Wow, I never realized that we Canadians could raise such levels of passion! Personally I love seeing patches on people's bags - it's a great way to start a conversation. But then again, I like talking to people from other places and getting to know about them.

Anyway, to answer the original thread topic from way back when, I have met numerous American's posing as Canadians while in Europe. I always thought it was kind of silly.

This is completely ridiculous and, I'm sorry to say it this harshly, stupid. If you're afraid and embarassed, stay home. Not meant as an insult to our friends to the North. Just stupid. Actually so stupid, if you really consider this I encourage you to do it because you embarass real American so much by doing it.

Let the panty waisted critics chime in now.

I travel a lot. I am Canadian. I have seen many Canadian flags and stickers on backpacks and luggage and usually have little difficulty in recognizing an American neighbour trying to travel incognito. To a Canadian, the ruse is obvious and I suspect it may be so to Europeans as well.

I don't know about acanadian flag, or any other, but a month or so before the last US election, I was in Paris and happened to have a John Kerry button pinned to my shoulder bag; it earned me a lot of smiles, cheers, and interesting conversations.
Jess

"I don't know about acanadian flag, or any other, but a month or so before the last US election, I was in Paris and happened to have a John Kerry button pinned to my shoulder bag; it earned me a lot of smiles, cheers, and interesting conversations.
Jess"

Did they later, like Kerry, change their tune colmpletely!

The last time I was in Europe (2005), people kept asking if I was Canadian. I found out it was because Canadians were getting angry when people asked if they were American. Thanks, neighbors.

I don't wear any flags when I travel, and I'm happy to tell people that I'm American when they ask. Yes, I usually add that I'm a Democrat, and then they smile and say, "yes, we don't like your president," and then we're all good friends.

I think as long as you're polite and not named George Bush, it doesn't really matter to Europeans if you're American.

"I found out it was because Canadians were getting angry when people asked if they were American. Thanks, neighbors."

How did you find that out ? Some kind of
European survey on what Canadians say when mistaken for Americans?
We have been asked if we were from the States from Croatia to New Zealand - so what.

I found that silly as well, danon. That exactly typifies what I've been talking about on this forum -- that if you're not actually American, you must be at one extreme or the other. You either secretly want to be American or you get angry if you're mistaken for American.

Could it be that when this people were asked if they were American, they said no, I'm Canadian? Or did they actually fly into a rage and beat the inquirer senseless with their ookpik?

If Canadians don't put the Canadian flag on their backpacks because people will then assume they are Americans pretending to be Canadian, what do they put on their packs to show people that they are Canadian?

P.S.


"what do they put on their packs..."

as if the most of us carry backpacks anyway.

slangevar wrote: "I think as long as you're polite and not named George Bush, it doesn't really matter to Europeans if you're American."

Not so. I can think of a few other names that it is better not to have.

danon & hdm - It was certainly nothing that violent. :-) After my sister and I were asked if we were Canadian 3 times (which we'd never been asked on previous trips), we started asking people why they picked Canadian first.

Everyone we asked told us it was because Canadians seemed insulted to be mistaken for Americans, whereas Americans seemed pleased by the mistake.

I grew up near Canada, so I'm a big fan of the country. In fact, many an American has mistaken my home state for a province in Canada. So we certainly were not insulted... just curious about the question.

Padraig - "Dick Cheney" perhaps? ;-)

We've been asked a million times if we're American -- as soon as they hear us speak English without an English accent. We say no, we're Canadian. I can't imagine why anyone would get angry or upset about the question. That is, unless they felt there was something dodgy about being a Yank! And in that case, we'll shove over and make room for them up here! ;;)

Looks like I shouldn't bring my Canadian bag with me to Ireland. I bought it in Nelson, B. C., because it's sturdy and fairly dark, being scarlet--so that it doesn't soil easily--and it has a big white maple leaf on one side.

If I did bring it, I assure everyone that I wouldn't be trying to pass as any other nationality but my own.

By the way, I do have a good ear for Canadian accents. It's not just oot and aboot and eh. There are other vowels that are giveaways.

To my (Australian) ear it's "oat", not "oot".

At one stage I thought about stitching a New Zealand flag to my luggage. I decided against it because (a) nobody else knows we have troops in Iraq, and (b) only an Australian or New Zealander (and not all of them) can tell the difference between the two flags anyway.

hdm - depending on what happens in our upcoming election, I may take you up on that offer! ;-)

There some irony to this thread as Canadians are not typically known as "flag wavers". We have a reputation for being reserved in our enthusiasm for our country.
Anyway - a real Canadian would be wearing a Leafs jersey.
Peg - sounds like a Roots bag?

"The last time I was in Europe (2005), people kept asking if I was Canadian. I found out it was because Canadians were getting angry when people asked if they were American. Thanks, neighbors. "

Really - as someone else asked - did you do a scientific survey?
I have been mistaken for an American many times - I just laugh and correct people. The last time (near London in a pub) an American couple sitting next to us actually corrected the server when he assumed we were American. (The American couple recognized out accents as Canadian immediately and the five of us had a good laugh.)

Nothing scientific semiramis... see my answer to the other person's question above.

I guess maybe that's the difference... if I was mistaken for Canadian and someone American nearby thought I had an American accent, I doubt they would ever correct the person asking. More likely they would wait to hear my answer and then quietly say they were American, too.

Can't we just be "North American?"