What would Canada have to do to get as much respect as the US?

Question

Canada and the US share very similar statistics, yet the sterotypes are very different. Why is this?

Answer 1

They would have to stand up for freedom and fight things like Nazism, Communism, and Terrorism in the world.

Answer 2

Ignorance on both sides.

Answer 3

I can't see where the U.S get any respect.  Respect like what?  I think it's the other way around, Canada gets more respect than the U.S does.  

Answer 4

I have great respect for Canada.  Canada has all the ketchup potato chips. I still can't figure out why they're everywhere up there but I can't find them down here. There's something basically wrong with that. That just inspired me to ask a question of my own.

Edit to Dude above: Actually the Canadians had been fighting the n***s for almost two years before the US joined the war.

Answer 5

Some respect comes from fear.  Some respect comes from the US being so instrumental in winning the great world wars.  Sure Canada was a part of that, just not a key player.  Have Canada go Toe to Toe with Russia and force them to back down on this Georgia issue and that will get them and awful lot of respect.  Or Canada could bring peace to the middle east, something the US has never been able to do.  For all the things Canada helps with, they tend not to take leadership in world events.

Another way is the Olympics, they host the next winter Olympics, simply kick *** and take home either the most medals or the most gold medals and Canada will earn another kind of respect.

Another way is to be a pioneer.  The Americans invented the internet, the airplane, some say the car(I know, that's not entirely true), we invented the mp3, the ipod, windows, yadda yadda.  We invented the television, nuclear bomb, only nation to go to the moon, we invented the radio(Tesla was in the US when he did it and became a citizen).  We invented the light bulb, the instant camera, the digital camera,  the cell/mobile phone and let's not forget the GPS network.  I think I could go on for some time.

Even the great Canadian inventor, Bell, did a lot of his work on his greatest invention, the telephone, in Boston, got a patent there and started his phone company in the states at well even though he lived primarily in Canada.  Ask many people around the world and they generally see the telephone as a US invention, mostly due the industrialization of course.

That said, Canada and Canadians do a great many things well, they just aren't the world leaders is much of anything.  They make good beer, not great.  Some good movies there, but no "hollywood"  Their hockey could be great, but they let their players go to the states.  They don't build the world's best cars, clocks, cutlery, tools, electronics, furniture, or so on.  They aren't know for having much of a musical culture or great literature.  The great actors, comedians and musicians of Canada come to the US when they want to succeed.  They aren't the great pioneers in math, physics or medicine.  

Granted the US isn't the leader in all those things either, but Canada can be great at something, it's just not something they seem interested in doing.  Greatness  will earn you respect, Canada needs greatness.

Answer 6

Canada sells us the most foreign oil.  You guys want respect, simply stop and every American will be begging for the black oil or invade.

Answer 7

To add on to Dude, Canada went to war only after a "symbolic" week after Britain and France declared war in WWII.  It took the United States to be sneak attacked to have them dragged into the war, 2 years later.  So fighting Nazism, Canada was right there from the beginning.  

And as far as Communism goes, what do you mean by fighting them?  From what I can tell American industry is already in bed with them stealing jobs from their own citizens, and feeding it to those "evil" communists in China.

Answer 8

Respect from who?

Aside from the occasional American comedian and most Republican talk show hosts, I've never heard anyone say anything bad about Canada.

The comedian is just looking for a cheap laugh; and the Republican talk show host has already convinced his audience that everyone outside the US is a Socialist Communist b*stard just trying to take over America.

So its kind of a xenophobic racist thing with those guys, but other than that most Americans I know are cool with the Canadians.  And as far as I've heard, so is the rest of the world.

Add-on:

To Dude below,

Canadians are currently fighting alongside us in both Afghanistan and Iraq.  

To the questioner,

I guess that is what you mean...Canadians are dying right alongside Americans in both wars, when they weren't even the ones who started it; and there is at least one American who refuses to acknowledge any contribution made by Canada and its citizens whatsoever.

As I said, we've got a few too many in Rush Limbaugh's audience, fearing the Socialist Communist b*stards coming to take us over...

Answer 9

I think in some ways you may be confusing respect and power.

The USA is powerful, they have a great deal of weapons, the willingness to use them and they are a massive importer of goods.  The are important to the economy of many nations as well as have the power to impose a great deal of restrictions and policies upon foreign nations.   That does not mean they are respected, at a minimum they are tolerated out of necessity.

Canada is very different.  Canada is a more passive nation, they take care of their domestic needs first.  When possible CAnada avoids conflict abroad.  Canada has long standing alliances with nations and within the Commonwealth and has harvested a great deal of mutually beneficial relationships with many nations based upon their diplomatic stance.   HOwever, because Canada is rarely aggressivee they are revered as non-threatening and even passive.   Canada is a quiet nation, andbecauses it does not have the same overbearing presence as the united states does notreceivee as much regard, whether it be good or bad.