Grab your hockey sticks and some Timmies, put on a toque, and let’s dive into the worst Canadian stereotypes.
No, we don’t have polar bears as pets, live in igloos, or apologize when someone steps on our toes.
At least, not every time.
A new study by Preply, an online language learning platform, has narrowed down which stereotypes Canadians are sick of hearing and which they accept.
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Let’s be honest, every Canadian has heard “eh” in a sarcastic tone and yes, it’s EH-nnoying.
According to Preply, the stereotype Canadians hate the most is that we say “eh” a lot. In fact, 42% of Canadian respondents said it’s their least favourite Canadianism.
And while hockey might be Canada’s national sport, not every canuck is hitting the ice to score top-shelf. So much so, that 40% of respondents said they dislike the stereotype that all Canadians love hockey.
Similarly, 37% of Canadians surveyed said they dislike the “we all love Tim Hortons” stereotype and the same number aren’t down with the belief that we all speak French.
Bonjour? Maybe. But fluent French? Not always.
Preply
That’s not to say every Canadian hates stereotypes. Some actually embrace them. Preply says our “most welcome clichĂ© among Canadians is that they are overly apologetic. This could contribute to the nine in 10 Canadians who find stereotypes about their country to be mostly positive.”
Though stereotypes can be viewed negatively, one in two Canadians admit they believe stereotypes about residents of other countries.
So, it goes without saying that people all around the world have work to do when it comes to understanding other cultures.
And for us Canadians, whether you are actually sipping on that double-double from Tim Hortons or soaking up a hockey game, know that stereotypes are just a fraction of the story and there is so much more to us than meets the eye, eh?
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