Is "American posing as a Canadian" a real thing?
I know that apparently, some American travelers put Canadian flags on their luggage or carry on then claiming they're from Canada (the dead giveaway on debunking this is their passport, since how can you be "Canadian" when you have US citizenship unless you're a dual citizen in possession of both nationalities) since some of them have hatred towards the US or feel ashamed of the country due to its internal affairs.
57 replies
Yes, my ex's family did this.
They were the kind of upper middle class who thinks they're upper class types and considered it basic awareness when traveling internationally.
I could see it being a popular trope in the circle, just another chance to say, "Oh you didn't know? You sweet summer child."
They didn't seem to have a great grasp on how many people were just too polite to point out how obviously full of it they were
My American wife has been living in Australia for over a decade and since trump's second term has started telling anyone who asks that she's from South Canada.
It absolutely used to be. Whether it still is, I can only assume.
But decades ago, there was a joke: "How can you tell if a tourist is American or Canadian? The Canadian only has ONE Canadian flag on their gear." US folks did their best job of overdoing everything, and would plaster their stuff with maple leaves.
For many years, another sign of a Canadian was having an item from the Mountain Equipment Co-Op. Almost everyone travelling had a jacket, a backpack, or a container with the beloved MEC logo. Then MEC got turned into a shitty for-profit company held by American vulture capitalists, and now it means nothing.
So...yeah. At least historically, and probably now as well.
Yes, I have several friends who did it even 20 years ago
They weren't fully trying to represent legally that they were Canadian or hate the country. But backpacking / doing hostels across Europe they generally did get treated better and didn't have to get into arguments about US policy and things. Especially once the Iraq war and stuff got into full swing
People were doing it 50 years ago too.
This was definitely a thing back in the early 2000's, after the US went on its global rampage against brown folks. It wasn't safe to let people know you were from the US. It also had the unintended consequence of making Canadians look bad, due to the association with rude assholes putting Canadian flags all over their gear.
Canadians don't wear Canadian flags, it's almost always an American.
Used to be you could spot us by MEC or Roots gear, but they're both enshittified now.
I remember meeting some masquerading Americans during the Iraq war. These were backpackers in SE Asia.
You only show your passport at the border or maybe when you get a car or a hotel room. That leaves a lot of time to pretend being Canadian everywhere else.
That being said, I just saw a comedy bit where this was recommended to Americans. I think it's more meme than happening IRL today.
american dad did an episode, where they pretended to be canadians just to fit in internaitonally.
There was also a Simpsons scene (from the George W. Bush administration) where Lisa did that.
Immediately followed by Homer making a scene about being an American
I've had Americans here in Spain ask me to speak English as they don't speak Spanish.
I was speaking to them in English. I am English
Just cements the proof they often respond without thinking
Just kind of flipping that script a little, I work in 911 dispatch, and we get a lot of calls from Spanish speakers.
Sometimes we're lucky enough to have a Spanish speaking dispatcher on duty, so if they're not on another call, I can transfer them over, and almost without fail the conversation goes like this
Me (English): 911, where is your emergency?
Caller (broken English): uh... Speak Spanish?
Me (broken Spanglish): ok, let me get you a Spanish speaker, un momento Transfers caller
Spanish Dispatcher (in Spanish): 911 where is your emergency?
Caller: Ok
Spanish Dispatcher: repeats in Spanish
Caller: uh... Speak Spanish?
Spanish Dispatcher (in Spanish): Yes sir (or ma'am,) I'm speaking to you in Spanish, where is your emergency?
Caller: oh! continues in Spanish
When I lived in Japan, if I was out with my wife people would always speak to her (she was Japanese). My Japanese was reasonably good, and my wife said that there were no real issues with my grammar, vocabulary, or pronunciation, but still people didn't understand me because I was a foreigner and they knew they couldn't understand foreigners.
When I was stationed in [the former West] Germany in the 80s one of the guys in my platoon was an avid & considerate traveler. He never claimed to be Canadian but
He didn't want to lumped in with "Ugly American" a-holes. And he wasn't. Probably more due his considerate behavior than flag patch but who knows.
Other proof of his excellence: he took me to my first Fields of the Nephilim, Sisters of Mercy, and Nitzer Ebb shows.
If confronted at a bar I'd consider it for basically all the reasons you mentioned. When I send updates to my friends in France or Ireland or China I find myself apologizing for wherever embarrassing things we've done most recently.
An entire nation has a racist grandad at every dinner
Traveled Europe in the 90's with a backpack. It was pretty common then. I met loads of Americans claiming to be Canadian. As a travelled Canadian myself it was fairly obvious to me but some insisted it was worthwhile. It certainly fell off over the years I traveled however.
Yes. I did it. Mainly in response to invasive questions from dodgy people. I had a fake name, a back story about where my family lived, etc.
After 9/11 and then the global war of terror, it was a prudent thing to have on dial. Never wrote clothes or put Canadian stuff on my bags.
Very few US Americans seem to visit Europe these days. Even at the big tourist attractions you don’t hear or see them much. Some Canadian flags are visible - my personal conclusion is that US Americans are (finally) trying to blend in more: dressing better, keeping their voices down. Their usual loud bravado is gone. To distinguish between a Canadian and US American doesn’t require asking for their passports: just ask a question in French, most Canadians will understand at least a bit of French.
Easiest way to spot an American posing as a Canadian is to just ask what part of Canada they're from. The only Canadian city Americans know is Toronto, so that's what they'll say. If they pronounce it ToronTO, they're American. Nobody in Canada pronounces the second T in Toronto.
Tranna
Who knew my social anxiety and overly polite nature helped me masquerade so well when traveling internationally?!?!
Most Canadians would probably perk up at "Comment ça va?" pretty quickly, even if they didn't respond in French
"Ça va bien, et voooooouuuuuussssss"
You can't go around triggering automatic responses like that lol
Comme ci, comme ça.
Je "tu, toi" frequemment. Lol
You used toi with your French teacher???? Ostie les enfants sont vraiment sauvage!
I guess a lot of people were, lol: https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/article/vous-or-tu-quebec-launches-new-civility-policy-in-schools/
No, not in school. But now, I do, tout le monde me dit d'etre moin serieux.
Oh, okay. The automatic response I was referring to was the start of every French class from grades 1-8, the class answering in unison.
"Bonjour les enfants!"
"Bonjour Mme. X"
"Comment ça va?"
"Ça va bien, et vous?"
"Oui, ça va bien aussi!"
Oh for sure we had that all the time in school
I'd perk up at hearing French but i would have no clue what thetbarr saying. I hear it so seldom here. I grew up in BC and took it for 5+ years. I could read a news paper then but 40 years layer and all I remember are a few swear words. Also the Quebec accent is so different from what I was taught in the 80s. Totally different language.
I live in Ontario, 3 hours from the Quebec border
This is it really good description of Quebec french.
That’s a tricky one, as US Americans may also answer, eg “I ain’t from Santa Fe, I’m from this here Ketchum, Idaho, our steaks are the biggest in the WOLRD, OMG”. 😝
We take French in school. Like half of us do.
Yeah I met an american in austria who told me he'd use the canadian excuse quite often, just to be sure.
I'm embarrassed to be an Australian and always say I am from New Zealand when travelling.
As a Canadian, I hate people like you. I mean, seriously - fuck right off.
Why? I love meeting Australians, you're a funny bunch.
Not in South East Asia. Bogans give us a bad name. I've had locals ask me if I was from Europe, because "you don't act Australian".
Is this a bit or are you serious (and why)?
They’re probably travelling to cheap (for Australians) tourist hotspots like Bali, where Australians get a bad reputation due to the bogan crowd.
The idea is fairly old. I think the first time I heard it was the latter part of the Bush era? Someone told me secondhand about how having a Canadian flag on the backpack makes some airports friendlier. that's also around when I started traveling internationally for work so it could have been around even earlier than that. I never knew any Americans who actually did it. I did work with a lot of Southerners and we all had distinctively American accents, so I don't think we could have pulled it off. Maybe a Minnesotan could pass.
Yoooers can for sure. It’s such an uncommon accent (there aren’t that many people in the UP and northeast Wisconsin to begin with, and most people who grow up there don’t leave or travel all that much) but so close to stereotypically Canadian that it threw me the first dozen or so times I heard it.
I've always said that I would if I traveled, but I never travel, so...
I'm a New Yorker. Only American on a technicality.
Only heard about this anecdotally, but it's plausible that it would work. People who aren't from North America often have trouble distinguishing at least some American accents (generally the more northern ones) from Canadian accents. Like, you won't get away with it if you're from Texas or Louisiana or some such, but if you talk like Dan Rather or David Sedaris you can pass for Canadian in most places that aren't Canada.
That is quite the range.
I think that's kind of my point - to us Europeans, those accents sound the same.
Oh, point taken! I just thought you did well to show the range.
Yeah, I work with Americans in NZ, they don't get away with it here if they have a Southern, NY or Cali accent unless they are in a very rural area, but they find it necessary when going to southeast Asia
I think this really is key. The US committed atrocities here within living memory.
I'm not a liar, but I can see the appeal. Luckily, I also have an EU passport to hide behind, should I want to. Also, other Americans should know that there are many tells that will out them if they try.
I do the opposite and pretend to be an American with a generic accent. Even Americans can't tell.
Canadians are Americans, so idk wtf you're asking
Do you really not or are you just wasting time forcing people to unnecessarily type out "citizen of the United States of America" instead of the globally accepted "Americans"?
I'd be ashamed to be Canadian too.