Canada

Pornhub, like poutine, is Québécois!

(Though I'm not sure why we'd be proud of that...)

We know we aren't flashy. The world kind of forgets about us sometimes because we are next to the loudest kid in the class. We are proud generally of the co-operation we have with other places and groups. Our medical advances raise waters that lift all ships , we have a space program that primarily assists other nations space exploration. We have a military but we are primarily devoted to UN peacekeeping.

The Canadians were a pivotal force tasked with the Italian Campaign in WWII which had some of the most brutal on the ground city fighting of the war. My Grandfather was there from the beginning to the end of the Campaign... Yet I have heard Americans on here ask "Did Canada storm the beaches of Normandy?" as some kind of "gotcha" to shame us because they don't know that we had our own beach operation but all they know is that Americans were there because Hollywood only shows American battles.

We are used to being kind of forgotten but we can be proud of ourselves for a job well done.

It’s hard to be aware when most everything in Canada has basically been sold to the US by the greedy. I mean the last shred of our heritage is the French on the packaging. If it weren’t for that, you could never tell between products from either nation.

Hockey? We have like 3 teams left in the NHL. Superman? He’s American now. Alaska, which is the landing point for a staggering amount of goods coming into Canada, American now too. Tim Hortons? American.

We sold our heritage long ago. You can say whatever you want to farm karma but the sad reality is we basically are the 51st state. And as mad as Canadians get hearing that, especially now (I loath Trump and have always had a tenuous opinion of the US), it’s the sad truth.

And if you’re hoping for Carney to make this place great, he won’t. The whole “we are building a better world” is the biggest lie told because people have long realized you die. Legacy or not. No one wants to spends their lives in agony so three generations down will get it easy. That’s a hackneyed trope for a sci fi movie, nothing more.

Just remember that it was a Canadian who invented the Hawaiian pizza. So, sorry about that.

(for the record, I like Hawaiian pizza)

I think it has to do with an old saying.

"Speak softly and carry a big stick"

Generally we as Canadians on the international level speak softly, while the US speaks very loudly. It is of no shock to me that you only remember us when we have to bring out the stick because we aren't as "interesting" to watch as the US is.

We may have Cirque du Soleil but everyone knows the real circus is US politics, and it is hard to compete on the world stage with the best of the best. haha

Happy to hear you're thinking of us! I think the average Canadian thinks more about our country's international reputation than mindshare. Personally, it doesn't bother me hearing that someone in another country doesn't think about us very often, but it does make me happy to hear that when you do it's positively. Please do visit!

To be honest I never knew we shipped our flour that far. (I live in Manitoba)

I think for the most part we realize that we are not perfect by any stretch, and instead of bragging about what we do or don't have, many of us would prefer to just try our best to make our corner of the planet as nice as we can. We are, after all, made up of people from all over the world and I think that's one of our greatest strengths.

I don't think your experience is unique - I think because the U.S. has been so dominant economically, culturally, and certainly militarily, much of the world overlooks us. It's not in our national character to be boastful, we just get things done - but never mistake our quiet nature for meekness. We're fiercely proud of our country and our accomplishments - and of being very unlike our neighbors to the south.

You should definitely come visit if you get the chance, there's a lot to see, and a nation of friendly people to help you enjoy it. Ciao!

I preferred being out of sight out of mind actually, especially the lack of tourists. Hell is other people.

When I visited Scotland, I felt the city core of Edinburgh wasn't for the locals anymore and it turned me off tourist reliant locations entirely for context.