After 9/11 my brother-in-law traveled to Abu Dhabi working for oil companies. While he never claimed to be from Canada, he never disabused those he worked with there from assuming he was Canadian. He was actually told by his Arabian friends to go along with it as is was safer for him.
I totally did that (35 years ago even)! And as a transgender climatologist, I’m now considering relocating there before the 🎯 on my back gets even bigger.
All red-blooded USAnians hate France, so speaking French would be a way for Canadians to antagonize us. Some of us are still eating freedom fries and freedom toast.
Yep, during the Vietnam era. I didn't do it myself, but only because I didn't have the opportunity to travel outside North America. But I vividly remember that it was very common for Americans to try to pass as Canadian when they traveled, especially in Europe. Now it's arguably needed even more.
And that pretty much tells you how long the US has stunk to everyone else. Mostly what has changed now is that US entitlement and threats are out in the open and being celebrated by some.
@katharinehayhoe.com I remember during Dubya's Iraq War, Canadian flag stickers became reasonably commonplace on the bags of Americans travelling overseas.
It might be time to open an Etsy store selling flag stickers 🤔
My civics teacher in high school (early 2000’s in Michigan) said he would wear a Canadian flag pin when traveling to Europe. I didn’t understand it at the time. I do now.
The first time I used my ‘Canadian card’ was when photographing a pro-Milosevic rally in Belgrade in 2001. Basically Serb MAGA types. Sure enough, as soon as I arrived:
“Where are you from?”
“…… um, Canada!”
“Heyyyy, I love Canada, hey everyone, come meet the Canadian!"
I’m 67, and when backpacking in Europe in my 20’s, it was definitely common for USians to have 🇨🇦 flags on their gear. They tended to be the ones who would be embarrassed by the stereotypical “loud American”.
I think I will be in trouble then - my students, here in Canada, no less, thought I sounded like an American! Too much Cronkite and Huntley/Brinkley as a child, I suspect!
I was never a fan of Bush. (though he seems like a sane choice by comparison now), but I always remember thinking that that was one hell of a dodge! Bush can play on my dodgeball team anytime, (so long as he promises not to run the country).
Well, Dubya may have been not very smart nor terribly competent, but at least he wasn't the dumbest kid in school, nor an unprincipled, professional conman, with the instincts of a racist and gratuitously malicious bully.
I always got the impression he was a bit of a simple and quite naive guy, that just wanted to make his dad happy. I think most of his crappy decisions were pushed on him by his string-pullers.
Trump is a fascist and makes all his own terrible decisions. I'd actually take Bush over him!
Seriously, we wouldn't spot the accent difference anyway. But there's a looong list of failure proof characteristics that helps us spot Americans a mile away and using "miles" is one them.
NGL almost all my winter hats and gloves say Canada or have a maple leaf. Yes it’s helpful to not immediately be identified as American, but also Canadians make good winter clothes.
@katharinehayhoe.com That would work! I think most Europeans would identify Canadian accents as American. I learned that it is safer to ask someone "Are you Canadian?" than "Are you American?"
When I was younger, this was a standard thing...Americans sewed a 🇨🇦 to their backpacks, jackets or wore a pin. Europeans were and are far more friendly to Canadians than Americans. Gee....wonder why
My sister has lived in the UK off and on, can confirm in the 90s she sometimes passed as a Canadian. She’s been there long enough now her sounds more like a UK/US hybrid :-)
I considered this a long time ago. Or a cover for my passport. In Germany a backpack and hiking boots went a long way. Not being a jerk throws 'em off, too.
I'm a Canadian so when someone tries to imitate us by saying "aboot", it's a total giveaway because we don't say "aboot". It's more like "aboat" or "abOWt" depending on the province you are trying to imitate. We say it differently all across the provinces. We all have our own accents
As a Canadian, I was in university before I finally figured out that when Americans talk about "Canadian accent" they usually mean a Quebcois, or sometimes Newfoundland, accent.
Accent coach here! It's called Canadian Raising. We take the "au" sound (as in cow) and raise it slightly so that the first part of the sound is like the u in butt. But we only do it before p,t,k,s,sh,ch. Same with "ay" (as in the pronoun "I") so the vowel in "eyes" and "ice" is different in Can.
Would you agree that it's something that tends to stay with people regardless of later life experiences i.e. is it a hard thing to lose? I'm thinking ex-pats to other countries in particular.
Depends on the person. Some people pick up the local vowels quickly (think about Madonna picking up a Brit accent when she lived there for a few years) and others seem to lean into their native accent *hard*. There're psychling studies on it. Has to do with identity beliefs, at least in part.
Benefits of being a 'Sconnie: if I just lean into the Up Nort' accent, I sound close enough to Canadian to fool many people! (Not actual Canadians, tho)
It's interesting to listen to the first and second generation in the branch of my northern Wisconsin in-law family that moved to Canada in the 1960s. They're quite distinct accents but it's true it could fool people who don't listen carefully.
Me too! Used to be a big backpacker and saw numerous Americans do this on my travels. You and I both live in the US now, but always proud to be Canadian and of the values we hold. ☺️🇨🇦
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It might be time to open an Etsy store selling flag stickers 🤔
“Where are you from?”
“…… um, Canada!”
“Heyyyy, I love Canada, hey everyone, come meet the Canadian!"
Trump is a fascist and makes all his own terrible decisions. I'd actually take Bush over him!
Never goes away cf. Joni Mitchel for one.
You should hear opinions on British accents. 🙄
Would you agree that it's something that tends to stay with people regardless of later life experiences i.e. is it a hard thing to lose? I'm thinking ex-pats to other countries in particular.