I always just drive straight in, if the space ahead is empty I'll park there so I don't have to back out but seriously, if you can't back out of a space without hitting something you shouldn't have a license.

bingethinker: If your parking habits revolve around needing a boost, it's time to get a new battery or alternator.b

Written by someone who's never tried to start a car in -20 degree weather.

Firefly4F4: Written by someone who's never tried to start a car in -20 degree weather.

... with the block heater not plugged in.

brantgoose: Here's the solution to this mystery: Canadians do not say "aboot". Americans HEAR "aboot". Americans can not hear the difference between a Canadian "about" and a Canadian "a boot". But Canadians can.

AlanSmithee: Agreed. So the next question, the one for which I've yet to hear an explanation, is: what is it about the Canuck 'about' that's different than the American one?

You USAers say about with less of the diphthong. You say it kind of like "a-bow-t" while us Canadjans say it more like "a-buh-oot" (I know none of that makes any sense when you read it).

A diphthong is a vowel that has two different sounds, like "ow" or "oi". Us Canadjans start the diphthong with less emphasis, so the "ahh" sound that Americans say is replaced with a subtle "uh" sound.

So to American ears Americans say "about" and Canadjans say "aboot". But to Canadjan ears Canadjans say "about" and Americans say "abut".

Americans rip on us more for saying "Bar" and "car" funny

Phil Herup: Backing into your spot is retarded.

#1 you look like a douche while doing it

#2 Backing into a small confined space is much more difficult than backing out into a wide open parking lot.

#3 It takes more time, which I could care less about your time, but usually you are wasting mine and others as we wait for you to do your extra special parking job.

#4 you look like a douche while doing it


/often it is dudes in their tough guy pick-ups, which I have yet to figure out this phenomena

You look like a douche for writing that.

If you can't wait 10 seconds while someone's backing into a spot, then you've got serious patience issues. Plus, experience tells me that the same people who spend more than that amount of time backing into a space are going to be equally slow when they pull out, or possibly pull out right in front of you and not see you.

It's quite simple: it's a whole lot easier to see traffic if you're facing forward out of the parking spot. Especially when you get back and find you're now parked between two massive SUVs.

I prefer driving forward out of a spot as opposed to backing out. Mind you, if I see a spot where I can drive straight through, I'll do that rather than backing in.

Esn: I live in Toronto and have never heard anyone say "oot" or "aboot". They're pronounced more like "ah-oot" and "ah-bah-oot".

Where does that stereotype come from? Did Canadians really talk like that once?

I live in Buffalo, and canadians still talk like that. Trust me.

Bottom line is : Who gives a fark about how you park.

Back in, back out, do it sideway if you want, but don't expect me to care when you explain your reasons.

I think y'all don't have enough to talk about.

This article is the epitome of cultural cringe.

Firefly4F4: You look like a douche for writing that.

surely that, but I'm right.

folks who back in in parking lots are even bigger douches.

10 seconds extra...yeah right. More like 30 seconds to a minute, and no....I can't wait. Go do your "special-guy-back-in" somewhere else in the lot

Backing out of a parking space in a lot is no big deal as far as visibility and safety is concerned. We are not talking about backing out of a driveway that empties onto real traffic on a road. That is completely different.

/drives S2000 and parks normal, backs out slowly and carefully.

/Miatas are awesome too BTW

scottish people say aboot, and possibly some newfies. thats aboot it.

annoyance, i think the problem is YOU guys have the accent. i get buffalo channels here and the accent is hilarious. like TAPS friendly markets.

theres a farking huge difference between the oo and ow sound in the way 99% of canadians speak.

Phil Herup 2008-07-19 08:50:33 AM
Backing into your spot is retarded.

#1 you look like a douche while doing it

#2 Backing into a small confined space is much more difficult than backing out into a wide open parking lot.

#3 It takes more time, which I could care less about your time, but usually you are wasting mine and others as we wait for you to do your extra special parking job.

#4 you look like a douche while doing it


/often it is dudes in their tough guy pick-ups, which I have yet to figure out this phenomena

The truck drivers do it because their cars are too wide to pull in with one single attempt if they go front-first. By backing in, the pivot point of the car is closer to the space and you can better maneuver into the space.

A car/truck's pivot point is right over the back axle. So you can see why it's easier to back in since you have much better control of the vehicle and you are only rotating vs. rotating and advancing which is what you have to do to pull in front-forward.

Phil Herup: /drives S2000 and parks normal, backs out slowly and carefully.

/Miatas are awesome too BTW

Thanks, nice car for you, too.

I disagree with what you say.

I still say my experience is that the people who take as long as you're complaining about to back into a spot are likely the same people who need 4 point or more turns to get out -- and it's just as long if you're the one they pulled out in front of you as if when they're backing in -- they'll turn the wheel too late and can't make the turn, then have to back up but not enough to clear again (a friend of mine does this -- drives me nuts when I'm in his car with him).

I will admit I tend to drive into spots at a grocery store, though -- it's just easier to take the cart up to the trunk that way rather than carrying the groceries around between the cars. Driveways, work, and anywhere I'm not expecting to load up the trunk, though, I'll back in.

'course, given the size of my car, I'm pretty quick about it.

I went to school with many Canadians, have a couple Canadian friends, and a Canadian roommate. And they are all Westerners and Toronto people. No matter how much they deny it, it's there.

Americans say it more like "abowt" and "owt."

Canadians may make it sound like "aboat" but it sounds like "aboot" and "oot" to American ears.

Regardless, I still don't get why all the Canadians I know get so defensive and personal whenever someone (especially an American) points it out.

mdsh00: I went to school with many Canadians, have a couple Canadian friends, and a Canadian roommate. And they are all Westerners and Toronto people. No matter how much they deny it, it's there.

Americans say it more like "abowt" and "owt."

Canadians may make it sound like "aboat" but it sounds like "aboot" and "oot" to American ears.

Regardless, I still don't get why all the Canadians I know get so defensive and personal whenever someone (especially an American) points it out.

Because for the most part, Americans are smug about it.

And people from Toronto sound totally different from Maritimers. You think people from T-Dot are bad...goto PEI, Cape Breton or NFLD.

johnnyboog: Because for the most part, Americans are smug about it.

Canadians calling Americans smug? LoL!

Phil Herup: /often it is dudes in their tough guy pick-ups, which I have yet to figure out this phenomena

As a former owner of a tough guy pick-up (it was a necessary and integral part of my job, a tool so to speak. Kind of like you) I can tell you that it's much easier to back a large truck into a tight space.

Fano: Seeing the post about retards parking their giant trucks backwards, yeah, that would take like 2 minutes.

Not really. It's usually faster than pulling in, as you can do it in one shot rather than several corrective moves. It's the same reason that most forklifts and towmotors steer with the rear wheels.


Fano: Although I guess since they can't see to the sides when backing and turning, it makes sense (although how do they avoid hitting the cars on either side of the space?)


They have these wonderful devices known as mirrors, on both sides of the truck. Someone that actually knows how to use mirrors for driving (as opposed to applying make-up and fixing their hair) can drive backwards in straight lines for very long distances. It comes in handy when placing large items, such as trailers, in very precise locations.

nhcfark: Chuck Ruffcorn

I think you be confusing Canucks with Newfies, who have a unique dialectic affliction. They are a unique protected subspecies originally found only on a remote and desolate island where rules for parking allow access for natives only and are rigidly enforced, but have successfully moved inland and set up numerous colonies on the praries

Gots lotsa d' b'ys out 'ere, eh. Dey knows where d'money's at.

Firefly4F4: 'course, given the size of my car, I'm pretty quick about it.

Miata's are quick and nimble and can be backed in right quick.

It is the douche's in their pick-up trucks with VOLUNTEER FIREMAN on them or soccer moms in their minivans that are the worst.

Esn: I live in Toronto and have never heard anyone say "oot" or "aboot". They're pronounced more like "ah-oot" and "ah-bah-oot".

Where does that stereotype come from? Did Canadians really talk like that once?

I think it's just the contrast to Americans who have a more nasally way of pronouncing things. I figure to them it sounds like aboot because most of them say something closer to "abaout". House is another one that easterners tend to have the same pronounciation. "Haoose". I notice mostly on HGTV when my wife watches renovation and new home shows from out east.

i came here for hot Canadian women .. and leave disappointed :(

pretty sure someone mentioned this already, but...


we pronounce it closer to "a boat" than "a boot"

But you don't say boat like Americans do either. When you say boat it still sounds like "oo" to an American.

Fano: Because they live in America's hat. Back in school, I knew a guy that we called Dave the Angry Canadian. You could always rile him up by teasing him on Canadian stuff. The usual setup was to display some knowledge of Canada (since we Americans are notorious for not having any idea of Canada's govt, history, TV, etc.) to lull him, then a quick slam (provinces are like states, right? Is the governors mansion an igloo? etc.)

Haha! We do that too to get a rise out of our Canadian classmates. They get so touchy and angry at the igloo and "what is that like 5 American dollars."

Canadians, do you realize many Americans intentionally make those igloo, sled, and dollar conversion jokes just to get a kick out of you guys getting genuinely angry about it?

Americans are used to getting crapped on by the rest of the world so we can take it. Just laugh along with the jokes instead of calling us "imperialist warmongerers" and the jokes will stop.

The whole idea behind Right on Red was to save fuel, thank you President Ford.

But they then force you to stop at junctions? A rolling stop would use less fuel.

Fano,
mdsh00


I have noticed the same thing.

I Shouldn't say this because it's just going to make a Canadian angry, but it's kind of an inferiority complex.

It's not that they feel inferior to Americans per se, they just feel like nobody else notices the difference.

I remember about a year ago when Canada's government got pissed because the US sent a submarine under the polar ice caps and was under "their ice". To me thats just a cry for attention. I mean really, Canada's borders are like goalposts. The only reason they have claim to that top part is because nobody else bothered to dispute it.

trouzourt: i came here for hot Canadian women .. and leave disappointed :(

This.

it's customary (and usually mandatory) when parking your pickup truck at a rigsite or any other potentially hazardous location to back in so that in the event of an emergency you can get the fark out of there with minimum delay

About/aboot 90% of the people I see backing into parking spaces are black. The rest are pretty much large trucks which as noted above it actually makes sense with. I'm not really sure why backing into a parking space would be a cultural thing but around here it appears to be. The only logic I can see behind it is to show off a car but some of the cars I see being backed in aren't worth bragging about/aboot.

As an aside, one day I was in a restaurant parking lot with my girlfriend and this guy was backing into a spot and I don't remember why but she points at him and asks "Why is that guy blacking into that parking spot?" without even realizing what she had said. I got a big kick out of it and I've been calling it that ever since. So much so that it's not even really a joke anymore, that's just what it's called, blacking into a parking space.