Talking to Americans

Ignorance is one of the scariest things in the world, and certainly one of the most dangerous, but ignorance of Canada is just plain funny. Folks- the joke's on us. Don't you get it? Although it is used by many as 'proof' that Americans are stupid, "Talking to Americans" is one of the most enduringly popular and most re-run comedy specials ever to air on Canadian television, and it is far, far cleverer than that.

Before Borat there was Rick Mercer. Originating as a segment on "This Hour Has 22 Minutes" (back when it was actually good), "Talking to Americans" was a completely spontaneous occurrence initially, as Rick Mercer realized that Americans, ignorant of their neighbor to the north, would fall for just about anything. The resulting sketches and this masterpiece of a comedy special are built on much more than just mocking Americans' ignorance of Canada (although there are some seriously dumb things people say here- who would really believe that Canada had a 20 hour clock or would call the five dollar coin a 'woody'?), but is an incredibly clever and perceptive lampooning of human nature's desire to come out with a bold and confident statement on matters they are ignorant of.

In addition, the special is one of the most distinctive examples of purely Canadian culture in existence. Pummeling elk with timbits? Seals in Saskatchewan? Bombing West Edmonton mall? Getting on top of Peter Mansbridge? Only Canadians can get the most enjoyment out of the majority of these short interviews. They're brilliant in that Mercer is talking about things he knows full well nobody down south will understand, so it's almost like bouncing humor off an incredibly receptive blank canvas- they'll believe anything he tells them, allowing him to make insanely hilarious puns on Canadian pop culture phenomenon, which to the interviewees probably seem like perfectly honest and reasonable questions.

The low points of the special come when Mercer goes for trying to make celebrities sound dumb. It's still hysterical to see Dub-ya be thrilled to have Jean Poutine's endorsement for President, still hilarious to see Al Gore not reacting to Mercer's naming of Toronto as Canada's capital, still fun to see Mike Huckabee congratulate us on the preservation of our national igloo, but these parts of the special fail to capture the brilliantly straight-faced pop culture and history-based hilarity that Mercer captures in the rest of the special.

9.5/10

Probably the most watched comedy special on Canadian television, this show has brought on so many harsh reviews from Americans. This isn't a documentary. It's not someone's political campaign. It's a satire. Why are Americans so touchy about this show? W hen South Park sang "Blame Canada" did you see us sulking? When Bart Simpson said that it's easy to join the Canadian Olympic basketball team, did you hear us complaining? We just sat back and laughed. Lots of American movies and television have material that is offensive to other countries. Why isn't it funny when other people make fun of you? Have a sense of humour! This is just a TV show.

I loved it and am going to send a copy to my aunt in Dallas. Luckily she's educated her American friends somewhat over the years, but they'll even enjoy it and find themselves getting "suckered in". Note to Raelon - I also can name the first 3 Prime Ministers, know exactly the beauty of the Bluenose and the gracefulness of our native large cat! I also can tell you the names of every single American state and its capital! I vividly remember taking entire semesters in American history, the War of 1812, The American Civil war as well as its geography (including the Mississippi river system IN GREAT DETAIL), its economy and role in the World Wars along with all the other allies. I think we're taking a humourous, good-natured jab at our friends to the south (as well as a few shots to ourselves!) with this and its all in good fun, but also insightful.

They're might have been a couple of people that went along with it, or were intimidated into agreeing by the camera (rare for Americans - most will speak their mind) but for the most part, you can tell they haven't a clue what we're doin' up here! I wanted to hug the kid who knew we had provinces and not states! I highly recommend viewing this whilst wearing your Leafs jersey, sitting in your cozy igloo, eating your back bacon sandwich with a Labatt's, finishing with rolling up the rim on a Tim Horton's and a box of 20 TimBits with your friends eh!!

A little harmless fun. Some segment are hilarious. I want to see all the outtakes, though. The only real danger here is assuming that this program has a point. Consider how it started:

Rick Mercer: Talking to Americans -- the segment --came about like Cornflakes. It was an accident that happened in the lab. We were down in Washington, D.C. We were shooting and I had kind of run out of things to do. We'd gone to the White House and goofed around at the Canadian Embassy. We just had some time to kill.

There were other news people there asking questions about important matters of the day. So I just started doing the same thing. I started talking to them about the Benmergui Clinton Summit. Should it be called the Benmergui Clinton Summit, or the Clinton Benmergui Summit?

I didn't know if the piece would have legs or not, but it sure did. The response has been phenomenal.

(from radio.cbc.ca)

This show is a wonderfully imaginative, and classic example of the ignorance America exhibits over Canada. And in response to Raelon: I'm a fifteen year old Canadian girl, from Vancouver and yes, I am aware who the first three leaders of Canada were, what a cougar is, what the bluenose was, and I, as are many other young Canadians, am educated on American politics and history. I feel it's only fair for them to return the favor. And also, you say talking to Canadians wouldn't be funny? Take Jay-Walking on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno as an example, where he stops random people on the street to talk about American current events. Most often, they haven't a clue, and it's hilarious. All in all, this is good solid entertainment, and there nothing funnier than that little smirk Rick Mercer has on his face while singing the...modified Canadian National Anthem. I highly recommend it!