Re: Earth Alliance Sourcebook and Canada

[marchmore]

Hey. I have been going through my copy of the Earth Alliance book and I was thinking it was a real decent job.

As a Canadian I went to the section on Canada looking forward to it.
I am sorry to say it wasnt what I was expecting.
The section has got to be the most chock full of stereotypes I have ever seen in my life!

Where did you get that info? Did someone make this up?
Canada is not one large forest. There is this huge area about the size stretching from Winnipeg to the Rockie mountains that is FLAT!

As for wars we fought in both world wars as part of the British Empire. We also declared war on Germany 3 years before the US in both cases. Also the county has seen two major invasions. Plus numerous skirmishes.

We started out as several different colonies. Quebec and New Brunswick being French and Nova Scotia and Newfoundland being British. Btw Newfoundland is the oldest colony in North America.

As for being outdoors. Canadians are no more or less active outdoors than any other group of people. I know some people who go biking and skiing constantly and I know some people who dont.

Finally lumber has not been a major industry throughout Canada since probably the end of the Nineteenth century. We are much more well known today for our Telecommunications industry than our Lumber.

Being from Aglo-Slavic decent I dont have a french accent. I have a Canadian Accent. Which is something completely different. Basically we put the work eh? at the end of every other setence.

Sorry about this rant. It was a good publication but I really suggest doing a little homework before writing something like that up.

PS
I dont anyone named the following, Denise, Harriet, Darcy, Louis and Jean-Paul. I did once know a Jacueline.

 

[hassanisabbah]

Where on earth did the English names come from? :twisted:

Come to think of it, does anyone know people with the example names, born in the last 40 years :idea:

 

[jadrax]

In babylon 5, more formal, older style names are more prevalent, it was a cluture shift that JMS specifically wanted. So i think they should get let of that bit.

 

[frobisher]

Where on earth did the English names come from? :twisted:

Come to think of it, does anyone know people with the example names, born in the last 40 years :idea:

I went to school with a Wendy and a Lindsay if that's a help

 

[hassanisabbah]

In babylon 5, more formal, older style names are more prevalent, it was a cluture shift that JMS specifically wanted. So i think they should get let of that bit.

Yeah fair point, popular names now aren't necessarily the ones of the future - I'll have to check back in 200 years

 

[redlaco]

Hey Marchmore, I'm a fellow Canadian (a French-speaking Quebecer as it is). I'm still waiting for my copy of that book, but from what you say, I agree that these are typical misconceptions from Europeans. Our ex-colonizers (be it English or French) tend to see us as a bunch of red clad rangers of sorts (ala Royal Canadian Mounted Police), living in crude log-cabins, still hunting and foraging for our food, and so on. :lol:

OK, maybe not that much, but from what I've heard from tourists, it come close. I used to work as an interpretation-guide at an historic site. After looking at an old drawing of Iroquoians from 16th century, a French tourist from Paris once asked me matter-of-factly : "At what age does the feather begin to grow on young Indians skulls?" Of course I erupted in laughter but then it changed to dismay as he insisted with utmost seriousness and genuine curiosity... I still remember the staggering amount of concentration it took just to refrain from rolling eyes... :roll: :?

 

[Pascalahad]

Seeing your comments, I can't wait to have my copy of the Earth Alliance sourcebook to see we french represented as eaters of frog's legs, wearing big mustaches, a beret and a baguette in the arm ! :wink:

 

[Greg Smith]

I agree that these are typical misconceptions from Europeans. Our ex-colonizers (be it English or French) tend to see us as a bunch of red clad rangers of sorts (ala Royal Canadian Mounted Police), living in crude log-cabins, still hunting and foraging for our food, and so on. :lol:

But isn't Bruce Graw, the author, American?

The suggested names in the book seen to be an eclectic mix of surnames and first names. Chelsea, Bradley, Hollis & Kent are certainly not English Christian names, but they would be surnames.

And why aren't Bruce and Sheila included in the Australian names? Everyone knows that everybody in Australia has one or other of those names.

 

[mdraconis]

To the music of Canadian National Anthem:

"Oh Canada! Our home and un-pop-ulated land. All we see are trees, and red suited Mounties!"

True. It is not as populated as the United States, but every province has a significant number of people. The only province/territory that is not significantly populated is the Yukon Territories.

I can't wait to visit Canada and see the forests that reach from sea to shining sea. Perhaps I should make my next Worker class character a lumberjack and make a fortune cutting down trees.

And by the way, what about Quebec autonomy? With the formation of one world government, you would think that this might be th ideal climate for the French-Canadians to press for autonomy from the rest of Canada. Feasible or not in reality, this is a ficticious Earth history after all.

 

[redlaco]

Thanks mdraconis, you've given me a good idea for my game : Quebec has peacefully obtained her independance and has a seat alongside the ROC (short here for "Rest Of Canada") in Earth Dome. But old gruges still remains and the PC are caught in conspiracies between the two.

Add in a couple of Narns and Centauri, shake a little and voilà! An explosive campaign. :twisted:

Whew! the above prove that I'm tired; gotta get some sleep I guess...

 

[Pascalahad]

As de Gaulle once said : "Vive le Québec libre !"

 

[Anonymous]

Ouch! I've just read the write-up for Canada in the book and I can understand why it might ruffle feathers.

Describing Canada as having fought on the same side as the US in the World Wars is of course accurate but is a very, VERY US-centric way of putting things, especially considering Canada's contribution to the war effort.

The geography, as has been pointed out is just plain wrong. And is Vancouver no longer a major city?

I always thought that Canadians spoke with Canadian accents not French accents.

Come on Mongoose! Shame on you. You can do better than this, this is ridiculous!

If this is typical of the national write-ups then I dread to think what I'll find when I move on to the rest of the world.

 

[hassanisabbah]

The suggested names in the book seen to be an eclectic mix of surnames and first names. Chelsea, Bradley, Hollis & Kent are certainly not English Christian names, but they would be surnames.

Chelsea is a girls first name, and I am assuming that Brads are actually Bradleys, but except for Chelsea these are all surnames.

 

[Greg Smith]

Do you know any British women called Chelsea? Or guys called Bradley?
To me they seem to be American Christian names.

But given that it's supposed to be the future I guess they could be English.

 

[frobisher]

One thing to consider is that the United States has gained an extra 6 states by this time (and we're not told which...). Could some of these be Canadian provinces (say the western ones), and if so, then perhaps it would be fair to say that the predominant accent in Canada would have become French derived?

The right up of the various nations (and in fact their feats) is as they are in 2260 not present day, and there have been changes.

 

[hassanisabbah]

But not to the sterotypes.... thats the point. Its like a Carry on B5 or Allo Allo Minbari War views of nations.

Just because its 2260 doesn't mean you can get away with such horrendous sterotypes.

Prehaps the French players should have to resort to 'Diz OUtray-juss acsent"........... :twisted:

 

[Anonymous]

One thing to consider is that the United States has gained an extra 6 states by this time (and we're not told which...). Could some of these be Canadian provinces (say the western ones), and if so, then perhaps it would be fair to say that the predominant accent in Canada would have become French derived?

You know, I almost put in my earlier post that the one positive thing I could say about the entry for Canada was that at least Mongoose had refrained from the stupid notion of having Canada be annexed by the US. Now that really would have had a lot of people spitting blood!

Whatever the extra US states are (and I'm assuming that PR is at least one of them, and maybe even DC), they are not likely to be any of the western provinces given that the description given in the book and the names of the cities that are mentioned.

 

[Greg Smith]

Cuba, the Virgin Islands, Haiti, The Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Panama and Pacifica all joined the US. (P70 paragraph 2)

Cuba seems pretty unlikely to me. And Jamaica has more ties with Europe than the US, hence the recent trade war over bananas.

 

[frobisher]

You know, I almost put in my earlier post that the one positive thing I could say about the entry for Canada was that at least Mongoose had refrained from the stupid notion of having Canada be annexed by the US. Now that really would have had a lot of people spitting blood!

In effect though, they have given the political grouping...

I'm suprised that no one has commented on the state of the island of Ireland...

It certainly makes a change from the normal guff you get with RPGs that have reunification of the north and south as Eire...

 

[Anonymous]

Cuba, the Virgin Islands, Haiti, The Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Panama and Pacifica all joined the US. (P70 paragraph 2)

Cuba seems pretty unlikely to me. And Jamaica has more ties with Europe than the US, hence the recent trade war over bananas.

Cuba!!! Over Castro's you know what....

The U.S. did not need to anex Canada...it is already a suburb of Buffalo NY :twisted:

The US must be great...I have been proposed to by 2 Canadians that I have only talked to over the phone (and yes they must have been serious since they married Americans). :shock: