act1980

Ok, will do it now!!!

bodgerx

The South Park depiction of the cliched American view of a Canadian may help to shed some light on the OP's original question.

Not that I would recommend watching an episode...

clynnog

My F-I-L is a grand pooba in the Masonic Lodge and has suggested membership to me. I've made my excuses politely (I'm too young to be driving a Buick and wearing silly regalia and memorizing incomprehensible text). The Masonic Lodge tends to be more popular in rural, protestant areas of Canada where the un-hyphentated tend to retreat to. Lodge membership is on a heavy decline due to the rapid aging of the membership.

shelley748

1812 war maybe?

Very sweeping statement though-
in my opinion Canadians are American wannabe's anyway!! Don't shout at me - I am Canadian- it just makes me laugh that they are so ante USA and yet they have built their homes like the Americans, drive the same cars as the USA, trade heavily with the USA, have CDN versions of Walmart, Sears, Lowes, Home Depot etc...

Go figure!!

dbd33

Whereas in the UK Masonic lodges continue to be popular due to the very many Indians who join. It's a strange world, Sandy.

the troubadour

Protection and to deflect the negative comments and vibes that can in many lands be part and parcel of the deal if one hails from the USA.

dbd33

I don't think it happens. I don't think most Americans have heard of Canada and I doubt that those who have perceive Canada to be viewed more favourably in Europe than the USA. I think the perception that it happens derives from the inability of Europeans (and, indeed, Canadians and Americans) to tell Canadians and Americans apart. A European sees an arsehole with a Canadian flag and assumes that person to be an American impersonating a Canadian when, in fact, that's just a Canadian arsehole.

I do however know of some Canadian backpackers who sported American flags. Ironically.

el_richo

I was talking over the weekend with one of my American friends who has done this while travelling and mentioned this in passing. His reply......

"I didn't feel confident travelling off the beaten track through the Middle East, India, and Asia with a sign over my head saying I'm an American"

I'm sure it's not rife by any means but it does happen.

Oakvillian

Maybe not overall, but those Americans who venture abroad - particularly of the backpacking variety - are precisely those who will most likely have heard of Canada, and be more aware than their compatriots of the distruct for America and Americans in some quarters in Europe and the Middle East and the conversely warm and fuzzy feelings for Canada and Canadians. It's those people who sew Canadian flags on their backpacks. I know several who have done so.

dbd33

If you say so. Whenever I've mentioned the idea to Americans it's been met with bemusement. Rather as if I had proposed that we pretend to be Irish.

Atlantic Xpat

So does Mrs AX from her backpacking time in UK. A couple of years ago when we travelled to Kenya/Tanzania she was very insistent upon sewing large Maple Leaf flags onto our kit bags. So IMHO the stories of Americans wanting to pass themselves off as Canadian, are not as apocryphal as some would have you believe.