Tomorrow is Canada Day, for those of you who don’t live here, it is the day that we celebrate the day we became a nation. I figured I would take this opportunity to wave the flag a bit. Here’s the problem, being Canadian, I’m not exactly good at bragging. As a nation, we’re far too humble for such things. I mean, how does one express how fantastic our healthcare system is, or how clean our streets are without coming across as claiming that we’re better than our neighbours to the South. I mean, we wouldn’t do that, right? I mean, sure, we know how to spell neighbour and honour correctly, but that doesn’t make us better. Just different. So without trying to make it sound like I live in what I humbly submit is probably one of the top three countries of the world, (I mean number one is in the top three, but I don’t want to sound too boastful) here are just a few of the things I am proud of as a Canadian.
1) Our Stereotypes – Some of the most common Canadian Stereotypes are usually centred around free healthcare, Hockey, how polite we all are, and the mispronunciation of the word “about” as “aboot.” Frankly, I’ve never heard any Canadian pronounce it that way, so I’m not sure where that comes from….but whatever. To all of these things, I can only say this; You forgot the beer ya hoser! If you’re looking for some serious laughs about Canadian stereotypes, go look for a movie called “Canadian Bacon.” It’s a movie about a few guys in an American bar who get convinced that their country is being invaded by Canada. They take it upon themselves to invade Canada themselves and see what’s going on. The best part is that the entire cast is backwards. All the American’s are played by Canadian Actors, and all the Canadians are played by Americans. It’s a great piece of satire I would highly advise checking out.
2) Our Culture – I know that many people think that the cornerstone of Canadian Culture is Hockey…and well….yeah. Canada is a nation where there is little suffering, except, of course, for those of us who are Toronto Maple Leafs fans. Every season we all have the same eternal optimism of “THIS YEAR WE’LL DO IT!!!!” with the rest of the nation sarcastically replying, “Yeah sure thing bud…” The optimism turns to some form oh pessimism when they inevitably go on the downslide. Luckily, there’s other stuff too! The Festivals that happen across this nation of ours is enough o keep anyone entertained for a while. From the Just for Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal to the Exhibition here in Toronto, and even the Calgary Stampede out west. It’s great how much stuff there is to do here. Even cultural landmarks like the CN Tower are great to enjoy. A few years back, I was able to do a Sky Walk on top of the CN Tower. It was scary but also incredible!
3) Our Celebrities – We are proud of the people who “make it big” who are Canadian. Sometimes, a bit too proud. I’ll be honest, I’ve caught myself hearing about a celebrity who’s a grandparent, or great uncle was from Canada thinking to myself (and occasionally expressing) “Hey, that’s cool! They’re part Canadian!” One of the Canadian Celeb’s that I like the best was the original “America’s Sweetheart” Mary Pickford, who was from Toronto, Ontario. While doing some research about this, I ran into an article about Canadian Celebs. Check it out it’s interesting how many people in the entertainment business are from Canada.
Well, that was my bit about Canada. I really love every part of it. I hope that this post didn’t come off as too arrogant or bragging too much. If it did….I’m sorry.
Happy Canada Day!
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Happy Canada Day Jay! You are rocking that red jumpsuit. I had one just like it in the early 80s!