Check out An Americans Guide to Canada. I thought it was an interesting site, and it’s kind of on the same subject. Well, there’s no Canada or US bashing, but it does point out many differences and misconceptions.
Here’s one. You couldn’t pay me enough to live there. By the way, as much as I dislike taxes, I’m really proud of our health care system, and all of the other programs my tax dollars support. I wouldn’t trade it for anything, especially not to live in the US. I disagree with most of the things that the US stands for, and would prefer to move to Europe before being under US rule. Seriously. If the US took over Canada, I would immediately start looking into immigrating somewhere else.
Cause they know how to laugh at themselves? 
In reading through this, I have a sneaking suspicion that Michigan is actually a Canadian mole on the US side. I mean, check out the following:
Yup. Pretty much everyone in MI does this.
Shoot, we’re lucky if the roads close after 12" of snow!
Hey, we got beavers. Even those funny little mammals with flat tales, too!
Hockey is King in MI. Go Spartans!
Hmmmm…
Huh. Canadians could have had French culture, American know-how, and British democracy. Instead, they chose to have American culture, British know-how, and French democracy.
Given that this was told to me by a Canadian friend, I couldn’t resist passing it on.
I know what you are getting at Math Geek, but what do you suggest I do to distiguish these two cultures in her very bright but still 4 year old mind?
Do I explain to her the difference between CFL and NFL (or XFL now)?
Do I tell he about moose and beavers and Canadian geese?
Do I explain to her the differences between Canadian and US political structures of gov’t?
Do I instruct her on the virtues and advantages of pronouncing the last letter in the alphbet as “Zed” not “Zee”?
Do I teach her the benefits of ending sentences with an “eh” and sticking a “u” in words like colour, honour and endeavour?
Or how about stressing the sheer importance of the fact that Canadian Thanksgiving is in October while the American one is in November?
Perhaps I should highlight the fact that Canadians don’t give a toss about Lincoln’s, Washington’s or Martin Luther King’s birthday but that Victoria day weekend is traditionally marked by purchasing a two-four case of your favourite Canadian beer.
What do you consider to be the most significant cultural differences between Canadian and American way of life? You know, aspects that don’t have anything to do with the obviously important differnces in the colour of currency, concentration of alcohol in beer and the misnomer that is “Canadian Bacon”.
I suppose I can lecture her on the benefits of universal medicare and subsidized university education, but I don’t know if that will have the desired impact on a 4 year old.
For what it’s worth, she has a small Canadian flag sticking out of a small vase in her bedroom and she never misses in pointing out a Canadian flag if it happens to be publically dispalyed when we’re “out and about”. Is that enough?
Originally posted by Cisco
Jeez, Cisco, why don’t you come up here and let our fine health care system treat that humour impairment of yours. Bring Poncho, too.
I bet I could.
I don’t want this to degenerat into a my healthcare system and better than your health care system. Suffice it to say that both American and Canadian systems leave much to be desired. But from personal experience, I find that hanging on to more of my after tax income allows me to purchase a very comprehensive medical insurance policy. One that does not in any way pale in comparisson to the Canadian one. Also, in more and more states, laws are changing to forbid insurance companies from denying medical coverage to anyone able to pay for it. Furthermore, the law forbids hospitals from denying treatments to patients regardless of their ability to pay for same.
What, you disagree with freedom and justice for all? On what grounds? What are you, some kind of commie? 
You and I both know that this would be a very unlikely if not impossible event. But I doubt you would find any European country (or anywhere else for that matter) a superior place to <shudder!> the US. 
What else are they going to do when they’re frozen in their igloos all winter?
Kidding
You’ve obviuosly never been to Maine.
QuickSilver,
You’ve hit on something I’ve noticed.
I’m an American, and it strikes me that there’s a way to
be American, and what’s more important, there’s a way
to be un-American.
With most nationalities that sounds ridiculous. How would
a Canadian act un-Canadian? Or a German un-German? Here,
though, we even have a committee in congress to watch out
for un-American activities.
I think this comes from a few things.
-
We bill ourselves as being a melting pot, and as being a country of immingrants. You can ‘become’ American. Not just
a citizen, but as American as anyone, because there’s no
American ethnicity. That’s true of Canada, too, but is still
rare. -
We get drilled into our heads that
with the United States, the philosophy of government came
before the country. Not quite chronologically true, but
as close as you’re gonna get. The country was founded in
order to get this new system of government going, and I
believe it was the first country in history where a desire for fair government was the impetus for its creation. -
Europe likes to poo-poo our culture. Everything is too
flashy, too vapid, and too short-lived. American cuisine
is improperly equated to McDonald’s. American musical forms,
while the most popular on the planet, aren’t as ‘artistic’
as anyone else’s. American visual art is pop art and comic
strips. Our tragic hero is Batman.
So we’re a little insecure, and we’ve got some stuff to be
proud of. We talk about it a lot.
Sealemon88 It’s not tooks its tuques and what would rather us call it? Though up here quite a few people do call theirs a ‘block heater’ such as most of my family.
As to our money the way its coloured (note the u) lets us colour code it and be able to glance in our wallets and pull out the right bill without having to flip through and look at the numbers. Helps us make sure we get the right change back too. About the war of 1814 let us have our fun. We were calling it Canada back then and even though we were technicaly British subjects we were Canadian.
shrugs not having anything else to say and wanders off humming O Canada and snuggling down in her bunny hug to keep warm
It is for me, Sealemon88. I love you, buddy. That said…
WTF’s a took? As in, when God was handing out smarts, Sealemon88 thought he said “farts,” then took his sister from the rear 'cause he couldn’t come up with a decent punchline?
Which, as Math Geek pointed out, you’ve already demonstrated.
**
[/QUOTE]
::snort!:: Attila, you are too funny!
Actually, luv, that’s Canada geese. Correct terminology and all… 
St. Attila
I hope that if you use my sentence you spell better than I do. I believe the correct word is “pompatus”.
Tuques do look pretty funny, I agree. Still, they are more practical than berets. It is little-known that they were invented specifically to stop gangs of youths from wearing them sideways and looking generally foolish.
The best way to teach your daughter about Candian heritage is to play road hockey with her and stop the game to move the net for oncoming cars every forty-three seconds.
Unfortunately we live on a cul-de-sac and she and I enjoy playing soccer. Oh gosh! You don’t think I’m inadvertantly raising an english football hooligan, do you?
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by QuickSilver *
**
**
We don’t all sell out for money. Maybe this is why you are happier in the US?
I think the problem is that you don’t have any national pride, so you assume that of everyone else. You could be bought for a higher wage and less taxes, so you assume that everyone else would do the same in a similar situation. Not true. There is plenty of national pride here, and I happen to have a reputation for being especially patriotic. The US happens to be on the bottom of my list of industrialized countries that I would choose to live in.
Hopefully without degenerating this into an argument over these issues, I can say that there are a multitude of things I strongly dislike about the US. Health care, gun control laws, education, and the general air of smugness that wafts across the border, to name a few.
Note: this does not pertain to all individual Americans. I’ve had many positive experiences, a great many of them on this board. However, it is the general impression of things in that country that tend to make an impression here.
Again, not all Canadians share your values. We wouldn’t all be under US rule, given the chance. You should know better than to make such sweeping statements regarding over 30 million people. That is a poor debate style, and certainly one that will stimulate argument. Also implying that I would do the same as you (ie. move) in a similar situation is rather arrogant. It is unlikely that you know me better than I know myself. In my opinion, you have demonstrated both ignorance and arrogance in your statements regarding your sentiments towards my country of choice. You’ve chosen to live in the country that you are happier in, and I’ve chosen mine.
wowza.
this thread got ugly over night! I thought it was going to all be in fun!
I’d just like to interject a little story of going to The Georgian Bay in Ontario (where I vacation every year) and referring to myself as “an American” in a Beer Store.
The man behind the counter snarled at me (yes, snarled) and said,
“And what am I? We’re all American…we all live in North America. Don’t give me that American stuff. You’re from The States.”
How this applies? I don’t know. [sitting on rock, looking into camera] Maybe we could all learn a little something from the Beer Store. [cue theme music and end credits]
Also…hockey IS a sport. I’m from The States, and I firmly believe that.
jarbaby
I agree with much of what you said and I’d just like to note that as Canadians we like to remind people that we are Canadian because of the CBC and nationalized healthcare and education.
We forget that we’re not the only country in the world to have both a mediocre national broadcast agency and comprehensive social programs. These two items however only serve to distinguish us from Americans not the rest of the world. My point is that Canadians like to distinguish themselves by yelling “Don’t confuse us with Americans!” , while Americans seem to be in a league of their own.
I KNEW that wasn’t how you spelled tuques! I looked up my best guess on Yahoo, and saw ‘tooks’ used a web site about Bob and Doug McKenzie’s 12 Days of Christmas song. My bad.
Wel, I would have taken your sister, but I didn’t feel like freezing my ass off in Sasqwetchesicshweinzetonarghszway.
I’ve seen kids wear tennis headband/brims not only to the side, but with the brim turned up. apparentliy, they’re growing their own little garden up there. I could very easily see some genius using one of the ear flaps as an eyepatch and starting a trend.