Happy Canada Day!
Lately I've been thinking about what it means to be Canadian. Well, more often than usual, that is, and I can safely say that I think about it a lot, especially when interacting in a global forum such as the internet.
Since today is Canada Day, it seems like an appropriate time to spend reflecting on my national identity... But I will throw in some pictures of The Canadian Pretty later today, so no worries -- I promise to provide at least a little redeeming eyecandy to balance out the navel-gazing. ^_~
I wouldn't let someone take my Canadian citizenship from me for anything.
~ Jim Kale
I wouldn't trade being a Canadian for the world. Not for the world. It's funny, being so attacted to something that is, essentially, an accident of birth. After all, I wouldn't be a Canadian if my mother's ancestors had not immigrated from the United Kingdom generations ago, and my father's father and grandmother had independently decided to stay in Austria and the Ukraine (respectively). But they came here, and now I am here, and I am so attached to the ideals of this nation, to the people, to the land itself that I truly cannot separate myself from it. I am Canadian, and no matter how far and wide I range, I always will be.
It is wonderful to feel the grandness of Canada in the raw, not because she is Canada but because she's something sublime that you were born into, some great rugged power that you are a part of.
~ Emily Carr
Being Canadian is something visceral, as I suspect all national identities are. It is always present, always a factor in my interactions with other people, but in my day to day life it is relegated to a constant hum in the background; an electric current that runs up and down my spine, and through my veins, surfacing only when comparisons need to be made. ("That's not very Canadian." "Canadians don't behave that way! They'd never get away with it!" -- We are nothing if not cultural snobs, and I mean that in the most loving way possible.)
Canadian pride may not rest on our sleeves, but it resides deeply in our hearts.
~ Steve Miller
It is only when I come into contact with others who are not of this land that that hum rises into my ears, my eyes and my throat. It tinges what I hear, so that I can clearly distinguish the differences between myself and others -- the suddenly apparent rounded sounds of my vowels, the 'u's that populate and stretch out my words, the myriad of different accents that come back at me, twisting and snapping words in unfamiliar ways. It tinges my sight, and I see not only the differences in customs and relations, but also the way I am perceived as "Canadian." It tinges my speech, the hum metamorphosizing into words and sentences that emphasize my difference, tracing lines and boundaries, building Territories and Provinces and a nation, setting up my independence, my dependence on Canada as a concept. My identity as a Canadian stretches past what it says on my passport. It is a deep and abiding feeling that makes my heart pound painfully when I look at the land itself and remember where I am, and who I am.
Canadian nationalism is a subtle, easily misunderstood but powerful reality, expressed in a way that is not too state directed -- something like a beer commercial or the death of a significant Canadian figure.
~ Paul Kopas
Canadians have been duped into believing we have no real identity; it's a prevailing ideology. Sociologist tell us that we simply wax and wane in the shadow of giants, no culture to speak of other than what we have borrowed from England, France and the United States. And on the whole, we believe the lie.
Yet I've seen it manifest itself in a myriad of ways. Ex-patriot Canadians are more likely to retain their citizenship in the Great White North than ex-pats from other countries. We consciously advertise our nationality when travelling, whether it's through lapel pins, flag patches sewn onto backpacks, or a sudden upswing in the number of times we use "eh" in a conversation. We exhibit these signs in greater numbers than almost any other country in the world. We talk about the ideals of peace, multiculturalism, and universal health care, and at the same time we're not afraid to suggest our leaders take a long walk off a short pier without fear of reprisal. We've got to be the only country in the world that allows the existence of a party specifically devoted to breaking up the country, and then gives that party a say in how we run the government. We have a government-funded media corporation that is possibly more critical of the government than any privately-funded media outlet could be. We are Canadians. We bitch, we moan, we refuse to violently rebel. Peace, order, and good government, dammit. That's who we are.
Our hopes are high. Our faith in the people is great. Our courage is strong. And our dreams for this beautiful country will never die.
~ Pierre Trudeau
Since today is Canada Day, it seems like an appropriate time to spend reflecting on my national identity... But I will throw in some pictures of The Canadian Pretty later today, so no worries -- I promise to provide at least a little redeeming eyecandy to balance out the navel-gazing. ^_~
I wouldn't let someone take my Canadian citizenship from me for anything.
~ Jim Kale
I wouldn't trade being a Canadian for the world. Not for the world. It's funny, being so attacted to something that is, essentially, an accident of birth. After all, I wouldn't be a Canadian if my mother's ancestors had not immigrated from the United Kingdom generations ago, and my father's father and grandmother had independently decided to stay in Austria and the Ukraine (respectively). But they came here, and now I am here, and I am so attached to the ideals of this nation, to the people, to the land itself that I truly cannot separate myself from it. I am Canadian, and no matter how far and wide I range, I always will be.
It is wonderful to feel the grandness of Canada in the raw, not because she is Canada but because she's something sublime that you were born into, some great rugged power that you are a part of.
~ Emily Carr
Being Canadian is something visceral, as I suspect all national identities are. It is always present, always a factor in my interactions with other people, but in my day to day life it is relegated to a constant hum in the background; an electric current that runs up and down my spine, and through my veins, surfacing only when comparisons need to be made. ("That's not very Canadian." "Canadians don't behave that way! They'd never get away with it!" -- We are nothing if not cultural snobs, and I mean that in the most loving way possible.)
Canadian pride may not rest on our sleeves, but it resides deeply in our hearts.
~ Steve Miller
It is only when I come into contact with others who are not of this land that that hum rises into my ears, my eyes and my throat. It tinges what I hear, so that I can clearly distinguish the differences between myself and others -- the suddenly apparent rounded sounds of my vowels, the 'u's that populate and stretch out my words, the myriad of different accents that come back at me, twisting and snapping words in unfamiliar ways. It tinges my sight, and I see not only the differences in customs and relations, but also the way I am perceived as "Canadian." It tinges my speech, the hum metamorphosizing into words and sentences that emphasize my difference, tracing lines and boundaries, building Territories and Provinces and a nation, setting up my independence, my dependence on Canada as a concept. My identity as a Canadian stretches past what it says on my passport. It is a deep and abiding feeling that makes my heart pound painfully when I look at the land itself and remember where I am, and who I am.
Canadian nationalism is a subtle, easily misunderstood but powerful reality, expressed in a way that is not too state directed -- something like a beer commercial or the death of a significant Canadian figure.
~ Paul Kopas
Canadians have been duped into believing we have no real identity; it's a prevailing ideology. Sociologist tell us that we simply wax and wane in the shadow of giants, no culture to speak of other than what we have borrowed from England, France and the United States. And on the whole, we believe the lie.
Yet I've seen it manifest itself in a myriad of ways. Ex-patriot Canadians are more likely to retain their citizenship in the Great White North than ex-pats from other countries. We consciously advertise our nationality when travelling, whether it's through lapel pins, flag patches sewn onto backpacks, or a sudden upswing in the number of times we use "eh" in a conversation. We exhibit these signs in greater numbers than almost any other country in the world. We talk about the ideals of peace, multiculturalism, and universal health care, and at the same time we're not afraid to suggest our leaders take a long walk off a short pier without fear of reprisal. We've got to be the only country in the world that allows the existence of a party specifically devoted to breaking up the country, and then gives that party a say in how we run the government. We have a government-funded media corporation that is possibly more critical of the government than any privately-funded media outlet could be. We are Canadians. We bitch, we moan, we refuse to violently rebel. Peace, order, and good government, dammit. That's who we are.
Our hopes are high. Our faith in the people is great. Our courage is strong. And our dreams for this beautiful country will never die.
~ Pierre Trudeau