Hey, all you Canucks!! Where do we fit in?

Nonskimmer · 03-31-2006, 09:19 PM

I got to thinking after seeing this line on another forum:

"Canadians are much more similar to Europeans than they are to Americans."

I said to myself: "Self, this might be kinda fun.", but then maybe it'll cause some kind of blowout, who knows?
Aaaaaahhh, what the hell, eh?! Let's go for it!

So what do you guys think? pb, Maestro, Hussars, Hunter, sunny, KK (if you even look here), TacHel (if you ever come back), let's hear it. What the hell are we Canadians anyway? Besides absolute perfection I mean.

I'll start us off. The answer is really simplicity itself. We're friggin' Canadians, that's what we are.

All input is welcome, you certainly don't have to be Canadian to participate. Don't be shy... Tell us what ya think!

pbfoot · 03-31-2006, 09:40 PM

Wow thats tough well its kind of a combo of a laid back brit with a little bit of the thrifty scots a touch of Irish for the party mixed in with some French so we can be a bit erratic or erotic whos always worried about his virginal daughter be spoiled by our next door neighbour kinda of like Dudley Doright

Hunter368 · 04-01-2006, 12:13 AM

NS thats a good one, I have heard that before to. One time down in Mexico on holidays, people said to my wife and I "you are not from USA are you? You must be from Europe right?" We laughed and said no we are not from USA or Europe but from Canada. We asked why did you not think we were from USA (we showed nothing to show where we were from)? They said we were to polite to be from USA, we laughed again (no offense meant to any of our friends to the south).

What is it to be Canadian? mmmmm
-more reserved than our American friends
-love hockey
-love real beer, not watered down beer
-love fishing, quite time on a lake (god I want to go fishing just thinking about it)
-love a good cold winter night to play shinny at the out door rink with friends
-love a good hockey fight
-love Don Cherry (hockey genius)

Theres a good start NS hope you like it.

Maestro · 04-01-2006, 01:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hunter368

-love Don Cherry (hockey genius)

Uh ?

A good hockey host, may be. A hockey genius, surely not !

The lone time a hockey team president gave him the authorization to do anything he wanted with his team, it was with the Boston Bruins... He made an all English-Canadian/American hockey team (without any French-Canadians or Europeans) and his team ended at the bottom of the scorecard by winning a single game in their season and losing every others.

I heard that on TV a while back... When they made a repport about him being kicked out of CBC by the CRTC.

Anyway, back on topic.

Well, we must separate Canada in three Great Groups (GGs).

1 - French-Canadians
2 - English-Canadians (descending directly from English/Scottish/Irish colonists)
3 - English-Canadians (former American colonists)

GG-1 is the "core civilization" by which Canada is born. After three French-English wars (who concluded by the Battle on the Plaines of Abrahams), GG-2 took control over the Canadian theritorry. Well, "battle" is a big word since it lasted less than 20 minutes... GG-1 mostly descend from farmers since the ritch French colonists flew away after the defeat on the Plaines.

GG-2 is the biggest group in Canada. Most of them still believe in the good old colony. Just count the number of Union-Jacks in Ontario... You could be surprised !

GG-3 is a bunch of former American colonists who crapped in their pants during the American revolution and escaped to Canada to remain a King's minion. A couples of years later, they realized what they missed and became extremely Anti-American. They rules a great part of the English-Canadian medias.

So who are we ? A bunch of f*cked up peoples who don't know where they are going !

Nonskimmer · 04-01-2006, 08:26 AM

Yeah, I'm with Maestro here concerning Don Cherry. The guy may be funny to listen to after a game, but he's no genius. I like listening to him rant though, it's funny as hell.

It's true that there are still a lot of pro-Imperialists throughout English-Canada. Ontario undoubtedly contains the largest concentration of them by virtue of the relatively large population in southern Ontario, but they exist in all provinces. Believe it or not, you may actually still find a very, very, very small number of them in Québec. Probably holed up in a basement somewhere in Montréal.

I think the monarchists among us are slowly dying off though. It's more prevalent with people of my parents and grandparents generations. You know, old bastards like pb.

Personally, I don't see anything wrong with it. I'm not of the belief that we should maintain the posts of Governor General or the Lieutenant Governors on the provincial level, as they're all pretty pointless nowadays, but there's nothing wrong with keeping in touch with our strong British roots. I'm of the personal belief that English and French cultures can co-exist without the bickering if we choose. We'd all be made stronger for it, and a lot better off. Just look at the Acadian communities in the Maritimes. They live and work among us English speaking "savages" and we all get along fine. I dated an Acadian girl for a few years. Boy, she was ssssssssmokin'!

All of her sisters were too.

Hunter368 · 04-01-2006, 09:39 AM

Don Cherry:

While he would never be compared to Scotty Bowman as a coach. He was a very good coach still. Here is what he has done:

-15 years in AHL as a player which is greater than any of us have ever done.
-Then he coached the Boston Bruins to three division titles in a row.
-He took the Bruins to the Finals twice (lost both times to perhaps the best team ever in history Montreal Canadians which is nothing to hang your head about).
-Has forgotten more about the in and outs of hockey behind the scenes then most us ever knew or will ever know.

But his greatest strength is also his greatest weakness which would stop him from ever being a "great" coach and which has lead him to being a "great" hockey commentator and one of the funnest guys I ever seen. That is his personality. He is very much part of Canadian lore.

This is just my opinion of course.

FLYBOYJ · 04-01-2006, 09:47 AM

As a Yank who lived in Canada for 5 years...

"Canadians are much more similar to Europeans than they are to Americans."

No - I think Canadians are unique as they are "Canadians." You all have you're own Identity, you don't need to be compared to Europeans or Americans...

Besides, Don Cherry would freak if he ever heard that! You ever hear what he says about Swedish players?? He says they play like they're from a Socialist country - they only play hard once every 3 games!!!

Nonskimmer · 04-01-2006, 09:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FLYBOYJ

I think Canadians are unique as they are "Canadians." You all have you're own Identity, you don't need to be compared to Europeans or Americans...

Bingo!!! Damn straight, brother!

In fact, I prefer to compare them to us, not the other way 'round.

Bustedwing · 04-01-2006, 01:41 PM

Nonskimmer · 04-01-2006, 02:15 PM

I'll assume that's meant as a joke. If so, it's kinda funny.

This thread is meant to be fun and perhaps a little educational boys, so let's not start the America bashing to make ourselves feel better, 'k?

You know how it goes. We bash them, they bash back, and it just becomes a bar room brawl. Messy. Friendly digs here and there are fine, but let's not hit too far below the belt here.

Maestro · 04-01-2006, 03:10 PM

@ Bustedwing : "Canada, America done right." WTF ?

We have a lot of things to learn from the Americans. Here are a few examples...

In the US, when the President makes his taxes repport, he makes a copy for the newspapers. That way, he is constantly "under investigation" by the public. We don't have that here... I always wondered how a Prime Minister could become millionaire with a $150,000 a year salary.

In the US, when someone is found guilty of rape or murder, he goes in jail for a LONG while. Here, they get community work or several years of jail.

In the US, Correctionnal Officers are armed. In Canada, they're not.

US Army is the best equipped army of the world. Canada's army is the weakest of the G-8.

Do you want me to continue ?

Bustedwing · 04-01-2006, 03:53 PM

That wasn't meant to start a flame war or anything. I just thought it was funny!
Americans and Canadians are the same, just different !

Nonskimmer · 04-01-2006, 04:42 PM

We do share many common traits with our brothers down south.

Say, aside from FBJ we've yet to hear from any non-Canuckians. C'maaawwwn people, you must have some impression of us.

Here's the perfect opportunity to stick it to us!

pbfoot · 04-01-2006, 09:46 PM

Wow
Maestro you gotta read some history on the UEL or better yet on Canada ref the guys that **** their pants during American Revolution here is one example
http://iaw.on.ca/~awoolley/brang/brhist.html
Don Cherry has large ones and is one of the few people that says it like most feel
Flyboy is bang on we are unique ( I've been told by many i am unique)
and if you think we're monarchists (i could care less about Royalty) but we gotta respect the guys that did it for King And Country realizing of course we fought under the Red Ensign
and somebuddy said Southern ontario was Royalist has not been here in a while because once again I'm unique because here I am a visible minority as a White Anglo saxon male Protestant smoker that is not disabled

Nonskimmer · 04-01-2006, 10:00 PM

Well for one thing, I didn't realize that being a monarchist was necessarily considered a bad thing. It's just how some people think. They continue to feel loyalty to the queen, that's all. Nothing wrong with that, if that's how you feel. I for one don't especially feel that way, but there are those that do. Big deal. If you think I was singling out southern Ontario as being royalist then reread the post. I was doing nothing of the sort.

I also happen to like Don Cherry. I think he's awesome people, I just wouldn't call the man a genius that's all.