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Americans posing as Canadian abroad (pg. 3)
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| Alex |
| quote: | Originally posted by MeLLyMeL
who goes around touting they are americans when even visiting another country?
so hard to believe this. ppl don't get heckled. just stfu and go see the damn country. why else are you there?
the only way i can even possibly see this as a way out if for arab looking ppl like Lilith said. Other than that .... who the fuk would really go ALL out and say they are from another country? Quite fuking stupid.
It has to be a slim slim amt of ppl doing this. |
Are you really that thick?
I've been all over Europe and let me tell you, they'll take your money if you're an American but the hospitality might just end there depending where you go.
In Amsterdam I was on a train and these two guys coming home from work heard my accent and started giving us for being "stupid americans" then they rambled on about how much they hated McDonald's and the US Marines. It took us the entire train ride to convince them we were Canadians (we finally dug out our passports and showed them the huge ing leaf on the front).
In Italy I saw an American tour group get heckled by at least a dozen people walking by them (we were in a tour group behind their's). Eventually the tour guide for the Americans had to take them inside a nearby restaurant because all the nonsense being yelled at them by locals.
In France every single waitor that served me and my friends gave us a nasty look and asked if we were Americans, upon answering "no, we're Canadians" they wanted to know where specifically. Not to mention the 3 anti-American protests I saw while in Paris alone, over the war in Iraq.
In the UK I often hear Americans referred to as "Bloody Americans" "ing yanks" and "****s". I was asked on the tube by a group of hoodie types if I was a "lousy american ****" every off liscense shop owner I ran into also asked if I was an American, and one of them half joked afterwards that he wouldn't have sold me my booze had I said yes because he didn't want me to get drunk and "invade his shop and not leave for 5 years", I'll grant you I saw him a few more times and he didn't seem too fond of the UK gov. either.
Also, just because you haven't heard about this Americans posing as Canadians thing doesn't mean it isn't true, it is. CNN has covered it before as has ABC.
Don't get me wrong, I happen to really like Americans but don't be so thick as to think the rest of the world is as fond of you as I am. They are wrong to hate Americans, it's really just the gov's fault after all, but they do anyway and they can make your picturesque vacation a bit miserable at times I'm sure. |
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| RJT |
| quote: | Originally posted by Alex
They are wrong to hate Americans, it's really just the gov's fault after all, but they do anyway and they can make your picturesque vacation a bit miserable at times I'm sure. |
Try moving abroad 90 days after the Iraq war started, and right around the time of "Mission Accomplished."
Most were pretty good about taking me on my own merits - but in particular the French really, really took it to me for no reason other than the U.S. government.
Really ruined a big part of my trip and made me never want to be in Paris or Marseilles again. |
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| Alex |
To be fair, the french dont like all that many countries :p
The Germans piss them off, so do the Brits as well as Quebecors (Where I'm from in Canada).
It's mostly because Quebecors speak French really really badly, but they seemed ok with me and my friends because we didn't exagerate our Quebec accents when we spoke in French. |
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| RJT |
Yeah - I was spit on within 5 minutes of getting of the train for asking directions to the platform for my connecting train.
:sadgreen:
Just a horrible experience. |
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| verndogs |
| It's why I say I'm a New Yorker and not an American when I'm abroad. I rather be an unofficial NYC tourist office rep, giving them advice on NYC, than be a punching bag for America's foreign policies :toothless |
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| Scottaculous |
| quote: | Originally posted by verndogs
It's why I say I'm a New Yorker and not an American when I'm abroad. I rather be an unofficial NYC tourist office rep, giving them advice on NYC, than be a punching bag for America's foreign policies :toothless |
In fairness Vern, you don't look like an American. You look like an Asian tourist. |
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| Dr. DAS |
| quote: | Originally posted by RJT
Way to take things too personally and completely out of context. I never said any of that, but you feel free to believe whatever you'd like - just understand that doesn't make it true (you certainly aren't holding down any of those countries on your own).
In the end, it's your delusion, not mine.
Canada's identity in the international community comes down to mounties, hockey, and maple syrup. Tough cookies if you want to tell yourself otherwise. |
This doesn't sound similar?
| quote: |
The truth is that your "identity" is that of those who follow the U.S., and nothing more. You have no clout, and no one, I repeat NO ONE, looks to you as "soldiers" of any sort, even "peace and justice."
In truth, your "role" in the world is as little more than being a large body of land named Canada, and that's it. |
Damn right I take it personally. You come out and say (essentially) that we're a do-nothing nation known for our geographical location alone, and I'm delusional?
Maybe it seems that way to a country so hell-bent on interfering in the politics of the world.
For the record, I have no problem with Americans - or the ones I've met anyways. I have a problem with America.
The Americans I've met, americans I'm friends with are all nice, down to earth, regular people.
Does it make you feel more national pride to marginalize other nations? Is that the source of your national pride?
Canada is known internationally for a lot more than hockey, syrup and Mounties, and you should know that. But then, that's exactly the attitude I'm talking about. |
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| Konijn |
| quote: | Originally posted by Dr. DAS
During WWI, Canadians were the go-to guys for tough assignments, jobs other had tried and failed to accomplish. Canadian soldiers developed a reputation for being the baddest motherfcukers on the block.
In WWII, Canadians fought with distinction; again capturing difficult targets and helping rid the world of tyrrany. Fighting alongside British, American, French, Australian and other allied forces to bring down the axis of evil. |
indeed. i just checked out "Canadians: The Ninjas of the World Wars" from my local library. |
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| Dr. DAS |
| quote: | Originally posted by Konijn
indeed. i just checked out "Canadians: The Ninjas of the World Wars" from my local library. |
In the later stages of the war, the Canadian Corps was regarded as among the most effective and respected of the armies on the Western Front...Indeed, in the aftermath of the Battle of the Somme, the Canadian Corps developed a reputation as shock troops which were feared by the Germans. The Canadian army even had its own nick-name les durs à cuire (hard to cook; kill) meaning the Canadians were very hard to demoralize and defeat.
Given this fact, in 1916 the United Kingdom even made use of specific Canadian help to defend the British colonies of the West Indies from the German navy with many Canadian forces being stationed on the island of Saint Lucia to help defend from a possible German navy attack.
On June 6, 1944, the 3rd Canadian Division (supported by tanks of the independent 2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade) landed on Juno Beach in the Battle of Normandy. Canadian airborne troops had also landed earlier in the day behind the beaches. Resistance on Juno was fierce, and casualties were high in the assault waves, in particular the first assault waves, which sustained a 50 percent casualty rate. By day's end, however, the Canadians had made the deepest penetrations inland of any of the five seaborne invasion forces.
Closely related to Canada's commitment to multilateralism has been its strong support for peacekeeping efforts. Canadian Nobel Peace Prize laureate Lester B. Pearson is considered to be the father of modern United Nations Peacekeeping, and Canada has a long history of participation in these missions. Canada participated in every UN peacekeeping effort from their beginning until 1989, and has since then continued to play a significant role.[20] More than 125,000 Canadians have served in some 50 UN peacekeeping missions since 1949, with 116 deaths.
All that just from Wikipedia...imagine if you actually opened a BOOK! |
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| trunks1022 |
| quote: | Originally posted by verndogs
I've gone abroad and have told people I'm from NY. People are normally surprised since Amercians don't really travel abroad. :gsmile: |
it's probably because you're not a caucasian american that they're shocked. |
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| RJT |
| quote: | Originally posted by Dr. DAS
This doesn't sound similar?
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Not at all, and certainly not anymore sensational than you making all these outrageous claims that Canada is the responsible babysitter of the world.
| quote: | Originally posted by Dr. DAS
Damn right I take it personally. You come out and say (essentially) that we're a do-nothing nation known for our geographical location alone, and I'm delusional?
Maybe it seems that way to a country so hell-bent on interfering in the politics of the world. |
:stongue:
Yup that's me, I'm a Bush-voting, "We'll put a boot in your ass, it's the American way", "Iraq needed us to liberate it", red-blooded American.
You really need to off with that attitude if that's really how you see me and my opinions regarding American politics. Write me a paper on everything Canada has done for anyone outside its own borders and then we'll begin to talk.
I find it hilarious that so many people want to brand America the nation that does nothing for the rest of the world but it up when in truth we pump more aid/charity money into the world per capita than any other nation, hands down.
| quote: | Originally posted by Dr. DAS
For the record, I have no problem with Americans - or the ones I've met anyways. I have a problem with America.
The Americans I've met, americans I'm friends with are all nice, down to earth, regular people.
Does it make you feel more national pride to marginalize other nations? Is that the source of your national pride?
Canada is known internationally for a lot more than hockey, syrup and Mounties, and you should know that. But then, that's exactly the attitude I'm talking about. |
Pot, kettle, black.
Does it make you feel better to marginalize an entire nation down to such a narrow view?
Seriously, if you're going to play this whole whiny "No one understands Canada and how important it is!" game, you'd do well not to spout off a bunch of ignorant nonsense to support your own position. Every argument you've made amounts to little more than half-truths and propaganda posited in such a way that it makes Canadanians sound like they're doing far more in the world than they actually are.
When people talk about the superpowers of the world, they don't talk about Canada's influence on global politics - and it isn't the rest of us ignoring you that's to blame. It's the fact that you really haven't done much outside of maybe being worthy of a "best supporting role" nomination.
And even that is a stretch.
Edit:
| quote: | Originally posted by Dr. DAS
All that just from Wikipedia...imagine if you actually opened a BOOK! |
Yup, that's about right. :stongue: |
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