Asked this question recently to someone recently. I don't have anything against Canadians or Canada, but I'm wondering how this stereotype came about. Of the ones that I have met, I didn't find them to be overly polite. Honestly, I think that it's just much easier to seem nice and sweet when you're being compared to your asshole neighbor to the south (USA)!
Yes, I think it is true because I've heard it all my life. It's not that I particularly thought or noticed it, it's that travellers from around the globe continue to say it. Canada is essentially polite, reserved , orderly, and inclusive. Crime rates are not particulary high, it's geographically set apart so only has one neighbour, it is surrounded by mountains and water which makes for a nice calm environment (minus the inevitable snow, but even that's calm, in its own sort of way), population density is not that high, it is a land full of immigrants originally, and the country believes in living together peacefully and not squashing other cultures. It has generally liberal views, cannabis is now federally legal and is causing no disruptions, the economy and banking sector remains satisfactorily stable, etc etc. I'm not saying it's perfect, by any means, but vacationers often told me (I used to work in a high-end menswear store so our clientele was particularly well-travelled), and now some people on G@G, that they found it very pleasant here, and were always greeted respectfully, and maybe with a smile. (Just don't leave packages etc exposed inside a car - car break-ins do occur frequently in this case). Other than that we are not a particularly suspicious bunch. Still today, there is the joke that doors are left unlocked (more in the rural areas, though, of course). Also, when I lived or travelled elsewhere and people guessed where I was from, they usually guessed Canada, not the U. S. (because I was apparently respectful, and chill, and interested ad curious in their culture, which Americans are known to not be as much.) Not that Americans can't also be nice and friendly, but they definitely still have reputation when they travel, of being louder, even obnoxiously loud out in public like on trains. And when friendly, they are more gregarious huggers, which many other cultures do not appreciate as strangers. I personally think the differences between Canadians and Americans can sometimes be very hard to spot, but the saying still holds - telling Americans to put Canadian flags on their luggage and clothing. That tells you something. (But don't do it - that's cheating!)
"and the country believes in living together peacefully and not squashing other cultures"
Guess what? Canada doesn't have nearly as many cultures and subcultures as the USA does. So that boast isn't really well founded--you just don't have as many to work with.
Moreover, what has "not squashing other cultures" (as if assimilating other cultures in a "melting pot" constitutes squashing them) gotten you? Snotty Quebecois who threaten to break up your nation every other year? (My relatives from Winnipeg will not travel east of Hull as a result).
@Curmudgeon Yes, the Quebec thing is a bit of problem, always has been, maybe always will. But it is the only province like that, that has ever seriously talked about independence. But I went there, with my girl friend who lives in Ottawa, we drove on vacation, and it was the friendliest place - I was actually quite surprised how truly bilingual it is - I have 5+ years of formal French language education, but I am rusty at best, so I did a bit there, and everyone we encountered was happy to switch right over to English within a moment, and they did it with a smile. I think there may be some angry extremists there who want to really preserve their differences, but again, why must we continue to argue about a minority of disruptors, when the majority are really quite content.
Are you speaking accurately and factually about the difference in number of subcultures in the two countries? Do you have any stats? I have not researched it, but I can tell you, Canada sure has high immigration rates, and I know they've just up the quotas recently, unlike the U. S. which is going in reverse, trying to stem the tide (the middle class has stopped procreating so the population needs to be filled in before it gets to a critical level of imbalance). America and Canada both were formed from other nationalities. We don't have one specific identify, either of us. Call that what you will. But we have always had to reshuffle and find a way to incorporate the new. Canada does this well. We do not have the racial crimes in the numbers that America does. Where I live, I see less of me, and more of everyone else. I heard less English, on my walk to the water and the market last week, and various faces and skin colour, talking in their native tongues, and everything was peaceful, and I didn't mind at all. Also, don't forget, Canada looks more white than anything else, skin colour is not the only marker of differences, and even whites are made up of English, Irish, German, Polish, Danes, Swiss, French, the list goes on. Appearances can be deceiving.
I come back to the old phrase, "America is a melting pot, Canada is a mosaic." Meaning, identities and cultures are allowed and even encouraged to stay intact, as "brightly colored bits of ethnicity, culture, racial identity and language embedded side by side".
"Are you speaking accurately and factually about the difference in number of subcultures in the two countries? Do you have any stats?"
I can give you two, no stats required: 1. Canada never had the legacy of slavery and its aftermath to live down. Canada's "African Canadian" population (do I call it that?) is much less. 2. Canada has never bordered a country like Mexico, nor ever have anywhere near as much Latin American influence.
Enough said.
"We do not have the racial crimes in the numbers that America does."
And you have nowhere near the fractious "diversity" that the USA does. If you did, you would have the higher levels too.
@Curmudgeon Look, the question was simply "are Canadians nice" and I answered that. I didn't have to write all the stuff I did, but I tried to provide an overview (to the nice global users of G@G) about what it's like to live in Canada. I'm not interested in getting into a race war wth you. So this is it. No, we do not have many blacks here. But there are some, and you know what, nobody's giving them nasty side eye on the street. And I chatted with two South Africans here on G@G, who visited, and they were both treated very nicely. It's true, we have never bordered a country with a steady flow of low income/needy illegal immigrants (that's a big pickle), but it is also true that Canada is nice. You can't make it a negative Canada has never chosen to own human beings. Now I DID do the research that you were too lazy to do, and the numbers are here: Countries ranked by ethnic and cultural diversity: Canada #60 United States #85 en.wikipedia.org/.../List_of_countries_ranked_by_ethnic_and_cultural_diversity_level https://www.BBC.com/news/world-us-canada-46086919 And don't bloody well tell me now that "well, we have Latinos and Blacks and Mexicans to deal with". That's f*** racism. Multiculturism is one word. Racism is a whole other word. And guess which one is which here?
"You can't make it a negative Canada has never chosen to own human beings."
*That's* what you took away from my post? Then you didn't get it at all.
Nor is acknowledging that the USA has problems that Canada never had "racism". That's just dishonest posturing. I expected better from you.
And I don't buy that wikipedia study. The methodology is flawed: "This index of cultural diversity is biased towards linguistic variations as opposed to genetic diversity and other variations."
Your biggest problem is English vs. French. That's a lot less than border jumping and a legacy of slavery...
@1828avaava1828 "You can't bargain with the truth, whether you're right or you're wrong" -- Many Canadians are of Irish descent! Visit Nova Scotia! You've been to Niagara Falls before! Canadians are better at hockey than Irishmen!
Has not been my experience with Canadians in Canada at all. Outside of Canada yes, but that's not actually uniquely Canadian as most westerners and people in general are going to be more reserved and more polite abroad than they are at home.
One is classified, he's a member of JTF-2 Corporal Rob Furlong and Master Corporal Arron Perry, both from 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry.
All 3 used a McMillan Tac-50 with Hornady A-MAX.50 ammo.
"You can't make it a negative Canada has never chosen to own human beings."
*That's* what you took away from my post? Then you didn't get it at all.
Nor is acknowledging that the USA has problems that Canada never had "racism". That's just dishonest posturing. I expected better from you.
And I don't buy that wikipedia study. The methodology is flawed: "This index of cultural diversity is biased towards linguistic variations as opposed to genetic diversity and other variations."
Your biggest problem is English vs. French. That's a lot less than border jumping and a legacy of slavery.
Yes, oops. And sadly you don't seem to get it either. Canada simply does not have the diversity that the USA does, despite its pretense to the contrary.
Honestly, I think you've lost the point of my original question, whether Canadians are actually nicer or not. It feels like your trying to defend America's honor. 🤣🤣
Actually I'm not. Frankly, nations with less internal social frictions (regardless of how they began or who did what) DO come across as "nicer", as in more pleasant. I *like* Canada and I have relatives from and up there.
It confuses me too I've been to Canada 8 times and the majority of Canadians are not friendly at all. They have road rage, gangs, are impatient and hate Americans. I got yelled at for filming a PUBLIC market and one Canadian asshole wouldn't let me take a shit in his gas station. I was only a kid at this time. And my friend was denied entry into the country once because of a fish and game violation. Same friend once had trash dumped on his car, by these so called "Friendly Canadians" And some places there will charge you extra for being an American.
I have mainly been to Quebec and Quebecois have the reputation of being very nice and relaxed people and this stereotype turned out to be true. They are so nice and chill.
Because before the US finally realized gay marriage wasn't a big deal, it had been normal to us for years, we're primarily just flannel-collared liberals who produce the most naturally sweet substance on the planet: maple syrup. Not that Aunt Jamima bullshit y'all eat.
Doesn't mean we won't fight your ass, though. If you go to rural places in Canada we WILL tilt your ass sideways if you wanna be a tit.
I'm aware that it is. Like the show, although I'm currently only watching clips of it on YouTube. A few people I work with told me about the show and like some catchphrases from it.
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