In my experience, Canada is the world's leading producer of pro-itself statistics and factoids that it feeds to its citizens to convince them Canada's cool:
"A Ha, gotcha again, Canada actually has a higher per capita INTERNET use than the U.S.A."
This is just the tip of the iceberg, so to speak. Aren't there PSAs to the effect of "did you know that _____________ is Canadian?" or "___ % of ________ comes from Canada?"
After a barrage of this a few years ago in an NYC bar, and me smiling and nodding politely and distractedly, trying to have a convo with this blonde chick, this Canadian dude tells me he "feels sorry" for the United States.
"Really?" says I, "why would that be" fully expecting another half-baked "free" health-care rant, and licking my chops.
"You can't get any really good music."
"Hunh. And here we are in Manhattan. I thought we'd have good music."
"No. I mean on the radio. Your radio sucks. They never play any good music."
"Hmmm. The radio is better in Canada?" This was actually intriguing to me, as I think radio sucks everywhere...
"Oh yeah, we have the best radio."
"Is this the same radio that must play a minimum percent of Canadian content music, measured by nationality of the artist, the writer, etc.?"
"Yeah."
"So the government forcing home-grown music down your throat results in better radio than letting the market and public preference decide which bands get played?"
"Oh, yeah!"
"Hunh. I've got to hit the head. Be back soon." {wan grin}
When I left a few minutes later, taking what turned out to be this dude's blonde girl home with me, he was fully absorbed in hectoring a guy in a Jets jacket about how the CFL totally kicked the NFL's a$$, and wondering
loudly and for the 20th time that evening why
all American beer sucked.
It's nice to know that the US hasn't got the market cornered on pinheads! (please don't tell me that Propaganda Canada {"PropaCanada"?} has statistics on pinhead ratios North and South of the border. If they do, make sure they're "per capita" and not "per square mile"
)
BTW, Molson is awful. All of it: Canadian, Golden, Light, whatever. It's like it's pre-skunked at the brewery. Bring on the Blue!! Or the Mooooooooooose!
Jeez, I gotta get back up to Kingston before George shuts down the Wolfe Island Ferry... hmmm.
JP