Which of the following countries most closely resembles the U. S.?
- Canada
- Mexico
- United Kingdom
- Japan
- Germany
- France
- Russia
- Brazil
- India
- China
- Australia
- Other
- None. We’re sui generis
and why? I don’t think it’s Canada, UK, Japan, Germany, France, Russia, India, China, or Australia. Superficially, we’re like Canada or Australia. Large land area, mostly English speaking, economically strong. But Canada has a population 10% of ours and Australia is even less populous. And only about 15% of Canadians are of anything other than Western European descent and Australia is even more Anglo. So, not really very much like us at all.
Canada, it might be fairer to say that the Northern U.S. is most like Canada, and perhaps the Southern U.S. is more like Mexico. One point of comparison is that Canada has a significant secondary culture centered in Quebec, somewhat analogous to the U.S. and hispanic culture.
The main point of departure btw/ the U.S. and the rest of the Anglosphere (or at least the UK and the White Dominions) is (a) the vestiges of slavery and (b) the large immigration flows to the U.S. around the turn of the 20th century.
I think the sheer size of the United States makes it considerably different from Canada when population is combined with land area. It makes it easier for actual cultural differences to persist in different parts of the country. There are more native speakers of Spanish in the United States than there are Canadians and many of them are concentrated in just a few areas.
None of them is exactly like the US, but I am willing to bet the average American could go live in Canada and blend in w/o much trouble, other than coping with the cold.
Steve
The average German could come here and blend in (most Germans take English in school) but I wouldn’t interpret that as Germany being a lot like the United States.
The US isn’t even like itself in a lot of ways.
Let’s see. Significant global economic influence, although untrustworthy metrics. Suspect press. Aging demographic trend. Significant military capabilities and sphere of influence; attendant territorial interests and ability to enforce some. Client states. A ruling elite controlling the spoils for itself while leaving the unwashed masses far behind. Significant scientific prowess; but a wide range of academic achievement. Large footprint: land mass and popuLation. Unifying cultural norms/philosophical traditions and yet large enough to not be describable as homogenous. No comparison could skip over a country’s law, but I’m not familiar with theirs. Based on Wikileaks we are heading towards Nigeria, so where, really, are we?
So China.
Of course, they don’t have the Blackhawks, so scrap all that.
We helped host a German kid for student exchange. Blending was not that easy. A cosmopolitan adult who has traveled quite a bit might do it.
Steve
The US is most like Myanmar, only less so. I’m pretty sure I read that somewhere just yesterday.
Based on personal experience of two of the countries.
The regions of Canada are the most similar to certain regions of the northern US. i.e. BC is very similar to the Pacific Northwest, Alberta is similar to Montana/Colorado/Idaho, Saskatchewan to the Dakotas, Manitoba to the Upper Midwest, Ontario is a mix of Midwest / New York, and the Maritimes to rural Maine. What makes them different is as mentioned (1) Canada does not have anything like the South or California (2) Canada does not have the baggage that institutional racism created (3) The feeling of being a mouse beside an elephant vs being an elephant.
China is different due to cultural heritage. But I find it has striking similarities due to geography. It is about the same size as the US, similar location in latitude, and the population in same order of magnitude. Because of that, it has a similar self-assuredness and self-absorption, that the country so vast that you don’t think about other countries. that the country is the world. An example is the tv news, how many countries can have news which only focuses on what happened in that country without reference to any other? In that sense, I think only a few countries can have that feeling – US, China, perhaps India, Russia.
That’s a very insightful comment, CuriousOnlooker, and you’re getting to the heart of the point I was making in this post.
Thanks Dave.
Want to add an addendum about Canada. The government has treated minorities terribly in the past, like Aboriginals, Chinese, and Japanese. But that legacy on Canada today is far different.