From the Canadian Encyclopedia:
Johnny Canuck, a personification of Canada and a member of the same family of figures as John Bull (Great Britain), Uncle Sam
(US), and Marianne (France). Since the 1860s, editorial cartoonists have depicted Johnny Canuck as a wholesome, if
simpleminded, young man wearing the garb of a habitant, farmer, logger, rancher or soldier. He is often drawn resisting the
blandishments or bullying of John Bull or Uncle Sam. Johnny Canuck is also the name of a Canadian comic-book hero introduced
in 1941, a caped strong-man who protected Canadians from the Nazi menace.
Webster's quotes canuck as American slang for a Canadian.
My personal favourite source of it is the last clause of the Johnny Canuck definition. There was a series of small books
written by a Canadian Army private Michael Dorosh in the early part of the second world war. Dorosh did not survive the war.
The term is regarded as derogatory outside of Canada. Like most such ignorant maxims, we tend to turn it around, take it
upon ourselves and shove it back in the face of the idiot using it. As such, we are proudly ... Canuck. Especially when we
play hockey on the world stage.
In general, the word is not much used by us, and you have to be a deep Canadianophile to know the history of the term. It is a benign patriotism of another time, a fact much noted when Canadians are accused of not being patriotic (usually while being compared to the patriotic minions to the south of us). As a people, we know how patriotic we really are. We just don't have to thump our chests about it. But when it comes right down to it, we're there, should there be sufficient reason for it ( a point to note when comparing when Canada entered WWII and why we didn't join the "coalition of the willing" in Iraq).
Post Edited ( 01-28-05 09:49 )
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