Why do Canadians look down on Americans?

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As an American I'll often play as a Canadian civilization in Civ 5. It's fun to play peacefully for most of the game and seek out diplomatic solutions to every crisis. Then when the modern age arrives I drop the pacifist strategy and nuke the shit out of Napoleon. That dude is a total jerk.

Who told this American dog our secret plan?
 
Depends on your view of the planet and its location in space. There is no true orientation of the planet, just a mass accepted view.

Regardless, Canadians look down on U.S./us because we don't eat that delicious fries, gravy, cheese thing they have.

The "mass accepted view" is the true orientation. North is north, east is east, etc.

That "everything has a frame of reference" view is cute and all, but wholly unnecessary for something as simple as commonly accepted cardinal directions on Earth. It's like arguing that words have no true meaning, just a mass accepted view. Well, yeah, that might be inherently true. But you're going to learn the meaning as it pertains to virtually everyone else, so you can communicate.
 
Also, bagged milk is totally weird. As is milk in huge jugs. Not sure that I've ever seen either here in Sweden. We use these:

iblUZ5fz83r0Tm.jpg
 
I don't really see this at all, but I think part of it may simply be due to Americans reputation in the international media, which is quite often negative.

I don't know a single Canadian that has visited the US and had bad things to say. I've visited the east and west coasts of America and everyone I met was extremely friendly and intelligent, and I think most of my friends would agree.
 
Just because bagged milk may exist in those areas doesn't mean that's ALL there is. I've lived all over the East Coast, I rarely see bagged milk anymore. 90% milk cartons, 10% jugs for the bigger ones.

Bagged used to be more prevalent about 15-20 years ago, but even then cartons were the majority. Sorry people, but if its not on the west coast, and its not prevalent on the east coast, where the hell is it? It's pretty much a myth at this point. Those that say otherwise don't know any better because they are just going on word of mouth.

stealth edit - talking to a friend in Ontario, they say everyone they know in the area uses bagged milk.. hmm I guess that's where most of this is coming from.
 
do more grocery shopping on your vacationing then.

i know bagged milk exists in ontario, quebec, new brunswick, PEI and nova scotia. i dont see newfoundland being much different and i haven't been west of ontario.

Oh I know it exists, I mean when I was in Ontario I saw milk bags, but that did not stop me from buying a 2L jug of milk anyway.

Also post in the SCII thread more!

Also, bagged milk is totally weird. As is milk in huge jugs. Not sure that I've ever seen either here in Sweden. We use these:

iblUZ5fz83r0Tm.jpg

Canada also has fold out cartons, though apparently Milk bags may be our universal terrifying future, given the environmental, economic upsides.

It's definitely the norm where I live. Pretty much everyone I know buys Milk in bag form.

Huh, learn something new every day.
 
do more grocery shopping on your vacationing then.

i know bagged milk exists in ontario, quebec, new brunswick, PEI and nova scotia. i dont see newfoundland being much different and i havent been west of ontario.
Can we conclude that Ontario and eastward use bagged milk while anything west of Ontario does not?

Edit: OK never mind. I don't know what to think anymore.
 
Are you talking about Americans? Every country has this issue.

Americans seem to believe that their country is the best country in the world to a much greater extent than any others. They also seem more ignorant to what the rest of the world is actually like. This might or might not be true, but at least that's how Americans very often come off to us outsiders.
 
From what I gather Canada has all of the freedoms with less of the hassle - they're better at being the United States than we are.

To be fair many Americans are condescending towards Canada as well.
Yeah I would be surprised if Canadian didn't have raw feelings about US at this point. Making fun of Canada has basically become a part of pop culture. Everyone does it even though they've probably never been and have no reason why the are doing it. People laugh at Barney's jokes because... well "he's making fun of Canada. We're supposed to laugh now".
 
Milk jugs used to be very prevalent in the GTA but about 20 years or so ago a huge shift towards bagged milk occurred.

And people just writing off Ontario like it's a minor party of the country.. it's 25% of the country lol

Eventually we will convince the other 75% the undeniable awesomeness of bagged milk
 
From what I gather Canada has all of the freedoms with less of the hassle - they're better at being the United States than we are.

That's also a funny thing about Americans - how they seem to think they're the only "free" people in the world. "Freedom" is often championed as one of the great and unique things about America. Well, guess what, tons of other countries are just as "free" as you.
 
Those be fightin words!

Are they?

If there were less obese people, a smaller prison population, fewer guns, less crime, more accessible education, and a better health care system (I won't say universal because I know there is a value difference there), would you not say the country had improved? I guess the "done right" comment is inflammatory (I won't speak for that poster), but surely these are pretty clear, uncontroversial improvements that would help a lot of people

I'm Canadian, but I live in America, for what it's worth. Prefer being back home, but I harbor absolutely no ill will towards you guys. America is a great country.
 
As a Canadian a lot of people I know hate the US government, the crazy religious folks, the lack of proper health care for everyone, the racism/sexism/homophobia that is common (especially down South), and the constant Wars/drama.

Personally I just take offense to the NSA shenanigans, lack of cultural progress (eg. gay marriage, racism), the crazy wealth distribution, and the heavy religion around the bible belt (that stops a lot of science and equality).

You guys got a lock on the entertainment business though.
 
Yeah I would be surprised if Canadian didn't have raw feelings about US at this point. Making fun of Canada has basically become a part of pop culture. Everyone does it even though they've probably never been and have no reason why the are doing it. People laugh at Barney's jokes because... well "he's making fun of Canada. We're supposed to laugh now".

The habit that the American movie industry has (had?) of rewriting real life events to be more American centric (particularly war theaters etc) taking away and minimizing the contributions of Canadians and Europeans has definitely been something that has annoyed Canadians for some time.

I mean take a look even most recently and Argo and how it misrepresented Canada's role, and portrayed the Canadian Ambassador as a spineless cowardly ditherer.

Milk jugs used to be very prevalent in the GTA but about 20 years or so ago a huge shift towards bagged milk occurred.

And people just writing off Ontario like it's a minor party of the country.. it's 25% of the country lol

Eventually we will convince the other 75% the undeniable awesomeness of bagged milk

I will flee your bagged milk-apocalypse.
 
Americans seem to believe that their country is the best country in the world to a much greater extent than any others. They also seem more ignorant to what the rest of the world is actually like. This might or might not be true, but at least that's how Americans very often come off to us outsiders.

Honestly I thought this too... then I traveled/seen some other countries and they all act like that haha. People like to point the finger as if America is the prime example of this, and maybe it is, but after some time in or seeing what other countries are really like... its all the same bs. Ton's of countries think they are the best (everyone needs a bit of nationalism) and even more are seemingly blissfully unaware that the rest of the world can see them from up on w/e pedestal they think their world is on. Way to many times I've gotten/seen the "woah you know about that!?" when its honestly common knowledge in the rest of the world.

like I said though. All the same crap no matter where you go. Some are just louder about it (americans :p)
 
Milk jugs used to be very prevalent in the GTA but about 20 years or so ago a huge shift towards bagged milk occurred.

And people just writing off Ontario like it's a minor party of the country.. it's 25% of the country lol

Eventually we will convince the other 75% the undeniable awesomeness of bagged milk

To us in the west Ontario has become a joke thanks to the Rob Ford scandal. We're just doing our thing making money on this side of the country.
 
That's also a funny thing about Americans - how they seem to think they're the only "free" people in the world. "Freedom" is often cited as one of the great and unique things about America. Well, guess what, tons of other countries are just as "free" as you.

If you want to see some of the Anti American sentiments in action, read what this man has to say. Thoughts like this are very common throughout Germany.
 
That's also a funny thing about Americans - how they seem to think they're the only "free" people in the world. "Freedom" is often championed as one of the great and unique things about America. Well, guess what, tons of other countries are just as "free" as you.
Quoting an American to make the point he just made and saying Americans are oblivious to said point. Awesome
 
do more grocery shopping on your vacationing then.

i know bagged milk exists in ontario, quebec, new brunswick, PEI and nova scotia. i dont see newfoundland being much different and i havent been west of ontario.

I can speak for NFLD, NS, PEI, and NB. None of these places have bagged milk for the majority. You can find it here and there but its within a much larger sea of normal ass milk cartons.
 
They do, but the misconception is that it is some sort of universal thing where as it is a minority. You can buy it in Ontario, sure.



Yeah, but that is a franchise thing; culturally speaking. and in terms of non commercial enterprises, I am drawing a blank.

Oh and our Beer is better.

Bullshit. The craft beer industry has exploded in America and there are probably more amazing breweries than there are people in Canada.
 
Americans seem to believe that their country is the best country in the world to a much greater extent than any others. They also seem more ignorant to what the rest of the world is actually like. This might or might not be true, but at least that's how Americans very often come off to us outsiders.

That's also a funny thing about Americans - how they seem to think they're the only "free" people in the world. "Freedom" is often championed as one of the great and unique things about America. Well, guess what, tons of other countries are just as "free" as you.

You're generalizing so much it hurts. Like, holy hell. Nobody I speak with on a regular basis believes any of these things. Not that those people don't exist...but it sounds like you've got some sort of personal issue.
 
I can speak for NFLD, NS, PEI, and NB. None of these places have bagged milk for the majority. You can find it here and there but its within a much larger sea of normal ass milk cartons.

I have no visited all of those places, but those that I have I can comment on in agreement.
 
America is the most scrutinized country in the world. Its culture is exported to such a high degree that everyone seems to think they "know" America. Its arguably the most important single country at this point in time so everyone wants to have a say.

Plus, Canada's identity is sort of established in contrast to the US as opposed to its own thing so that have a special stake in making comparisons where Canada is "better."
 
Bullshit. The craft beer industry has exploded in America and there are probably more amazing breweries than there are people in Canada.
Yup. We might actually have the best beer in the world due to our multitude of microbreweries, we just don't export it everywhere like we do with our shitty brands.
 
Importance? Relevance? Cultural, economic, technological and historical impact? I'm Canadian. America has been THE deciding factor in preventing the spread of totalitarianism in the 20th century.

Yeah, no. Canada is as relevant and important as any country with a population this size could hope to be, look how many celebrities are actually Canadian, not to mention Canadian inventions and discoveries. America also has a habit of sticking it's nose in a lot of things, while Canadians might look down upon Americans, we don't outright hate them like a large portion of the world does, and no one in Iraq is saying "DEATH TO CANADA" right now. I for one prefer it this way.
 
That's also a funny thing about Americans - how they seem to think they're the only "free" people in the world. "Freedom" is often championed as one of the great and unique things about America. Well, guess what, tons of other countries are just as "free" as you.

Elaborating on this, if you define freedom as "freedom to," rather than "freedom from," then there are many countries (including Canada) that are even more free. Opportunity is simply more accessible, particularly in terms of education. It might mean a bigger Government and higher taxes, but it's better than the alternative, which is basically a bunch of "free people" with absolutely zero class mobility that can't afford anything.
 
I'm not american but sometimes it bothers me off how lot's of people look down on America. I know this isn't only an american problem but damn, i hate those replies with a condescending tone like 'Murica.

I hate when people look down on each other.
 
Which is great and everything (it is) but that still does not mean that I would rather live there, or have a culture and governance system that has resulted in the problems America currently faces, over living in Canada as it is.

But did you ever consider that America's traditional leading role against totalitarianism stems from its principles of freedom from government tyranny? It's notable, that most of the things you consider better in Canada are government programs, but distrust of government benevolence is in part why America took a leading role in opposing totalitarianism. It's gun culture being another example of its distrust of government and its empowerment of the individual.
 
Canadians look down on Americans while massively consuming American culture and influence everyday of their lives. Without it life in Canada would be boring as fuck.
 
You can tell when other countries are reaching into hater territory when they start saying how dumb the First Amendment is (which happens all the time).
 
America is the most scrutinized country in the world. Its culture is exported to such a high degree that everyone seems to think they "know" America. Its arguably the most important single country at this point in time so everyone wants to have a say.

Plus, Canada's identity is sort of established in contrast to the US as opposed to its own thing so that have a special stake in making comparisons where Canada is "better."

the whole sad thing is the perception that you "know" a place because you are exposed to their culture more.
 
Canadians look down on Americans while massively consuming American culture and influence everyday of their lives. Without it life in Canada would be boring as fuck.

Canada absolutely benefits from cultural osmosis with America, but the reasons that Canadians ~look down~ on America are for things that I would argue to be far more important than the massive success of the American entertainment industry.

Also logical fallacy all up in this bitch.
 
Canadians look down on Americans while massively consuming American culture and influence everyday of their lives. Without it life in Canada would be boring as fuck.

Actually, this is one of the few ways I could see Canada improving.

Import less American media, and bring in more stuff from other countries like Britain, Japan, and so on. In addition to this, we need to up our game in terms of our domestic film and television production.

At the very least, It'd be nice if we had something like Hulu up there so that we had a bit more choice in terms of the entertainment we consume.
 
Honestly I thought this too... then I traveled/seen some other countries and they all act like that haha. People like to point the finger as if America is the prime example of this, and maybe it is, but after some time in or seeing what other countries are really like... its all the same bs. Ton's of countries think they are the best (everyone needs a bit of nationalism) and even more are seemingly blissfully unaware that the rest of the world can see them from up on w/e pedestal they think their world is on. Way to many times I've gotten/seen the "woah you know about that!?" when its honestly common knowledge in the rest of the world.

like I said though. All the same crap no matter where you go. Some are just louder about it (americans :p)

Yeah, I guess that's just the thing. Americans let you know how great they are more than others.

If you want to see some of the Anti American sentiments in action, read what this man has to say. Thoughts like this are very common throughout Germany.

Anti-American? I'm anti certain American things (your very right-oriented politics, your poor social security, your shocking amount of religious crazies, your general lack of progress in terms of rights/respect for homosexuals and similar, your gun culture, etc), but I'm not anti-American. I love many things from your country.

EDIT: You might not be American? Not sure.

Quoting an American to make the point he just made and saying Americans are oblivious to said point. Awesome

It wasn't really in answer to that post, just a thought based on it.

You're generalizing so much it hurts. Like, holy hell. Nobody I speak with on a regular basis believes any of these things. Not that those people don't exist...but it sounds like you've got some sort of personal issue.

Yeah, like I said, that might not be true in general, but Americans certainly are better at being loud about such things than most others. But maybe that's just because American culture in general spreads out into the world (Europe in particular) much more than that of other countries.
 
I think a common view here is that Americans see their country as the center of the world, and don't know much (or care about) outside of it. There is also a stereotype of idiocy within the US (articles about 1 in 4 Americans not knowing the the Earth orbits the sun don't help).
 
Canadians look down on Americans while massively consuming American culture and influence everyday of their lives. Without it life in Canada would be boring as fuck.

When Canadians look down on America it's not for petty stuff but actual things that affect people.

Gun Laws, human rights, etc.
 
I'm not american but sometimes it bothers me off how lot's of people look down on America. I know this isn't only an american problem but damn, i hate those replies with a condescending tone like 'Murica.

I hate when people look down on each other.

Americans do this pretty good to themselves.
 
I am not Canadian or American, but I have lived in Canada for 8 years.

Whenever I bring up the US to my Canadian friends they always act condescending towards their neighbors.

Is there something that I am missing? I think that the two countries share a lot of the same values and have a lot in common.

Please enlighten this international student.

This is a minor pet peeve of mine and I know what you meant, but Canadians are "Americans". Just like other South and Central American countries are part of America. It's things like US citizens calling themselves Americans that causes other countries like Canada to have these negative opinions.
 
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