in mind the tired lame (rme) content of his/her statements about your flag, how our beer is better etc. and keep in mind the source..Most likely some juveniles on here..Let's leave the flag and country bashing out of here!

[trueviking]

i've travelled a lot (54 countries), lived in on 3 continents, and in my experience, the only people who would say this "Canada: kind of bland, lacking identity and a passive country" are canadians and americans.

to the rest of the world we have an identity...it is not america light the way we think....generally i find that people around the world think canada is a unique and interesting place.

for me personally, it is a one of a kind country....two brothers living under a single roof on the doorstep of the most culturally influential nation in history....it makes us unique in the world and the envy of most.

makes me laugh when i read posts like the first one of this thread....we have no unique foods, so we are boring?....identity isnt food....why do you have to have some kind of stuffed cabbage in your tradition to be interesting....or to have an identity?...we are more unique than most because our foods are all the stuffed cabbages from every culture in the world.

we are a blend of immigrant cultures and an aboriginal population, all under two overriding sovereignties in a single country....how is that not an identity?...it describes only one country on earth....throw in one of the harshest climates and some of the most dramatic geography in the world and you have yourself an identity.

what other country has a montreal, a toronto and a vancouver?....

other than their funny accents what identity do Australians have?...what are their foods?....their music, their fashions?...seems no different than us.

as for not having any canadian department stores....really?...ironic that you chose that example....our nation exists because of a department store.....one of the oldest companies on the earth....no other country's history is more linked to a department store than ours.

[Centropolis]

Originally Posted by freeweed

For the record, I personally adore the stars 'n stripes. I think it's one of the nicest flags around. Just wish it wasn't wrapped around so many weird ideas.

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m5...t6hro1_500.jpg

[Gerrard]

Originally Posted by Razor

Well if Canada's culture is viewed as what Quebec and the East coast has going on, then ya whoever said that is way off base..Unfortunately, if they are using Ontario as the stereotype and I dare say the rest of the provinces, than Canada is very vanilla sorry to say..Kinda Mid-westerny U.S with a dash of common wealth colouring if that's a fair assessment.What does Ontario and it's puritan roots have that stands out as identifiable besides maybe cottage country, some nice lakes,and trips to Wonderland? It's culture is bland and not really apparent...Besides Quebec, and the East coast, this country needs a few hundred more years to forge something for itself.Let's face it, it's still a young country.. Just saying.

I think Quebec and the East Coast/Maritimes are fine representations of their originating populations (but not necessarily representative of something new or heretofore not seen before). I don't think Ontario nor most of the rest of Canada are (save for the north) representative of their originating populations but of something more uniquely North American -post conquest (but not necessarily of something new or heretofore seen before).

[Gerrard]

Originally Posted by freeweed

Just wish it wasn't wrapped around so many weird ideas.

It's not. It's an election year.

[jd3189]

Originally Posted by freeweed

To be fair, I've heard plenty of Americans use those exact same words. Usually ones who are in the same breath also mocking the dinosaur-riding cavemen in Kentucky museums, and other such unfortunate pieces of Americana.

It ain't just Canucks. Perhaps it is you who should look within.

When I say you guys should look within, I meant find your culture inside your own borders. You guys are luckier than the US in many ways. I've realized that all the world's most livable countries have smaller populations when compared to America, which is third behind China and India.

[kool maudit]

Originally Posted by Gerrard

Woohoo going to Osheaga this weekend. And for Kool (or any Mtlers), any restaurant recommendations would be welcome since the 3 I wanted to book, Toque, Au Pied de Cochon and Garde-Manger are all booked.

gerrard: for more of drinks/atmosphere thing -- but still with a great take on english pub food - i woud recommend taverne dominion on metcalfe. it's my local back in montreal.

for chuck hughes, check out his new project bremner -- i actually prefer it to garde.

for more haute, look into club chasse et peche; i've had some of my best meals in montreal there.

[kool maudit]

Originally Posted by freeweed

To be fair, I've heard plenty of Americans use those exact same words. Usually ones who are in the same breath also mocking the dinosaur-riding cavemen in Kentucky museums, and other such unfortunate pieces of Americana.

It ain't just Canucks. Perhaps it is you who should look within.

For the record, I personally adore the stars 'n stripes. I think it's one of the nicest flags around. Just wish it wasn't wrapped around so many weird ideas.

it's also wrapped around the idea that whatever idea you personally have has a duty to be expressed loudly and fully. it can get weird sometimes, but it's a beautiful thing.

[The_Architect]

Originally Posted by osmo

Then people bring up old bands that young Canadians don't listen to anymore. Nobody in the UK is really listning to old skool UK bands, same with the USA, or France.

Speak for yourself buddy. Couldn't be more wrong.

[The_Architect]

Originally Posted by GreatTallNorth2

Its incredible how many accents there are in the United Kingdom. A country 1/4 the size of Manitoba probably has 30+ regional accents, which are very distinct. I tell people that apart from Quebec and the East, Canadians mostly talk the same.

Another speak-for-yourselfer.

I personally can tell the difference between a St. John's Newfoundland accent, a bay Newfoundland accent, a Cape Breton accent, a mainland Nova Scotia accent, a PEI/New Brunswick accent, a Quebec anglophone accent, a Toronto accent (yes, it does exist), a rural Southern Ontario accent and a prairie accent. That's not even mentioning First Nations and the territories.

And before you claim my comment is a thinly-veiled brag, I'm just pointing out that just because you don't see something, doesn't mean it isn't there.

[Aylmer]

Originally Posted by someone123

This is a pretty strange statement. It's not very common for non-French speakers to make any claims about how comprehensible Acadian accents or dialects are. In fact, the traditional wisdom/prejudice was slanted pretty heavily against that opinion in much the same way a lot of North Americans think people in Quebec speak a kind of bastardized pidgin not worthy of being taught to their kids.

Sorry - it was a very generalized statement made only from my experience with Acadian friends and acquaintances: From what I've experienced, they are very hard to understand to my ears. Between the accent, the frequent and unexpected use of English words and some of the creative grammar (there were a lot of verb tenses neither I nor my Bescherelle had ever heard of), there was a lot of repeating going on. They could understand us just fine, though. Furthermore, from what I heard from them was that a lot of young Acadian francophones had trouble with French in school because the language that was taught bared many differences with their spoken French. But again, I was told this and I'm not certain how true or widespread it could be.

[jeremy_haak]

Originally Posted by Gerrard

It's not. It's an election year.

Every other year is an election year in the US. Considering election rhetoric starts ramping up almost immediately after the previous election, that means that most of the time, the political climate is pretty charged and weird.

[MolsonExport]

Originally Posted by trueviking

i've travelled a lot (54 countries), lived in on 3 continents, and in my experience, the only people who would say this "Canada: kind of bland, lacking identity and a passive country" are canadians and americans.

to the rest of the world we have an identity...it is not america light the way we think....generally i find that people around the world think canada is a unique and interesting place.

for me personally, it is a one of a kind country....two brothers living under a single roof on the doorstep of the most culturally influential nation in history....it makes us unique in the world and the envy of most.

makes me laugh when i read posts like the first one of this thread....we have no unique foods, so we are boring?....identity isnt food....why do you have to have some kind of stuffed cabbage in your tradition to be interesting....or to have an identity?...we are more unique than most because our foods are all the stuffed cabbages from every culture in the world.

we are a blend of immigrant cultures and an aboriginal population, all under two overriding sovereignties in a single country....how is that not an identity?...it describes only one country on earth....throw in one of the harshest climates and some of the most dramatic geography in the world and you have yourself an identity.

what other country has a montreal, a toronto and a vancouver?....

other than their funny accents what identity do Australians have?...what are their foods?....their music, their fashions?...seems no different than us.

as for not having any canadian department stores....really?...ironic that you chose that example....our nation exists because of a department store.....one of the oldest companies on the earth....no other country's history is more linked to a department store than ours.

great post.


For the record, I also think that the USofA has got one of the great flags out there. Full of symbolism, packed with history, instantly recognizable, nicely proportioned and for me, the mixture of the three best flag colors: Red White and Blue. Just like the Habs' Bleu Blanc et Rouge. And the Union Jack.

As I get older and travel more frequently, I like the Canadian flag more and more. When I am abroad, and when I encounter locals on the street, they are ubiquitously enthusiastic about Canada, and always want to demonstrate that they know a thing or two about Canada. I love the experience of foreign travelling more than anything (Aside from my family, of course), but it is always great to come back home to Canada.