Perception 2: Cultural Perception Exercise- Canadians

My freshman year at BYU I had two Canadian roommates. I had never known anyone Canadian before so I didn't know there were Canadian stereotypes. Of course I assumed there must be some, but I really thought they were just like Americans. It wasn’t until I lived with Canadians that I found out about all the different kinds of Canadian stereotypes. 

The first question my roommates were asked is if they say “eh” after everything, because apparently that's how all Canadians end their sentences. While living with my roommates, I only heard it used once or twice. In a certain area of Canada they may say it more than others, but as for my roommates it was very uncommon. The few times they did say something of that sort it was actually “hey” and they used it after a question, which still was very rare. Canadians are also known for being obsessed with hockey. While a lot of Canadians I have met do love hockey, it is not the top sport played by Canadian adults. Golf is actually the top spot according to Canadian statistics. Most NHL players do come from Canada, but most Canadians prefer to play golf.

I think the reason we associate hockey with Canada is because hockey is played on the ice and Canada is like a giant ice rink in the great white north. However, Canada experiences all four seasons just like many other countries. Most Canadians live near the southern border and will experience blistering hot summers.

One true stereotype I found was that Canadians do say sorry a lot, even when they didn’t do anything. They apologize for everything and it is quite entertaining to watch. My roommate once ran into the couch and said sorry to it just out of habit. I read that Canadians inherited the “British sense of being somewhat self-effacing and apologetic whereas Americans tend to be perhaps more self-confident and assertive.” A few other stereotypes I’ve found are that Canadians are obsessed with Canada and hate America, they drink beer and coffee 24/7, they love donuts, and they are lumberjacks and eat pancakes for every meal. 

The biggest media source of the Canadian stereotype comes from the TV comedy “How I Met Your Mother.” Robin Scherbatsky is a Canadian who has moved to New York. She is constantly made fun of by her friends for being Canadian. Every stereotype is used against her including the hockey obsession, saying sorry, Canada’s climate, and her speech. The few Canadians I have met here at BYU have proved just about every one of these stereotypes wrong, which has made me realize how little I know about the rest of the world.

Overall, the single story about Canadians is that they are obsessed with their own culture and will never become “Americanized.” They love Canada and talk about it endlessly and dream of going back as soon as possible. They are consistently made fun of by Americans for their accents, apologies, obsession over hockey, and the “harsh” climate. The media has picked these up and twisted them to make them enjoyable for both Americans and Canadians like in “How I Met Your Mother.” This single story is limiting because there is so much more to Canada than hockey and syrup. We miss out on all the important details of their everyday lives including their government, their activities, and their social lives because we focus on two or three stereotypes that we assume they all live by. I learned that Canada does not represent everyone as a whole. Each person is an individual despite where they are from. Although we view Canada in one way, there are so many more things we do not know about them and will probably never know since the media continues to skew our vision of Canadians, which is a shame because from the research I have done Canada is a beautiful place where we could learn a thing or two from.