Canada is our neighbor that keeps its lawn mowed, doesn’t play its stereo too loud, and doesn’t give us much reason to think about it most of the time.
[QUOTE=miss elizabeth]
Okay, but I think a lot of people (at least most of us super smart Dopers) can name the leaders of other countries. Even small non-threatening ones.
Let’s take Britain as an example. Almost everything we are saying about Canada can be mostly applied there, but the media coverage and general knowledge amongst the public, I think, is much greater.
.
[/QUOTE]
To help out any curious Americans ,Britain is ruled directly by the Queen assisted by various lords,dukes,barons etc.
In actuality the U.K is England though we do have some colourful Scots who habitually wear full highland regalia .
We have a rigidly stratified class system consisting of the nobility (who always wear ermine and coronets),the middle classes (who wear pinstripe trousers ,bowler hats and always carry rolled up umberellas) and the working class (who wear cloth caps ,boots and what you call suspenders and we call braces except of course for the numerous house servants ala "Upstairs Downstairs).
The working classes are all cheerful but deferential ,cockney chappies or country yokels but they too speak in cockney accents.
The only city is London (everywhere else is countryside where everyone lives in thatched cottages)
The class you are born into is the class you die in and we wouldn’t have it any other way.
We envy the Americans for their brash,"we dont give a fuck what class your from we bow the knee to no one and can do attitude " ,though we’d never dream of doing it ourselves.
Apart from the upper classes who drive Rollers and Bentleys and the Swingers who drive Minis the only forms of transport are red busses ,steam trains and horse and carts.
The British army is composed exclusively of Guardsmen wearing bearskin hats.
Our main topic of conversation is the weather and we all hunt foxes ,play soccer and cricket.
Hope this has been useful to you ,Im hoping to be invited by the publishers of the "Rough guide " travel guides to do a piece about the U.K for them .
[QUOTE=Elendil’s Heir]
They do, but it’s the same one. So Canada loses again.
[/QUOTE]
No, we won. We managed to get a competely-different country to pay for most of their upkeep. 
And what’s wrong with Rush? 
It’s easy to forget about Canada, all tucked away down there.
[QUOTE=miss elizabeth]
Why don’t Americans care about Canada?
[/QUOTE]
Because they don’t know where it is? 
When I was in Vancouver, BC in 2001, the Vancouver Sun had a story about the Canadian Tourism Board (or whatever it is officially called) doing a study and found that less than half of Americans (I think about 42% if memory serves) could say anything intelligent about Canada… some not even knowing where Canada is. :eek:
[QUOTE=Thudlow Boink]
Canada is our neighbor that keeps its lawn mowed, doesn’t play its stereo too loud, and doesn’t give us much reason to think about it most of the time.
[/QUOTE]
Sure we wave “Hi” when were cuttin’ the lawn, maybe even have a beer or 2 at the block party. But to be honest, we’ve got our own kids to raise, bills to pay, troubles at work ect. to pay too much attention.
[QUOTE=xtisme]
Naw…I don’t really care about Wyoming either. While I LOVE New York (best pizza in the world IMHO. Some other stuff there too I think).
-XT
[/QUOTE]
I meant, as a New Yorker, I care about Canada more than most New Mexicans. I mean, it’s only two hours away.
We love Canada here in New Mexico. We have an ‘I love Canada, wherever it is’ parade nearly every year…
-XT
[QUOTE=Sunspace]
No, we won. We managed to get a competely-different country to pay for most of their upkeep.
And what’s wrong with Rush?
[/QUOTE]
Like all Prog Rock, either you like them or you don’t. I like them, my wife can’t stand them. She can tolerate Yes, but not Rush.
Canada’s politics don’t seem to impact the US or even the world very much. The UK being a bigger military power and for a couple of centuries a leading power seems to be on the more American’s radar. Russia and China for similar reason, I doubt the average American knows who the leaders of even France and Germany are.
Canadians should rejoice that we don’t follow your politics. Our press would just find a way to make it worse and shriller. Do you want to be like England and the US in that regard?
Jim
[QUOTE=xtisme]
We love Canada here in New Mexico. We have an ‘I love Canada, wherever it is’ parade nearly every year…
-XT
[/QUOTE]
I think I got caught up in Espanola one year due to that thing.
Probably Jamez…
(it tends to move around as they find New Mexican’s who actually know where Canada is :)).
-XT
Canada’s great, even Quebec0.
[QUOTE=Thudlow Boink]
Canada is our neighbor that keeps its lawn mowed, doesn’t play its stereo too loud, and doesn’t give us much reason to think about it most of the time.
[/QUOTE]
That sounds like how neighbors describe the psycopath next door after he goes on a killing spree. What’s Canada up to?
[QUOTE=Jackmannii]
The problem with Canada is it’s kinda dull and non-threatening. If they really want to attract obsessive interest in the U.S., they’ll need to install a crazy PM and start threatening to take back the Northwest Territory …
[/QUOTE]
Do you mean Oregon Territory maybe?
“Northwest Territory” — at least as used in the U.S. — refers to the region that became Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Michigan. The odd name results from it being the northwest portion of the country back in the day (before the Louisiana Purchase).
[QUOTE=garygnu]
That sounds like how neighbors describe the psycopath next door after he goes on a killing spree. What’s Canada up to?
[/QUOTE]
Smokin weed, allowing Gay marriages and having “Freaky” socialist ideas like medicine for everyone paid by the state. That neighbour ain’t a psychopath.. he’s a freakin hippie!
Canadians don’t really much notice Norway. Canadians don’t necessarily even notice each other. Living in Ontario, I don’t spend a lot of time thinking, “I wonder what the political situation is in Saskatchewan?” I’m sure folks in Saskatchewan aren’t getting all worked up about Ontario’s upcoming election.
I’m sure most Chinese don’t really give a flying crap about Mongolia. I doubt the English are deeply concerned about Morocco. And I’m pretty sure Brazilians are not lying awake at night wondering what’s going on in Paraguay.
Why should you have a great deal of concern about things that shouldn’t concern you?
[QUOTE=Bytegeist]
Do you mean Oregon Territory maybe?
[/QUOTE]
Or, alternately, he could mean the Northwest Territories, but as the Northwest Territories are already part of Canada, a PM who kept ranting about how Canada must take them back would definately be crazy, all right.
I contend there is also confusion about who, besides us in the United States, can claim to be Americans, if they so desire. Canada is in America-North America. Mexico is in America - Central America. Tierra del Fuego is in America-South America.
[QUOTE=What Exit?]
…Canadians should rejoice that we don’t follow your politics. Our press would just find a way to make it worse and shriller. Do you want to be like England and the US in that regard?
Jim
[/QUOTE]
Oh my God, you’re right! I need to get the mods to close this now, before Bill O’Reilly gets wind of it! Save Canada!!
[QUOTE=Ignatz]
I contend there is also confusion about who, besides us in the United States, can claim to be Americans, if they so desire. Canada is in America-North America. Mexico is in America - Central America. Tierra del Fuego is in America-South America.
[/QUOTE]
Isn’t Mexico in North America too?