Are you Canadian?
So I was taking this Canadian Studies class this semester (which I ended up dropping..) and it was on Canadian culture -- WTF is it?
In summary, being Canadian is just about being someone else, as far as I can tell. Pull all the good things out of European culture. Add in some Northern Hardiness. Ignore the indigenous culture. NO, WAIT! Appropriate all the interesting, beautiful bits of it, and then assimilate and destroy the people. Glad we got that out of the way.
I wear a Canadian flag on my backpack. What does this tell people? I'm probably polite. I'm nice. I've probably met a Mountie. Maybe even a beaver. Céline Dion is my neighbour. No biggie.
I have no Canadian ethnic dance, food (don't talk to me about poutine), custom, festival.... I just borrow those of my great-great-great-great-great-great-grandparents.
How many people tell you about their background? Oh yeah, I'm Irish-Welsh-Scottish-German-French... or possibly a bit of Métis... No, French.
This somehow feels inadequate and false.
Why does it feel like I'm missing something?
In summary, being Canadian is just about being someone else, as far as I can tell. Pull all the good things out of European culture. Add in some Northern Hardiness. Ignore the indigenous culture. NO, WAIT! Appropriate all the interesting, beautiful bits of it, and then assimilate and destroy the people. Glad we got that out of the way.
I wear a Canadian flag on my backpack. What does this tell people? I'm probably polite. I'm nice. I've probably met a Mountie. Maybe even a beaver. Céline Dion is my neighbour. No biggie.
I have no Canadian ethnic dance, food (don't talk to me about poutine), custom, festival.... I just borrow those of my great-great-great-great-great-great-grandparents.
How many people tell you about their background? Oh yeah, I'm Irish-Welsh-Scottish-German-French... or possibly a bit of Métis... No, French.
This somehow feels inadequate and false.
Why does it feel like I'm missing something?