The Differences Between Americans And Canadians

Coming back to work from Quiznos (<don cherry>”toasted tastes better!”</don cherry>) there was an example of how in my mind, Americans and Canadians are different, or at least, how I am different from the driver. It was me, the other coder, and the dirver, a young lady originally from the states but who has recently moved up here and works here. We’re on a two lane road, with pretty much no one else on the road. We pull into the right lane about a block from the turn off to the road where work is. The car ahead of us pulls to the far right of the lane (there is a curb) and stops about half a block from our turn off.


Now if I were the one driving, I’d either pull back into the left lane and pull around the other car, or wait for a few seconds and see he’s not going to go anywhere, check that no one was behind me (remember, hardly anyone on the road) and pull around. I might give a honk on the horn to let him know that stopping in the middle of the road is a stupid thing to do.


But that’s me.


What did happen was my driver sat behind him (obviously an older man behind the wheel by the way) for a few seconds, then honked her horn (and not the “honk” of “hey, whats going on”, but the “hoooooonk” of “hey idiot!“). The old guy pulled forward a bit and a bit further off the road. Another Hoooooooooooonk. The old guy then stuck his arm out the window and signaled for us to go around. We did, but as we pulled around him my driver let another long hooooooooooooooooooonk go as we were pulling around!


Is it just me, or did that seem more agressive and angry than needed? Just pull around, it’s not like this was in the middle of rush hour traffic or the freeway! Of course, I’m also a country boy, not a city boy, so I’m not used to battling idiots, and I have no evidence that this is behaviour typical of Americans except that she (my driver) is American and I’m not, and I would have handled the situation with what I feel was a bit more curtesy and politeness.

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19 Comments on “The Differences Between Americans And Canadians”

  1. MAN! I hate when Canadians make silly comparisons with Americans! That makes me so mad! Jeez, like they can’t talk abot something else!
    And are you dissin’ on America? Huh? Us ‘mericans ought to just come up there and kick you ASS for that, man. You do that again and….
    wait a second. oops.
    🙂

  2. Come on down to New Jersey and I’ll show you how to drive American/Mob style baby.
    Now seriously on the East Coat it’s maybe 2 out 10 drivers drive like that. On the NJ turnpike it works out to 5 out of 10…it’s the begining signs of road rage.

  3. sorry but that has nothing to do with mericans vs. canadians. if that happened around here, central kentucky, the car behind driver would have gotten out and asked the pulled aside driver if everything was alright.
    city folks are just rude 🙂

  4. Yeah, I agree with Will and Foz, it is more dependent on where you are (or where you are from) regionally than nationally. And as everyone knows, California gave birth to the idea of “road rage.” Kentucky drivers are, if anything, was too cautious and nice, and there are traffic delays because of it. NJ drivers are just fucking nuts (Noo offense, Will :-).
    Was the young lady from California, Home of Road Rage? (I think that is even on their license plate or something)

  5. engel…
    In compliance with Megan’s Law, all known California and Ohio drivers must clearly identify themselves as such in plain view somewhere on the vehicle.

  6. Hey no offense taken. I wear my NJ driving skills as a badge. I take pride in defensive driving skill it has helped me out alot.

  7. I’m a Canadian living in the States, and I have seriously noticed a huge change of attitude… the Americans around here are the ones who want to bomb the Middle East into “a parking lot,” as the popular saying is in the south. Yes, it is regionalism, not nationalism, but if I remember correctly, most of Canada is similar to the Great Plains, an area that you would expect polite people.

  8. I’m a Canadian living in the States, and I have seriously noticed a huge change of attitude… the Americans around here are the ones who want to bomb the Middle East into “a parking lot,” as the popular saying is in the south. Yes, it is regionalism, not nationalism, but if I remember correctly, most of Canada is similar to the Great Plains, an area that you would expect polite people.

  10. I’m an “unitedstatesian” (i don’t like using “American, because hell…canadians are americans, as our mexicans and people from south america…). I, personally, hate living in the united states. The majority of everyone here are assholes..IMO, and i’m sad to say i have to raise my child here. Me and my husband are considering moving to canada, actually…i’m doing some research on it…it just seems like such a NICE PEACEFUL place, We’ll see.
    *ugh…and i know some of your overly patriotic “american” idoits are going to post very rude, uneducation replies to this post…and just know that you are wasting your time as i will not be reading them. Thanks.

  12. I’m a proud and patriotic American living in Canada with my beautiful, loving Canadian wife. She is the ONLY reason I’m here and not in Arizona, being that she has a large family and that’s how I want to raise my kids. Since moving up here, I’ve noticed that there are two types of Americans in Canada: disaffected ex-patriots who embrace free pot and homosexual unions and those who still love the USA, but clam up for fear of offending the Canucks. This disgusts me. If it’s okay to Indian, French, Spanish, Mexican, et al, then it is damned well okay to be American. Oh, and contrary to popular belief, we are NOT uneducated morons. Also, the United States is the first country to be called America since the USA was named after Amerigo Vespucci, the Italian banker and cartographer who mapped the Gulf Coast of the Deep South. The rest of the hemisphere was given that AFTER the United States. So, Canadians are not Americans. They are French and British. Mexicans are not American. They are Spanish. Asta!

  15. The US outnumbers Canada by about 250,000,000 in population – Yet in Landmass, Canada is 2nd largest in the world (after Russia).
    For the most part, we sound like Americans.
    It’s no wonder we want to point out our differences as often and as loudly as possible when Americans are listening. Canadians in general have a different outlook on life and the world.
    Notably different, Canadians are not as angry as Americans. Why? I don’t know. Not even ‘Bowling for Columbine’ really answered that question but certainly posed some difinitive suggestions. The US school system puts a very high emphasis on US studies and virtually ignores the rest of the world. Crime / violence are practically non-exsistent compared. NOt only that, but we never have to worry about getting blown up by anyone – we are too small and non confrontational to worry about. Man, Canada is so much better to live in than the US.
    I think I’ll go and smoke a big fatty now on my west coast patio and stare out at the north shore mountains – breathing in the FRESH AIR….
    Ahhhh. Suckers.

  16. i have raed some of your comments! i personally think that you are all idiots because i am a canadian and i know for a fact that both canadian and americans are stuiped cazy diver that have no respected when it cames to people around you’ll so shut up eh.

  17. i have raed some of your comments! i personally think that you are all idiots because i am a canadian and i know for a fact that both canadian and americans are stuiped cazy diver that have no respected when it cames to people around you’ll so shut up eh.

  18. i have raed some of your comments! i personally think that you are all idiots because i am a canadian and i know for a fact that both canadian and americans are stuiped cazy diver that have no respected when it cames to people around you’ll so shut up eh.

  19. My work takes me to many places around the globe. I have witnessed many different types of character from people of many differnt origins. I have mentally catagorized an average American (USA) as being an arrogant, self exalting, type of character. I have made many mental catagories for citizens of many various countries and cultural distinctions and have noticed good points and bad points for them all. Canadians are generally considered as being overly polite and curtious. For exmaple; if I meet a person from North America, in a foreign country, I can normally tell in the first sentence if they are American or Canadian.