Aren't the US and Canada just basically the same country though? Politically, economically and socially?
Nope.
Canada has SOME overlap culturally with the United States. Largely in how we've let cars dominate our infrastructure. But politically Canada has always had more in common with the UK and Europe.
The United States has always had more in common politically and culturally with Saudi Arabia, Iran, Russia, China and Israel.
Nobody could look at the US and Canada honestly and see the same country. The misconception comes from the fact that Canada's close trade relationship with the US has had influence on its culture. However, the same could be said about Japan, South Korea and the UK and a lot of people just... don't.
Unlike the others, Canada has been willing to tell American to go fuck itself. Canada is the only one of the US' most close-knit allies that doesn't host military bases (as opposed to the UK and Japan who have entire neighbourhoods populated by American soldiers and their families), and Canada rather infamously told America to fuck off when they were invading Iraq.
Furthermore while the relationship between our governments is friendly (or used to be), Canadians have always had a deep loathing of the United States.
The idea that Canada is identical to the US comes from stereotypes about Canada... that are made by Americans. Americans have a long and storied history of downplaying and delegitimizing Canada as a nation, and for some reason there's a small number of Canadian leftists that feel the need to validate that as... I dunno, penance for colonialism?
As a Canadian--
Anonymous asked: Aren't the US and Canada just basically the same country though? Politically, economically and socially?
SHUT YOUR FUCKING MOUTH OMFG
I'm so insulted right now.
