# Canadian humor? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 28, 2012, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-humor/614230 "2012-02-28T05:37:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![McGunn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@McGunn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/McGunn)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2012, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-humor/614230/1 "2012-02-28T05:37:25Z")
I’ve been watching a lot of tv shows and movies, and quite a few times some chick is shown turning her nose at the mention of canadians followed by canned laughter. Can someone tell me what humor is intended in that situation. E.g “That 70’s show - Vanstock” approx around 9:00 mins 🙂 P.S: I like both Americans and Canadians… and the question is asked out of ignorance!! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Rain\_Soaked](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e19adc/32.png) [@Rain\_Soaked](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rain_Soaked)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2012, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-humor/614230/2 "2012-02-28T05:54:46Z")
Well, there are many writers on comedy shows who are Canadian. I’m sure they like making fun of themselves. Besides, most Canadians can take a joke. Also, it is Canadian\*\* humour\*\*. It’s the Belgians that are the problem…\* \*Do I really need a smiley face there? ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2012, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-humor/614230/3 "2012-02-28T05:55:03Z")
What do you mean by “turning her nose”? There’s an expression “turning up her nose” which would indicate snobbish disdain, but I don’t know whether that would make sense in your context. I have not seen the program in question. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2012, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-humor/614230/4 "2012-02-28T06:44:15Z")
[It’s more like around 5:30.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1txpezIyOjw) 🙂 I dunno; there’s a lot of humour on tv that makes fun of Canadians (“How I Met Your Mother” does it all the time), and I’m not sure why, either. I don’t particularly care, though; it’s usually funny. Maybe because it’s kind of absurd, to make fun of a nationality that is a lot like US Americans? ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2012, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-humor/614230/5 "2012-02-28T12:37:44Z")
Humor, being an individual thing, is subject to opinions. Moved from GQ. **samclem** , Moderator ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2012, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-humor/614230/6 "2012-02-28T15:29:03Z")
Canada is just America Junior, so anything from there is bound to be disappointing. ---
**Author:** ![perfectparanoia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a5b964/32.png) [@perfectparanoia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/perfectparanoia)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2012, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-humor/614230/7 "2012-02-28T15:39:47Z")
I don’t really know why you Yanks make Canadian jokes. As a Canadian, I do know that _we_ think they are pretty damn funny. Taking ourselves too seriously is something we generally don’t do. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2012, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-humor/614230/8 "2012-02-28T15:46:12Z")
I thought this thread was going to be about funny Canadians: Dan Aykroyd, Jim Carrey, Paul Shaffer, the casts of _SCTV_ and _Kids in the Hall_… ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2012, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-humor/614230/9 "2012-02-28T15:50:03Z")
Q. How do you get 200 Canadians out of a pool?[Spoiler]A. Say “Please get out of the pool.”\* \*Except for the one guy from Montreal saying “Non, you must ask me _een French!_”[/spoiler] ---
**Author:** ![Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Attack_from_the_3rd_dimension)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2012, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-humor/614230/10 "2012-02-28T16:36:10Z")
I would argue there are two reasons to mock Canadians on US tv. and 1. “they’re just like us, but more polite, and therefore quaint, and therefore naive” - Due South was the best for this one. and 1. “they’re technically foreigners, but are just like us really” - so anyone who is unnerved by Canada and Canadians is shown to be ignorant and fearful. I would suggest that the Vanstock moment is the second. She’s aghast at being around Canadians, not because she knows anything about Canada, but because she’s an idiot. South Park runs with both of these, God love 'em. I love how Canadians are different in appearance on South Park. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2012, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-humor/614230/11 "2012-02-28T17:41:20Z")
> [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](#): > > \I love how Canadians are different in appearance on South Park. Humph - I’ll have you know that my eyes aren’t _that_ beady, and my head hardly flaps at all. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2012, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-humor/614230/12 "2012-02-28T20:15:55Z")
It’s because they’re foreigners. Which is inherently funny. Especially Canadians what with them all living up there in the snow with their tipis and pet polar bears who drink Coca Cola. Also like the Mexicans down south living in the desert in their igloos and pet chupacabras who wear sombreros. ---
**Author:** ![Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Attack_from_the_3rd_dimension)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2012, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-humor/614230/13 "2012-02-28T21:14:59Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > Humph - I’ll have you know that my eyes aren’t _that_ beady, and my head hardly flaps at all. :mad: Ha, I’m an immigrant. I have to make my head flap like that so that I’ll fit in. It ain’t easy. ---
**Author:** ![lindsaybluth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90db22/32.png) [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2012, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-humor/614230/14 "2012-02-28T21:21:55Z")
I’ve always wondered how representative Red Green is of real Canadians. I find it hilarious. ---
**Author:** ![shiftless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@shiftless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shiftless)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2012, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-humor/614230/15 "2012-02-28T21:35:20Z")
Canada is the funny hat we wear on all the maps. Mexico is our tie. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2012, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-humor/614230/16 "2012-02-28T22:02:29Z")
> [@lindsaybluth](#): > > I’ve always wondered how representative Red Green is of real Canadians. I find it hilarious. I dunno; I don’t know anyone just like him, but I can think of a few people who would be amalgamated into a guy like him. > [@shiftless](#): > > Canada is the funny hat we wear on all the maps. Mexico is our tie. Actually, America is Canada’s bitch, because we’re on top. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2012, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-humor/614230/17 "2012-02-28T23:19:31Z")
> [@shiftless](#): > > Canada is the funny hat we wear on all the maps. Mexico is our tie. And here I thought Mexico was our beard. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-humor/614230/18 "2012-02-29T20:42:36Z")
> [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > It’s because they’re foreigners. Which is inherently funny. An episode of Barney Miller featured a Canadian woman who had been mugged, IIRC. She wasn’t surprised, what with her obvious foreigness. Barney said, “But you’re from _Windsor!_” Red Green is representative of real guys from either side of the border. ---
**Author:** ![Tapiotar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3be4f8/32.png) [@Tapiotar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapiotar)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-humor/614230/19 "2012-02-29T21:10:47Z")
> [@lindsaybluth](#): > > I’ve always wondered how representative Red Green is of real Canadians. I find it hilarious. I’ve known guys from Upstate New York, northern Wisconsin, Minnesota, and the UP of Michigan who fit the Possum Lodge lifestyle perfectly. ---
**Author:** ![Tapiotar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3be4f8/32.png) [@Tapiotar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapiotar)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-humor/614230/20 "2012-02-29T21:15:35Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > [It’s more like around 5:30.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1txpezIyOjw) 🙂 > > I dunno; there’s a lot of humour on tv that makes fun of Canadians (“How I Met Your Mother” does it all the time), and I’m not sure why, either. I don’t particularly care, though; it’s usually funny. Maybe because it’s kind of absurd, to make fun of a nationality that is a lot like US Americans? Cobie Smulders is Canadian, as is one of the main writers on HIMYM, so I think that explains some of the many Canadian jokes. Alan Thicke is a recurring guest, and Tim Horton’s did a lot of product placement one episode. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-humor/614230.md?page=2)