# Why do Americans know so little about Canada? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [May 25, 2006, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-know-so-little-about-canada/358159 "2006-05-25T13:59:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Queuing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/90ced4/32.png) [@Queuing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queuing)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-know-so-little-about-canada/358159/21 "2006-05-25T17:02:11Z")
> [@Bryan Ekers](#): > > I can name most of the American Supreme Court from memory. I can’t name even one member of the Canadian Supreme Court. I have never really thought about this before, but I can name more US Supreme Court Justices then Canadian ones as well. I consider myself a well-informed Canadian. One reason for this could be that the US judiciary plays a much bigger role in politics and lawmaking then the Canadian one. Still I am now ashamed of myself, thanks **Bryan Ekers** 😉 > [@Bryan Ekers](#): > > As a side note, I (and the rest of the audience) chuckled at a mention of Montreal in the new X-Men movie at last night’s screening. Why did you laugh at Montreal? I don’t get it. Wolverine is Canadian is he not? > [@What Exit?](#): > > Jim {I hold out hope that someday North America will unify into one very large Union.} OMG, I don’t think I have been horrified/appalled/disgusted quite so greatly by an idea on this board before. > [@Bup](#): > > Surprised me too I think taking water out of the equation is a tad bit silly. Particularly since you know its so important to life and stuff. As to the OP, I don’t really know. I have always thought it was because the is US is such a self-centred nation, going all the way back to the doctrine of isolationism, and refusal to enter various world wars due to it being Europe’s War or something. Really I think this question could be expanded to why do Americans know so much less about everybody compared to what everybody knows about them? ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-know-so-little-about-canada/358159/22 "2006-05-25T17:03:38Z")
I heard somewhere that Canadaians have four stomachs and a gizzard. Is that true? ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-know-so-little-about-canada/358159/23 "2006-05-25T17:12:33Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > I heard somewhere that Canadaians have four stomachs and a gizzard. Is that true? five stomachs. five. God will you people never get it right? ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-know-so-little-about-canada/358159/24 "2006-05-25T17:14:46Z")
Having little interest in hockey, I do not need to know aboot Canada. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-know-so-little-about-canada/358159/25 "2006-05-25T17:21:13Z")
Why doesn’t anyone - and not just Americans - know anything about Canada? Because it’s a boring country. And I mean that as a compliment. ---
**Author:** ![DxZero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@DxZero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DxZero)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-know-so-little-about-canada/358159/26 "2006-05-25T17:32:01Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > I heard somewhere that Canadaians have four stomachs and a gizzard. Is that true? And they have non-proportional yet oddly attractive faces. (Yeah I probably screwed that joke up) ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-know-so-little-about-canada/358159/27 "2006-05-25T17:36:04Z")
> [@Queuing](#): > > OMG, I don’t think I have been horrified/appalled/disgusted quite so greatly by an idea on this board before. Sorry I mentioned it. Maybe I start a seperate GD thread on it. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-know-so-little-about-canada/358159/28 "2006-05-25T17:41:35Z")
> [@What Exit?](#): > > Jim {I hold out hope that someday North America will unify into one very large Union.} With or without Mexico? ---
**Author:** ![Queuing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/90ced4/32.png) [@Queuing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queuing)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-know-so-little-about-canada/358159/29 "2006-05-25T17:55:45Z")
> [@What Exit?](#): > > Sorry I mentioned it. Maybe I start a seperate GD thread on it. Well I was going a little overboard for effect, but I know not a single Canadian who would ever want to join that union. Of course, YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-know-so-little-about-canada/358159/30 "2006-05-25T18:03:45Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > With or without Mexico? I apologize for causing an unexpected hijack to this excellent thread. I have spun this debate off to a new thread. [Should North America eventually form a single Union?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=7427942#post7427942) Jim ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-know-so-little-about-canada/358159/31 "2006-05-25T18:05:54Z")
> [@Queuing](#): > > Well I was going a little overboard for effect, but I know not a single Canadian who would ever want to join that union. Of course, YMMV. The Canschluss is coming. Resistance is futile. Prepare to be USsimilated! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-know-so-little-about-canada/358159/32 "2006-05-25T18:10:46Z")
You try it, and we’ll unleash the cold air masses. ---
**Author:** ![Triskadecamus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@Triskadecamus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Triskadecamus)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-know-so-little-about-canada/358159/33 "2006-05-25T18:30:01Z")
Hey, it’s huge, it’s covered with snow, and everyone says “Eh?” all the time. Who says Americans don’t know about Canada? Tris ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-know-so-little-about-canada/358159/34 "2006-05-25T18:54:16Z")
> [@Triskadecamus](#): > > Hey, it’s huge, it’s covered with snow, and everyone says “Eh?” all the time. > > Who says Americans don’t know about Canada? > > Tris Take off Hoser’ You forgot to mention the Beer. Jim ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-know-so-little-about-canada/358159/35 "2006-05-25T18:56:34Z")
How the hell are we supposed to keep track of every two-bit European country on the other side of the globe? We’ve got too much to worry about what with being the World Police and everything. Don’t they speak some wierd langauge over there in Canada, anyway? Portugese or something. I say let the Portugese worry about Canada. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-know-so-little-about-canada/358159/36 "2006-05-25T18:58:48Z")
They like houckey, soucialist gouvernment, and adding ‘u’ after ‘o’. The waiting list for surgeries is like a hundred years. They eat mououse, and are still on the barter system (however pelts have been mostly replaced as the most common store-of-value by lououns). ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-know-so-little-about-canada/358159/37 "2006-05-25T19:15:48Z")
What’s unique about Canada? apart from quebec, it is an english speaking country with a very similar leagl system as the USA. The people look similar, the roads look similar, and the houses look similar. canadain fast food is like US fast food. plus, the bulk of the canadain population lives within 90 miles of the US border. It’s just so much like the US-I think that is why people don’t think about it too much. The trading links between the US and Canda are huge-and there are few barriers…so economically, Canda and the USA are deeply integrated. To me, Canada is a remote place, where people speak english and eat bland food. say, are those “Tim Hortons” doughnuts really all that good? ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-know-so-little-about-canada/358159/38 "2006-05-25T19:24:13Z")
> [@John Mace](#): > > How the hell are we supposed to keep track of every two-bit European country on the other side of the globe? We’ve got too much to worry about what with being the World Police and everything. Don’t they speak some wierd langauge over there in Canada, anyway? Portugese or something. I say let the Portugese worry about Canada. Dude, Canada isn’t in Europe. It’s in Asia. I think. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-know-so-little-about-canada/358159/39 "2006-05-25T19:26:09Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > Dude, Canada isn’t in Europe. > It’s in Asia. I think. If you’re so smart, then tell us why they speak Portugese if it’s in Asia!! ---
**Author:** ![kelly5078](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6f9a4e/32.png) [@kelly5078](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kelly5078)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-know-so-little-about-canada/358159/40 "2006-05-25T19:39:26Z")
> [@John Mace](#): > > If you’re so smart, then tell us why they speak Portugese if it’s in Asia!! Must be near Mozambique. I wonder why people keep saying it’s cold, though. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-know-so-little-about-canada/358159.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-know-so-little-about-canada/358159.md?page=3)