I want to thank you for reading this column and I apologize if it is not what you expected and I鈥檓 sorry if I鈥檝e disappointed you.
There, now, according to a recent Twitter survey, I am a typical thanking, apologizing Canadian.
The survey compiled more than three million tweets and found that, while we and our neighbours are culturally similar, Canadians regularly used more positive words and American tweets were more negative. The study concluded that it was a window into the Canadian鈥檚 ideas and beliefs and reveals that Canadians are more upbeat, positive and buoyant than their neighbours to the south.
How many times have you been in a crowded mall or on a busy street and someone will bump into you prompting you to say, 鈥淚鈥檓 sorry,鈥� even if you were standing still and it was they who invaded your space?
While Christmas shopping recently, I was in a busy store and apologized to a mannequin I had backed into. He just stared back blankly at me, no response. He must have been made in the U.S.
Most Canadians find it very difficult to be rude and are usually quick to apologize. We are not good at being bad. For instance, one summer while sitting around an Okanagan campfire, my wife and I were joined by the couple from the motorhome parked next door. They introduced themselves and told us they were from Portland, Ore. and were spending the summer in Canada.
We chatted and laughed and the rum and the wine flowed freely.
Then the lady mentioned that they were going to travel to Europe next year. Maybe it was the wine or maybe my wife didn鈥檛 know where Oregon was, but she said, 鈥淥h, my sister just came back from backpacking in Europe and she says to make sure you have the red maple leaf on your caps and jackets and backpacks because they really don鈥檛 like the Americans over there.鈥�
As her words were coming out, I heard them in slow motion and thought maybe I could dive across the fire and cover her mouth but it was too late.
We are just not good at being derisive or disrespectful. We have not had enough practice to do it right.
I once heard a politician described as a man who could tell a person to go to hell in such a polite way that he anticipated the trip. But that takes years of training and most of us would have to be untrained from our polite upbringing.
Those Yankees went back to their motorhome shortly after the comments and we talked about apologizing but we heard the motorhome start up early in the morning, probably headed south instead of east and I鈥檒l bet they never did go Europe.
I went to my grandson鈥檚 hockey game on the weekend. After the game I told him he had done a great job on defence. He replied, 鈥淭hanks for coming to watch me play, grandpa.鈥� He learned that at home, and polite children grow to be polite adults, but it has to start in the kitchens and the classrooms.
I can see the headline: 鈥淐anadian wins 1.8 Billion in Power Ball Lottery then apologizes to the U.S and donates all the money to the American Red Cross.鈥�
It wouldn鈥檛 be polite to keep it for ourselves.
I鈥檓 sorry, please and thank you never go out of style.
At least that鈥檚 what McGregor says.
