Customer Reviews

Why I Hate Canadians

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

There's something very refreshing about the way Will Ferguson looks at Canadians. Here is a writer who isn't afraid to tackle both sides of our national character -- to acknowledge the bad along with the good. Like any other country in the world, we've got plenty of black spots on our record ... and we're terribly bad at admitting that they exist.

Ferguson raises a number of questions about our national fixations and delusions. Why do we think we're so nice, and why are we so proud of it? Why are we so obsessed with how much land we've got? Why do we persist in claiming that "Superman is Canadian!"? And when are we going to stop constantly comparing ourselves to the United States?

If you are Canadian, or if you know a lot of Canadians, odds are that you will find yourself, over and over again, shaking your head, laughing out loud, and saying to yourself, "that's so true!" The frank, honest humour in Ferguson's writing makes the terrible truth about ourselves surprisingly easy to accept.

Despite the title, it's quite clear that Ferguson is, in his own way, very patriotic. This book is not all about saying "Canadians suck." We have it in us to be a great people, and there are plenty of things we really SHOULD be proud of. Ferguson doesn't hesitate to point these things out. We are one of the few countries in the world to be born without a bloody revolution. We are the founders of peacekeeping and the home of multiculturalism. So why is it that we always point to the fact that we're not American when we want to demonstrate how great we are?

"Canada is Canada," says Ferguson. "You can't understand it. Don't try." But try he does, and succeeds better than any other writer I've read.

This was given to me by a Canadian, and I'm eternally in her debt as a result, because this is one of the best non-fiction books I've ever read. Ranging from laugh-out-loud funny to non-schmaltzy poignance, this is Will Ferguson at his best: dismantling myth piece by piece to give us a better view of what really lies at Canada's heart.

A Canadian himself, Will decries Canadian 'niceness', skewers Canadian attitudes towards America, despairs at the country's politics, and (in my favourite section) takes a merciless and hilarious look at Canadian popular culture. He doesn't hate Canadians - he loves them, and it shows.

Beautifully written, insightful, touching, and entertaining, this book should be read by everyone interested in what nationhood really means.

It's about time somebody asked the right questions, poking holes in all of the delusions that Canadians base their identity upon. If you define your identity as a Canadian by negation (I am not American, I am not British, I am not that cold, I don't live in an igloo) then this book may offend you deeply.
The author is not entirely insensitive. In fact, he's probably more proudly Canadian for the right reasons than any of us. It is our delusions that he attacks and, as is evident in our beer commercials, our delusions are held onto fiercely.
Ghandi said, "I like your Christ, just not your Christians."
Ferguson seems to say, "I love Canada, but I hate Canadians."
Are we worthy of the beautiful country we live in?
Are we as "nice" as we think we are?
Hockey, The Royal Family, Beer, Guns, keeping the Americans out, the French in, and making the Natives disappear. All of the nastier sides of Canadianism, Ferguson brings to the surface and forces us to face the demons of past and present.
Definately worth the read.
If you get a chance, check out Ferguson's article in a recent Maclean's. Camping with his son in the great Canadian wilderness.

The first few chapters of this book are flat-out brilliant, and often laugh out loud hilarious. Ferguson lists all the classic myths Canadians tell themselves, often with hilarious, Dave Barry-esque exaggeration (the bit about terrorists storming the bus and offering the Canadians tea and crumpets had me near tears with laugher).

During the first few chapters of the book you'll find yourself nodding a lot, repeatedly saying "that's so true" in your head. Ferguson gets off to a great start, but then sadly he begins to lapse into the very same cliched "What it means to be Canadian" dribble that he supposedly detests so much. I didn't really care, or learn anything from his long rambling stories about Quebec, or student-exchange programs, or old friends of his.

By the end of "Why I hate Canadians" I felt like I was reading an entirely different book. The humor had slowly disappeared, and the traditional Canadian self-gratifying sentimentality had increased. In fact, the very last sentences of the book seem to blatantly contradict everything he says in the first few chapters.

This book is well-written, and contains many excellent points and debate topics. But Ferguson lost me when he went to great lengths to praise Canadians and their values, which, quite frankly, was not exactly what I wanted from a book with the phrase "I hate Canadians" in the title.

I have learned more about Canada from reading Will Ferguson's books than I ever did in school. School was boring.....Ferguson is hilarious! "Bastards and Boneheads" taught me Canadian history. "Why I Hate Canadians" has given me even more reason to be proud to be Canadian. I have been living in the United States for the past four years.....after reading this book, I want to move back home and attend Canada Day celebrations for the first time. Thank you Will!

When I was reading this book, I had a feeling that it was targetted for the 18-25 crowd. The casually cynical tone, and the highlighted quotations appearing on almost every page, somwhat confirmed by belief.

Despite this, I think Will Ferguson did a pretty good job summing up "Canadian events" for the last few decades or so, with some events going further back (like the Voyageurs and the Komagata Maru). Through these events, and his own experience with Youth Programmes and overseas, Ferguson attempted to define the Canadian character, with "attempt" being the keyword.

The book started off with promise. His dealings with youth programme and directors would probably strike a chord with many readers. His research into various Canadian events and attitudes I find also very interesting, though he seemed to dwell too much on Captain Canuck and Quebec separatism.

The end of the book sounded more important than it actually was. I appreciate Ferguson's passion for the Youth Programmes, but he can do a lot better service for the book if he didn't write so much about them.

It's an interesting read that will keep every Canadian current of all major events that supposedly "shaped" Canada.

A truly gifted author who is as intelligent and thought-provoking as he is funny and easy-to-read. A great (albeit a bit dated) introduction to Canadian history.

This is a great read, funny, insightful, and a little histroy lesson, all rolled into one book! Will Ferguson relates his growing up in Canada, after us baby-boomers. He covers a wealth of topics about Canada and Canadians themself, in a wickedly satrical way that keeps you laughing, and wanting more!! I love Canada, and all it's quirks and anomalies, and Will does a great job of bringing the real Canadian people to life here. Makes me want to become a Canadian!! I love the book, and highly recommend it to anyone who's ever been to Canada, or knows Canadians personaly. Like I said earlier, it's even a little history lesson about our wonderful friends to our north, you'll enjoy this book, as much as I did.

Great Book! See also George and Condi: The Last Decayed: A Collection of Poems from the Last Decade Beaver Tales and a Canada Goosing: Poems Illustrating a Uniquely Canadian Perspective (See ArtisanPacificPublishing Website).

Because I wish I wrote this book first!

Feguson, having spent 5 years in Japan, returned to Canada with a unique view on Canada and Candians, warts and all. With this book, essentially a collection of essays, he successfully delfates many of the myths that Canadians like to insulate themselves with and shows how this self-delusion part of the Canadian character. The writing itself is excellent - Ferguson is funny without being trite, insightful without being dry, cynical without being negative. Highly recommended for all progressive thinking Canadians.