for $24.95 USD, you too can be a Canadian!

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-- for $24.95 USD, you too can be a Canadian!

Posted by Kate Manus on Dec-07-2004 17:40:

for $24.95 USD, you too can be a Canadian!

This article is featured on CNN right now, about increasingly popular travel plans in the US to be disguised as a Canadian.. hehe

ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico (AP) -- An American T-shirt company has a solution for their fellow citizens who want to vacation in Europe without having to answer questions about U.S. politics -- pose as Canadians.

For $24.95, T-shirtKing.com offers the "Go Canadian" package, full of just the kind of things an American traveler needs to leave their country and its politics behind.

There's a Canadian flag T-shirt, a Canadian flag lapel pin and a Canadian patch for luggage or a backpack. There's also a quick reference guide -- "How to Speak Canadian, Eh?" -- on answering questions about Canada.

It's the brainchild of employees at the Mountainair, New Mexico-based company known for novelty T-shirts it sells worldwide on the Internet.

"It's not meant as a slight against the United States or Canada," explained T-shirtKing.com President Bill Broadbent. "It was meant as something Republicans could give their Democrat friends to say 'C'est la vie.' ... But maybe not c'est la vie because that's a French word."

The "Go Canadian" idea sprouted after one of Broadbent's colleagues heard of someone being harassed about U.S. politics during a recent overseas trip.

Some people might not mind, but others "just want to be on vacation," Broadbent said. "So we were joking that they could just go as Canadians, and that just kind of evolved."

The package went up on T-shirtKing.com's Web site November 12 and the company had sold a couple hundred in the first two weeks or so. Many of the out-of-state buyers were in Michigan, Illinois, and the Seattle area, Broadbent said.

When lifelong Democrat Dani Delaney saw the package, she was immediately sold. After the general election, she said, "if I could move to Canada, I would."

"I admire their liberal, progressive stand on things," said the 57-year-old, part-time writing instructor at the University of New Mexico. "And I thought, 'Well, that's a good way to peacefully protest.'"

Sylvia Dawson's boyfriend has been joking that she needed to find him a Canadian flag for an upcoming trip to Spain. That's after his daughter, who is studying there, warned that he might be questioned about politics when he comes to visit.

So she bought a package.

"I said, 'What are you going to do if someone asks you about the prime minister of Canada?' And he said, 'I'll study up,"' Dawson said.

Such questions are the reason for the package's quick reference guide, which offers tips in case an American in disguise gets quizzed on Canada.

When it comes to sports, the guide suggests: "This is easy to remember. There is only one real sport in Canada and it is called hockey. Regardless of any trivia question, the answer is 'Wayne Gretzky."'

If a Canadian says he had to "deke out of a meeting," it means he avoided the meeting. If someone is headed to "Hogtown," that's Canadian for Toronto. A trip to "Cowtown" means the person is going to Calgary.

And in all cases, the guide advises: "If your vacation is to be stress free, leave those heavy politics behind and travel with a light heart and quick wit, Canadian style."

Posted by kate on Dec-07-2004 18:17:

hehe that's really funny I'd probably do the same if I was an American on vacation!

Posted by Mike_B on Dec-08-2004 18:07:

as much as it is funny, can't say im paticularly happy with this

this means some crazy texan with crazy pro bush idea might be travelling out there giving Canada a bad name

In any case, i love it how americans can't leave their country in peace. Just more proof as to how the bush administration regretional view have brought nothing but more harm to that country

Posted by fastmp3 on Dec-08-2004 18:18:

quote:
Originally posted by Mike_B
this means some crazy texan with crazy pro bush idea might be travelling out there giving Canada a bad name

trust me , those are the ones proud of him that wouldn't buy this package but instead will travel and stand up for their stupid ideas

Posted by Xar on Dec-09-2004 08:01:

In Japan, you will still have drunk old japanese guys harassing anybody speaking English they can find over WW2. Horrible but true.

What:s funny is telling them you are canadian... the confused look they give back is really funny (it also thankfully shuts them up, usually).