What is the difference between US and Canadian culture?

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Susan F

Well, the American and Canadian cultures are rather inter-mingled. Something like 80% of all Canadians live within 100 miles of the Canada-US border, and we share a lot of the major media (movies, TV, etc), and so a lot of the obvious culture is shared.

However, if you look at a lot of the subtle differences, they are there!

Canadians on average tend to be more left-wing thinking and voting than Americans. We have a universal medicare, which to many Americans is bizarre. We embrace crown-corporations and subsidies far more than Americans do.

Canadians in general also tend to be more environmentally aware. The (in)actions of our current Conservative Government seem to go against the Canadian culture, and in fact against the censuses.

The US has been historically viewed as a "melting pot" - where new immigrants blend into the larger whole. Canada has been descriped as a mosiac - a "community of communities" and individual cultures, languages and differences are celebrated and encouraged.

And then there's the little issue about hockey.. <smile>

There's been some amazing publications written on this very subject. One that comes to mind is Margaret Atwood's Survival.

Angela O

Harry, just to let you know, I am Canadian, that is part of my identity. Never, ever would I say I'm American, like Americans or want to be American.

Get a life.

Atom 74

I totally disagree, I lived in the US for the first part of the year. Maybe large cities have become similar, but I found quite a few differences. I find that Canadians have much more of a global perspective than Americans, they also seem to live without consequence in the USA. Probably because they have a much higher disposable income. I lived in a city without curbside recycling and no public transportation, which I found to be odd. My 85 year old grandmother recycles, I learned about such things in elementary school. I did find the US to be far bahind on these things. Also a lot more closely tied to the Church in general. I was also living in the 'Bible Belt' but I did find a lot of social differences.

I find Canada to be far more multi-cultural, and proud of that. All I heard about in the US was the immigration policies and how illegals are getting all the jobs. And yes I found the service industry to be highly Mexican, where as in Canada you really do get all sorts of people working in the service industries. Just an observation.

captaincarney

I am American, but have a few close Canadian friends from Vancouver / Victoria. They joke amoungst themselves that they don't even know what it means to be canadian, sometimes. I think Canadians are considered to be more polite. Both countries are simular. I think French Canadians are the biggest difference. However, the US and Canadian forms of goverment are quite different. Canada is a progressive's (like myself) paradise and a conservative's nightmare. In pop culture, America does seem dominating to Canadians, but many movies are made in Canada and many popular musicians/famous people are Canadian.

Wintergirl

I'm an American who loves the northern wilderness, so I've spent time in lots of the Yukon and BC, driven the ALCAN twice, and used to go to Vancouver every month when I lived in Washington. I don't think there are any cultural differences. We're pretty much the same.

Most Canadians I met were very friendly, maybe even moreso than Americans (in the smaller cities like Fort Saint John & Whitehorse).

The only differences are very subtle, like when I lived in Alaska. I think Canadians and Alaskans have almost everything in common. Canadian cities are a bit cleaner and there's a slight accent in the towns further north. You have French on the back of your packages and we have Spanish.

moon

like anything else, their reputation of being rude or stupid is exagerated, but on average they are less educated, but you cant really tell unless you start going into an in depth conversation with different people every 10 min.

We also have a whole bunch of propaganda here in north america, the best way to get around it is read something from a few of their many antagonists about why they don't like them. Those also will be exagerated but it still gives you a general idea of why so many places dislike the U.S, then you can make your own opinion

harry k

The cultures are very similar. The biggest difference is how the inhabitants identify themselves. Americans have an identity. They can be described as Americans. Canadians don't have an identity. The best way they describe themselves is that they are not Americans.

pgb

The bigotry. It very much effects a culture.
Worry more about your own country.

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