borrowed nation
Part of my BA/English Major requirements is to have credits in Canadian literature. This caused a great deal of annoyance because I had previously dismissed Canadian literature as naturalistic and boring. My Canadian lit class is now probably my favourite class this semester because the material and the Prof are amazing. I confirmed two things this first 2 weeks of class about myself and Canada - 1. I am, as ever, politically inept, and 2. I actually have an opinion on Canadian politics regardless of the former discovery.Social conservative, George Grant, mourned for Canadian nationalism, which has been abandoned for a seemingly more attractive American culture. He continues, with his notion, that scientific advancements and technological progress will inevitably give politicians power to make one homogeneous society. Canada is being assimilated with the United States and its culture is fading while attempting to progress. Grant outlines the irony behind Canada’s ambition for advancement; its aspirations for progression has to lead to no actual progress, and therefore, Canada is disappearing as a nation and reappearing as an annex of the United States.
Western civilisation portrays consumer culture and scientific discoveries as the means to achieving perfection. Individuals are given the idea that being immersed in this form of materialism will seemingly fulfill their lives. Every few months, there’s an updated version of a product that is giving the illusion that our society is achieving this generation’s expectations of greatness. Our country’s worth, and its citizens, is being measured by materialism, monetary value and technological advancement; all of this culminates in Grant’s idea of American greed.
Today, the idea of the American Dream, is not only marketed strictly to Americans, but has become a global phenomenon representing achievement. Everyone is pressured to follow this goal that has been established by American society. The qualities that describe this "dream", are to be wealthy, to have power and prestige; however, the inability to live up to the societal expectations of their culture will therefore create a sense of failure and inferiority. This is a socially constructed reality, forced onto us by consumer commodity capitalism and the obsession with appropriation.
Our passivity is allowing the Americans to bully their way into our homes and seduce us into thinking that their way is the right way. I won’t deny that I prefer many things that have originated in the States, and that more often than not, the USA is made up of a fine bunch of people. The point is, however, we don’t have a distinction between us and the United States. Canada is becoming startlingly similar to the United States in culture and attitude at an increasingly rapid pace. This conformity that our society is leaning towards, renders our individual identity inconsequential. Emerson said, ‘imitation is suicide". By becoming the reflection of our southern border, we risk erasing our own, albeit young, identity. A common description of Canadian culture is ‘’not American’’; but besides not being American, what are we?
posted by Joyce @ 8:34 PM
3 Comments:
Hmmm... Neat. It made me think of two things: Patriotism isn't really any older than the 20th century, and that it's become no longer a taboo for a Japanese businessman to sleep on the subway.
I think the distinction between Canada and the US are pretty clear for Canadians in the US and Americans in Canada. Everyone else sees a big blob that we refer to as culture. But the true essence of Canadian culture lies in the little things that we don't really think about. The fact that Canada does not officially have a two party system for example is huge because it redefines the way opinions are professed in Canada. The difference doesn't really show until you've really lived in the other country. After 6 years of living in the States, I'm still realizing new differences. It really shows. You'll be surprised at how many Canadians show their pride in the US.
-Sallymander
Wow such a serious post... Anyway, I don't think culture is all about the material things, there's a lot of beliefs involved, and especially now, Canadian values seem to be quite different from American ones, especially in the power base. Canadians lean towards multiculturalism, whereas the US is more like a melting pot where people conform to the standard. We're also more liberal than the U.S. Their Democrats are pretty much like our Conservative party. You can also see that there is a much clearer distinction between religion and politics here, whereas in the States, religion is free to play a heavy role in forming policies. We are not heading anywhere towards those values, rather it seems like we're heading away from them. We cherish our liberties, our right to choose, our separation of church and state. We allow homosexual people to marry, even though it may be against the beliefs of the majority, because the constitution assures each of us of our equality. In the States, they are in the process of creating legislation to prevent anything of the sort because it goes against their (right-wing Christian) family values, equality be damned.
Yes, we are buying their products, watching their TV shows and movies, and listening to their music, but Canada's core values are remaining distinct from those of the States. I think Grant needs to look deeper than just the material when analysing Canadian nationalism. After all, you don't see us flocking to baseball, America's favourite sport, just because it's on TV.
And, I have no idea what Janita is talking about. Of course patriotism is older than the 20th century. Otherwise there wouldn't have been any wars before 1900! And what does Japanese businessmen have to do with Canadian nationalism??
You know, you really need a comment thing where you can reply to your comments haha...
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