We're not a real country?

[Big Boss]

Why do other countries keep saying that? Is it because we WERE a colony? Nobody ever says Australia, China or India aren't real countries. America was a colony, once.

[ladymako71]

I know how you feel...I tell people where I was born, when I'm asked, and I get the strangest look of 'huh?' however...thanks to Peter Jackson I can now tell them 'Middle Earth' from the Lord of the Rings movies and they get it....I wish I was joking, alas I'm not.

[HappyCanuck]

Actually the only country I've heard say that we're not a 'real' country is the US (not saying others don't say it too, just I've never heard it from non-Americans), based on the grounds that we didn't have to fight for our recognition as an independant power. (For clarification, although we still recognise the Queen as a 'Head of State', it's a figurehead role, with little to no actual power, the power being in the House of Commons.)

[Big Boss]

By the way, I should note that this thread was my first post.

[Ben]

heh, good thread for a first post Big Boss. Welcome to Alpha Waves! Don't mind the funny smell comming from the cupboard, Del left his gym socks in there when he went "away".

Ben

[DelBubs]

heh, good thread for a first post Big Boss. Welcome to Alpha Waves! Don't mind the funny smell comming from the cupboard, Del left his gym socks in there when he went "away".

BenI wondered where I'd left them, have they become sentient yet? Oh and Big Boss, welcome to the boards.

[syvalois]

Welcome Big Boss. Your question is a big question and is not easy to answer. Mostly it got to do with perception. All North America got a very distinct way of life. Paper size is 8.5"x 11" and not A4, our cell phone is not on the same wavelenght than the rest of the world and I can say a lot more.

It's true that architectures looks very similar since the continent been built/ colonised (built is in a way very offensive to native, but I assume you know what I mean) in mostly the same era, colonised by both the french (to a lesser extent the US) and english (let not forget the Spanis too for the US).

Since North America is such a big land but only own by 2 countries, it similarities are amazing. And what do not help in the stranger eyes (and Quebecer alike) is that most cultural pancanadian stuff seems to come from the US or done by canadians workings in the US.

Like one englishman once said to me canadians are "nice" americans. "Nice" as in they usually know about other countries and don't think their country is "all that". But I would say, it's common for top country to do that. Canada been always in the shadow of the USA, give them a affinity with other countries and knowledge which is very much appreciated.

Anyway I could continu forever, but I don't think the rest of the world don't see Canada as a Country but more as a Country dominated by the US in many ways. After all, Canada only have 1 powerful neibor and it's the US. Don't know if any other country only got 1 neibor like Canada (ok, Canada as a border with Groeland and Russia up north, but it,s not really that area that is very populated and making exchange easy).

[Powersurge]

Why do other countries keep saying that? Is it because we WERE a colony? Nobody ever says Australia, China or India aren't real countries. America was a colony, once.

I can't say that I've ever heard anyone say, seriously, that Canada isn't a real "country" before. Canada has at least as much, if not abudantly more "country", than any other nation or multinational state in the world, so how can we not be a, ahem, "country"?

I mean, heck, we have our own superhero team!!! Need I say more?

[cmdrkoenig67]

Who says that? I've always thought of Canada as a real country and I live right next door(in Maine). Welcome Big Boss.

Dana

[HappyCanuck]

truth be told, Dana, you North-Easterners are usually the GOOD ones (same with the ones over in Washington State and Oregon). most of the ones I've heard it from can adequately be described as 'Southern hicks'. Y'know the type - the ones who don't know what the Andirondacs(sp) are, and live in them...

[cmdrkoenig67]

truth be told, Dana, you North-Easterners are usually the GOOD ones (same with the ones over in Washington State and Oregon). most of the ones I've heard it from can adequately be described as 'Southern hicks'. Y'know the type - the ones who don't know what the Andirondacs(sp) are, and live in them...

Truth be told from my side of the border, Allan......about five years ago...I met someone from Atlanta, GA and she told me one day, that she always believed(up until she was a teen) that Maine was a part of Canada...I was a bit perplexed by that.

MY friend Jacques Comeau's mother and father are from Quebec(nice people, BTW). I know other folks who are decendants of Quebecois(my brother-in-law for one...Langlois is his last name) and there are many French Canadians here in Maine(mostly northern Maine). That seems to be the extent of my connection to Canada(besides being so close to it and having visited Quebec twice now)

Dana

[Mokole]

I've never met anyone who thinks Canada isn't a country, but then I live in Canada. On TV and in the paper sure we get it a lot, though. In the President Chicken years some yokel has to be blamed for everything, and it's Canada,

I've always liked our mixed-up nature, from us loving hockey to having such fun ethnic groups and widely differing opinions, yet we always seem to end up in the 'middle'. I think that's why so many people in the US dismiss us, we're not neoNazi (or should I say Fox News?) enough or Commie-Anarchist enough (personally, I'm falling more and more in love with small democracy, doing things locally to save yourselves; above the community level "democracies" are oligarchies at best, republican aristocracies at worst).

Anyway, you look and see in Alpha Flight so many different characters and as unlike as some of them are they all fit and make sense. Shaman, Snowbird, Box, Nemesis, Ghost Girl, Zuzha, the Major, Sasquatch, Puck, Witchfire...