G. I. Joe Vs. Anne of Green Gables: How Americans Differ from Canadians

Front Cover
ECW Press, 2003 - Humor - 200 pages

Was it better that our ancestors chose to migrate to Canada, or should they have gone to the U.S.' Snow and ice and high taxes? Or unaffordable health care, guns in kindergarten, and great weather? And didn't they have to film the hit movie Chicago in Canada because we had the studios, the gaffers, and the 65 cent dollar? Gould takes a hard look at our measurement systems: how Canadians have welcomed the metric system (except for weights and distances) while the Americans -- along with only Burma and Liberia -- have clung to pounds and miles. What about our national dreams? Gould defines the American Dream as the obligation for every American to achieve fame, fortune, and a trophy wife up to one-half the age of the first one, but only after he accomplishes the first two. The Canadian Dream is to pay a serviceman in cash to avoid the GST, to go to Hawaii (if you live in B.C.), and to be able to move to the U.S. to make real dollars. And what about our different political systems? In the U.S. there is serious debate about campaign finance reform; in Canada, we turn to Hansard to follow a similar discussion: "Oh shut up." "YOU shut up." "Up yours " "Oh yeah? You'd probably enjoy that, Svend." G.I. Joe or Anne of Green Gables could be just about the funniest book you'll read this fall.

From inside the book

Contents

Official and Otherwise
17
Part 3 Seats of Power
55
or Nice Forest Camouflage Too Bad Youre in the Desert
83
or How the Countries Run
95
Part 6 Crossing the Longest Formerly Undefended Border in the World
133
Part 7 Fun and Games
147
In Conclusion FEh?
175
Copyright

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About the author (2003)

Allan Gould is the author of over 30 books, several of which have been bestsellers, including The Top Secret Tory Handbook (under the pseudonym of Deep Chin), Straight from the Lip, and Canned Lit. He thinks G.I. Joe is the funniest book he's ever written. Help prove him right.

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