Re: British pride
 

Actually, I don't mind people commenting on what sucks about Canada because there are a lot of things that completely suck about Canada. What can bother me, if I let it, is people saying there's no history or culture in Canada. But then I just remind myself that some people are pretty dense, ignorant and/or arrogant and just let them fully express how moronic they are. :)

Re: British pride
 

Yep, I know what you mean...and I know what they mean too. Its just different, thats all.

Re: British pride
 

Just saw "Vera Drake". Brought back some memories when I was a kid. A part of English history I am personally familiar with.

Re: British pride
 

There's plenty of culture & history out west ... it's just that the timeframe is either very shallow (last 100 to 200 years) or you're looking back thousands & millions of years ... there isn't much in the middle distance if you're used to living somewhere that's been continuously occupied for the last few thousand years.

Leicester is older than London ... every hole they dug "in the downtown core" found Roman or Viking period artifacts ... the city also has standing Roman ruins, a medieval castle mound, etc, etc.

The equivalent in Calgary is to dig a hole and find a 10,000 year old buffalo jump ... they're all over the place. But finding the location of Sam Livingstone's first log cabin from the late 1800's took effort.

Re: British pride
 

Ok, now you're bothering me...

Re: British pride
 

I wasn't criticising Calgary ... just passing comment on the youth of the place ... most of the city is 20th century ... there isn't anything much older than that in Calgary outside of a museum ... I also didn't say that I didn't like it.

If I'd said in all of Canada you'd might be justified ... I said in the west ... if you need me to be evn more specific, that excludes BC ... it's somewhere I've never been.

Go ahead and get hot & bothered, but you aren't doing much for the Candian reputation for tolerance of new people with a different view of life :D

Re: British pride
 

Heehee, my mother-in-law came over for a visit this past fall, and after about a week of sightseeing, asked me where the old buildings were.

Me: How old? We have some places in Quebec and NS that date back to the 17th century.
Her: Yes, but what about before that?
Me: Before? There wasn't anyone here before that, except the natives and they were nomadic so didn't leave any buildings
Her: So you mean before that it was all just barren land?
Husband (clueing into a potentially tense conversation): It wasn't barren and changed the subject.

Re: British pride
 

:mad:

I'm being pretty tolerant right now, considering.

Re: British pride
 

Well, be tolerant a bit longer and explain why this bugs Canadians so much??

This is obviously a trap every Brit is capable of falling into with their eyes wide open ... we can't do much about coming from an old country and more than a Canadian can do much about coming from a young country ... please bridge the attitude gap and explain.

In everyday life I've gone for the simple approach of never making comments about Canadian (whether I think they're positive or negative) because someone or other is duty bound to get hot under the collar ...

Canadians occasionally toss you a "what do you think of ...?" or "how does ... compare with the UK?" grenade with the pin pulled out ... DO NOT ANSWER WITH AN HONEST OPINION, THEY DO NOT WANT TO HEAR ONE ... just settle for "it's different" ... makes life so much easier.

Re: British pride
 

I think it all depends on how it's put. Inflection is everything and wording can be dangerous. It's statements like:

"Canada has no culture."

and...

"Canada has no history."

That get Canadians hot under the collar. The statements sound derogatory, like they could be followed by "...unlike Britain, Europe etc..."

Our past doesn't go back as far..true, but it is rich with history and culture which most Canadians are proud of.

Walking through Old Montreal where the buildings can be 350 years old makes us feel a link to those first settlers in the same way that visiting an old keep or castle in Scotland makes Scots feel a link to thier heritage. It's no LESS of a heritage, just younger.

To me, Perth seems VERY new in comparison to Montreal (only about 150 years old) much the same way Canada must feel to Europeans but the culture is still there as is the history which Aussies are proud of.

I guess the rule of thumb is "Don't dis my country." LOL

I promise not to use the word "history" and "culture" for the next while to make up for my overuse of them in this post. Hahaha.


Siren

P.S. Wanna see us really annoyed? Call us "Yanks" Grrrrrrrrrrrrr :mad:

Re: British pride
 

I didn't think that anyone here was saying Canada had no history or culture - just that it was several centuries younger than Europe? That is merely the simple truth. Or is there an undercurrent in this conversation I am missing?

Re: British pride
 

First off, it’s going to bug different Canadians for different reasons. And FWIW, it’s not just Brits who can fall into this trap.

Anyway here are my reasons – a concise edition.

The description of Calgary, and the rest of Canada, as a young place denies the fact that for at least 10,000 prior to Europeans showing up, there were millions of people building homes, having sex and making babies, having wars, practising religious beliefs, complaining about the weather, settling disputes, etc. in all kinds of distinctly different ways depending on whatever region and/or nation.

I’m also bothered by assumptions that often runs through discussions like this that European culture is the standard to which other cultures are measured (eg, old buildings = culture, no or new buildings = no or less developed culture) or, more bothersome (to me), that indigenous cultures have nothing to do with contemporay Canadians or Canada and so ‘don’t really count’. Or put another way, that it it only the culture of settlers that is considered Canadian culture.

Re: British pride
 

British Pride, is ok but remember you were so proud of it you left it.

I'm who I am, living where I live, responsible for what I do, not for what you do or have done.

I don't want to be tarred with a general "oh your English" brush whether it's good or bad.

For every good thing that we are proud of I'm sure theres example's of the opposite as well.

So argue with everyone over every point and stamp your feet because you're
right, but don't tell me you're better than me because I'm not from your country.

Re: British pride
 

Nah... not here or in this thread in particular, but I 've seen it and heard it.
No undercurrent that I'm aware of but I'm sortof oblivious :D

Siren

Re: British pride
 

THere's a big advantage in that there's no historical baggage.