For some reason many of us don't appreciate anything that looks and acts (or thinks) outside of the "normal" perimeters. Whether it's part of our genetic make-up, or rather an acquired prejudicial behavior, it is firmly embedded it our psyche and somehow we're not able to shake it off. I believe it might be rooted in our fears of the obscure and uncontrollable events. Contrary to our alleged high-minded desires to discover the unknown, we'd prefer to have everything neatly assorted, categorized and labeled and all the rest, we can't classify and properly pigeon-hole make us a bit uncomfortable. Hence we love to shape our stereotypes, which in fact are rarely accurate and duly justified. There's one, close to home, worth mentioning misconception about my fellow Canadians:
It seems to be an impression widely accepted by the foreigners, that Canada is a "land of naive and stupid" and there are many jokes at our expense circulating around. No doubt, everyone knows one or two of those and I hope we're smart enough to realize, they're quite harmless and by no means ill-spirited. But a certain element of danger may stem from those rather innocent categorizations - namely, they may be taken at face value. With that in mind, I'd like to offer my point of view, partial rectification of those derisive Canadian labels. Am I qualified enough to make such observations? Well, that I don't know for certain, but I presume a fact I lived for many years overseas gives me at least some faculties to compare and draw some general conclusions.
An assertion, the Canadians are naive to some extent sounds right-on to me, but by no manner of means they're stupid. I think they can comprehend well enough, what's going on, but the trouble is in most instances they opt to close their eyes and pretend everything's "a-okay". In their painfully overdone politeness, while encountering an objectionable situation, they play their little "make believe" game and keep walking with a wide smile always on the sunny side of the street. A generous, noble philosophy, an example worth to follow, but unfortunately often interpreted as a weakness; even a cowardly behavior just asking to be abused. And abused it is, no doubt. For Pete's sake, Canadians! Wake up and look around! Don't you see, you've been walked all over and over and over again?
M.
It seems to be an impression widely accepted by the foreigners, that Canada is a "land of naive and stupid" and there are many jokes at our expense circulating around. No doubt, everyone knows one or two of those and I hope we're smart enough to realize, they're quite harmless and by no means ill-spirited. But a certain element of danger may stem from those rather innocent categorizations - namely, they may be taken at face value. With that in mind, I'd like to offer my point of view, partial rectification of those derisive Canadian labels. Am I qualified enough to make such observations? Well, that I don't know for certain, but I presume a fact I lived for many years overseas gives me at least some faculties to compare and draw some general conclusions.
An assertion, the Canadians are naive to some extent sounds right-on to me, but by no manner of means they're stupid. I think they can comprehend well enough, what's going on, but the trouble is in most instances they opt to close their eyes and pretend everything's "a-okay". In their painfully overdone politeness, while encountering an objectionable situation, they play their little "make believe" game and keep walking with a wide smile always on the sunny side of the street. A generous, noble philosophy, an example worth to follow, but unfortunately often interpreted as a weakness; even a cowardly behavior just asking to be abused. And abused it is, no doubt. For Pete's sake, Canadians! Wake up and look around! Don't you see, you've been walked all over and over and over again?
M.
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