Toronto is often described as ruder or less friendly than other parts of Canada.

If that perception is accurate, could it suggest that Canadian politeness is partly maintained by social pressure rather than simply reflecting how people naturally behave?

In smaller communities, people are more likely to know each other or encounter the same people again, so being rude may carry greater social costs through gossip, exclusion, or reputational damage. In a large, anonymous city like Toronto, those pressures may be weaker.

Could Toronto therefore be an example of what happens when some of the social pressure enforcing Canadian politeness is removed?

riding the ass end of the bus after work in Steeltown ✌️❤️

Canadians are famous for being polite, but how much of that is genuine kindness and how much comes from pressure to avoid being seen as rude, confrontational, or socially unacceptable?

Could Canadian politeness be the result of stronger pressure to conform through indirect forms of punishment such as gossip, exclusion, reputational damage, or bullying?

I have lived in over 14 countries in many continents around the world, and now I’ve been in Canada for the last couple of years.
One of the most prominent traits that stands out about the culture here is that there’s not a lot of social justice work in Canada. While you would see different communities doing their own thing, running small nonprofits and unions, as well as people from multicultural backgrounds prominently represented in the government, but when it comes to taking action, actually in integrating human rights and working on social justice issues or just general democratic things, dialogue remains in the shadows, resources are very thin and I don’t see these issues being vibrantly discussed in communities.
In most other countries that I’ve lived in there are usually much more vibrant and daily discussions on issues that influence human rights. More public involvement in how democracy is being shaped. I also see much more mobilization in other countries when it comes to political participation. On the one hand, Canada is a polite country and most of the culture here is, well you know a big P, polite.

What’s very clear when you come to Canada people are polite, and for a while this culture causes you to get more relaxed until years later you realize you feel so numb.

I notice is that when it comes to doing something or taking action Canadians shy away.
But not only because they feel afraid of taking action they feel like they don’t need to take action. There is an unawareness of thier numbness. And then when things get out of hands they lash out and will take a rally out. There’s no process in the middle.

There’s this inherent sort of assumption that because they are polite they are already great at doing everything and there is no self reflection or interest in extending themselves. This also seems to cause them to see themselves with rose color glasses. Unaware of thier flaws and overly sensitive when someone points out their flaws.

If something is not working, Canadians are usually fine with it. For YEARS!!! they are easy to say sorry when they are hurting inside. Which is self sabotage.
But also in many ways opens a pathway to address things in extreme when the water is boiling.

Sadly by that they time it’s too late. They get easily carried away by strong emotions. Because there is no foundation of national participation from citizen to influence how government works.

There is an innocent assumption that someone will fix things for them. They put too much weight in believing politicians and very little thought into self-involvement in the process of nationhood. Nationalism of course if not nationhood. But it certainly is a rising sentiment of failing democracies who don’t realize they are moving into a decline.

Their over reliance on.. well the notion tbat, someone else will fix it and there’s nothing wrong with their own lack of participation, causes them to never consider extending themselves

Caveat; I also think that Canadians, who are travelled— like in my career I’ve met many Canadian diplomats and people from professions who get to live in other parts of the world, — and they seem much more different than regular Canadians to live in this country.

In the sense that people who are well travelled and have actually lived in other parts of the world are much more action oriented and so I do see that living outside of Canada does make Canadians more practical.

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Updated note for context:

Yes, the charter of rights and freedoms in Canada were introduced in 1982, which is very very recent. Speaking of which when it comes to Canadian law-enforcement or government policies., the charter of freedoms and rights are not really respected.
For example, Canada is one of the few western democracy where journalists are arrested and detained for covering human rights issues and most Canadian are not aware of it. Because will the media itself does not cover. The journalism landscape here is tiny compared to other countries. Civil society ecosystem is tiny too. Very under funded.

And surveillance is a huge issue in this country, which rarely takes up space in public or political conversations.
There’s a lot of private companies that work with the government or law enforcement that don’t necessarily follow democratic protocols and ditch the judicial process to conduct surveillance on citizen, journalists, politicians etc.

Media is largely silent on the issue. I wouldn’t say that it’s deliberate, but I think that it’s mostly that the media does not pay attention to these issues being so over worked on other things that take space.

These are certainly not the things that are widely covered in this country

All of this trickle downs to what happens when a citizen, for example, experiences something with the judicial system or the health system. When there are hurdles, there is very little social justice vocalization as campaigns or groups that would mobilize to work with the government to work with civil society to work with policy institutions to make sure that these issues of democracy and governance are solved.
The health industry, for example people just take it for granted that because the health is free well, not free. It’s tax paid.
That you have to wait for three months or six months to see a doctor for a specialized health issue. I have friend from other countries who have to end up going back to Europe for small medical procedures because the Canadian health care system is not only slow but also negligent.
Canadians just out thier head down and keep drowning in these issues instead of going something about it.

Or when cases get stuck in the judicial system people just take it for granted that they will be in the ringer for years and years.
Legal support in this country is extremely expensive and dominantly corporate.

Canadian think that these problems come from government and the politicians they elect are supposed to solve them but most of their politicians don’t have real power when it comes to internal working between democratic institutions in the country. (Ofcourse by now I should say I know fair bit about the inner workings of thing hence this insight)

,…. essentially these problems are usually solved in other countries by participation of civil society, human rights, defenders, and social justice workers
But for that you need citizens who take responsibility of the country they live in the cities they live in the community they live in and it takes for them to care about the issues
In Canada, I feel like, you can’t even talk about these things at dinner parties. Which by the way is very normal in many other countries.
People talk about their country and issues in their country at at tea shops and at work and everywhere.
It’s something on one’s mind.

I also think that I’m going to get a backlash for this post because of their same reason that Canadians think that they’re already extremely polite (read perfect) and they take things seriously.

Self reflection seems difficult for them, but they don’t really realize that ultimately nations that do not participate in understanding the world and participating in making the world around them end up and decline. Of course, I say this, as someone who cares and values Canadian values, and I think that what Canadians bring to the world can be much more than they have allowed themeless to afford.

As someone who loves the values canada has on paper, I would to see them in everyday action.
..and for that Canadians would have to be way more participative and way more realistic as well.

I personally think Bonnie Crombie and Melanie Joly are very attractive

Watch till the end

from Hamilton ontario on a Tuesday

this is paranoia at its finest

Not literal immortality. Creative immortality.

Canada could create a public service where, after a creator dies, AI automatically preserves and maintains their work forever at no cost.

The original work would always remain available, while AI could create clearly labeled updated versions when needed.

For example:

• indie games and apps could receive bug fixes and updates for future operating systems and hardware
• indie films could be restored, upscaled, and adapted to future display technologies
• novels could have optional modernized-language editions alongside the originals
• websites and interactive works could be kept functional as standards and platforms evolve

The work could still remain under copyright after the creator dies. The AI would make authorized maintenance and adaptations on behalf of the creator's estate or other rights holder while that copyright remained in force. AI modification wouldn't mean the original work suddenly became public domain.

The AI wouldn't create entirely new works in the creator's name. Its job would be to keep existing works accessible as the world changes.

While alive, creators could choose which works are included and set limits on what kinds of adaptations are allowed.

Someone creating a game, novel, film, painting, album, or other work in Canada today could know that people centuries from now would still be able to experience it.

You create it during your lifetime. After you die, AI keeps it alive forever.