Americans and Canadians culture Q&A Thread.

[Frozen Canuck]

Concacaf Nations League.

Which also begs it's own longhand. (But it's fine...I have looked it up.)

 

[Buzz Rules]

The more you know

 

[SirDuff]

I thought we promised to keep this a soccer free zone?

 

[Buzz Rules]

I thought we promised to keep this a soccer free zone?

I’m trying. I just wanted to shamelessly plug my other thread and use it as an example.

 

[Frozen Canuck]

I thought we promised to keep this a soccer free zone?

I’m trying. I just wanted to shamelessly plug my other thread and use it as an example.

Buzz had his fingers crossed behind his back.

 

[Buzz Rules]

Buzz had his fingers crossed behind his back.

No, more like a 12 hour work shift over the weekend that made him forget due to being tired.

 

[Frozen Canuck]

No, more like a 12 hour work shift over the weekend that made him forget due to being tired.

Okay...speaking of tired...or maybe needing glasses??? The first glance I took at this I read (and then had to re-read to get it right!!!)

"No, more like a 1/2 hour work shift over the weekend that made him forget due to being fired.

I'm so glad that the reality was not as bad as my poor reading skills made it out to be, but I'm still sorry you had to work a 12-hour shift. That would have been exhausting.

 

[Buzz Rules]

How’s everyone’s day going on both sides of the border?

 

[Buzz Rules]

Any good news from the Great White North? I know of a great Vancouver sports team win last night but I won’t post more on that here since it’s soccer related.

 

[prairie_girl]

We’re getting 10-15cm of snow on Saturday so there’s that..

 

[NAB]

We’re getting 10-15cm of snow on Saturday so there’s that..

Us too just finished cleaning up the 30 cm we got last Friday night.

We can’t really complain it has been a warm winter here in Ontario.

Going to hate losing an hour sleep with the time change Saturday night.

 

[prairie_girl]

I actually have a question. I was going to start a new thread, but this thread is a perfect place for it.

Why do a majority of Americans, in greeting someone, say hi, how are you and then just keep talking without leaving space for someone to answer? It took me quite a while to train myself not to answer when someone asks because I know they’ll just talk over me.

It’s not a regional thing because I talk to Americans from coast to coast and it’s very consistent.

 

[Buzz Rules]

I actually have a question. I was going to start a new thread, but this thread is a perfect place for it.

Why do a majority of Americans, in greeting someone, say hi, how are you and then just keep talking without leaving space for someone to answer? It took me quite a while to train myself not to answer when someone asks because I know they’ll just talk over me.

It’s not a regional thing because I talk to Americans from coast to coast and it’s very consistent.

Small talk is very ingrained in our culture. We call it elevator talk. For example, French and Germans are more reserved and less outgoing with strangers than Americans (I was told this by my European classmates in college). We naturally like to strike up a conversation with a stranger or coworkers if we feel it would make a situation more productive/positive. It’s more of a business practice but it’s more genuine in the Midwest or South.

 

[prairie_girl]

Small talk is very ingrained in our culture. We call it elevator talk. For example, French and Germans are more reserved and less outgoing with strangers than Americans (I was told this by my European classmates in college). We naturally like to strike up a conversation with a stranger or coworkers if we feel it would make a situation more productive/positive. It’s more of a business practice but it’s more genuine in the Midwest or South.

But it’s not small talk because they aren’t wanting an answer. It’s not a two way conversation.

 

[Buzz Rules]

But it’s not small talk because they aren’t wanting an answer. It’s not a two way conversation.

It’s “elevator talk”. It’s a self starting talking American thing. We are a very social bunch. Canadians are more reserved in the sense that outside of sports, you guys seem to be more quiet and introvert around strangers than Americans. I get what you’re saying, I’m just struggling to explain it clearly. I’m going to look for a video as an example.

 

[NAB]

It’s “elevator talk”. It’s a self starting talking American thing. We are a very social bunch. Canadians are more reserved in the sense that outside of sports, you guys seem to be more quiet and introvert around strangers than Americans. I get what you’re saying, I’m just struggling to explain it clearly. I’m going to look for a video as an example.

You should tell my husband that. I talk to anyone when we are on vacation and he will say they don’t want to talk to you…lol

 

[ronandannette]

I actually have a question. I was going to start a new thread, but this thread is a perfect place for it.

Why do a majority of Americans, in greeting someone, say hi, how are you and then just keep talking without leaving space for someone to answer? It took me quite a while to train myself not to answer when someone asks because I know they’ll just talk over me.

It’s not a regional thing because I talk to Americans from coast to coast and it’s very consistent.

I honestly don't think it's an American thing. I'm actually trying to stop saying "how are you" as a casual greeting. It's really just a reflex, not a genuine question. And I wouldn't dream of telling anybody how I really am in response to the question as part most interactions.

 

[Buzz Rules]

I honestly don't think it's an American thing. I'm actually trying to stop saying "how are you" as a casual greeting. It's really just a reflex, not a genuine question. And I wouldn't dream of telling anybody how I really am in response to the question as part most interactions.

I would say Canadians are more apologetic then Americans. Americans in general have a self important complex so that could be what @prairie_girl is partly referring to as well.

 

[ronandannette]

I would say Canadians are more apologetic then Americans. Americans in general have a self important complex so that could be what @prairie_girl is partly referring to as well.

Interestingly, I don't consider saying "sorry" when we bump into somebody, or interrupt something, or misunderstand/can't hear what someone said, or accidentally caused some sort of inconvenience, to be a superficial pleasantry like "how are you" is.

 

[Buzz Rules]

Interestingly, I don't consider saying "sorry" when we bump into somebody, or interrupt something, or misunderstand/can't hear what someone said, or accidentally caused some sort of inconvenience, to be a superficial pleasantry like "how are you" is.

It goes back to the colonial era in the USA. It was passed down from the formalities of that era to the superficial pleasantry of today. It’s seen as the American formal greeting and not meant to be taken as a insult. If we don’t say it, some think of that as an insult.