Real vs. Fictional Canadians

I have recently become a fan of Due South, a TV show that ran from 1994 to 1999. Due South is a detective show, set in Chicago featuring Benton Fraser, a Canadian Mountie and Ray Vecchio, an American police detective. I initially watched the show with a British friend of mine because I thought it would be fun to laugh at some Canadian and American stereotypes together, but before I knew it I was hooked and begging the York library for Season Two (inexplicably they only have the first season!). True, it can be a bit over the top, but in general Due South doesn’t take itself seriously, and it has some great characters and dialog.

But watching Due South has created a problem for me, a problem of expectations. Or perhaps it’s just revealed my expectations about Canadians, since I think Due South is funny in large part because it taps in to some real Canadian stereotypes, most obviously in the character of Fraser. Fraser has a propensity for jumping off high drops, getting injured in heroic ways, saving damsels in distress, and generally being all around artic he-man. But what really distinguishes him from his American counterpart, (besides women constantly swooning over him, of course), is his unfailing politeness. Besides his more obvious boy scout (helping old ladies across the street) and perfect gentleman (holding doors for rude women) antics, Fraser is polite and courteous to everyone he encounters, whether little children or mafia members. His trademark “Thank you kindly” is delivered sincerely whether the audience is receptive or not.

While I didn’t expect Canadians to jump up and hold doors for me, I’ve been surprised by the level of rudeness I’ve encountered. I hope that this is, as I suspect, more characteristic of Toronto than of more rural Canada, but I’m afraid it might be more widespread. In the rush of a big city one expects all kinds of bumps but the kind of rudeness I’m talking about has more to do with anti-American sentiment, and with what appears to be a concerted effort to distance themselves from the kindly neighbor image Americans have of them.

Of course I have had the misfortune to arrive in conjunction with the American presidential race, and so Canadians are even more interested in American politics than usual. This means that I’ve been on the receiving end of more than my share of political opinion, usually accompanied by some sweeping generalizations about America (almost always negative). I find this tiresome, not least because the folks who lavish their opinion on me often appear to expect me to agree with them, and join them in bashing my country, my president, or my fellow Americans.

But what I really object to is more subtle ways in which Canadians define themselves against America. Things that in America we would call capitalism, or racism, or big box superstores, in Canada, are labeled American evils. Really, anything that’s negative can be relabeled as a distinctively American problem, making Canada out to be morally superior. Racism? That’s a product of America’s long racist history and misguided “melting pot” philosophy; here in Canada we are inclusive and multicultural, thus no racism here! The irony is that Canada’s legendary tolerance appears not to extend to Americans. Canadians would never dream of being as blatantly rude about any other nationality as they are to Americans. It generally goes something like this: “… and that’s why Americans are all so ignorant/racist/fat.” Substitute Iraqis or Indians or Italians and the offensiveness of the blanket statement becomes clear.

The really striking thing is when Canadians are anti-American even when it contradicts their own self interest. When the Canadian dollar reached parity with the American dollar this September there were several jubilant newspaper articles illustrated with variations on the theme of a Loon beating the tar out of an Eagle. Canadians rejoiced at their currency “beating” the American currency, even though the dollar’s parity and America’s economic woes will actually have a cumulatively negative outcome on the Canadian economy. If I were a Freudian, I’d diagnose a severe inferiority complex! Much of this anti-American sentiment appears to arise from some lingering insecurity about the value of Canadian culture. Defining oneself against America is an easy solution to questions of identity.

This makes me sorry (read with a Canadian pronunciation). I like patriots, whether of hometown, state or country, being one myself, on all counts. I had hoped to find people here who loved Canada for what it is, not for what it isn’t. I’ve appreciated my new Canadian friends who’ve pushed back against my negative reactions to certain aspects of Canadian culture, who’ve taught me about curling and milk in a bag, and who’ve almost convinced me that French labeling on food products is rather endearing and that one and two dollar coins makes the most sense in the world. I want to meet more people like this, who love their country and can give me good reasons to love it, too.