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Is this where the meme about Canadians being very polite comes from - a tendency towards pettiness rather than really nasty political rifts? (I don't know anyth

Is this where the meme about Canadians being very polite comes from - a tendency towards pettiness rather than really nasty political rifts? (I don't know anything about Canadian culture)

busterarm 2y ago
Spend 5 minutes in Toronto Union Station during commuter hours and you'll never describe Canadians as polite again.
- FredPret 2y ago
  That's the very worst point of view you'll ever get of Canadians. Of course people in a busy train station during rush hour aren't in the best mood. Travel the country up and down, big cities and small towns, and I guarantee you will conclude that Canadians are the best people around.
  - busterarm 2y ago
    Yes and no. 1/3 of the country's entire population is in the GTA. That brief moment is the most contact that Canadians will have with each other on any given day. And they treat everyone worse than garbage. I've been in busier commuter zones that have been far more civil than that. Even the drunks going home on the LIRR are better than that. I won't disagree with you that Canadians are great people -- I spent a lot of time living there for a reason -- but you have to judge people by when their hair is down, not their Sunday best.
    - FredPret 2y ago
      Daily traffic at Union is 300k according to a quick google. So the most annoyed 1% of Canadians go through there every day. Not the world’s most rigorous basis for a sweeping statement about an entire culture.
      - busterarm 2y ago
        And yet if you go there at commuter times and spend 5 minutes just observing, I'm sure you'll feel the same way. The funniest thing about the responses here to me is that not a single person has disputed the characterization I presented -- what I'm describing seems to be clear enough to everyone.
        FredPret 2y ago
        I spent years commuting via that very station, and others like it in cities elsewhere in the world. It’s just a whole bunch of stressed people in a hurry.
  - blankx32 2y ago
    They are also not all Canadian in the station
  - dgfitz 2y ago
    French Canadians are not a welcoming people.
    - busterarm 2y ago
      I had some of my best times in Quebec (City). I felt super welcome despite only speaking English. I do understand where you're getting at though, and trust me, if you go to Berlin and you only speak English, you'll get far worse than you would from the Québécois for doing the same. It's almost like those Americans who give people shit for not speaking English, except we have even less entitlement to that.
    - chikenf00t 2y ago
      As a French Canadian this is unfortunately true the further north you go.
      - deleted 2y ago
        [deleted]
      - dgfitz 2y ago
        Fwiw, I’m not trying to knock you, it was just my experience.
  - greenavocado 2y ago
    There are still Canadians in Canada?
    - lofenfew 2y ago
      ethnic canadians are still about 5% of the population, if you can believe it.

Is this where the meme about Canadians being very polite comes from - a tendency towards pettiness rather than really nasty political rifts? (I don't know anything about Canadian culture)

busterarm 2y ago

Spend 5 minutes in Toronto Union Station during commuter hours and you'll never describe Canadians as polite again.

FredPret 2y ago
That's the very worst point of view you'll ever get of Canadians. Of course people in a busy train station during rush hour aren't in the best mood. Travel the country up and down, big cities and small towns, and I guarantee you will conclude that Canadians are the best people around.
- busterarm 2y ago
  Yes and no. 1/3 of the country's entire population is in the GTA. That brief moment is the most contact that Canadians will have with each other on any given day. And they treat everyone worse than garbage. I've been in busier commuter zones that have been far more civil than that. Even the drunks going home on the LIRR are better than that. I won't disagree with you that Canadians are great people -- I spent a lot of time living there for a reason -- but you have to judge people by when their hair is down, not their Sunday best.
  - FredPret 2y ago
    Daily traffic at Union is 300k according to a quick google. So the most annoyed 1% of Canadians go through there every day. Not the world’s most rigorous basis for a sweeping statement about an entire culture.
    - busterarm 2y ago
      And yet if you go there at commuter times and spend 5 minutes just observing, I'm sure you'll feel the same way. The funniest thing about the responses here to me is that not a single person has disputed the characterization I presented -- what I'm describing seems to be clear enough to everyone.
      - FredPret 2y ago
        I spent years commuting via that very station, and others like it in cities elsewhere in the world. It’s just a whole bunch of stressed people in a hurry.
- blankx32 2y ago
  They are also not all Canadian in the station
- dgfitz 2y ago
  French Canadians are not a welcoming people.
  - busterarm 2y ago
    I had some of my best times in Quebec (City). I felt super welcome despite only speaking English. I do understand where you're getting at though, and trust me, if you go to Berlin and you only speak English, you'll get far worse than you would from the Québécois for doing the same. It's almost like those Americans who give people shit for not speaking English, except we have even less entitlement to that.
  - chikenf00t 2y ago
    As a French Canadian this is unfortunately true the further north you go.
    - deleted 2y ago
      [deleted]
    - dgfitz 2y ago
      Fwiw, I’m not trying to knock you, it was just my experience.
- greenavocado 2y ago
  There are still Canadians in Canada?
  - lofenfew 2y ago
    ethnic canadians are still about 5% of the population, if you can believe it.