Ask a Canadian

[Goonie]

MT - Hockey just does not happen to be huge in Commenwealth countries. It is huge in Eastern Europe and Scandinavia, and as evidenced by the play of Switzerland in the last Olympics and Germany in this past WJC, the game is moving westward. Asking Canada to ignore hockey is like asking the Chinese to avoid their comparative advantage in cheap labour. It just will not happen!

Australia may or may not be a more confident country than Canada. But one thing is certain. They do not live beside the world's only super power.

In 2006 at the Olympics, Canada won 24 medals. Good enough for third place behind Germany (29) and the United States (25). We are hardly as bad at sports as you think. Australia won 2 medals, and one of their medals was won by a Canadian. I would argue that Canada does better at the summer Olympics than Australia does at the winter Olympics.

 

[Desmond Hawkins]

@Goonie. Not to mention that Aussies tend to do more individualistic sports that can result in multiple medal victories. I mean, think about how one big-footed Australian can win like 8 gold medals in swimming by himself. Whereas all of the combined hockey efforts of Canada compete for a single gold medal with other hockey countries.

Sure there is Cindy Klassen doing the same, but the Aussies have this advantage to a greater degree.

P.S. I also think it was specifically Alberta that won like a third of Canada's 2006 medals.

 

[SDMF]

Proof of the pudding is of course Australia. It is a much more confident country than Canada and is much more noticed not just in the Commonwealth, but also the world (all IMO). Why is it that someone like myself knows so much more about Oz and NZ than Canada, despite the fact that those countries are in the middle of nowhere and despite the fact that I have actually visited Canada but have not been anywhere near NZ and Oz. The answer is Sport.

Partly because we have a less distinct culture then the Aussie's. Granted, we are not the same as america. Without a internal view we do look the same...
As for lack of confidence i blame the educational system. They make our history dull and dont inspire patriotism
Also the hockey rivalry of Canada-Russia is the stuff of legends.

 

[cubsfan6506]

Why do you guys suck

 

[SDMF]

cubsfan6506 must be from alaska

 

[SuperBeaverInc.]

@cubsfan: Why haven't the Cubs won a World Series in 100 years?

 

[Synobun]

Why do you guys suck

Man, you got a real attitude kid.

Canada is one of the best countries in the world.

 

[Goonie]

Why do you guys suck

We prefer it to blowing?

 

[sysyphus]

Why do you guys suck

I answered this one a few pages back.

 

[sysyphus]

They do not live beside the world's only super power.

True, but we've had 200 years to adapt. Time we got over it and moved on.

 

[cubsfan6506]

@cubsfan: Why haven't the Cubs won a World Series in 100 years?

stupid noob 98 years.

 

[SuperBeaverInc.]

And that suddenly makes it better?

I'm just rounding up, cause we all know that the Cubs aren't going to win anything anytime soon.

 

[SDMF]

Sure, canada should move beyond being americas hat. But our current goverment moves towards a American-Canadian alliance, focusing on noth america.
i argue we should focus more on Caadian-Euro relations, and regain our stronger ties to britan that have been decaying for fourty years
(not that were not close with britan right now, but not close enough)

i prefere a more british idenity then american. in a ideal world we'd have a stonger Canadian identity

 

[sysyphus]

And that suddenly makes it better?

I'm just rounding up, cause we all know that the Cubs aren't going to win anything anytime soon.

Don't feed it.

 

[Goonie]

True, but we've had 200 years to adapt. Time we got over it and moved on.

It is not a matter of getting over. The United States has not been a superpower for 200 years. The fact is that seeing as we are both (partly) english speaking countries, there is bound to be cultural spillover. I simply think that it would not be as large if we were not next door.

 

[newfangle]

Your post quality continues to astound me cubsfan.

 

[newfangle]

Sure, canada should move beyond being americas hat. But our current goverment moves towards a American-Canadian alliance,

Umm, when were we not an alliance? What the hell is NORAD and NATO?

 

[Goonie]

Greaseless beef?


Gosh. Am I ever disappointed.

 

[sysyphus]

It is not a matter of getting over. The United States has not been a superpower for 200 years. The fact is that seeing as we are both (partly) english speaking countries, there is bound to be cultural spillover. I simply think that it would not be as large if we were not next door.

What you say is true, but I still think that Canadians overuse the excuse fo being next door to the "world's only superpower" too much as an excuse for our shortcomings.

Face it, what MegaTsunami said is true, Australia has taken our place in the world as the smaller country that punches above its weight.

Look at countries like Sweden. Sure they're not located up against the world's biggest power, but Sweden relative to Germany is about the same as Canada to the USA, but the Swedes don't let that hold them back.

 

[sysyphus]

Umm, when were we not an alliance?

Up until about 1917 really.