About the name "Canadia"

I should probably explain a bit about the title.

According to Wikipedia disambiguation, Canadia is, "Another, generally humorous, name for Canada, by back-formation from "Canadian".

It's usually used in reference to Canada by Americans, with the implicit joke that they themselves know little or nothing about Canada (as in the 'Family Circus' comic strip, above). Alternatively, I've seen and heard it used by Canadians poking fun at that same American stereotype.

After spending two-and-a-half years living in the United States attending an American University, I have amassed a lifetime's worth of anecdotal evidence which helps illustrate the Canadian-American cultural divide. This is what the blog -- and my film -- are supposed to be about, though the analysis will be more in-depth than just that.

I chose the title "Canadia" not only because it is a quirky cultural joke; a quaint product of the iGeneration's sense of humour. As the fictitious name of an imagined country, Canadia is a fantastic name. It implies mystique; fantasy; adventure. Americans who are aware of their ignorance about Canada see this as a fitting description. To them, Canada may as well be Narnia; they have heard stories of it's unlivable climate, it's wilderness, it's magical mystery, it's 'mounties' and 'igloos'; but they have never been through the looking glass to see it for themselves. (Or, even if they have, they have not seen the real Canada -- all they have seen is a North American society, much like a mirror image of themselves. Nothing could be farther from the truth.