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Common Misconceptions about Canada and Canadians
Posted by bigceebee on May 14, 2011 at 1:36 PM
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Over the years, I have met or spoken to many people from other countries, particularly the U.S., who didn’t know Canada and Canadians as well as they thought they did. False beliefs abound regarding the wonderful country which close to 35 million of us Canadians call home. I have therefore decided to clarify these mysteries for the global population by discussing some of the more common misconceptions about Canada and Canadians.
Canadians always end their sentences with “eh”: Nothing could be further from the truth. A recent joint study conducted by linguistic specialists from McGill, Yale, Harvard, Cornell and Oxford universities has scientifically proven that Canadians actually end their sentences with “eh” only 81.2% of the time when speaking and a surprisingly low 39.6% of the time in written communication.
Canadians live in igloos: This misconception stems from another, i.e. It’s cold in Canada, which will be discussed later. However, it should be noted that Canadians only live in igloos during the winter. When spring comes and our igloos melt, we build tepees or wigwams just like everybody else on the planet.
It’s cold in Canada: Yes, some areas of Canada are cold but hardly anybody lives there so, who cares? As for the areas where we do live, they can be cold in the winter, which is great for igloo building, but temperatures can get downright hot in the summer. One factor to be considered is that Canada uses that wacky Celsius system to measure temperature, leaving many Americans gasping in shock when they see that it’s 35 degrees in Montreal in July. That means 95 degrees Fahrenheit, Uncle Sam.
You can drive fast as hell in Canada: Once again, the metric system comes to play with distances and speed limits being determined in kilometres, not miles. If you don’t believe me, try ripping down one of our highways at 100mph. You’ll quickly learn that our cops are just as sweet and understanding as anywhere else.
Dogsleds are the most common means of transportation in Canada: This is true but only during igloo season. Also, a few of us have now moved up to snowmobiles.
Canadians don’t really care about politics and government: We have a government? Really?
And finally,
Canada does not have a military force: Completely and utterly false. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words.
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6 Comments
You forgot one of the *biggest* misconceptions (or smallest, depending on your view) of Canadians - especially the men... they all wear bikini's briefs to the beach/pool regardless of their -um- girth. Living in Maine, we see a lot of that in the summer... sometimes we enjoy it, but for the most part, not so much. Don't you have brief or trunk-like suits in CN? If not, that might be a business venture worth pursuing if the writing thing slows down. ; o)
Thanks for your comments (I got the other one too). I believe that the Speedo syndrome you refer to actually doesn't apply to most Canadians but more so a particular species of French Quebecers.
Loretta says...
Claude-
You forgot one of the *biggest* misconceptions (or smallest, depending on your view) of Canadians - especially the men... they all wear bikini's briefs to the beach/pool regardless of their -um- girth. Living in Maine, we see a lot of that in the summer... sometimes we enjoy it, but for the most part, not so much. Don't you have brief or trunk-like suits in CN? If not, that might be a business venture worth pursuing if the writing thing slows down. ; o)
I did forget the changing room issue... I'm no prude (really, I'm not), but is it custom to try clothes on in the aisle of a store if the dressing rooms are busy? Some women just strip right down to their undies - and in a crowded store, this does NOT go unnoticed. I'm glad you're clearing these things up so I can spread the word to my ME friends.
Loretta says...
I'll have to listen to them next time... French speaking or not, Speedo's are a no-no on anyone but an Olympic swimmer.
I did forget the changing room issue... I'm no prude (really, I'm not), but is it custom to try clothes on in the aisle of a store if the dressing rooms are busy? Some women just strip right down to their undies - and in a crowded store, this does NOT go unnoticed. I'm glad you're clearing these things up so I can spread the word to my ME friends.
It surprised me how many friends I've made in Canada through twitter. I've even been to Canada a few times in my youth. It also never ceases to amaze me not only how little I KNOW about Canada, but also how little MOST Canadians know about Canada. You're a very secretive race, homo canadiadis.
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