Carnie's Comments
Are you a proud Canadian?
I am. I'm kind of proud of some of the stereotypes that surround us too.
I'm reading the results of a survey of Canadians and Americans, released about a year ago, before the "elbows up" movement began.
It found the top three stereotypes Canadians are most tired of hearing is that we say "eh", we love hockey and we love Tim Hortons.
The survey also found perceptions that Canadians are environmentally conscious, neighbourly and happy are the top stereotypes believed by both Americans and Canadians and, 90% of us think stereotypes about our country are mostly positive. In fact, 7 out of 10 Canadians embrace the "all Canadians say 'sorry' a lot" stereotype. Many of us do!
It all reminds me of a time when I was at Grand Central Station in New York City, about to take my first ride on the subway. My friends and I had no idea what we were doing so we asked the ticket clerk what train to catch to get to our destination. She gave us some direction, and one buddy said, "We're from Canada".
And she said, "No kidding."