Well boys and girls, it's time to dig into the files of Quora digest to answer this age-old question: Why do many Americans make jokes about Canada
I have a good friend who is Canadian. And I respect Canada a lot. It's one of the greatest countries in the world and everybody knows that.
So I've actually thought about this very an unusual amount: why do Americans joke about Canadians?
The conclusion I've come to is actually very simple.
Americans find Canada funny because of one thing: to America, Canada seems like AMERICA WITHOUT THE PROBLEMS.
This is a bit confusing because I think that problems are part of the American psyche. Racial problems, money problems, health care problems, guns on the streets, an old-fashioned inefficient form of government, civil liberty problems, constant wars and tears, an obesity epidemic probably greater than Canada's (as far as I know).
AT the same time we can boast some pretty kick-ass movies that the world flocks to see (even if they don't like to admit it) the greatest literature of the 20th century my opinion! but I'll stand by it; and our culture has been a well-spring and inspiration of musical forms the world over for over a century; we put a man on the moon! We rule the oceans! Our big cities serve awesome cuisine from all corners of the globe! Our triumphs are many.
You see, Americans are dramatic by nature; we like overcoming obstacles and surviving difficult situations and enduring suffering. Our stories and literature and even history, the very mythology that shapes our national psyche, is filled with startling triumphs and crushing, humiliating defeats and failures. Heroes and bad, bad villains.
And most of the Americans I know tend to dramatize their lives and paint them in these terms.
So to think of an America without the problems...it's just bizarre. It's like an oxymoron. The problems America has are something that actually define America and we BROADCAST THEM FAR AND WIDE FOR ALL THE WORLD TO SEE AND JUDGE. It's hard to imagine living in a society without these deep-seated, seemingly unsolvable problems twisted into the fabric of said society and have that society still be 'like America.' There's something funny about it.
Now I know, of course, that no country is really problem-free. But most developed countries do not broadcast their problems with the vigor and enthusiasm that the USA does...that would be...well, unAmerican.
Pretty much every Canadian joke I've heard has come from a place of affection. The jokes are about how polite Canadians are, their adorable accent, or perhaps idiosyncrasies of their diet, like calling ham bacon. My experience is that Americans like both Canada and Canadians. But I don't know what you mean by "so much". I don't hear these jokes very often.
Because we are envious. Canadians are uniformly polite and affable. If you meet a Canadian anywhere in the world, they will introduce themselves, ask you about yourself and stay and chat for as long as you like. Canadians own a lot of guns and love to hunt and fish, yet there is almost no gun violence in Canada. Canadians like to drink in spite of the fact that their government takes advantage of this and taxes the hell out of alcohol. Canadians value education and are well spoken - usually with an expansive vocabulary that goes well beyond "literally amazing". Canadians still say "right-on" without the least bit of self-consciousness. Canadians can take a joke, which is why we joke about them. We don't have to worry about getting shot after telling a joke about Canadians, eh! I wish more Americans were like Canadians.
One of the common tropes expressed by the Canadian sense of humour is self deprecation, this gets misread by some Americans as a license to insult us since we do it to ourselves. Sorry it doesn't work that way.
Realistically most of the time we take it as it is largely intended, a little bit of good-natured joshing between friends but wish if you were going to do it you would make a bit of an effort. So jokes about beer drinking, cold, snow, the word "hoser", accents that nobody in Canada actually have or accents that most of you also have, all a little tired. Make up something new.
Realistically most of the time we take it as it is largely intended, a little bit of good-natured joshing between friends but wish if you were going to do it you would make a bit of an effort. So jokes about beer drinking, cold, snow, the word "hoser", accents that nobody in Canada actually have or accents that most of you also have, all a little tired. Make up something new.
While the extent of my personal experience with Canada jokes is noting the excess of maple syrup and bacon that flows from the country's roads like so many salmon mad with lust swimming upstream to that glorious climax and inevitability, I imagine most Americans who do make jokes about our northerly neighbors are envious of the country, or are simply ignorant. I doubt the average American could tell me what languages are primarily spoken in Canada, much less know that the majority of the population resides very close to the border of the United States. Maybe some of the joking resides in fear of the unknown of those vast frozen wastes?
I don't know anyone who says bad things about Canada. The ribbing is usually good-natured. Most people I know love Canada and Canadians, although due to the small population and our ego-centrism, many may have very little idea of Canada at all. It is funny that you all look and talk like us, just slightly stranger, and you and your culture are just slightly different, just arguably a little nicer, and that amuses us. Many people are referencing South Park in their replies, and they eviscerate everyone and everything. The weather is a little nicer here, and that's about the only thing we have on you. :)
Canadians also make jokes aboot Americans as well. Sort of a natural sibling or best friend type thing to do. It's all light hearted and nobody gets hurt.
We all know we're very similar, so we hide behind a country name to maintain our individuality.
We all know we're very similar, so we hide behind a country name to maintain our individuality.
I once had a New Zealander I met in Europe call me an American. I told him I was Canadian and that I expected that an "Aussie" should know that... He didn't find that quite as funny as I thought it was (Canadian humour).
Canadians also love to tell jokes about themselves. Self depreciation beats you to the punch, so your ribbing has less effect. Another humour weapon in our arsenal.
Don't take it serious. Treated like a boy making fun of a pretty girl he likes.
I lived 33 years in the US and my entire family on all sides is American and lives in America and I can't think of one time I heard a Canadian joke. I can only think of the South Park jokes and they are partly funny because they are so unusual.
AND FINALLY:
After 20 years being married to a Canadian living in the U.S., I can see my country and countrymen through a different lens. Americans think they know a lot about Canadians, but they don't. They think Canadians are wanna be Americans. MOST DON'T.
(Folks, I don't know what the problem is, but boy, am I ever seeing a lot of spelling and grammar mistakes that I had to correct in these replies. Is is a result of today's computer and texting age, or the American educational system?)
(Folks, I don't know what the problem is, but boy, am I ever seeing a lot of spelling and grammar mistakes that I had to correct in these replies. Is is a result of today's computer and texting age, or the American educational system?)
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