I have to confess, the topic of Canadian lapel pins, etc. really gets me going.

I'm an American and I could never imagine denying my nationality abroad. I mean, maybe if I was being held hostage by Peruvian separatists, but there are only ever a small handful of Peruvian separatists riding the London Eye and wandering through the Christmas markets in Germany.

As for Canadians who wear the maple leaf... it is fine to have pride in one's country. If you publicize your Canadian-ness expecting better treatment from the locals, you are feeding into a stereotype. If you have a maple leaf patch on your bag to express your national pride, please do not be so smug when you see some "stupid", "provincial" American with a Boston Red Sox hat or an American flag sticker on his backpack.

Another Urban Myth hits the dust :)

FWIW, I was just in London two weeks ago and only saw one maple leaf emblem on a backpack my entire time there. I saw plenty of American tourists, so cigalechanta (sp) is probably right, that another urban travel myth bites the dust! *LOL

what is your problem with the maple leaf anyway?
not your country
not your symbol
not imposed on anyone

Ya know, when I was living in France in the early '70's, this was a very popular custom with Canadians. Don't know if it was because of the Vietnam War or whatever, but I'll say at least back then, you'd do way better in France with a U.S. flag on your backpack than a Union Jack, lol.

how is Union Jack related to the Canadian flag?

We came across 4 teens with Canadian flags on their lapels sitting in Gare de Lyon. We went over and talked with them for quite awhile so it was all good.
We have come across many visitors in Toronto displaying their country - the Union Jack T shirt was quite popular for awhile - somehow. It has often been a reason or conversation... even if they are Yankee fans.
My Toronto Blue Jays baseball cap got plenty of attention in Japan.
Holland was a country that noticed our Canadian pins, it was June 2005.
Canadians are not usually known to be flag wavers so those reactions were interesting to me.

Even the difference between a English Canadian tourist and a French Canadian tourist can be funny. When in Paris, on a walking tour through Montmartre, one of the tourist in my group was a Montreal francophone. She was okay except that she did get a little bit more smug whenever the tour guide would ask what certain phrases meant; and even more smug when the tour guide asked us who the statue at the Montmartre cemetary was - oh she was going on about how Dalida was so loved in Quebec back home, and smugly said and the rest of Canada, of course, never heard of her. So it's funny these little things between neighbourhood and stuff like that.

nbujic,

Canada used to fly the Union Jack until we got our own flag, the Maple Leaf.

It's pretty self-centred of Americans who think that the only reason a Canadian might wear a maple leaf pin or have a flag on their backpack is so they won't be mistaken for Americans.

Get over yourselves. Sometimes people just want to be recognized for their own nationality, not as a reaction to yours. Sheesh!

(And I didn't get all the answers to the Canadian quiz. Do I have to turn in my ookpik?)

yes, I know. It was about 40 years ago.

I was only wondering why someone mentioned it talking about Canadians in Europe in the 70s.

We are in Italy now and we just heard a Canadian couple talking about all the maple leafs and Canadian flags on the backpacks.. I haven't personally noticed, but there is so much to see than other people's backpacks.

robjame - The DUtch hold the Canadians in high esteem, for their help in WW2 and after and in 2005 you would have been seen as part of the 60 years since liberation celebrations. Every year a (diminishing) group of Canadian veterans come to Holland in May for liberation day.
Don't forget the Canada offered a home to Princess Juliana and her children during the war.

hdm, if you have an ookpik, you don't even need to take the test.

Anselm

National flags could be compared to coporate brands - what do people think when they first see a flag on a backpack -

What is the first thought that would cross an American's mind if they saw a Union Jack in say NYC?

How would any stereotyping differ from other nations?

As a Canadian citizen I respect that our neighbors to the south feel proud to be American and I would hope that they in turn, respect that we are just as proud to be Canadian.

<<It's pretty self-centred of Americans who think that the only reason a Canadian might wear a maple leaf pin or have a flag on their backpack is so they won't be mistaken for Americans.

Get over yourselves. Sometimes people just want to be recognized for their own nationality, not as a reaction to yours. Sheesh!>>

I have absolutely no problem with people who proudly wear the maple leaf b/c they're proud of being Canadian and want to be identified as such. There's much to be proud of. However, I think the OP was talking about people who don the maple leaf in order to not be taken for Americans.

Anyone (whether Canadian or American) who *only* wears a maple leaf because s/he does not want to be identified as an American is someone I shake my head at.

But the fault would be with Americans who are posing as Canadians (and personally, I don't know anyone who does this -- I've only ever heard about it here). Canadians who carry the Canadian flag, for whatever reason they wish, are at least being honest about their citizenship. There seems to be a censure here for Canadians carrying their own flag.

<<What is the first thought that would cross an American's mind if they saw a Union Jack in say NYC?>>

You mean like those shorts the drummer from Def Leppard used to wear? *LOL

Frankly, I don't think many Americans would see a Union Jack and automatically think "Brit tourist" or conjure up a negative thought (even if the American in question knew what the Union Jack was!! *LOL). Americans wear Union Jacks, too -- my daughter's favorite beach shirt has a Union Jack on it.

As with Europeans, lots of Americans can identify a European tourist in other ways (shoes being a key one, eyeglasses, hairstyles, body language). Frankly, on the East Coast of the US, the only way you can tell a foreign tourist from an immigrant is that he's doing tourist activities. Either way, most Americans would treat a tourist the same, whether she's from Rotterdam or Houston.

<<But the fault would be with Americans who are posing as Canadians (and personally, I don't know anyone who does this -- I've only ever heard about it here). Canadians who carry the Canadian flag, for whatever reason they wish, are at least being honest about their citizenship. There seems to be a censure here for Canadians carrying their own flag.>>

For me, it's all about intent. I apply the same standard: IMO, absolutely no American should wear another country's emblem if he does so solely to deflect anti-Americanism. Likewise, if the sole purpose of a Candian's wearing his national emblem is to deflect "anti-Americanism", I think it's wrong.

IMO, patches should be worn to express pride, love, or admiration of a country (whether one's own or not), or to identify fellow countrymen. Wearing one to solely seek preferential treatment and to distance oneself from another nationality isn't right, IMO.

<IMO, patches should be worn to express pride, love, or admiration of a country (whether one's own or not), or to identify fellow countrymen. Wearing one to solely seek preferential treatment and to distance oneself from another nationality isn't right, IMO.>

I agree, Liam, that that's the best of all possible reasons. However, as I said above, at least they're telling the truth about their citizenship.

If you heard a Canadian responding to the question 'Are you American' by saying 'No, I'm Canadian', would your assumption be that they were denying Americanism? Why would a visual statement cause you to believe that more than a verbal statement?