Error404 0 Posted December 9, 2004 Share Posted December 9, 2004 This made me laugh... ------- Tuesday, Dec 07, 2004 T-shirts help Americans relax abroad - by posing as Canadians ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - An American T-shirt company has a solution for fellow citizens who want to vacation in Europe without having to answer questions about U.S. politics: pose as Canadians. For $24.95 US (about $30 Cdn), T-shirtKing.com offers the "Go Canadian" package, full of just the kind of things an American traveller needs to leave home and its politics behind. There's a Canadian flag T-shirt, a Canadian flag lapel pin and a Canadian patch for luggage or a backpack. There's also a quick reference guide - "How to Speak Canadian, Eh?" - on answering questions about Canada. It's the brainchild of employees at the Mountainair, N.M.-based company known for novelty T-shirts it sells worldwide on the Internet. The Go Canadian idea sprouted after one of company president Bill Broadbent's colleagues heard of someone being harassed about U.S. politics during a recent overseas trip. Some people might not mind, but others "just want to be on vacation," Broadbent said. "So we were joking that they could just go as Canadians, and that just kind of evolved." The package went up on the company website Nov. 12, and sold a couple hundred within weeks. Sylvia Dawson's boyfriend has been joking that she needed to find him a Canadian flag for a coming trip to Spain. That's after his daughter, who is studying there, warned that he might be questioned about politics when he comes to visit. So she bought a package. "I said, 'What are you going to do if someone asks you about the prime minister of Canada?' And he said, 'I'll study up,' " Dawson said. Such questions are the reason for the package's quick reference guide, which offers tips in case an American in disguise gets quizzed on Canada. When it comes to sports, the guide suggests: "This is easy to remember. There is only one real sport in Canada and it is called hockey. Regardless of any trivia question, the answer is Wayne Gretzky. If a Canadian says he had to "deke out of a meeting," it means he avoided the meeting. If someone is headed to "Hogtown," that's Canadian for Toronto. A trip to "Cowtown" means the person is going to Calgary. And in all cases, the guide advises: "If your vacation is to be stress free, leave those heavy politics behind and travel with a light heart and quick wit, Canadian style." © The Canadian Press, 2004 Link to post Share on other sites
Yuki's Passion 1 Posted December 9, 2004 Share Posted December 9, 2004 Geeze, feel like Ive been doing that for years - hate when people say, ohhhh, youre american... your country bla bla bla... Link to post Share on other sites
mattlucas 0 Posted December 9, 2004 Share Posted December 9, 2004 I could see that getting annoying And people make fun of us for putting patches on our bags and wearing Canadian flag clothing. Gets us away from the above. Link to post Share on other sites
yoroshiku onegai shimasu 2 Posted December 10, 2004 Share Posted December 10, 2004 Ah, now I understand the patches and badges. Link to post Share on other sites
Oyuki kigan 0 Posted December 10, 2004 Share Posted December 10, 2004 Right after the elections, Canada's immigration website had a record number of hits. Link to post Share on other sites
2pints-mate 0 Posted December 10, 2004 Share Posted December 10, 2004 But, yoroshiku onegai shimasu - the humiliation! Could you put up with it!? Link to post Share on other sites
lin 0 Posted December 11, 2004 Share Posted December 11, 2004 I always wondered why Canadians seemed to do that. Link to post Share on other sites
7-11 2 Posted December 14, 2004 Share Posted December 14, 2004 Canadians are generally (not a good word) the coolest and nicest bunch of people I've known in all my travels. They get the big thumbs up from moi. Link to post Share on other sites
mattlucas 0 Posted December 14, 2004 Share Posted December 14, 2004 Well thanks 7-11 I just gave you the full 5 stars vote Link to post Share on other sites
jstepp 0 Posted December 14, 2004 Share Posted December 14, 2004 Ya I wouldnt mind posing as Canadian, I'd like to live there (somewhere near Banff) but its too cold for my wife. Link to post Share on other sites
2pints-mate 0 Posted December 14, 2004 Share Posted December 14, 2004 If I say the same, will you give me some money? Link to post Share on other sites
Curt 1 Posted December 15, 2004 Share Posted December 15, 2004 I'm from the US but for some reason people here ask me if I'm Canadian, wonder why that is Link to post Share on other sites
js 0 Posted December 17, 2004 Share Posted December 17, 2004 Whilst in Canada one year, sitting on a quad chairlift chatting to the three other people (Americans), as you do, one asked where in Canada do I hail. I informed them I don't live in Canada - they then asked where in the US do I live? Informing them of being an Aussie they then proceeded to enquire ... how long had I been in Oz since emigrating from the US!! DUH!! I may have one of those so-called 'international accents' but it certainly doesn't emulate a North American one. Other than pronouncing the 'ou' differently, there really is no difference between the Kanucks and Yanks accents. (I need the Flame to keep me warm...) (Kiwi's don't have an accent - they have a speech impediment!) Link to post Share on other sites
Ski Beaver 0 Posted December 17, 2004 Share Posted December 17, 2004 That would be "impudimunt". Link to post Share on other sites
mattlucas 0 Posted December 17, 2004 Share Posted December 17, 2004 Quote: Originally posted by SubZero: Other than pronouncing the 'ou' differently, there really is no difference between the Kanucks and Yanks accents. (I need the Flame to keep me warm...) Your going to get it now May your winter and only yours be blessed with warm winds and buckets of rain Link to post Share on other sites
Kemuri 0 Posted December 17, 2004 Share Posted December 17, 2004 I might say that living in the middle of one of the most visited area of Paris ( Notre Dame - Saint Michel ) that I noticed that almost all the Canadian tourists have a Canadian flag patch on their bag. I thought, first, that it was to show that they are proud to be Canadian but now I know that some of them have this to do not let local people thinks they are American Because most of the people in France are against Bush policy and you see it everyday down the street and in the media. I've never heard anything good about USA on tv these time. When you see something about USA on French T.V. its most of the time criticism of Bush policy, criticism about America's carbon dioxide emission, War in Iraq Victory or defeat ?, criticism about deflation in USA, Why do they need Death Penalty ? etc... Michael Moore is a huge star here. And I'm pretty sure that if you meet some french people they'll talk about politics with you... Because French people likes to talk about politics. But it doesn't mean that French hates amercains. lol This is pure American paranoia. In France you have the freedom to say openly your thoughts and ideology, nobody will kill you but maybe a little bit of mockery but generally they are all fascinated by the country that America is. And maybe if I were French, Im a full Japanese blooded, I wont bring my arse in some place in America. Link to post Share on other sites
js 0 Posted December 17, 2004 Share Posted December 17, 2004 Quote: Originally posted by Toque: Your going to get it now May your winter and only yours be blessed with warm winds and buckets of rain Indeed your Kunucking wish is coming true - alas, I won't be able to visit Nipon this year, and Oz is certainly getting buckets of rain lately. As for the 'warm winds', well, they're mandatory with the coming Christmas fair. -------------- '... and I fart in your general direction!' - Monty Python 'The Holy Grail'. -------------- Link to post Share on other sites
base40 0 Posted December 18, 2004 Share Posted December 18, 2004 How many Canadians speak French well? Link to post Share on other sites
js 0 Posted December 18, 2004 Share Posted December 18, 2004 Quote: Originally posted by base40: How many Canadians speak French well? Probably the same number of French that speak Canadian well? Link to post Share on other sites
base40 0 Posted December 18, 2004 Share Posted December 18, 2004 It was a serious question.... Link to post Share on other sites
js 0 Posted December 18, 2004 Share Posted December 18, 2004 Quote: Originally posted by base40: It was a serious question.... Try this website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Canadian It seems to be a sensitive subject - the official Canadian Gov't website is rather unhelpful regarding this matter. Link to post Share on other sites
mattlucas 0 Posted December 18, 2004 Share Posted December 18, 2004 We learn French starting in Elementary school and have to take it all the way to grade 11. Well that's the way it was in BC at least in the mid 90's But I was never good at learning languages. I don't even have a good grasp of english Found at Statistics Canada 22 percent of 30 million people said they spoke french in the home. Link to post Share on other sites
jstepp 0 Posted December 18, 2004 Share Posted December 18, 2004 A French person in the US will get the same treatment as anybody else. Anybody that wants to go to the US and be treated friendly, go to Texas, money back gaurantee if you're not satisfied. Oh ya, just dont pull a stunt like ol boy did kill a group of hunters, you'll get the death penalty for sure. Link to post Share on other sites
Davo 1 Posted December 18, 2004 Share Posted December 18, 2004 Sometimes people think I sound like an Ozzie, which is far from "fulliee sieeek" in my "opieenion". But at least I don't sound like my usteamed Prime Munustur "Hulun" Clark. Great woman with a pretty grating accent at times."Thun agin" I suppose we should be proud of our native enunciation. Is the number six pronounced "sux" or "sex" Link to post Share on other sites
damian 0 Posted December 18, 2004 Share Posted December 18, 2004 Hulun Cluk really does have a harsh accent. She's a good lookin' woman though, no worries there. I was shocked when your press called her a 'barren dyke'. Sakitumi - not sure of you are being sarcastic, but I have found that in the few visits that I have made Americans (in America) offer the most friendly reception, and I have only been to NY which is supposed to be rude. I suspect that Canadians would be just as friendly as Americans. At a minimum, Americans know how to so good-day to the guy on the street and will have a chat at the corner lights about nothing much to the stranger they stood next to. This is non-existent in London and also in many parts of Australia. Say hello to a stranger in NY and they say hello back and often throw in a smile. I had an Australian co-worker who was on a monthly conference call. I asked my boss if I sounded like her and if so could I please have some speech training to rectify the problem. He assured me I did not sound nearly as bad and if I did then yes, the company would pay for speech training. Having a strong accent (even classic English born and breed) is not a good thing in some levels of business. She was an ultra-clever and determined and educated person, but she sounds like a friggin drongo suburban hairdresser and that caused her career problems. Sad but true. Link to post Share on other sites
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