I want to spin off a topic based on this quote from another thread:
And all this time I just thought that all the self-centered conversationalists I know in Taiwan JUST HAPPEN to be Canadian. Now you’ve got me thinking that maybe Canadians just tend to be self-centered. Even when you meet one for the very first time, they’ll start telling you all this personal shit about their sexual experiences, how much they like to drink (of course), their family and friends and ex-boyfriends/girlfriends back home, and all their “really good friends” in Taiwan that they’ve only known for about 3 months, and of course, these best friends are mostly Canadian. Sorry, but I get bored listening to little stories about people I don’t know.
And then, because I’m American, I get occassionally treated to the odd account of some arrogant American that visited Canada once and said something stupid and ignorant. None of my other foriegn friends, and certainly not my Taiwan friends, go on ad nauseum about themselves and their small universe.
And while I’m at it, what’s with the flag? Half of ‘em are always sporting that friggin’ maple leaf on their clothing.
Let me try and put it in perspective for you. Most of my fellow half-countrymen and women (I am a dual UK-CDN citizen) are completely absorbed in their lives of drinking beer, watching hockey, discussing cars, and talking negatively about the U.S. What they fail to realize is, their personalities and interests are similar to many of the people they insult. I am not knocking these hobbies, but its the simple truth. I think Canadians insult Americans because they suffer from “little man” syndrome. And having such an all-powerful neighbour makes them realize how inadequately endowed they are. Canadians tend to make boring conversationalists, especially if they are from Ottawa You have to remember the Federal Government in Canada commonly espouses anti-American rhetoric. The further west you go, the more interesting the people. Except maybe for Newfies
Hey, I love my American friends. I also identify very closely with American culture, becasue I grew up with so much of it. I think that anybody who insults anybody does so out of self-esteem issues, regardless of nationality. Politically, I criticize American pols more than other countries, just because they wield so much more power, and also because America, as the leader of the “free world”, is also the most visible representative of the “free world”.
Inadequate? How? :s I think that Canada is more than merely adequate, Canada is a great place to live, a great place to visit, and a great nation to boot. I’m long past the days of plastering the Maple Leaf on my backpack, but I’m still proud as heck of being Canadian. Power doesn’t only come from the military. It also comes from a nation’s foreign relations, economy, social policy, etc. Of course Canada has lots of problems as well, but to dismiss it as “inadequately-endowed” country is a little sophomoric.
What relevance does someone’s nationality have in choosing whether to spend time getting know that person? Cultural background has an influence, to be sure, but I have to wonder about the mentality of folks who choose their friends based on nationality. If someone boors you with his conversation, excuse yourself and move on to someone who doesn’t bore you.
I’ve met a lot of Canadians here in Taiwan. I’ve liked many of them.
Hey, I love my American friends. I also identify very closely with American culture, becasue I grew up with so much of it. I think that anybody who insults anybody does so out of self-esteem issues, regardless of nationality. Politically, I criticize American pols more than other countries, just because they wield so much more power, and also because America, as the leader of the “free world”, is also the most visible representative of the “free world”.
Inadequate? How? :s I think that Canada is more than merely adequate, Canada is a great place to live, a great place to visit, and a great nation to boot. I’m long past the days of plastering the Maple Leaf on my backpack, but I’m still proud as heck of being Canadian. Power doesn’t only come from the military. It also comes from a nation’s foreign relations, economy, social policy, etc. Of course Canada has lots of problems as well, but to dismiss it as “inadequately-endowed” country is a little sophomoric. [/quote]
Foreign Relations - Canada spends less on international development than countries such as Israel and Ireland. Which pisses me off when I hear stinky backpackers brag about Canada’s peacekeeping…We must spend a hell of a lot more money on our international development and military. We are “inadequate” in that area.
Economy- Our economy is heavily intertwined with the American economy We could not function without the US as a trading partner. You didn’t canvass for Mel Hurtig did you? Canada would be inadequate without the US. Our banking system is almost communist. Three banks control almost all of the money. AT least in the U.S. capitalism and hard work are rewarded. Canada remains a statist economy within the guise of capitalism
Social Policy - We have a shitty health care system. We should either choose to have a system like Norway’s or a system like the US. But as Canadians we have to compromise and we end up with a system that nobody likes. Our health care system is definitely inadequate.
from my experiences internationally, it’s not so much that they’re self-absorbed, but canadians i’ve met spend so much time talking about how much better canada is than the us(even to non-americans) that they come across as self-absorbed.
the funny thing is how flustered some canadians get when you drop any hint that you might actually know something about cananda.
“say, what about that strike by health care workers over lousy pay and poor conditions in canadian hospitals?”
“uh…yeah, well our health care system is still better than yours!!!”
Reminds me of the shrimp guy in the movie “Forest Gump”. Shrimp (I) this, Shrimp (I) that, Shrimp(I) in the morning, Shrimp (I) in the evening… Shrimp (I) Shrimp (I) Shrimp (I) Shrimp (I) Shrimp (I) Shrimp (I) Shrimp (I) Shrimp (I) Shrimp (I) Shrimp (I) Shrimp (I)
well well this is interesting. From my experiences, I’ve found that north america (Mexico excepted) is very very nearsighted and insular in general. Most Americans I’ve talked to in Taiwan or while travelling generally talk on and on about the US way past the point of “dude, I really don’t care” and the same holds true for Canadians. Maybe that’s one of the biggest reasons why I left 3 years ago and haven’t been back, even for a visit.
Having lived on both sides of the 49th for more than 5 years, I can see the pros and cons of each nation when seen from the other’s perspective:
Personally, I have a “been there done that” view of both nations. Canada’s a great place to hold a passport from, but damn it’s a big world out there n’est ce pas?
Canada has had more than one opportunity in the past to join the US. It has always rejected the idea. Why? Because Canadian minds are so disfigured from “little man” syndrome" (are women also affected by this?) they can’t think straight?
As for Ottawa espousing anti-American rhetoric where were you during the Mulroney years?
I’m really disappointed with a few of the posters in this tread. I thought you guys had a little more class than to make sweeping generalizations about another people.
Whenever you encounter a Canadian like that just make clear a set of simple rules. These subjects are not to be discussed:
a) Canada
b) how much America sucks
There are a billion other things to talk about. There’s no need to always talk about the same boring old subjects all the time. Hey, when I go off about my home, “in the South this, in the South that, bla bla bla,” everybody else gets bored. So I gotta learn how to drop it. Everybody gets homesick but you have to let go at some point and talk about something else.
1.) you’ve never met any mexicans travelling
2.) the ones you’ve met travelling have been rather cosmopolitan
or
3.) you don’t want to put down non-anglos?
mexicans i’ve met have not been any more worldly than americans or canadians.
too true, too true. more often than not, nobody really cares where you’re from (even some of us are from the same place), or what issues they all have “back home”. We don’t live there anymore.
Now about poutine in Taiwan. There’s a gourmet food festival coming up on 5/14 at the Taipei WTC. Think you could find it there?
“Mexicans I’ve met have not been more worldly than Americans or Canadians”
That may be true, but they’re definitely not as self-centered (which was the title of the thread after all). In Mexico, people generally asked what my home was like, how I liked Mexico, and took a genuine interest in what I replied. That’s all. So I didn’t find them to be holier-than-thou, nor cooler-than-thou…They were just folks, which of course, made think Mexico was a pretty nice place. Well, that and the food…
Just adding my 2 cents. As an American, I’ve encountered a lot of shit talk from many Canadians, whether it be subtle or direct. Funny thing is, when I make it known that my lineage hails from the land of the sun peoples, they have absolutely nothing to say about me being of Mexican heritage. Good or bad. I don’t know about anyone else, but that speaks volumes to me.
However, there are those select few who are just stupendous people and aren’t judgemental like the others. They continue to keep me hanging to the idea that not all Canadians seem like stuck-up assholes towards us “Yanks.”
Would it help if I also said that my best friend here is a Kiwi? Best foreign guy I’ve met here, hands down.
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not sure why fury said it was averted as they were actually striking for a bout a week…[/quote]
Wow! Not just one, but 5 links. You must really have a firm understanding of the topic.
Now either Flipper is inordinately fond of Canada, and so reads multiple articles on small scale events that have no bearing on his life at all, or he knows nothing about the subject except what he picked up offhand in one of the above news sources and is trying to boost his hand by linking to more articles on said subject.
Here’s an interesting article from Health Affairs Journal. A quote:
ah mucha man, the perfect example of the defensive canadian. far be it for him to accept the fact that an american just pointed out something that might not put his country in a good light. oh no, he has to leap to the defense of all that is good from the great north.
do you not see it as ironic that in response to my post about overly defensive canadians, you’ve proven that you are, in fact, an overly defensive canadian?
please show me where in this thread i made a disparaging remark about the canadian health care system. all i did was point out that there were canadians striking because of bad pay and working conditions in canadian hospitals. maybe they’re lying. maybe the pay is grand and the working conditions couldn’t be better. maybe they’re just a bunch of closet americans out to make canada look bad.
You have to remember the Federal Government in Canada commonly espouses anti-American rhetoric. The further west you go, the more interesting the people. 
Except maybe for Newfies
I also identify very closely with American culture, becasue I grew up with so much of it. I think that anybody who insults anybody does so out of self-esteem issues, regardless of nationality. Politically, I criticize American pols more than other countries, just because they wield so much more power, and also because America, as the leader of the “free world”, is also the most visible representative of the “free world”. 
