Friday, January 18, 2008

There's Got to be a Name for This Phenomenon

I blog and comment on message boards and talk about issues as if I were American. Creationism, 'fuzzy' math in schools, Mike Huckabee etc. are all talked about as if I were sitting in Ohio somewhere and living in the society that's directly affected by those things. Instead I'm in Nova Scotia and at least one step removed from those matters. Creation isn't the same issue here and fuzzy math hasn't infected the schools. If I'm in a debate with someone on a message board and they check out my profile and point out, "You're Canadian, what do you know about this anyway?" I get a little disoriented. Canadian? Oh. That's right.

I suppose this happens because about 90% of the people I know and joke with and talk to online are Americans and to talk with them often means talking to them about issues that concern them. But it is a little weird. I'm still a true and committed Canuck offline and even online I do have to wave the maple leaf at times but still the feeling of being almost American is never far away when Opera's fired up and I'm surfing the web.

If there's not a name for this there should be one.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

LOL I don't know what it could be called, Dawn. But I'm glad to have you on my side, you North American you.

Nova Scotia! Lucky duck. Just don't fall into the trap of thinking you're in the state of IL. I think our current governor is following the last governor into the Big House. Our taxes will be going up too. Pre-Prison is expensive.

Andrea R said...

Well, we have all the American media on tv and radio too. I don't think our neighbours realize how much of Canada is innundated with American stuff.

Maybe we're Canuckistanians, in the state of Canada.

It's even more US-centric here in NB, especially when I'm so close to the border I can *see* Maine.

Dawn said...

That's probably what makes it so easy to slip into being an...Amimican? We know so much about them.

Really Susan, you guys should find us Canucks creepy...Like stalkers or something.:D

Heather said...

I think it's a big arrogant of people online to assume everyone is American and start chatting about American issues.. then get upity because someone in another country comments. How can you NOT know about these issues, when so many Americans forget they're posting to a world-wide audience?

Welcome to Great Goblets! said...

Hummm.. I guess as an Iowan in America I really don't think of Canada as being far removed from any of America's culture. Probably because we're just a couple of states away. HE! No really, our TV channels have a lot of Canadian programming, we have the same type of Governmental structure, the same type of melting pot of culture and backgrounds and aside from that one time that we tried to invade you in the late 1700's (sorry 'bout that, what were our forefathers thinking?) we've had a peaceful relationship. Right? I guess America, especially this day in age, can't say that about very many countries. I for one am glad to have you as a neighbor! What about dubbing yourself a "CanMerican"? ;)

Dawn said...

I can live with CanMerican. :) I've noticed actually that there's much less of a difference (barely one at all between Canadians and Americans in northern states than there is between those Americans and fellwo Americans in the South.

Anonymous said...

I moved from the US to Alberta 13 years ago to get married, and now the kids and I are dual citizens.

I do have to say that Alberta is quite different from NS -- creation is an issue here, especially in rural areas, and fuzzy math is in the schools. And who the leader of the free world will be does affect me, even had I not been born in America. And interestingly, the more Huckabee's name is mentioned regarding presidential politics, the more I hear about Canada -- as in, "If he wins, we're moving to Canada!"

I've often thought since moving here that there's more of an eastern-(mid)western divide in North America rather than north (Canada)-south (US) divide.