My Summary 3

Summary of “Canadians and Americans: Is There a Difference?”

In “Canadians and Americans: Is There a Difference?” Mayra Perea states typical misunderstandings in many countries that Canadians and Americans are all the same; however, they have quite different philosophies according to the author. To clarify the different thinking between Canadians and Americans, the author cites Maclean’s Decima Two-Nations Poll, which suggests that there are three basic different: their views held by Canadians versus Americans’ view on the environment, the economy and social issues. Canadians consider the environment as most important even before their self-interests, while for Americans, materialism is a priority. The author states that the Maclean’s Poll gives examples of the driving attitudes between the two nationalities. Economics is a second issue. America has a solid internal economic base, while Canada depends on international trade. The author explains how stable America’s economy is and how dependant Canada’s is. The third difference is in the social service. Canada’s excellent medical system offers free, equitable, adequate basic health care. By contrast, America’s social services are unfair and expensive. The author concludes that Canadians and Americans have many more different perspectives than the three points stated above; they are very different.