
Why I Hate Canadians by Will Ferguson
So this was recommended by a close friend as being hysterical, along the lines of Bill Bryson. However that wasn’t my experience.
So this was recommended by a close friend as being hysterical, along the lines of Bill Bryson. However that wasn’t my experience.
Large parts of this book went right over my head. I am not only American, but I am from the South, so there’s very little I know about Canada. I did kind of know that already but this book really pointed out how very little I know about Canada. My friend who read it, his wife’s family is Canadian and they spend part of each summer there, so I think that’s a big reason why he liked it so much more than I did. I think he already knew more, and he had people around that he could ask about confusing parts.
Now I will say that Mr. Ferguson is a very good writer. He’s authoritative but casual in a way that speaks to everyone (or at least to every Canadian). But as he pointed out in the introduction (to the new 10th anniversary edition) he considered this book in a lot of ways to be his journalistic resume, so he filled it with a wide variety of topics to show his breadth and skill, not necessarily to be the best grouping of essays for readers. And it’s true at times it did seem a bit wide-ranging, though still entertaining. As an ignorant America, the parts about Quebec wanting to secede and issues with First Nations were not fully explained. This was obviously written for a Canadian audience. (I was reading a Canadian edition, though it was also published in the U.S. The American edition is not out of print, and I don’t know if perhaps it had a different foreword that explained more. But I do think it’s appropriate that this is the edition that lapsed quickly.) Some parts were just too serious and political for my taste. I wanted it to be more humorous, like the essay about how the 3 goals of Canadians are 1) keeping Americans out 2) keeping French in and 3)making the natives disappear. I think his conclusion that instead of being subsumed by American pop culture instead it helps to define Canada as not-American, and really they are more voyeurs than wannabes, is very perceptive. The last section, titled “Sex in a Canoe” is the funniest. The diatribe against the poor beaver, as the official symbolic animal representing Canada was certainly amusing. “It’s sad, really, that a nation would try to emulate a fat, flat-tailed rodent. Sadder still that we don’t measure up.”
Naturally, a book with a large focus on politics doesn’t hold up well more than 10 years on (1997). The fall of the Berlin wall was just a few years ago in this book, and September 11 certainly hasn’t happened yet. While it can be interesting to look back at these spots of history frozen in time – at what we thought the big problems were and see how they worked out, it’s also of course turned out to be a bit dated.
Overall, I think this is a good book to read as an introduction to Canada, if you will have a Canadian available to explain Katimavik, Rick Salutin, and Micmac. Otherwise it’s a bit esoteric for your typical American. I found it at times frustrating.
3 comments:
I love Canada! I've been twice now to opposite ends of the country (BC and Nova Scotia) and have decided that if I would live in any other country that would be it. The people are top notch (especially in Nova Scotia) and the country is beautiful. I did actually see a sign in Vancouver that said something like, "USA out of Canada!" spray painted on the side of an electrical green box thing on a street corner. That was a little sad, but oh well. I found all the Canadians I met to be extremely nice and welcoming.
I first visited Canada this summer (PEI) and I definitely want to know more, so maybe I'll check this out just for laughs. Great review!
Ha ha...I have to read this as I'm Canadian and the title is too ironic to pass up :oD The comments here are so nice. I'm glad you like the country & hope you'll visit. I think Canada is best described as the most unassuming country in the world--we like people & will mind our own business, but if you're in trouble (i.e. Hurricane Katrina) we're the first to help out!
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