Plain Explain: Canadians
Why are Canadians so nice?
There are two factors to look at when answering this question. First, as we all know, Australia was colonized using the castoffs and criminals of Britain, resulting in a population base that was tougher, meaner, and eventually, better at acting. As another Commonwealth country, Canada was initially filled with the exact opposite kinds of British (and French) people: kind, gentle, mellow folk who willingly gave up on their past lives to chase a better future. They weren't dumped in Canada, they chose to go!
When you send outlaws to an empty country—well, aside from the indigenous people who, you know, already lived there—you get Mad Max: Fury Road. When you send nice salt of the earth people, you get Canadian Bacon, and comedians. So the first answer to “why Canadians are so nice” is that they were already preselected from European stock to be very nice people.
Next, we must talk about the effect of weather. Canada is mostly a very cold country and when the climate is chilly, people are nicer. Fact! Braving sub-zero temperatures creates a natural community and a willingness to help others. Despite the possibility of food being scarcer, it’s been shown in society after society that people who have to endure deep freeze have a more communal attitude. Simply put: when it’s cold, you must be nicer to your neighbors if you want to stay alive. See Canada adjacent U.S. areas like the Midwest and the upper states like Wisconsin or whatever. People are super nice there.
Also, if you happen to be an outlier and are a not-so-nice Canadian, the vast distances between you and others means that you can just be isolated and left to your own devices. You can be a crank all by yourself.
After generations of this nice on nice breeding, Canadians then turned that into a cultural and marketing thing: “Canada, we’re nice!” Over the years, Canadians have leaned into that side of their personality and thus emerged as mostly milquetoast (in the most positive way). There's nothing wrong with that, is there?
Note: Can you tell I’ve only been to Canada once, and never in adulthood?
