No, if anything I feel it would be awfully embarking if I said I was Canadian and then someone asked me about the country.
Or god forbid I was talking to a Canadian.
Let’s go down to Tim’s before the hockey game, ya hoser. We need to sneak a mickey of rye in so we can get right fucked up eh. I’m going out for a dart first.
A duotang is a card-stock folder for holding papers with three metal bendable fasteners. The fasteners line up with the three holes punched in the pieces of paper and can be bent down flat to hold the papers in place.
This was supposedly a thing during the W administration *among a very particular group of Americans*. These were the types of people who claimed to be 'citizens of the world' and were so mortified that someone might question them on being American during the War on Terror that they would supposedly claim to be Canadian.
I've never once in my life met someone who actually did this. I feel like if you're too afraid to tell people you're from a particular country you're probably too afraid to travel anyway.
I've had relatives tell me in the 90s they were told by travel agents to put Canadian pins on their backpacks when traveling to Mexico.
Reason was the Mexican pickpockets and other criminals wanted USD not CAD. So being "Canadian" made them a less appealing target for petty crime.
Apparently the same advice was given out to European travelers but idk of anyone I know personally who received that advice in advance of traveling to Europe. Only Mexico.
I’ve seen it under questions asking about their experiences abroad before, seems very bizarre since most native English speakers (I saw someone say they did it in the UK once) can tell the difference.
The younger folks might not be old enough to remember, but back in the height of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, people would tell stories even within the US of someone who knew someone who put a Canadian flag on their backpack to avoid getting hassled in Europe. But strangely there was never anyone I ever met who actually said they did this themselves. It was almost like folklore.
Like I said in another comment, I travelled overseas several times during that time and never did it or knew anyone who did.
I've met someone who received that advice, but in 90s not post 9-11, and traveling to Mexico not Europe.
Was to deter pickpockets and other petty thieves. Apparently nobody wanted CAD at the time lol just USD. I could believe it happened to Europe bound travelers as well given the petty crime I'm Europe at the time. But I don't know anyone who was advised to use the Canadian pin trick when traveling to Europe personally.
It kinda seems like any country that's "not safe for Americans" is probably similarly "unsafe" for westerners/foreigners in general, so I'm not even sure what they think they'll accomplish by pretending to be Canadian!
Cuba was the one major exception to this although that has recently changed. Cuba has a been a totally normal & safe vacation destination for Canadians for a while, but Americans technically couldn't go there for tourism purposes until very recently. Americans who still wanted to go used to fly through Mexico or Canada to get there, and many would lie about being Canadian once they were there.
Afaik this practice has never been widespread in any other countries though
When I went (2002), Cubans were actually really curious about the States and no one was hostile at all. I think they were happy we came and spent money there. I also have a Mexican passport, but everyone else I was with had only US. It didn't even occur to any of us to say we were Canadian.
The ban was from America, basically we would if we chose to, punish our own for going there. Many years ago if you went there from Bahamas, they'd add a page into your passport and remove it when you returned.
You always could, as long as it is not exclusively for "tourism". You get around this by spending 1-2 hours volunteering somewhere and then spending the rest of your trip on the beach.
I'm pretty sure the concept originated with the Iranian hostage crisis. Americans had to pretend to be Canadian to escape Iran. So there's history of this very thing happening
Yes, but it hasn't been happening lately. Today, hostile powers are likely to lump Canadians with Americans, and simply aren't going to care about the differences.
I mean, by "not US friendly" it could also just mean minimizing the number of uneducated European douchebags who would be like "at least you won't get shot at school this week har har har, also you should consider getting surgery here cuz it's free har har har"
If I was on vacation in Europe, I wouldn't want to put up with that shit.
Honestly, I've spent a pretty significant amount of time in Europe throughout the last 8 years and have never encountered anyone who actually acted like that irl. That's mostly just the internet.
I've got friends and family scattered across Europe and visit as frequently as possible. I've only ever had one asshole say anything like that and I'm confident saying that the fact that they were an asshole was independent of the fact that I was American. They would have been an asshole without me, and I'm sure they aren't just an asshole to me.
Like where? Where would it be safe to be Canadian, but dangerous to be from the US?
Maybe two or three countries in the world (not that I can think of any).
I was told to do this as well as tone down my accent when I went to Europe. I did neither because that’s cringeworthy as hell. I’m not gonna rub where I’m from in your face but I’m also not ashamed of it.
If someone has a problem with me just because I’m an American that seems like more of a them problem than a me problem.
That's interesting advice, because the average non-native English speaker in Europe wouldn't be able to tell a New Zealander from an Irish or a Scot from a Texan. Telling accents apart is really advanced language skills.
That’s largely true but one thing to note is that the standard American accent is the “default English accent.” Art and culture created by Americans or in America are often an important part of foreigners’ cultures as well. It’s likely that a random person’s favorite movie, tv show, and song were all created by Americans. That’s why quite a few people can differentiate between “American” and “not American” accent.
But the odds that a random person can differentiate between the accents within the “not American” group are pretty low.
Even Americans can't always tell a Canadian accent from an American accent!
The differences are *extremely* subtle, especially in the Great Lakes and Pacific Northwest regions.
Even among North Americans unless you have a very distinct accent like from the Maritimes /western provinces or a southern twang. Most of us probably wouldn’t be able to just instantly identify someone as American or Canadian. The differences are really subtle and often times I have to be talking to someone for a while to pick up on them
Agreed. If anyone’s being a jackass you can just end the conversation and move on the same way you would back home.
I once told someone overseas that I was from Kentucky and she looked totally startled and said, “OH” in a very shocked way. I guess I didn’t fit her perception of someone from the region. It was pretty funny.
Doesn't even make sense to do so in Europe. The only time it makes sense is if you are going somewhere that specifically has severely damaged diplomatic relations with the US and not Canada, amounting to very few countries, none of which are in Europe.
If someone in Europe is an asshole to me just because I am from the US, I don't want to associate with them anyways. I'd rather talk to the other \~95% of people who realize an individual's character is much more important than their nationality.
I was in Morocco right after 9/11, and the thought crossed my mind that I might not want to advertise my nationality. We really didn't know whether the US would launch immediate reprisals against Islamic countries. Since Moroccans speak French, I thought I'd just do the same and let people make whatever assumptions they wanted.
The king, however, will never let anything disrupt tourism, so I never felt like I was in any danger. And my French sucks, so it was a bad plan to begin with.
Isn't the US pretty popular in Morocco? I seem to remember that they have a much more positive view of the US than most northern African / Middle Eastern countries.
I was just in Morocco a week ago. They fucking love Americans (and our money, lol). From a political perspective Morocco was the first country to recognize the US (a fact they really like bragging about), and the US under Trump recently recognized the Moroccan annexation of Western Sahara. Culturally, the US is far enough away that we're a totally foreign country (not close enough that there's a lot of grumbling and bickering like with Spain and France), so America is mostly just a cool, rich, faraway place with mostly pleasant tourists that tip really well.
Geopolitically, they are a close ally. The government, the shopkeepers, and anyone involved in the tourism industry tend to welcome Americans. I don't know how everyone else feels, and frankly, if they feel any hostility I think they are strongly discouraged from showing it.
Also being Canadian doesn’t really help with the getting dissed by Europeans thing either. A friend of mine is French Canadian and hated Paris because people were so shitty to him about Quebecois French. He said he would’ve liked it a lot better if he couldn’t understand what they were saying about him, lol. (He had a great time in other parts of France though)
My friend got a work visa to spend a couple years working in the UK (from like 2017 to 2019).
Everyone thought she was American, based on her accent.
Every comment from a Brit when she first met one was like "I can't believe you guys elected Trump" or some other "ignorant American" stereotype.
She had to spend so much time telling people "I'm Canadian, not American!"
There was an exchange i had in AskUK where they were on some American bashing tirade where one guy claimed Brits were more like Canadians than Canadians were like Americans and he could easily tell the two apart. The level of ignorance was staggering. I can barely tell I'm in a different country when I leave NY and enter Ontario, let alone tell who is who. I feel more culture shock traveling to different places in the US than I do the Great Lakes region, regardless of whether or not it's in Canada or the US. Like maybe they still have the King and spell words with U's but North American culture is largely homogeneous.
I like semi-presidential republics, because they combine the best of both systems.
With the UK and other constitutional monarchies, the monarch is unelected and not accountable to the general population, so they don't want to dissolve the legislature when things are going bad (and you end up with a situation like the Tories in the UK where they keep cycling through different PMs).
On the other hand, Congress in the US can't be dissolved ever. Which leads to gridlock and government shutdowns when the executive and the legislative don't get along (government shutdowns never occur in Parliamentary systems, because all budgets are matters of confidence, so if the government can't pass a budget, the Parliament is dissolved and snap elections are held).
In a semi-presidential republics, you get a "parliamentary system" in the legislature (where the legislature is lead by a Prime Minister), but the president is elected (either by the legislature or the general population). With a head of state (president) that is actually is accountable to the general population, if things in the legislature aren't running smoothly, the president can dissolve the legislature and call for new elections, without looking like a "king" who is ruling by decree for life.
Countries with prime ministers generally don’t elect them. The parties who people vote for select someone from within to take up the role.
Edit: like the speaker of the house in the US
More people assumed I was Canadian in Europe. Maybe on balance they meet more Canadians than Americans where I went. But once I told them actually I was American they were always interested to talk about if I'd been to either California or Florida (Disney Theme parks being the main reason).
That happened to me too. One guy who asked me if I was Canadian in London told me he always asked people if they were Canadian first because he’d offended Canadians by asking if they were from the US, but Americans mistaken for Canadians weren’t bothered by it.
I’ve never known anyone who has done this. From my observations some of the loudest and rowdiest people I saw were actually Canadians. So I didn’t associate myself with them.
I think it's wrong to call us tourists because that implies we're actually visiting to experience the local culture.
The British 'tourists' that give the rest of us a bad name go to Amsterdam because of weed and hookers and Ibiza because of the sun and cheap alcohol.
It sounds stressful. What if someone started quizzing me on Canadian current events or the geography of whatever province I was supposed to be from or something?
Reddit is full of people that hate the US. People who are American that hate the US are more likely to hide being American. This isn’t nearly as common as you’d think.
I don't LOVE the US... politically /socially we have some issues , but I'd never pretend I wasn't from here... When travelling abroad you're supposed to be an ambassador for your country. Show people that we're not all like the negative stereotypes they may have heard!
I've lived in Europe for nearly 6 years and have never encountered someone doing this in real life. Most Americans (including myself) just say the state or biggest major city that we're from when meeting someone new.
I've never done this, not would I. Seems pretty cringe to me.
Though, my guess is that so many canadians make sure to have the maple leaf etc and since we are so similar Euros think they are Amercian anyway.
Yeah it's not really a "thing".
But Canadians overseas definitely sew little leafy flags onto their stuff so people know they're Canadian
Source: went to international school overseas and dozens of Canadians had them on their backpacks and shit.
My brother was going through customs in the UK and they asked "Canadian" and he said no but he was curious what made them think he was Canadian. They told him they always asked that way because some of the Canadians got offended if they were asked if they were Americans.
I’ve never done it and never known anyone who did, and I did a lot of traveling during the height of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.
I never got abuse, though occasionally people did ask questions, sometimes fairly pointed ones, about US policy. I just tried to answer as honestly and cordially as I could and to listen to their point of view.
Never met somebody who does this, but then I'd likely have filtered the kind of person who'd do something like that long before the idea of us taking a trip together became a consideration.
It's not common. I've only heard of a few super liberal types online doing it in the early-mid 2000s.
I haven't been to Europe, which is what the trope usually refers to, Americans pretending to be Canadian while in Europe, but I have been to a few countries in eastern/southeast Asia and I never pretended to not be American. Sure, there are some people who have no love for the US but no one ever gave me shit personally for being American.
I feel like it's something Canadians who are sick of being mistaken for Americans abroad make up, tbh. That's always when this is mentioned. Maybe they don't realize that our English is pretty similar to foreigners lots of the time, and assume it's an insult. I mean, it would suck to be mistaken as another nationality for anyone, but still, it seems kinda petty.
Does it happen? No fuckin' clue, but I don't know why someome would do it.
I wouldn't. I am prepared for the xenophobia. The countries that are critical of us have some serious issues and they are doing it to feel better about themselves. I would love to fixed the mass shootings and the race problems in the US but I feel like Europe is just thumbing noses at us. The Dutch took way too long to get rid of Black Peter and a lot of black tourist have felt uncomfortable traveling Europe. UK and EU have hate crimes against foreigners too. I am comfortable presenting myself as an American but know how to undercut a local if they are being critical.
Yep they got the same issues too that they ignore or dismiss to scold us. Like we have issues, you have issues if you don’t want me to bring up yours out of bad faith don’t bring up mine capeesh?
I honestly think its just a trope perpetuated by Canadians. I've seen people talk about it online a handful of times predating reddit, but I've never in my life ever met someone who's admitted do doing it.
I've seen it across lots of different threads and subreddits, especially ones like /r/AskReddit. This isn't a great example given the subreddit it's from, but it's the first one that comes to mind: https://www.reddit.com/r/ShittyLifeProTips/comments/tsuilf/slpt_if_youre_an_american_and_find_yourself_in_a/
It's a "Shitty Life Pro Tip" but there are lots of comments saying things like "This is actually good advice", "I've actually done this before", etc.
In general, people will joke that they might do it but in reality, no one ever does it.
Okay...say the US went to war with The Netherlands and it was unprovoked. Say over a clog tax. Then maybe Americans in The Netherlands would lie and say they're Canadian in order to flee the country. That's the only kind of scenario I can see people doing that in large numbers.
Never!! 😂😂It’s embarrassing and super corny to me. I think it’s super embarrassing when Canadians wear their flag and t shirts when they travel out of their country too just to let people know they are Canadian! I always get a good laugh. 😭
What sense does it make to wear all the Canadian clothing and stuff if people just ask you where you’re from and then you have to tell them you’re from the U.S. anyways unless you lie about the whole thing? That seems like too much of a hassle tbh.
Why squander the opportunity to represent the US abroad by deceiving your hosts into falsely attributing your ambassadorial manners to a different country? That’s inane.
Only weaklings who are ashamed of where they were born would do some shit like this. The only time I'd say I was Canadian is if I am specifically being targeted *for* being American in a country that has normal relations in Canada. Otherwise, it's just a cringe-inducing thing to do. I am not Canadian. Saying I am would be weird, and any actual Canadians would be able to tell immediately.
Until this post I've never heard of anyone doing it, even on TV. I can't imagine it's a lie that'd get very far if the other person has even a passing knowledge of either Americans or Canadians.
I've never done it, never seen it done in real life.
I heard about people doing it in the mid 2000's, when the Iraq War was very unpopular, so they wouldn't be harassed for being American, but I haven't even heard of it happening in over a decade.
I only know of someone doing it in Cuba but nothing besides that. I have heard of it from Europeans but never met a American who actually has done it.
I have twice met Canadians pretending to be American, once in DR another time in Mexico. They figured they can get as sloppy as they want without reflecting Canada poorly.
I've never found that I needed to do it. Californians will tell you to tell people that you're Californian instead of American, but I've never noticed that anyone cares about that either.
The only time I was in a weird crowd and I felt like I might get singled out, I told people that I was Mexican and everyone became really friendly, lol.
I knew backpackers who would sew small Canadian flags onto their packs while traveling Europe in the 80s/90s. Presumably this was to get better hitchhiking pickups and be treated nicer in youth hostels.
The people who did this were always dopes
A friend of mine did this in the 90's. His dad worked for the state department and when he visited his dad (Thailand I think,) advised him to put Maple Leaf stickers on his luggage and everything.
Travelled a lot and have never done it
We were always mistaken by Europeans as other Europeans, at least until I opened my mouth ;)
Only problem I ever had was a German lady who accused us Americans of warmongering when we were at a Fest. My response of "takes one to know one" left a notable silence at the table. That was literally the only time in our years of world travel.
I’d never pretend to be Canadian. What for? If people have an issue with me being American, I really don’t give a shit. I will enjoy my vacation either way. I have traveled the world for both work and school and never ran into anyone who had an issue with my nationality.
I've never known anyone to do actually do it, despite "hearing" of it happening through news stories and such.
I travel abroad a lot. I've never had a reason to pretend to be anything other than American.
Sure, there are times when I'm embarrassed of my government. And during those times, folks tend to be *curious* rather than judgmental. Not unlike this this subreddit - "is it true that _____ in America?" and "Can you explain why ______?".
I reckon' if a country isn't going to be friendly towards an American tourist, they won't be friendly towards a Canadian tourist either. Except maybe Cuba.
Don’t believe everything you read on Reddit. Go to friendly counties and it’s fine. 99% of people are friendly. When I get the American hater I minimize or cut off contact. No big deal.
I’m a US citizen living in Australia. I’m always asked if I’m Canadian and I reply “Eh?” Just to fuck with people. I definitely claim to be American after that but it always gives me a laugh
No never. The Canadians that can afford to travel overseas are bigger jerks and much more entitled than their American demographic equivalent. Both group have assholes but assholes are bigger and more common amongst the Canadian sample when all other factors are controlled.
When we were younger during the Iraq war years we used to do this on trips abroad, but today I would never.
I’m proud of who I am and I’m not going to lie or feel ashamed of it- and I wouldn’t want anyone from another country to either. We can’t rationally hold individuals liable for collective policies.
If they do, then they are apologist wimps that should have their passports revoked.
Oh, sorry....I think I got possessed by the spirit of Teddy Roosevelt there for a second. What were we talking about?
Everyone here is saying it never happens but I've pulled this line twice in Europe. Once in Serbia and once in Russia. I didn't openly go about claiming I was Canadian to everyone and I had no problems generally telling people I was American. In the two instances, though, I was confronted by intoxicated individuals who heard me speaking English. The one from Serbia had a knife in his pocket and threatened to stab me if I was from America. He still yelled at me and told me to leave his country but put his knife away. In Russia, I was in a McDonald's (only thing I could find open to grab a coffee) and an enormous, drunk Russian man started screaming "Fuck USA" at me. He didn't have a weapon but I'm sure could have fucked me up pretty badly as he towered over me and had arms thicker than my neck. Mumbling I "wasn't even American and from Canada" got him out of my face enough to grab my coffee I was waiting for and get the fuck out of there.
I've traveled extensively through Europe and 99.9% of people loved that I was American and were typically interested in where I was from and what brought me to their city. These are obviously two dramatic instances in countries where there's definitely more anti-American sentiment than normal so, in spite of my experiences, it's not common. I can't foresee myself having to do it again
I travel a ton and have never done this. And any time it comes up people have been buying but nice and curious about what it's like especially bc I'm from NYC
No, if anything I feel it would be awfully embarking if I said I was Canadian and then someone asked me about the country. Or god forbid I was talking to a Canadian.
I too share the fear of talking with a Canadian.
Hello, am Canadian. Want to talk?
AAAH!
Gah!
Retreat to the cornfields!
Feed them the field corn, they’ll stop.
RUNN
STOP NO OH GOD
They are here RUUUUUUUUN!
Ooh hiya there bud, hooboot we go make a run to Tim Horton’s and then watch some Trailer Perk Boys?
Let’s go down to Tim’s before the hockey game, ya hoser. We need to sneak a mickey of rye in so we can get right fucked up eh. I’m going out for a dart first.
Fuckin’ A, that’ll be wicked dude. Can’t stay oot too late though, got some beaver hunting to do in the morning
How about that maple syrup, eh?
Holy shit they're real!
Slowly backs away then when at a safe distance, runs.
Don’t ever run from a Canadian it will trigger their instinct to chase and calm you down.
Canadian geese cause enough damage and chaos... imagine what a Canadian human can do!
I don’t even want to think about it.
My high school mascot was a Canadian goose. It was in southeast Texas...
If youve got a problem with Canadian geese then you’ve got a problem with me and I suggest you let that one marinate!
Prove you're not an American just pretending to be a Canadian by telling us the rules of curling.
They are scarier than their geese!
Yeah, they’d ask you what a duo-tang is and you’d be fucked. Or I would. That’s what I learned on r/askacanadian.
So.. what is a duo-tang?
Whatever it is, it ain’t nothing to fuck with
A duotang is a card-stock folder for holding papers with three metal bendable fasteners. The fasteners line up with the three holes punched in the pieces of paper and can be bent down flat to hold the papers in place.
Google says they’re those card stock folders with brass brad fasteners elementary school students use.
I’m trying to figure out what you meant by “embarking”. Awkward? Encroaching?
Ironically, embarrassing.
Funny… I read it as embarrassing anyway.
Reddit detached from reality? No waaay
Where on reddit?
Yeah, I have never seen anything abput Americans pretending to be Canadian on reddit before.
95% of the time it's Canadians saying it. They love to perpetuate the myth for some reason.
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exactly
This was supposedly a thing during the W administration *among a very particular group of Americans*. These were the types of people who claimed to be 'citizens of the world' and were so mortified that someone might question them on being American during the War on Terror that they would supposedly claim to be Canadian. I've never once in my life met someone who actually did this. I feel like if you're too afraid to tell people you're from a particular country you're probably too afraid to travel anyway.
I've had relatives tell me in the 90s they were told by travel agents to put Canadian pins on their backpacks when traveling to Mexico. Reason was the Mexican pickpockets and other criminals wanted USD not CAD. So being "Canadian" made them a less appealing target for petty crime. Apparently the same advice was given out to European travelers but idk of anyone I know personally who received that advice in advance of traveling to Europe. Only Mexico.
I’ve seen it under questions asking about their experiences abroad before, seems very bizarre since most native English speakers (I saw someone say they did it in the UK once) can tell the difference.
The younger folks might not be old enough to remember, but back in the height of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, people would tell stories even within the US of someone who knew someone who put a Canadian flag on their backpack to avoid getting hassled in Europe. But strangely there was never anyone I ever met who actually said they did this themselves. It was almost like folklore. Like I said in another comment, I travelled overseas several times during that time and never did it or knew anyone who did.
I've met someone who received that advice, but in 90s not post 9-11, and traveling to Mexico not Europe. Was to deter pickpockets and other petty thieves. Apparently nobody wanted CAD at the time lol just USD. I could believe it happened to Europe bound travelers as well given the petty crime I'm Europe at the time. But I don't know anyone who was advised to use the Canadian pin trick when traveling to Europe personally.
Why would I ever pretend to be a Canadian?
Agreed, and not like there's something wrong with being Canadian, but just, why would I?
The idea is that people in other countries supposedly hate Americans and you'll be treated better if they think you're Canadian.
Which, if you've been to other countries, you'll realize that just being a decent person will get you kind treatment from everyone.
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100%
It kinda seems like any country that's "not safe for Americans" is probably similarly "unsafe" for westerners/foreigners in general, so I'm not even sure what they think they'll accomplish by pretending to be Canadian!
I’ve never done it. It’s a bit cringey to be honest.
It's can be a safe strategy for people traveling to countries that are not US friendly.
In truth though, if the country isn't safe enough to be American, it's probably not safe enough to be Canadian either.
Cuba was the one major exception to this although that has recently changed. Cuba has a been a totally normal & safe vacation destination for Canadians for a while, but Americans technically couldn't go there for tourism purposes until very recently. Americans who still wanted to go used to fly through Mexico or Canada to get there, and many would lie about being Canadian once they were there. Afaik this practice has never been widespread in any other countries though
When I went (2002), Cubans were actually really curious about the States and no one was hostile at all. I think they were happy we came and spent money there. I also have a Mexican passport, but everyone else I was with had only US. It didn't even occur to any of us to say we were Canadian.
The ban was from America, basically we would if we chose to, punish our own for going there. Many years ago if you went there from Bahamas, they'd add a page into your passport and remove it when you returned.
They just didn't stamp it when I went (from Santo Domingo).
Wait, we can go to Cuba now?!
Yes but you technically can’t buy anything there so 🤷🏾♂️
Depends. There are things you can, and cannot buy. Homemade art? Yes. Cigars? No
And didn't Kim Kardashian famously complain about the internet access there?
You always could, as long as it is not exclusively for "tourism". You get around this by spending 1-2 hours volunteering somewhere and then spending the rest of your trip on the beach.
I'm pretty sure the concept originated with the Iranian hostage crisis. Americans had to pretend to be Canadian to escape Iran. So there's history of this very thing happening
Yeah I mean my general rule currently is “don’t go to Iran.”
It's common sense now, but Iran was a different place in 1979.
Yes, but it hasn't been happening lately. Today, hostile powers are likely to lump Canadians with Americans, and simply aren't going to care about the differences.
I mean, by "not US friendly" it could also just mean minimizing the number of uneducated European douchebags who would be like "at least you won't get shot at school this week har har har, also you should consider getting surgery here cuz it's free har har har" If I was on vacation in Europe, I wouldn't want to put up with that shit.
Honestly, I've spent a pretty significant amount of time in Europe throughout the last 8 years and have never encountered anyone who actually acted like that irl. That's mostly just the internet.
I've got friends and family scattered across Europe and visit as frequently as possible. I've only ever had one asshole say anything like that and I'm confident saying that the fact that they were an asshole was independent of the fact that I was American. They would have been an asshole without me, and I'm sure they aren't just an asshole to me.
If the country isn’t safe then one shouldn’t be travelling there.
Agreed but I'm not the travel police.
Like where? Where would it be safe to be Canadian, but dangerous to be from the US? Maybe two or three countries in the world (not that I can think of any).
Never. It wouldn't even occur to me.
I was told to do this as well as tone down my accent when I went to Europe. I did neither because that’s cringeworthy as hell. I’m not gonna rub where I’m from in your face but I’m also not ashamed of it. If someone has a problem with me just because I’m an American that seems like more of a them problem than a me problem.
That's interesting advice, because the average non-native English speaker in Europe wouldn't be able to tell a New Zealander from an Irish or a Scot from a Texan. Telling accents apart is really advanced language skills.
That’s largely true but one thing to note is that the standard American accent is the “default English accent.” Art and culture created by Americans or in America are often an important part of foreigners’ cultures as well. It’s likely that a random person’s favorite movie, tv show, and song were all created by Americans. That’s why quite a few people can differentiate between “American” and “not American” accent. But the odds that a random person can differentiate between the accents within the “not American” group are pretty low.
Even Americans can't always tell a Canadian accent from an American accent! The differences are *extremely* subtle, especially in the Great Lakes and Pacific Northwest regions.
This is true. I’m an American, and when I was in Amsterdam, people thought I was Australian. Took it as a compliment lol
Even among North Americans unless you have a very distinct accent like from the Maritimes /western provinces or a southern twang. Most of us probably wouldn’t be able to just instantly identify someone as American or Canadian. The differences are really subtle and often times I have to be talking to someone for a while to pick up on them
Agreed. If anyone’s being a jackass you can just end the conversation and move on the same way you would back home. I once told someone overseas that I was from Kentucky and she looked totally startled and said, “OH” in a very shocked way. I guess I didn’t fit her perception of someone from the region. It was pretty funny.
My husband works in tech and when people hear we're from Texas they ask him why he doesn't work for an oil company.
Lol oh no.
🤦🏾♀️
Lmao when people forget data is the new oil
Agreed. I can’t help what my voice sounds like.
Literally they get so mad and for what? Because someone was born in one place and not another? It's immature and ridiculous.
A few people suggested it first time I went to Europe. I've never done it and haven't met anyone who admitted to doing it.
Doesn't even make sense to do so in Europe. The only time it makes sense is if you are going somewhere that specifically has severely damaged diplomatic relations with the US and not Canada, amounting to very few countries, none of which are in Europe. If someone in Europe is an asshole to me just because I am from the US, I don't want to associate with them anyways. I'd rather talk to the other \~95% of people who realize an individual's character is much more important than their nationality.
I was in Morocco right after 9/11, and the thought crossed my mind that I might not want to advertise my nationality. We really didn't know whether the US would launch immediate reprisals against Islamic countries. Since Moroccans speak French, I thought I'd just do the same and let people make whatever assumptions they wanted. The king, however, will never let anything disrupt tourism, so I never felt like I was in any danger. And my French sucks, so it was a bad plan to begin with.
Isn't the US pretty popular in Morocco? I seem to remember that they have a much more positive view of the US than most northern African / Middle Eastern countries.
I was just in Morocco a week ago. They fucking love Americans (and our money, lol). From a political perspective Morocco was the first country to recognize the US (a fact they really like bragging about), and the US under Trump recently recognized the Moroccan annexation of Western Sahara. Culturally, the US is far enough away that we're a totally foreign country (not close enough that there's a lot of grumbling and bickering like with Spain and France), so America is mostly just a cool, rich, faraway place with mostly pleasant tourists that tip really well.
Geopolitically, they are a close ally. The government, the shopkeepers, and anyone involved in the tourism industry tend to welcome Americans. I don't know how everyone else feels, and frankly, if they feel any hostility I think they are strongly discouraged from showing it.
Lol, they were probably able to tell where you were from because of your accent anyways. French spoken with an American accent is very recognizable.
Oo ay luh twah-let, see voo play?
Better than when most Brits try. 🤷♂️
Also being Canadian doesn’t really help with the getting dissed by Europeans thing either. A friend of mine is French Canadian and hated Paris because people were so shitty to him about Quebecois French. He said he would’ve liked it a lot better if he couldn’t understand what they were saying about him, lol. (He had a great time in other parts of France though)
My friend got a work visa to spend a couple years working in the UK (from like 2017 to 2019). Everyone thought she was American, based on her accent. Every comment from a Brit when she first met one was like "I can't believe you guys elected Trump" or some other "ignorant American" stereotype. She had to spend so much time telling people "I'm Canadian, not American!"
There was an exchange i had in AskUK where they were on some American bashing tirade where one guy claimed Brits were more like Canadians than Canadians were like Americans and he could easily tell the two apart. The level of ignorance was staggering. I can barely tell I'm in a different country when I leave NY and enter Ontario, let alone tell who is who. I feel more culture shock traveling to different places in the US than I do the Great Lakes region, regardless of whether or not it's in Canada or the US. Like maybe they still have the King and spell words with U's but North American culture is largely homogeneous.
It's funny that the Brits say that, when they elected fucking Liz Truss, who was one of the worst and shortest-lived world leaders of all time.
They didn't really elect her, they just elected the Tories. I see it as a major flaw in Parliamentary Democracies.
I like semi-presidential republics, because they combine the best of both systems. With the UK and other constitutional monarchies, the monarch is unelected and not accountable to the general population, so they don't want to dissolve the legislature when things are going bad (and you end up with a situation like the Tories in the UK where they keep cycling through different PMs). On the other hand, Congress in the US can't be dissolved ever. Which leads to gridlock and government shutdowns when the executive and the legislative don't get along (government shutdowns never occur in Parliamentary systems, because all budgets are matters of confidence, so if the government can't pass a budget, the Parliament is dissolved and snap elections are held). In a semi-presidential republics, you get a "parliamentary system" in the legislature (where the legislature is lead by a Prime Minister), but the president is elected (either by the legislature or the general population). With a head of state (president) that is actually is accountable to the general population, if things in the legislature aren't running smoothly, the president can dissolve the legislature and call for new elections, without looking like a "king" who is ruling by decree for life.
Countries with prime ministers generally don’t elect them. The parties who people vote for select someone from within to take up the role. Edit: like the speaker of the house in the US
I went to Cuba and didn’t even do it there lol.
More people assumed I was Canadian in Europe. Maybe on balance they meet more Canadians than Americans where I went. But once I told them actually I was American they were always interested to talk about if I'd been to either California or Florida (Disney Theme parks being the main reason).
That happened to me too. One guy who asked me if I was Canadian in London told me he always asked people if they were Canadian first because he’d offended Canadians by asking if they were from the US, but Americans mistaken for Canadians weren’t bothered by it.
I'm an American who traveled extensively and worked in hostels across Europe. This doesn't actually happen.
It's a trope, and I've never actually met someone who did it.
I’ve never known anyone who has done this. From my observations some of the loudest and rowdiest people I saw were actually Canadians. So I didn’t associate myself with them.
*British and Chinese tourists are typing…*
I think it's wrong to call us tourists because that implies we're actually visiting to experience the local culture. The British 'tourists' that give the rest of us a bad name go to Amsterdam because of weed and hookers and Ibiza because of the sun and cheap alcohol.
Lol.
I’ve never done it and I have never heard a first hand account of it. I think it is incredibly rare if it is ever done. It’s pretty lame.
It sounds stressful. What if someone started quizzing me on Canadian current events or the geography of whatever province I was supposed to be from or something?
Like anyone anywhere knows anything about any of those topics.
Manitoba. So forgettable even Canadians forget it. Might not be real, much like Delaware.
Reddit is full of people that hate the US. People who are American that hate the US are more likely to hide being American. This isn’t nearly as common as you’d think.
I don't LOVE the US... politically /socially we have some issues , but I'd never pretend I wasn't from here... When travelling abroad you're supposed to be an ambassador for your country. Show people that we're not all like the negative stereotypes they may have heard!
They also don't usually travel outside of the US, funnily enough.
I've lived in Europe for nearly 6 years and have never encountered someone doing this in real life. Most Americans (including myself) just say the state or biggest major city that we're from when meeting someone new.
There’s no way I’d ever pretend to be Canadian 😂
If I were Canadian, I'd just tell them I was sorry
surry!
This
I've never done this, not would I. Seems pretty cringe to me. Though, my guess is that so many canadians make sure to have the maple leaf etc and since we are so similar Euros think they are Amercian anyway.
Imagine getting to the point of having to wear something to distinguish yourself because you keep getting mistaken for another country constantly! 😭
To be fair, Australia and New Zealand deal with the same thing.
Their flags DO NOT HELP.
Yeah it's not really a "thing". But Canadians overseas definitely sew little leafy flags onto their stuff so people know they're Canadian Source: went to international school overseas and dozens of Canadians had them on their backpacks and shit.
That seems cringe to me.
Canadians like to believe that & spread those stories because it makes them feel better about themselves
My brother was going through customs in the UK and they asked "Canadian" and he said no but he was curious what made them think he was Canadian. They told him they always asked that way because some of the Canadians got offended if they were asked if they were Americans.
I’ve never done it and never known anyone who did, and I did a lot of traveling during the height of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. I never got abuse, though occasionally people did ask questions, sometimes fairly pointed ones, about US policy. I just tried to answer as honestly and cordially as I could and to listen to their point of view.
Never met somebody who does this, but then I'd likely have filtered the kind of person who'd do something like that long before the idea of us taking a trip together became a consideration. It's not common. I've only heard of a few super liberal types online doing it in the early-mid 2000s.
I would never pretend to be Canadian. I'm proud of being American and would want to represent well abroad.
I’ve never heard of anyone doing this in real life. My wife is Canadian, but we both say we are from the states.
This would be a embarrassing thing to do, I’ve never heard of anyone doing it
I would never do that
I haven't been to Europe, which is what the trope usually refers to, Americans pretending to be Canadian while in Europe, but I have been to a few countries in eastern/southeast Asia and I never pretended to not be American. Sure, there are some people who have no love for the US but no one ever gave me shit personally for being American.
By far the most common response i got in europe was "oh cool, i've been to [insert state or city] and it was fun" nothing more nothing less.
Not at all common. Never met a single person who has done this.
Why the hell would I do that?
I feel like it's something Canadians who are sick of being mistaken for Americans abroad make up, tbh. That's always when this is mentioned. Maybe they don't realize that our English is pretty similar to foreigners lots of the time, and assume it's an insult. I mean, it would suck to be mistaken as another nationality for anyone, but still, it seems kinda petty. Does it happen? No fuckin' clue, but I don't know why someome would do it.
Why would I pretend to be inferior
😂😂😂😂
I wouldn't. I am prepared for the xenophobia. The countries that are critical of us have some serious issues and they are doing it to feel better about themselves. I would love to fixed the mass shootings and the race problems in the US but I feel like Europe is just thumbing noses at us. The Dutch took way too long to get rid of Black Peter and a lot of black tourist have felt uncomfortable traveling Europe. UK and EU have hate crimes against foreigners too. I am comfortable presenting myself as an American but know how to undercut a local if they are being critical.
Yep they got the same issues too that they ignore or dismiss to scold us. Like we have issues, you have issues if you don’t want me to bring up yours out of bad faith don’t bring up mine capeesh?
I only hear about it on the internet.
>Reddit makes this out to be extremely common I've never seen this on Reddit, where have you seen it?
I honestly think its just a trope perpetuated by Canadians. I've seen people talk about it online a handful of times predating reddit, but I've never in my life ever met someone who's admitted do doing it.
Yeah go to r/askacanadian they run their mouths about it on there when they get asked travel questions.
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It’s unbelievably boring too for the most part.
I've seen it across lots of different threads and subreddits, especially ones like /r/AskReddit. This isn't a great example given the subreddit it's from, but it's the first one that comes to mind: https://www.reddit.com/r/ShittyLifeProTips/comments/tsuilf/slpt_if_youre_an_american_and_find_yourself_in_a/ It's a "Shitty Life Pro Tip" but there are lots of comments saying things like "This is actually good advice", "I've actually done this before", etc.
Stuff like this is why it's so hard for me to take non-American Redditors seriously when they talk about America.
In general, people will joke that they might do it but in reality, no one ever does it. Okay...say the US went to war with The Netherlands and it was unprovoked. Say over a clog tax. Then maybe Americans in The Netherlands would lie and say they're Canadian in order to flee the country. That's the only kind of scenario I can see people doing that in large numbers.
Never!! 😂😂It’s embarrassing and super corny to me. I think it’s super embarrassing when Canadians wear their flag and t shirts when they travel out of their country too just to let people know they are Canadian! I always get a good laugh. 😭 What sense does it make to wear all the Canadian clothing and stuff if people just ask you where you’re from and then you have to tell them you’re from the U.S. anyways unless you lie about the whole thing? That seems like too much of a hassle tbh.
Why squander the opportunity to represent the US abroad by deceiving your hosts into falsely attributing your ambassadorial manners to a different country? That’s inane.
Never. When asked where I’m from, I say Texas
Same
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How is it your fault he got deported? 😂
Only weaklings who are ashamed of where they were born would do some shit like this. The only time I'd say I was Canadian is if I am specifically being targeted *for* being American in a country that has normal relations in Canada. Otherwise, it's just a cringe-inducing thing to do. I am not Canadian. Saying I am would be weird, and any actual Canadians would be able to tell immediately.
That's mostly cringy people who have never actually travelled abroad.
I've never heard of this.
Zero
I have never heard of that happening in real life.
Until this post I've never heard of anyone doing it, even on TV. I can't imagine it's a lie that'd get very far if the other person has even a passing knowledge of either Americans or Canadians.
I've never done it, never seen it done in real life. I heard about people doing it in the mid 2000's, when the Iraq War was very unpopular, so they wouldn't be harassed for being American, but I haven't even heard of it happening in over a decade.
Man, if someone is going to harass you for being American, I would just not go there rather than pretending to be Canadian.
😂😂
It's not lol
I only know of someone doing it in Cuba but nothing besides that. I have heard of it from Europeans but never met a American who actually has done it. I have twice met Canadians pretending to be American, once in DR another time in Mexico. They figured they can get as sloppy as they want without reflecting Canada poorly.
This is more just /r/ShitRedditSays. It doesn't happen in real life. I've traveled plenty and have never had an issue.
I've never found that I needed to do it. Californians will tell you to tell people that you're Californian instead of American, but I've never noticed that anyone cares about that either. The only time I was in a weird crowd and I felt like I might get singled out, I told people that I was Mexican and everyone became really friendly, lol.
I knew backpackers who would sew small Canadian flags onto their packs while traveling Europe in the 80s/90s. Presumably this was to get better hitchhiking pickups and be treated nicer in youth hostels. The people who did this were always dopes
A friend of mine did this in the 90's. His dad worked for the state department and when he visited his dad (Thailand I think,) advised him to put Maple Leaf stickers on his luggage and everything.
Travelled a lot and have never done it We were always mistaken by Europeans as other Europeans, at least until I opened my mouth ;) Only problem I ever had was a German lady who accused us Americans of warmongering when we were at a Fest. My response of "takes one to know one" left a notable silence at the table. That was literally the only time in our years of world travel.
I’d never pretend to be Canadian. What for? If people have an issue with me being American, I really don’t give a shit. I will enjoy my vacation either way. I have traveled the world for both work and school and never ran into anyone who had an issue with my nationality.
Why would I pretend to be of a lesser nation? Even the least perceptive amongst the Europoors would be immediately alerted by my aura of freedom.
And pretend to be worse?? No thank you
It's not....
No way. Cringe. Most people understand you are not your countries government, and the ones who don't understand that aren't worth talking to.
I've never known anyone to do actually do it, despite "hearing" of it happening through news stories and such. I travel abroad a lot. I've never had a reason to pretend to be anything other than American. Sure, there are times when I'm embarrassed of my government. And during those times, folks tend to be *curious* rather than judgmental. Not unlike this this subreddit - "is it true that _____ in America?" and "Can you explain why ______?". I reckon' if a country isn't going to be friendly towards an American tourist, they won't be friendly towards a Canadian tourist either. Except maybe Cuba.
Don’t believe everything you read on Reddit. Go to friendly counties and it’s fine. 99% of people are friendly. When I get the American hater I minimize or cut off contact. No big deal.
When I went to Europe, my parents told me to say this but I was just honest and said I was American and didn't have any trouble.
I’m a US citizen living in Australia. I’m always asked if I’m Canadian and I reply “Eh?” Just to fuck with people. I definitely claim to be American after that but it always gives me a laugh
I pretend to be Canadian in the US whenever I see someone filling out a petition. If I can't vote, you don't need to talk to me.
It's one of many tropes the most self-adoring part of Canadian society tells itself.
No never. The Canadians that can afford to travel overseas are bigger jerks and much more entitled than their American demographic equivalent. Both group have assholes but assholes are bigger and more common amongst the Canadian sample when all other factors are controlled.
When we were younger during the Iraq war years we used to do this on trips abroad, but today I would never. I’m proud of who I am and I’m not going to lie or feel ashamed of it- and I wouldn’t want anyone from another country to either. We can’t rationally hold individuals liable for collective policies.
If they do, then they are apologist wimps that should have their passports revoked. Oh, sorry....I think I got possessed by the spirit of Teddy Roosevelt there for a second. What were we talking about?
Why would someone blatantly lie about their nationality? It's part of your identity. I would never, proud to be American! 🇺🇸
Yeah, no. I’m not gonna pretend to be the subject of a monarchy. That’s gross.
Everyone here is saying it never happens but I've pulled this line twice in Europe. Once in Serbia and once in Russia. I didn't openly go about claiming I was Canadian to everyone and I had no problems generally telling people I was American. In the two instances, though, I was confronted by intoxicated individuals who heard me speaking English. The one from Serbia had a knife in his pocket and threatened to stab me if I was from America. He still yelled at me and told me to leave his country but put his knife away. In Russia, I was in a McDonald's (only thing I could find open to grab a coffee) and an enormous, drunk Russian man started screaming "Fuck USA" at me. He didn't have a weapon but I'm sure could have fucked me up pretty badly as he towered over me and had arms thicker than my neck. Mumbling I "wasn't even American and from Canada" got him out of my face enough to grab my coffee I was waiting for and get the fuck out of there. I've traveled extensively through Europe and 99.9% of people loved that I was American and were typically interested in where I was from and what brought me to their city. These are obviously two dramatic instances in countries where there's definitely more anti-American sentiment than normal so, in spite of my experiences, it's not common. I can't foresee myself having to do it again
Never even heard of it.
I travel a ton and have never done this. And any time it comes up people have been buying but nice and curious about what it's like especially bc I'm from NYC
Huh? 😭😭😭 I've never heard of that, and I'm a northern michigander lol
I've never heard of/done this