Questions for Americans

[shukriyya]

We can always count on nmoira and spy car for infusing the conversation with levity, wit and a certain 'je ne sais quoi' :D

[gardenmom5]

I grew up in Los Angeles, have neither a British accent nor a lisp, but am not infrequently asked if I'm from England.

 

I think it's the by-product of enunciating mixed with having an active vocabulary of over a thousand words :D

 

Where you from boy?

 

Bill

my son is active online using mics, he get's asked if he's a brit a lot.

[nmoira]

I grew up in Los Angeles, have neither a British accent nor a lisp, but am not infrequently asked if I'm from England.

 

I think it's the by-product of enunciating mixed with having an active vocabulary of over a thousand words :D

 

Where you from boy?

 

Bill

 

I grew up in Sarnia, ON about 60 miles north of Detroit. People are usually surprised to hear that I grew up south of where I'm living now, because they don't realize that Southwestern Ontario extends south of northern California border. 

[shukriyya]

SWO is a cultural region unto itself! :)

[SKL]

My mom swears my sister had a British accent when she was little.  LOL.

 

My kids put on a British accent when they want to sound intellectual.  Ha ha.  One time MIss E added (in the accent), "we were all British before the Revolution."  (Miss E was born in recent years from indigenous parents.  But whatever.  ;) )

[nmoira]

it's the "eh" at the end of sentences.  (someone pointed it out to me, on some Canadian site as "how to pass as a Canadian.")  the only Canadian I know who speaks with a minor lisp (I thought it was a speech impediment.) 

 

Where I grew up, we didn't start saying "eh" until Bob & Doug. Another "Canadian" (in quotes because it depends where you are) speech habit it raising the tone at the end of a statement, making it sound like a  question or a lack of certainty to people who aren't used to it. It's one I've tried to rid myself of for that reason.

[unsinkable]

I think most southern Ontarians speak with a lilty sing-song quality to their speech whether or not they add "eh?" on the ends of sentences.

[SKL]

I used to guess Canadian when my colleagues would pronounce "about" as something between "aboat" and "aboot," and say "no worries" instead of "no problem."

[Slartibartfast]

I used to guess Canadian when my colleagues would pronounce "about" as something between "aboat" and "aboot," and say "no worries" instead of "no problem."

 

People from Minnesota often do the "aboot" thing as well.

[nmoira]

I think most southern Ontarians speak with a lilty sing-song quality to their speech whether or not they add "eh?" on the ends of sentences.

 

And that's something I couldn't hear until being away from it for awhile.

[Lady Florida.]

Reaily? Wow, I don't think I've ever heard a Canadian refer to themselves as American. 

 

 

Neither have I. We get a lot of Canadian snowbirds here. They neither call themselves nor consider themselves Americans.

[unsinkable]

People from Minnesota often do the "aboot" thing as well.

Ok...creepy stuff...I googled *Minnesota about pronunciation*

 

And the 7th hit was Mergath on YouTube referencing a phonics thread here...

 

Wow...

[nmoira]

Neither have I. We get a lot of Canadian snowbirds here. They neither call themselves nor consider themselves Americans.

 

You could tell the Canadians (well, northerners/tourists) because they were dressed for their summer while Floridians were dressed for their winter. 

[ThatHomeschoolDad]

Yankee is a term rarely used in the US.  The few times I've ever heard it was either used is by someone in the south in reference to someone from New England (NE US.) My father is from rural Maine and he refers to himself as a "swamp Yankee."  That's the equivalent of "red neck" here. When I hear Brits and others use the term in general to refer to Americans and specifically to me, I think, "I'm not a Yankee.  I'm from the SW." I'm not offended or anything, it just sounds like a mistake or misunderstanding.

 

I'm not so sure Yankee is always pejorative.  PBS's New Yankee Workshop, or Yankee ingenuity speak to a certain New England-ish pride.  Even Yankee Doodle started out as as smarmy British satire before we adopted it as a patriotic tune.

 

Like any term, if it's adopted by those toward whom it's aimed, it takes on a different, and more acceptable meaning than first intended.

[gardenmom5]

Having traveled a lot in the US, Canada, and other countries, I have to say that from a tourist / business traveler perspective, Canada is a lot less "foreign" than any other non-US country.  Every place in populated, English-speaking Canada looks and feels like some place in the USA.  (I suppose the converse may not be true, e.g., they don't have anyplace like our Southern states or Hawaii.)  You can use your credit cards and speak English and find something palateable to eat.  The sun goes down at roughly the same time as your body clock expects.  You don't meet unfamiliar critters or insects in your travels.  Sure, there are differences, but is it more than those found when you travel from Utah to LA, from Alaska to Hawaii, from NYC to Nashville, from San Antonio to South Dakota?  The differences are certainly less than those between an "average US hometown" and India / China / Spain / Mexico / Peru / UK / etc.

I have driven in Utah, Hawaii, and southern cal., New York and the Midwest and texas.). I have also driven in BC and Ontario.  I have used WA state ferries, and BC ferries - two of the largest ferry systems in the world.  YES there is a difference that is noticeable just driving.  (and I'm not talking about the fact your speed is kph instead of mph.  or that you are buying liters of petrol instead of gallons of gasoline.)  the highways and freeways are different.  Hawaii was more familiar.

 

you can use your visa/mastercard/amex in other countries as well.  when we only had a Costco card, we had to pay cash at Costco in Canada because Costco Canada and Costco US are separate entities.  only after we got the Costco amex could we use our Costco card at Costco-Canada. - because amex is accepted across borders.

. 

but you are in the same time zone, and most speak English (not in quebec).   where I live, I often see bilingual signs - in Spanish.  Chinese food is safer in BC than say - Missouri.  (Richmond has the largest Chinese population outside asia - bigger than SF.  Mcdonalds has rice balls.) 

 

 

eta: and the selection of products between Costco us (I've been to Costco in multiple states) and Costco Canada is very different.

[shukriyya]

Also 'been' instead of 'bin' as in 'I've been'... in Canada vs 'I've bin...' in the US

[shukriyya]

Plus Montreal has the best bagels in North America either from Saint Viateur or Fairmount depending on your inclinations.

[nmoira]

Plus Montreal has the best bagels in North America either from Saint Viateur or Fairmount depending on your inclinations.

 

One bakery here in Portland makes passable Montreal style bagels. One. But that's better than none.

[Laura Corin]

People from Minnesota often do the "aboot" thing as well.

 

It's common in Scotland - lots of people emigrated from Scotland to Canada.  How about Minnesota?

 

L

[SKL]

People from Minnesota often do the "aboot" thing as well.

 

Hmm - my friend who lives in Minnesota had parents who were from Canada (near the border).

 

[gardenmom5]

It's common in Scotland - lots of people emigrated from Scotland to Canada.  How about Minnesota?

 

L

I think of Minnesota as lots of Scandinavians.   like seattle's neighborhood ballad is known for being settled by scandinavians.  (ballard is the home of some of the reality show commercial fishing boats.  fresh water - barnacles don't like it, but hulls do.)  we've a friend who is a swede who will go there to get his pickled herring. . . . dh likes pickled herring. no thanks.

[wintermom]

Having traveled a lot in the US, Canada, and other countries, I have to say that from a tourist / business traveler perspective, Canada is a lot less "foreign" than any other non-US country.  Every place in populated, English-speaking Canada looks and feels like some place in the USA.  (I suppose the converse may not be true, e.g., they don't have anyplace like our Southern states or Hawaii.)  You can use your credit cards and speak English and find something palateable to eat.  The sun goes down at roughly the same time as your body clock expects.  You don't meet unfamiliar critters or insects in your travels.  Sure, there are differences, but is it more than those found when you travel from Utah to LA, from Alaska to Hawaii, from NYC to Nashville, from San Antonio to South Dakota?  The differences are certainly less than those between an "average US hometown" and India / China / Spain / Mexico / Peru / UK / etc.

 

Wow. I think you need stay longer and talk a little more to the people who live in the countries you visit. And also study some history in a little more depth. You say that you know there are differences in law and government, but that doesn't mean you understand what that means.

 

Canada has no President, and we never vote for an individual Prime Minister. Queen Elizabeth is our monarch. Canada is not a republic. Our system of voting is completely different than the US. We don't have any sherrif department. Everything bought or sold has to be in both French and English - a real drag for the US companies functioning in Canada, as it really limits what they can sell simply because of packaging.

[Lady Florida.]

 Everything bought or sold has to be in both French and English - a real drag for the US companies functioning in Canada, as it really limits what they can sell simply because of packaging.

 

There are several items we bought (I don't remember what) that came with both English and French instructions, and ds asked why French. I told him it was probably so they could sell it in Canada, and that it's easier to make one set of instructions with both languages than separate English and English/French sets.

[Upward Journey]

Having traveled a lot in the US, Canada, and other countries, I have to say that from a tourist / business traveler perspective, Canada is a lot less "foreign" than any other non-US country. Every place in populated, English-speaking Canada looks and feels like some place in the USA. (I suppose the converse may not be true, e.g., they don't have anyplace like our Southern states or Hawaii.) You can use your credit cards and speak English and find something palateable to eat. The sun goes down at roughly the same time as your body clock expects. You don't meet unfamiliar critters or insects in your travels. Sure, there are differences, but is it more than those found when you travel from Utah to LA, from Alaska to Hawaii, from NYC to Nashville, from San Antonio to South Dakota? The differences are certainly less than those between an "average US hometown" and India / China / Spain / Mexico / Peru / UK / etc.

Disagree. Having lived all over the US and now in Canada, I still sometimes get thrown for a loop because Canada does, on the surface, *seem* like it should be just like the US, but it so is.not.

 

Wanted to add that I really appreciate and enjoy the differences.

[KrissiK]

Ok, I was curious about this thread, read the first couple pages, sat wondering to myself if I'd seen any "typical" diners here in California and concluded that the California version of a diner, at least where I live, is the taco truck.

[ThatHomeschoolDad]

Disagree. Having lived all over the US and now in Canada, I still sometimes get thrown for a loop because Canada does, on the surface, *seem* like it should be just like the US, but it so is.not.

 

Wanted to add that I really appreciate and enjoy the differences.

 

 

Although many films do use Vancouver as a stand-in for generic US cities.  That must have to do with permitting, and is thus of little use in the current thread...

[gardenmom5]

Although many films do use Vancouver as a stand-in for generic US cities.  That must have to do with permitting, and is thus of little use in the current thread...

it's cheaper to film in Vancouver.  the taxman does love his revenues.  years ago, one series was set in Australia, yet filmed in the cali desert because it was cheaper.  when they made its sequel - they filmed in Australia because changes in the CA tax structure made it cheaper to film elsewhere.

[Slartibartfast]

Ok, I was curious about this thread, read the first couple pages, sat wondering to myself if I'd seen any "typical" diners here in California and concluded that the California version of a diner, at least where I live, is the taco truck.

 

Taco trucks, while glorious, are a separate  thing. Some places have taco trucks as well as diners.

[wintermom]

Wow. I never realized Canadians were so close minded and generalized so much.

 

How do you come to this conclusion? By the interpretation of one post here on-line? Are you generalizing, perhaps?

[Slartibartfast]

How do you come to this conclusion? By the interpretation of one post here on-line? Are you generalizing, perhaps?

 

People already talked through that. Read the whole thing

[Spy Car]

Los Angeles has diners that fall into different types:

 

1) There are the "authentic" (mostly family run) types that are not "cool" and are not trying to be "cool" even if the odd hipster walks it an thinks it's cool.

 

2) There are the types that are authentic but realize they are cool and have a lot of hipster clients.

 

3) There are the types that are "self-consciously diner." They look like diners, they serve diner food, but they are very aware of their self-conscious theme. Most are small chains like Mel's Diner, Cafe 50s, or Johnnie Rockets (which is diner sash hamburger joint themed).

 

4) Then there are the chains. Tiny Naylors I think is dead, same with Ships (is there still one?), Norms, Boby's Big Boy, and (the least good) Denny's. Some of these had pretty cool 50s style "Googie" architecture.

 

5) Then there are Delis. Some may quibble that Jewish delis are not diners, but they have a lot in common.

 

Bill

[SKL]

Wow. I think you need stay longer and talk a little more to the people who live in the countries you visit. And also study some history in a little more depth. You say that you know there are differences in law and government, but that doesn't mean you understand what that means.

 

Canada has no President, and we never vote for an individual Prime Minister. Queen Elizabeth is our monarch. Canada is not a republic. Our system of voting is completely different than the US. We don't have any sherrif department. Everything bought or sold has to be in both French and English - a real drag for the US companies functioning in Canada, as it really limits what they can sell simply because of packaging.

 

I didn't say it was the same, I said it wasn't nearly as foreign (to US folks) as other foreign countries.  (I was supporting such comment stated by someone before me.)  Which countries have you been to that felt less foreign to you than the northern US?

 

The differences you mention all talk about government stuff.  I'm talking about people and the feel of the place.  Your voting system doesn't impact what kind of people live there, does it?

[bolt.]

Surprisingly, yes. It makes us tend to think of everything in a less "head to head, only two options, winner take all" way.

 

We also tend to think through opinions on political issues one at a time -- I've noticed that many Americans seem to think they have to choose "one basket full of opinions, or the other one." Which (in broad general terms) I think relates to the general sense of 2-party polemic politics.

 

(I can be pro-gay-marriage and anti-easy-legal-abortion and pro-large-government and anti-long-gun-registry and pro-public-urination... At the same time. I'm sure that thoughtful Americans can do that too, but, as mentioned above, I'm playing with 'sweeping stereotypes' not all the nuances of your culture and every individual within it.)

 

Either we are that way, and have chosen a voting system that suits us, or we got that voting system and it has impacted us. Either way, Canadians tend towards collaboration and away from ambition in both personal conduct and in political structures.

[Mom in High Heels]

I used to guess Canadian when my colleagues would pronounce "about" as something between "aboat" and "aboot," and say "no worries" instead of "no problem."

 

I say no worries all the time.  Is that a Canadian thing?  I didn't know.

 

Although many films do use Vancouver as a stand-in for generic US cities.  That must have to do with permitting, and is thus of little use in the current thread...

 

Yes.  It's apparently much less expensive to film in Vancouver.  Our favorite TV shows, Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis were both filmed in Vancouver for this reason.  We joked about how the forests on almost all other planets they visited looked remarkably like the forests in Vancouver. 

 

BTW, Indy is often asked if he's from Britain (though since we moved to the PNW, people ask if he's Canadian).  When he was little, he had a very pronounced British accent, because most of the cartoons we got in Germany came from the British channel we had.  He still has a bit of an accent, and if you watch his mouth when he talks, you can see that the makes some sounds with a different part of his mouth/face than most Americans (it's hard to explain, but trust me).  Han Solo is much the same.  In the mornings, he watched Milkshake on England's channel 5 (I don't know why we got that in Germany, but we did), and his speech patterns are more similar to British speech patterns.  When we got back to the US and he watched Little Einsteins for the first time, he looked at them like there was something wrong, then turned to me and said "Dat's not Quincy!"  I realized it's because it's in American English/accent, instead of dubbed over in British English/accents.  It's funny to hear the differences in things like Thomas, Bob the Builder, and a few others.  They of course use different words for things, like sweater/jumper, sneakers/trainers, trunk/boot, etc.  It seems strange to hear them with American accents.  We have found Peppa Pig, Roary the Racing Car and Tree Fu Tom, Mio Moa (all British shows) have not been dubbed over into American English/accents.  He seems to prefer those.  Who doesn't like Peppa Pig and Mio Mao though?  We have to watch Mouk on youtube, which is fine, because I would be weirded out to hear Mouk and Chavapa with American accents!  If you've never seen Mouk or Mio Mao (actually this one is a series of claymation shorts), it's worth it to look it up and watch some.  Good grief, I know way too much about children's television!

[SKL]

Surprisingly, yes. It makes us tend to think of everything in a less "head to head, only two options, winner take all" way.

 

We also tend to think through opinions on political issues one at a time -- I've noticed that many Americans seem to think they have to choose "one basket full of opinions, or the other one." Which (in broad general terms) I think relates to the general sense of 2-party polemic politics.

 

(I can be pro-gay-marriage and anti-easy-legal-abortion and pro-large-government and anti-long-gun-registry and pro-public-urination... At the same time. I'm sure that thoughtful Americans can do that too, but, as mentioned above, I'm playing with 'sweeping stereotypes' not all the nuances of your culture and every individual within it.)

 

Either we are that way, and have chosen a voting system that suits us, or we got that voting system and it has impacted us. Either way, Canadians tend towards collaboration and away from ambition in both personal conduct and in political structures.

 

Again, these are your impressions.  They are not reflective of me or anyone I know.  Humans don't come as a pre-packaged set of views and values.  Stereotypes do.  Comparing yourself to a stereotype of another group of people - I don't see the point, but I guess it's your prerogative.  Just seems to me to feed "us vs. them" which is hardly collaborative IMO, but whatever.

[Matryoshka]

I'm not so sure Yankee is always pejorative.  PBS's New Yankee Workshop, or Yankee ingenuity speak to a certain New England-ish pride.  Even Yankee Doodle started out as as smarmy British satire before we adopted it as a patriotic tune.

 

:iagree:  Up here in Yankee-land, Yankee is not a bad word at all.  Yeah, it may mean someone's a bit tight-fisted, but also, yeah, ingenuity and self-reliance and gumption.  We have Yankee swaps here all the time.  Yes, New Yankee Workshop, and Yankee magazine, which celebrates Yankee-ness.

 

I'd say the guy we bought this house from was a real old Yankee.  He did everything himself.  We told him the chimney (that he had built himself) was not up to code and we wanted it extended, he got up on a ladder and extended it himself - he was pushing 80.  He built the whole kitchen himself out of plywood (yeah, we ripped that out...)

 

If southerners want to use it as an insult, that's on them.

 

The Brits call all of us Yanks too...

[Mrs Mungo]

Either way, Canadians tend towards collaboration and away from ambition in both personal conduct and in political structures.

This statement does not reflect my personal experiences with the US-immigrant Canadians that I have known. I don't think one can generalize when it comes to people.

[gardenmom5]

 I realized it's because it's in American English/accent, instead of dubbed over in British English/accents.  It's funny to hear the differences in things like Thomas, Bob the Builder, and a few others.  They of course use different words for things, like sweater/jumper, sneakers/trainers, trunk/boot, etc.  It seems strange to hear them with American accents.  We have found Peppa Pig, Roary the Racing Car and Tree Fu Tom, Mio Moa (all British shows) have not been dubbed over into American English/accents.  He seems to prefer those.  Who doesn't like Peppa Pig and Mio Mao though?  We have to watch Mouk on youtube, which is fine, because I would be weirded out to hear Mouk and Chavapa with American accents!  If you've never seen Mouk or Mio Mao (actually this one is a series of claymation shorts), it's worth it to look it up and watch some.  

try kipper the dog.  it's from the UK.  we get it on cable.

[Slartibartfast]

:iagree:  Up here in Yankee-land, Yankee is not a bad word at all.  Yeah, it may mean someone's a bit tight-fisted, but also, yeah, ingenuity and self-reliance and gumption.  We have Yankee swaps here all the time.  Yes, New Yankee Workshop, and Yankee magazine, which celebrates Yankee-ness.

 

I'd say the guy we bought this house from was a real old Yankee.  He did everything himself.  We told him the chimney (that he had built himself) was not up to code and we wanted it extended, he got up on a ladder and extended it himself - he was pushing 80.  He built the whole kitchen himself out of plywood (yeah, we ripped that out...)

 

If southerners want to use it as an insult, that's on them.

 

The Brits call all of us Yanks too...

 

 

I don't find it insulting but that it isn't applicable. I am not a southener or a yankee. 

 

My grandfather was exactly like the man you are describing. He could build and fix anything. I am convinced he had superpowers.

[bolt.]

This statement does not reflect my personal experiences with the US-immigrant Canadians that I have known. I don't think one can generalize when it comes to people.

If one can't generalize about people, then one can't talk about cultures, trends, tendancies, regions, countries or anything other directly relate the concrete details if specific direct experiences. Without generalizing, one can not form impressions or do any kind of abstraction regarding groups of people. That would be really quite limiting, don't you think?

 

By generalizing, one forms a generalization.

 

The only error in that would be if one does not recognize that generalizations are what they are, and bear no resemblance to universally applicable truths.

 

Generally, folks on WTM are considerate, articulate and intelligent people. (No, I'm not about to be passive-aggressive with this comment.) A generalization is only generally accurate, and only reflects the experiences of the person making it. I don't think that means we shouldn't generalize about people -- indeed I don't think we could stop doing so, even if we tried.

 

Now, I would say that it is a poor idea to apply generalizations to real people -- if you've got a person there, you learn about them by getting to know them, not by unpacking stereotypes on their doorstep. Generalizations are for something else entirely.

[SKL]

Now, I would say that it is a poor idea to apply generalizations to real people -- if you've got a person there, you learn about them by getting to know them, not by unpacking stereotypes on their doorstep.

 

You might never get to that point if you start out with some of the attitudes I've seen expressed here.  Not everyone is going to be patient with one who assumes them ignorant, combative, greedy, etc.

[bolt.]

I'm terribly sorry if I gave *that* impression.

 

I don't think I mentioned anything about intelligence or greed -- and for combative, I assure you that 'possibly some individuals are not quite as collaborative as Canadians' was not at all meant to imply anything near the idea of a national streak of combativeness!

[SKL]

I'm terribly sorry if I gave *that* impression.

 

I don't think I mentioned anything about intelligence or greed -- and for combative, I assure you that 'possibly some individuals are not quite as collaborative as Canadians' was not at all meant to imply anything near the idea of a national streak of combativeness!

 

There have been several suggestions that people in the US are ignorant of other countries including Canada.  It has also been suggested that Canadians are less ambitious (meant in a positive way), implying that people in the US must be more greedy (ambitious in a negative way).  It was also suggested that our political system creates people who go head-to-head to solve problems.  And so on.

 

Just the fact that it's an insult to be accidentally compared to US folks is a bit telling, don't you think?

 

One thing I notice is that no US folks have gotten on this thread to make stereotypical comments about Canadians' character.  Hmm.  Maybe it's because we are too ignorant to know enough to stereotype, though.  Yep, that's probably it.

[Incognito]

I think the Olympics are a good example of a difference between the countries.  In Canada, it actually honestly is about athletes getting their own personal bests - medals are great, but the nation really cheers for fellow citizens to do their best.  As an American, that was not the case.  I mean, of COURSE we always knew it was amazing to even be an olympic athlete, but the goal is the medal count.  Once the medal possibility is gone, channel changes or event information changes.  It's not news anymore. 

 

Also, Terry Fox is a national icon.  In the US he would be nothing.  My DH tried to tell me about him when I first got here and I did NOT get it - someone tried to run across Canada, didn't make it, and they are a national hero?  Yes, he is.  And now, after years of immersion in the culture and watching the Terry Fox documentaries I get it.  And I agree, he is a hero.  Every year here, school children do Terry Fox runs to raise money for cancer.  In the US his journey and plight would not have registered as a blip on the radar - and even if it did, the legacy would not have lived on.  It's a difference in national psyche. 

 

There are benefits and detriments to being as big and powerful as the US.  Among detriments, other nations will target and pick on you purely for being big and powerful.  However, being big and powerful can also lead to being self-centered.  Of COURSE it doesn't mean that every American is self-centered (and it also doesn't mean that every American is big and powerful).  Dear Canadian friends say stupid things about the US around me often enough that I really get it.  They don't even realize they are saying it.  Bigoted stereotyped assumptions are frustrating.  I don't think those are being tossed around here, though.

 

 

 

 

[nmoira]

To be fair, I've never heard a positive comment, ever, about network coverage of the Olympics in the US.

 

And now I'm teary-eyed just thinking about Terry Fox. His run ended just before I started Grade 8, and he died just after graduation the next year. But I remember it like it was yesterday.

[Slartibartfast]

To be fair, I've never heard a positive comment, ever about network coverage of the Olympics in the US.[

 

 

 

Oh yeah, our Olympic coverage is terrible! I like to watch a WHOLE event and I even like to watch some of the more unusual ones like curling. Dh and I love the curling! They don't show enough Olympics. I remember when it would take over a network for the entire run, now they barely run highlights and they often don't show the event or particular athlete I want to see.

 

I admit I torrented some Olympics.  :huh:

[Slartibartfast]

Bark bark bark!! AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!! RRAAWWWRRRR!!! BARK BARK BARK!

 

Curling is amazing!

[nmoira]

I admit I torrented some Olympics. :huh:

I don't blame you.

[bolt.]

I'm sorry I've been part of creating such an offensive mosaic of ideas.

 

I don't equate ambition with greed, not do I conclude that a tendency towards two-sided problem solving indicates a combative nature. There are lots of counties in the world that I am entirely ignorant about as a Canadian, so I in no way consider that a flaw.

 

I'm not offended by being guessed to be American, but I do consider us distinct, and I find the ways that "we are" that "they aren't" something to be pleased about. I like to clear it up and get the right set of stereotypes on my side. I'd be offended if someone insisted that there were no differences, or that my identity didn't matter.

 

One may like one's sister well enough without giving up on the idea of having differences from her, or enjoying the experience of being mistaken for her.

 

I don't think it's bad for "you to be you" (American) but I still feel strongly about being a "unique me" (Canadian) and knowing my own traits. In the grand scheme if things, were both good cultures, both with cultural flaws too -- just like siblings.

[SKL]

Again the media.  Which is NOT reflective of what everyday people are.