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Jill Smith
Jill Smith
6 years ago

Love it!

A Canadian journalist once said that while the U.S. is benevolently ignorant about Canada, Canadians are malevolently well informed about the U.S.!

My favorite is “You Canadian? I have a cousin in Toronto, Jack Smith. You know him?”

paulm01
paulm01
6 years ago
Reply to  Jill Smith

Once heard this from a comedian:

“Canada…it’s like America’s attic, we know it’s up there but we have no idea what’s in it and never go there.”

About drove off the road laughing.

EDIT: As quoted from a YouTube bit: “”Canada is like our attic. You forget it’s up there, but once you get up there, you’re like, ‘Wow, look at all this stuff!'”

kyriosity
kyriosity
6 years ago
Reply to  Jill Smith

I had a Canadian roommate who would get Deeply Offended by that sort of thing.

Frank Bernard
Frank Bernard
6 years ago

comment image

Jon Swerens
Jon Swerens
6 years ago
Reply to  Frank Bernard

Yeah, someone please help Doug post images at a readable resolution!

Trey Mays
Trey Mays
6 years ago

One of my favorite Canadian Reformed Christian ministries that I’ve been so grateful to have come across is the Ezra Institute. They put out some great material and research.

lndighost
lndighost
6 years ago

I applaud Americans for diligently learning so much about their own country, but it does seem to be at the expense of a broader knowledge of geography.

“New Zealand! That’s in London isn’t it?”

bethyada
bethyada
6 years ago
Reply to  lndighost

Be fair, its usually, That’s part of Australia?

:)

lndighost
lndighost
6 years ago
Reply to  bethyada

I did actually get the London comment once! But it was from a child so I guess I should be lenient, especially since my own US geography is pretty sketchy.

Charles Anthony
Charles Anthony
6 years ago
Reply to  lndighost

The Alaska-Yukon border is 141degreesWest while the NewSouthWales-Queensland/PapuaNewGuinea border is 141degreesEast. Is that a coincidence?

Justin Parris
Justin Parris
6 years ago
Reply to  lndighost

To be fair, Americans are in a fairly unique position in this regard. I could visit a new state every year for the rest of my life and probably die before I finished. You could spend a few days driving in europe and drive through half a dozen different dominant languages and new countries with complicated histories. In the States, it’s really quite difficult to do anything like that. Unless you live on one of our few land borders, you have virtually no natural reason in your lifetime to directly interact with other countries. That America is a major exporter… Read more »

paulm01
paulm01
6 years ago
Reply to  Justin Parris

My wife’s Danish relatives would come over to the US for a week and want to see the Grand Canyon, Empire State Building, The Rockies, and the ocean…they had no concept that Denmark would fit inside Texas.

drewnchick
drewnchick
6 years ago
Reply to  paulm01

Slight correction might need to be made here, just for mind-blowing effect. Denmark would actually fit inside of the Dallas/Ft. Worth metroplex.

Half of Europe would fit inside of Texas.

All done now…

paulm01
paulm01
6 years ago
Reply to  drewnchick

So right…hehe

We visited family one trip, decided to go from Copenhagen to Helsingor at the top of Sjaelland, they were amazed we’d drive so far. Took us less time than going to town (here in ranch country), might have been an hour. Found that amusing. Nice country though.

bethyada
bethyada
6 years ago
Reply to  Justin Parris

you have virtually no natural reason in your lifetime to directly interact with other countries.

Perhaps not. But why would you not want to?

Charles Anthony
Charles Anthony
6 years ago

Meh.
Most Canadians know nothing about their own country — past and present.