Tangram

Maybe he just insists on single beds and gives them a 'Paddington Bear' stare

kt0157

There are Canadian values. Democracy, the rule of law, 1950s-style racism being unacceptable.

Your friend was wrong to walk away. At the very least he needed to push back against this. Next time, he should put his mobile phone on a cord round his neck and have it videoing his experience in checking-in.

K.

kt0157

At one level this it is almost funny: such antiquated views make Borat look enlightened. But imagine Chet's day-to-day experience of this racism. Normally people come to Canada to escape this kind of stuff.

K.

Tangram

I was referring to Db's comment on the hypothetical dilemma he would face with a same sex couple in a lighthearted way. Just before the racist/sexist police start having a go at me.

If you are going to another country to escape bigoted views,including Canada be prepared.....it can be present the world over unfortunately.

I know this from experience, my family in Canada are First Nation.

dbd33

A stereotype which, in comparison with the US, I don't think holds. I don't think Toronto (ok this may be a more conservative part of Canada but it's where I am) is more accepting of minority races, racial combinations and offbeat orientations than NYC, San Francisco or even Chicago.

kt0157

No, no, no, I wasn't having a go. I did actually laugh at the comment you made. In fact, I find it ironic that joking about racism is verboten, and yet blatant racism of the type we're discussing is tolerated.

K.

Lees147

Considering i do not know much about the Histories of the two nations i can not really comment but ask a further question of:

What came first the America as it is today or the Canada as it is today?

This is like the notion the British invented the world which as we know is not that far from the truth but an over-estimation.

dbd33

They were colonised at about the same time and evolved along about the same path. Their histories are entwined, for example Cajuns are Arcadians and the ruling families in Canada today mostly owe their position to the prohibition laws in the US. I don't think one can say that one came before the other, rather they evolved together and influenced each other, the US having more influence on Canada than vice-versa mainly due to the greater population.

<bends over, awaits arrival of Canuckistani nationalists>

flashman

So true.

When I travel in the US I get a sense of aggressive competitiveness environment. Even ordering a meal in a restaurant can be like the famous Jack Nicholson scene in Five Easy Pieces.

I am also uneasy about the gun culture and the propensity for violence.

I always breathe a sigh of relief when I cross the border back into Canada.

Maybe the UK is becoming just as Mercanized with its celebrity worship (the Royals), materialism and supeficiality.

dbd33

Have a look at the "What Canadian foods would you mis if you went back" thread. What Brits love about Canada is that it's like America.

Lees147

They might be naming american foods but they are not naming them becuase they are american but because they can not get it in England which they can in Canada.

dbd33

But they can get them in Canada because Canada is, for the purpose for retailing, and much else, just a bunch of frigid states up there. Someone plucked from Poland and plonked down in Plano or Mississauga or Richardson or Vaughan or Naperville would not be able to tell which country he was in except that, in Canada, his nuts would have retracted.

kt0157

Many of the original English-speaking Canadians were American colonials who fled the "Revolution" (the US was formed by a group of terrorists who bullied and murdered loyalists until they got their way).

K.

Lees147

To be fair though if I looked for a Canadian based store in America I would still probably be able to find one.

If you look in England there are Mcdonalds, Burger King, Kentucky Fried Chicken, & many more.

I wouldn't refer to England as America lite but the main differance is the Geographical position of Canada to America.

Once again i cant comment on the political means of Canada but i thought it was more like England in that sense (with this you really need to live in an area to understand it better).

Canada2006

And landowners who wanted to protect their wealth... liberties came a distant second or third...