# I don't CARE that you don't like Americans! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 14, 2005, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-care-that-you-dont-like-americans/321602 "2005-09-14T15:25:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2005, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-care-that-you-dont-like-americans/321602/41 "2005-09-14T21:58:56Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > This from a country that coined the term “freedom fries”! :rolleyes: > 😃 Why do you hate America? America haters make baby Jesus cry, Toby Keith told me so. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2005, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-care-that-you-dont-like-americans/321602/42 "2005-09-15T17:05:58Z")
> [@Anastasaeon](#): > > However, this is also the same guy that asked me, after saying I’d like to visit England one day: “Do they speak English in England?” Dude, the answer’s in the question. :smack: However, oddly enough, they don’t speak Egyptian in Egypt. They used to, thousands of years ago, but they mostly speak Arabic there now ---
**Author:** ![PoorYorick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecccb3/32.png) [@PoorYorick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoorYorick)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2005, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-care-that-you-dont-like-americans/321602/43 "2005-09-15T18:24:56Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > However, oddly enough, they don’t speak Egyptian in Egypt. They used to, thousands of years ago, but they mostly speak Arabic there now Which brings us to Latin America . . . ---
**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:** [September 15, 2005, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-care-that-you-dont-like-americans/321602/44 "2005-09-15T18:54:25Z")
> [@fushj00mang](#): > > Silentgoldfish, > > There is one true indication that Americans (and Canadians for that matter) are superior to Austrailians. [Vegemite](http://www.vegemite.com.au/). That’s right, Vegemite. If you wish to sample all the flavor of Satan’s ballsack, and don’t want to make that special trip to Hell, Vegemite is the snack-spread for you. I only found that type of spread once in a Canadian food store. In the cleaning-supplies section. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Sarah\_Woodruff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Sarah\_Woodruff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarah_Woodruff)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-care-that-you-dont-like-americans/321602/45 "2005-09-16T03:24:55Z")
> [@Neurotik](#): > > I think it’s funny that people in Australia are mocking anyone’s accent. Frankly, the only people who should be allowed to mock the Canadian accent are Americans - we’re the only ones who can mock it correctly. Well it’s a pity that whenever one of your lot tries to do an Aussie accent, you sound like a New Zealander. ---
**Author:** ![Go\_You\_Big\_Red\_Fire\_Engine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/eada6e/32.png) [@Go\_You\_Big\_Red\_Fire\_Engine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Go_You_Big_Red_Fire_Engine)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-care-that-you-dont-like-americans/321602/46 "2005-09-16T06:57:21Z")
> [@Sarah Woodruff](#): > > Well it’s a pity that whenever one of your lot tries to do an Aussie accent, you sound like a New Zealander. Or Arnold Swarznegger(sp?). You know, he’s from Australia. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-care-that-you-dont-like-americans/321602/47 "2005-09-16T07:48:09Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > I don’t get this “oot and aboot” thing. I’ve never heard a human being say that, either in Canada or the USA. It’s an imperfect transcription, but when you get to places like northern Wisconsin, Minnesota, and many parts of Canada, the “OW” sound in words like “out” and “about” becomes closer to “OO” or “OH.” “Aboot” or “aboat” are fairly close approximations of the accent. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-care-that-you-dont-like-americans/321602/48 "2005-09-16T07:53:05Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > However, oddly enough, they don’t speak Egyptian in Egypt. They used to, thousands of years ago They don’t walk like Egyptians anymore either. ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 8:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-care-that-you-dont-like-americans/321602/49 "2005-09-16T08:46:51Z")
I used to date an Austrailian biochemist when I was a sweet young thing. Bizarre man washed his hands in a “bison.” ---
**Author:** ![Anastasaeon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Anastasaeon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anastasaeon)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-care-that-you-dont-like-americans/321602/50 "2005-09-16T10:37:58Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > However, oddly enough, they don’t speak Egyptian in Egypt. They used to, thousands of years ago, but they mostly speak Arabic there now Yes, but \*I \* know this, and _you_ know this, but _he_ doesn’t know this. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-care-that-you-dont-like-americans/321602/51 "2005-09-16T13:36:34Z")
> [@](#): > > Bizarre man washed his hands in a “bison.” Was the Bison alive at the time? 😃 > [@](#): > > However, this is also the same guy that asked me, after saying I’d like to visit England one day: “Do they speak English in England?” Dude, the answer’s in the question. I dunno, have you heard those English lately? Talkin’ like a buncha crazyass for’ners. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Weird\_One](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@The\_Weird\_One](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Weird_One)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-care-that-you-dont-like-americans/321602/52 "2005-09-16T14:19:21Z")
I grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In high school, my brother and I overheard our dad talking to another fellow following a group canoe trip; Dad was talking distinctly about the “booohhht.” (requires a slight nasal inflection) We kept straight faces at the time, but cracked up about it later, as we were sure Dad would be surprised and slightly appalled to realize he was talking with a Milwaukee accent. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-care-that-you-dont-like-americans/321602/53 "2005-09-16T14:40:46Z")
> [@Johnny L.A.](#): > > Tasted like french fries with gravy and cheese. Back in my non-vegetarian days, I used to snack often on cheese fries covered in gravy. Never knew it had a one word name, though. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-care-that-you-dont-like-americans/321602/54 "2005-09-16T14:43:30Z")
Many years ago, when I first went to SE Asia, I met a Kiwi fellow in a loud bar. He was a nice enough chap but once he had a few drinks in him he was like a dog with a bone. He kept insistently asking me, “Why do all you Canadians sound like Yanks?”, “Doesn’t it bloody bother you to sound like an Amerikan?” and so on, endlessly. There were other people along so I just avoided him for a time, but eventually he was back again. So this time I asked him, “Why do all you bloody Kiwi’s sound like freakin’ Auzzies?”. It worked perfectly, as he was deeply and truly offended that I dared to make such a comparison. 😕 Refused to speak another word to me. 😃 ---
**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:** [September 16, 2005, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-care-that-you-dont-like-americans/321602/55 "2005-09-16T17:50:38Z")
Canadians don’t sound like Yanks; it’s the Yanks who sound like Canadians. And we don’t have an accent - the rest of the world does. Weirdos. **fishbicycle** , I have lots of family members who are very poorly informed, but more than willing to share their opinions on world events. Being on this board has been a real eye-opener for me. Also, reading Will Ferguson’s book Why I Hate Canadians has been very educational. Apparently, we are more like Americans than we would care to admit, the rest of the world knows it, and we’re in deep denial. I suspect he might be onto something. (On a slightly related note, a guy who visited Scotland once told me that Scots are crazy for the Canadian accent. Go figger.) ---
**Author:** ![Mehitabel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Mehitabel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mehitabel)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-care-that-you-dont-like-americans/321602/56 "2005-09-16T20:00:37Z")
Sure, it’s like Scots lite. 😃 At least in the Maritimes, which is where I was last month. The hardcore ones that sounded like they’d never left the Highlands (like my late grandmother, third-generation Canadian-born Brooklynite who never lost her burr) are dying out, though. There were plenty of people on vacation there from other parts of Canada, though, and the Westerners in particular DO sound American except for the occasional word. I’ve said once on this board that I’ve lived under eight Presidents and somebody somewhere has been burning our flag over _something_ under each and every one of them, Republican, Democrat, liberal, conservative, pro-life, pro-gay, pro-gun, or anti all those things. If we reach the point where some hapless slum dweller or spoiled college kid somewhere doesn’t care enough to burn our flag, THEN the terrorists have won! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-care-that-you-dont-like-americans/321602/57 "2005-09-16T20:54:29Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > Back in my non-vegetarian days, I used to snack often on cheese fries covered in gravy. Never knew it had a one word name, though. Puutine does NOT have cheese on it, ever. It has cheese CURDS. Fries with cheese and gravy are, well, fries with cheese and gravy. Fries with cheese curds and gravy is poutine. And it should be chicken gravy. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-care-that-you-dont-like-americans/321602/58 "2005-09-16T21:47:44Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Puutine does NOT have cheese on it, ever. It has cheese CURDS. > > Fries with cheese and gravy are, well, fries with cheese and gravy. Fries with cheese curds and gravy is poutine. And it should be chicken gravy. Now, I’ve never had poutine, but it sounds positively delectable to me. If I were to get, say, Wisconsin cheddar cheese curds, would that be acceptable? ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-care-that-you-dont-like-americans/321602/59 "2005-09-16T23:45:03Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Now, I’ve never had poutine, but it sounds positively delectable to me. If I were to get, say, Wisconsin cheddar cheese curds, would that be acceptable? Wisconsin cheese is fine cheese indeed, and I am sure the curds will do nicely. ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2005, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-care-that-you-dont-like-americans/321602/60 "2005-09-17T01:16:38Z")
> [@The Weird One](#): > > That’s because you’re not _from_ anywhere. If you were _from_ somewhere, you’d have an accent. And you’d list it in your “location,” naturally. Nuh uh…😃 I’ve got something in my location, and I don’t have an accent either…35 going on 36 years in AK, born raised in Washington State, Seattle area prior to that. No accent there either. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-care-that-you-dont-like-americans/321602.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-care-that-you-dont-like-americans/321602.md?page=4)