Why I Don't Care All That Much About Canada Anymore
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I was surfing the web when I happened upon this article: Jay Baruchel Is Scared The U.S. Is Going To Take Over Canada
I wrote up a comment in the comment section that ended up being as long as an essay. Since I put that much work into it I though that I'd post it here too.
Why I Don't Care All That Much About Canada Anymore
(I also ended up giving it a title, do you think this is a sign I've been in university for too long?)
When I was in high school I used to be really patriotic about Canada and I had a lot of the same fears as Mr. Baruchel. However over the last few years I've found it more and more difficult to care about Canada. I just don't think Canada has its own distinct culture anymore.
It seems as though we've come to believe that "culture" is composed of whatever set of funny clothes and interesting food dishes a particular group of people wear and eat. We've so embraced the multicultural ideal, that it doesn't matter what culture people are and everyone should just be able to be whatever they want. With the result that there is no solid idea of what a Canadian is.
Culture doesn't really play a role in most people's lives anymore. Culture is something that happens when people live with, and interact with each other every day. They come up with a set of ideas and modes of behavior that help us communicate with each other and get along with each other, and most importantly connect people together. When two people people belong to the same culture they aren't just another guy on the street like any other. The two people see each other more like family, in that they want to see the other person as happy, fulfilled, and capable as possible, not only for its own sake but because they also know that the other person is going to try and make sure the same is true for them. When you belong to the same culture you have each other's back, you help, each other, you trust one another.
Its easier for you to do so with someone who is, as opposed to someone who is not part of your culture because you share a set of similar experiences and ideas about the world. Therefore its easier to agree with that person's view of how the world works, easier to communicate with each other because you share the same set of metaphors, slang words, references, etc. For example if two people have read the Lord of the Rings and one of them tries to communicate to the other just how worn out and depressed they are they can say "I feel like Frodo when he was walking through Mordor." the other person is so much more likely to get an accurate picture of just how the person communicating to him really feels.
But the problem is that people these days are increasingly disconnected to one another. People spend more time alone in front of the computer or TV instead of entertaining each other by getting together socially. Contrary to what people commonly believe that our society is far more tolerant and accepting of differences than it used to be when our parents, grandparents, great-grand parents, etc were young, we are generally much more intolerant of each other's differences which keeps people from forming lasting connections. Yes we have had tolerance of different skin colours, religions, sexual orientation, etc hammered into us. But those intolerances have simply been replaced by new forms of intolerance. People who have different political beliefs, people who either lack or possess physical beauty, people who are socially awkward, people who have different ideas of what is/isn't acceptable social behavior, people who are just plain weird, people who have emotional/mental problems that they haven't been able to solve, really anyone who cannot match up to our own personal standards are at best, kept at arms length and only interacted with when necessary.
This results in most people being unable to forum lasting bonds with others and other than immediate family members, the closest social connections we make are what I call "acquaintances". These are people who one would today generally refer to as a "friend", in that they are enjoyable to get together with to go to dinner or, a movie, or to play a game of Dungeons and Dragons with. But you wouldn't greatly inconvenience yourself in order to help them out or be willing to tolerate the negative personality the other person has before telling them you don't want to hang out with them anymore. The long two acquaintances get to know each other the more they start to drop the social masks people create when they are first getting to know one another, and start showing the other person who they really are. Due to the fact that we are so much more intolerant these days of any negative personality traits and are unable to stand being around people who have them, it is almost impossible these days for two people to maintain a social relationship with each other that lasts beyond the the "acquaintance" stage.
Our nation, as well as most of the other nations that make up western civilization today are no longer "cultures" as we are increasingly unable to form social groups with one another. All we are is a society of isolated individuals who live in close proximity to one another but are not socially, or emotionally connected to one another. We don't have a culture (beyond the superficial trappings) because culture is formed by connecting with other human beings. The stronger the connection, the stronger the culture. We have little to no connection with each other, thus we have no culture.
I believe this is why I've become indifferent to whether Canada continues to exist as a nation or not. Really the only reason I prefer living her instead of the U.S. is the health care system. And if Canada were absorbed by the U.S and I still want to live in an English speaking country with government provided healthcare then I'll just move to Britain. My mum and her family moved here from Scotland when she was a kid so I shouldn't be too difficult to get citizenship there. I might move there anyway because based on the time I spent in the Scottish countryside it would be easier to find people who accept me for who I am and for me to form cultural/social connections with them.
I feel sorry about this when I was a teenager and was so enthusiastic about the idea of Canada. I think it was because I was such an isolated loner in high school and I thought that when I finally graduated that I would easily be able to find something bigger than myself, a group who would be accepting of me for who I am. However based on my experience the promise of a nation sized family is just a lot of empty words spouted by politicians and Molson Beer commercials. All I've been able to find is a casual acquaintance who will tolerate me being around so long as I entertain them and want nothing to do with me as soon as I show any sign of not being able to conform tho their own personal standards of behavior and conduct. I don't care that much about Canada because as far as I can tell Canada doesn't exist.
Wow, this ended up being way longer than thought it would be. :P
I wrote up a comment in the comment section that ended up being as long as an essay. Since I put that much work into it I though that I'd post it here too.
Why I Don't Care All That Much About Canada Anymore
(I also ended up giving it a title, do you think this is a sign I've been in university for too long?)
When I was in high school I used to be really patriotic about Canada and I had a lot of the same fears as Mr. Baruchel. However over the last few years I've found it more and more difficult to care about Canada. I just don't think Canada has its own distinct culture anymore.
It seems as though we've come to believe that "culture" is composed of whatever set of funny clothes and interesting food dishes a particular group of people wear and eat. We've so embraced the multicultural ideal, that it doesn't matter what culture people are and everyone should just be able to be whatever they want. With the result that there is no solid idea of what a Canadian is.
Culture doesn't really play a role in most people's lives anymore. Culture is something that happens when people live with, and interact with each other every day. They come up with a set of ideas and modes of behavior that help us communicate with each other and get along with each other, and most importantly connect people together. When two people people belong to the same culture they aren't just another guy on the street like any other. The two people see each other more like family, in that they want to see the other person as happy, fulfilled, and capable as possible, not only for its own sake but because they also know that the other person is going to try and make sure the same is true for them. When you belong to the same culture you have each other's back, you help, each other, you trust one another.
Its easier for you to do so with someone who is, as opposed to someone who is not part of your culture because you share a set of similar experiences and ideas about the world. Therefore its easier to agree with that person's view of how the world works, easier to communicate with each other because you share the same set of metaphors, slang words, references, etc. For example if two people have read the Lord of the Rings and one of them tries to communicate to the other just how worn out and depressed they are they can say "I feel like Frodo when he was walking through Mordor." the other person is so much more likely to get an accurate picture of just how the person communicating to him really feels.
But the problem is that people these days are increasingly disconnected to one another. People spend more time alone in front of the computer or TV instead of entertaining each other by getting together socially. Contrary to what people commonly believe that our society is far more tolerant and accepting of differences than it used to be when our parents, grandparents, great-grand parents, etc were young, we are generally much more intolerant of each other's differences which keeps people from forming lasting connections. Yes we have had tolerance of different skin colours, religions, sexual orientation, etc hammered into us. But those intolerances have simply been replaced by new forms of intolerance. People who have different political beliefs, people who either lack or possess physical beauty, people who are socially awkward, people who have different ideas of what is/isn't acceptable social behavior, people who are just plain weird, people who have emotional/mental problems that they haven't been able to solve, really anyone who cannot match up to our own personal standards are at best, kept at arms length and only interacted with when necessary.
This results in most people being unable to forum lasting bonds with others and other than immediate family members, the closest social connections we make are what I call "acquaintances". These are people who one would today generally refer to as a "friend", in that they are enjoyable to get together with to go to dinner or, a movie, or to play a game of Dungeons and Dragons with. But you wouldn't greatly inconvenience yourself in order to help them out or be willing to tolerate the negative personality the other person has before telling them you don't want to hang out with them anymore. The long two acquaintances get to know each other the more they start to drop the social masks people create when they are first getting to know one another, and start showing the other person who they really are. Due to the fact that we are so much more intolerant these days of any negative personality traits and are unable to stand being around people who have them, it is almost impossible these days for two people to maintain a social relationship with each other that lasts beyond the the "acquaintance" stage.
Our nation, as well as most of the other nations that make up western civilization today are no longer "cultures" as we are increasingly unable to form social groups with one another. All we are is a society of isolated individuals who live in close proximity to one another but are not socially, or emotionally connected to one another. We don't have a culture (beyond the superficial trappings) because culture is formed by connecting with other human beings. The stronger the connection, the stronger the culture. We have little to no connection with each other, thus we have no culture.
I believe this is why I've become indifferent to whether Canada continues to exist as a nation or not. Really the only reason I prefer living her instead of the U.S. is the health care system. And if Canada were absorbed by the U.S and I still want to live in an English speaking country with government provided healthcare then I'll just move to Britain. My mum and her family moved here from Scotland when she was a kid so I shouldn't be too difficult to get citizenship there. I might move there anyway because based on the time I spent in the Scottish countryside it would be easier to find people who accept me for who I am and for me to form cultural/social connections with them.
I feel sorry about this when I was a teenager and was so enthusiastic about the idea of Canada. I think it was because I was such an isolated loner in high school and I thought that when I finally graduated that I would easily be able to find something bigger than myself, a group who would be accepting of me for who I am. However based on my experience the promise of a nation sized family is just a lot of empty words spouted by politicians and Molson Beer commercials. All I've been able to find is a casual acquaintance who will tolerate me being around so long as I entertain them and want nothing to do with me as soon as I show any sign of not being able to conform tho their own personal standards of behavior and conduct. I don't care that much about Canada because as far as I can tell Canada doesn't exist.
Wow, this ended up being way longer than thought it would be. :P
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I skimmed more than I read so sorry if my response is overlooking part of what you've said. It sounds like you're viewing a lack of a specific cultural grounding due to multiculturalism as the reason people leading western lives are unable to form meaningful connections with others. Would the more American mixing pot model help things as an alternative to multiculturalism or are you suggesting countries should remain homogenous and discourage imigration? I find the latter kind of problematic. Culture is also a weird concept that the people within often don't even think about. The lack of Canadian culture could be as much your own internalization of this culture as it is an actual absense. Like you said, food and dress aren't really what defines culture at its core, but they are marketable and exchangable things so its easy to see why we talk about them as culture.
Anyway, I would say it is more the western get ahead/individualist lifestyle that causes you to diagnos Canadians as isolated than it is a lack of a core culture per say. Since this attitude is itself a culture value, well look at that, it is actually the presense of a widespread culturally coded attitude that leads to this feeling. (Edit: That or its kinda due to consummer pop culture and maybe the depersonal aspects of social media). But yeah, Canada's a big place. I live on the coast of bc and, while I have felt isolated at times, its more caused by my own personality and confidence issues + self absorbed hobbies. But I have made meaningful connections with people on my campus and elsewhere, connections that often are intercultural in terms of ethnicity and language soo iunno. I do agree North American society in general has its problems in terms of how the social machine is set up but I wouldn't blame a mixing of ethnicities as the cause of this.
Anyway, I would say it is more the western get ahead/individualist lifestyle that causes you to diagnos Canadians as isolated than it is a lack of a core culture per say. Since this attitude is itself a culture value, well look at that, it is actually the presense of a widespread culturally coded attitude that leads to this feeling. (Edit: That or its kinda due to consummer pop culture and maybe the depersonal aspects of social media). But yeah, Canada's a big place. I live on the coast of bc and, while I have felt isolated at times, its more caused by my own personality and confidence issues + self absorbed hobbies. But I have made meaningful connections with people on my campus and elsewhere, connections that often are intercultural in terms of ethnicity and language soo iunno. I do agree North American society in general has its problems in terms of how the social machine is set up but I wouldn't blame a mixing of ethnicities as the cause of this.
1
I have lived in Canada for a decade already, and came to your conclusion after 2 weeks of coming here.
I congratulate you on your enlightenment. When you realized that you lack culture, you have opened yourself the chance to gain one (if you so desire). And thats pretty cool bro.
P.S: I actually read your wall of text, which i rarely ever do, and it was quite interesting :3
I congratulate you on your enlightenment. When you realized that you lack culture, you have opened yourself the chance to gain one (if you so desire). And thats pretty cool bro.
P.S: I actually read your wall of text, which i rarely ever do, and it was quite interesting :3
0
What you are describing is the social dynamics of city life everywhere. You might bring your small town outlook, but it isn't likely to survive a generation or two. This really stems from Mankind living in much smaller groups of a few dozen up until a few thousand years ago, that was how man lived and evolved. That is why we close ourselves off a bit when encountering a high population, and select our tribe by befriending people. You can form close bonds, but modern life often has many interruptions to normal social interactions of cooperation that our ancestors would have had, such as planting, harvesting, trade and family. Now we have to form multiple partial social groups at work, play and even family who you no longer always work, play and rest with.
Even the way a city goer takes note of what is around them, they sneak looks and keeps their head down. This isn't out of rudeness, this is normal social behavior around strangers. Watch one of the many movies out there about this and rediscover, it's not culture mixing, it is population size. And while cultures might meld and change and become something not so recognizable, I don't thing mixing makes it bland, its the antisocial dynamics of crowded city life, that is what happens.
Even the way a city goer takes note of what is around them, they sneak looks and keeps their head down. This isn't out of rudeness, this is normal social behavior around strangers. Watch one of the many movies out there about this and rediscover, it's not culture mixing, it is population size. And while cultures might meld and change and become something not so recognizable, I don't thing mixing makes it bland, its the antisocial dynamics of crowded city life, that is what happens.
-1
Normal English text:
Where the fuck are your patriotism if you don't like your own country. Man you have a serious issues about your country and my advice is: Go to United States and follow this address: 4337 Chesterfield, Brooklyn Shores and I will give you some guns you need and the expenses are for free.
Gangsta English text:
Where tha fuck is yo' patriotizzle if you don't like yo' own ghetto. Man you gotz a straight-up thangs bout yo' ghetto n' mah lyrics is: Go ta United Hoodz n' follow dis address: 4337 Chesterfield, Brooklyn Shores n' I'ma hit you wit some glocks you need n' tha expenses is fo' free.
Where the fuck are your patriotism if you don't like your own country. Man you have a serious issues about your country and my advice is: Go to United States and follow this address: 4337 Chesterfield, Brooklyn Shores and I will give you some guns you need and the expenses are for free.
Gangsta English text:
Where tha fuck is yo' patriotizzle if you don't like yo' own ghetto. Man you gotz a straight-up thangs bout yo' ghetto n' mah lyrics is: Go ta United Hoodz n' follow dis address: 4337 Chesterfield, Brooklyn Shores n' I'ma hit you wit some glocks you need n' tha expenses is fo' free.
1
What we see is the ebb and flow of society. There are times when countries are weaker and stronger. While the article you linked shows some valid concern, it skims over many other things. Such as a change over in governmental administration which can drastically change the flow of economics especially in the movie industry.
Canada will not disappear as a country because of the strength of the united states because the strength of the unites states is a myth. Look at their social and economic structure. It's impossible for them to sustain a society on that level of poverty, when the rich has so much money. And add into the social anger being generated over their police state mentality and brutality towards citizens, especially those of race, they are already dooming themselves.
The world in general is suffering from an economic hardship, if you think Scotland is any better, you need to look again. Just because a few people accepted you, doesn't mean the country as a whole will. This is provided that they don't suffer from economic and social collapse before then. There are already religious and race battles breaking out across the UK, with things like the muslim patrols and Christian activists. A resurgence in pressure from the IRA, who are waging a war on drugs by killing people.
The world is not getting better, and it's not shifting towards certain countries having global power. This is a temporary situation.
The real test is coming in the next 50 year. We're talking mass migrations of over a billion people across the world as land becomes uninhabitable due to sea level rise, salting much of the coastal areas, increasing storm size. Our fracking to get oil has destabilized more area making them prone to earth quakes and we have literally thousands of volcanoes on mass surveillance because they could explode at any time, like Yellowstone park.
If you want to know why I still care about Canada, is because this might be the last safe place on the planet.
Canada will not disappear as a country because of the strength of the united states because the strength of the unites states is a myth. Look at their social and economic structure. It's impossible for them to sustain a society on that level of poverty, when the rich has so much money. And add into the social anger being generated over their police state mentality and brutality towards citizens, especially those of race, they are already dooming themselves.
The world in general is suffering from an economic hardship, if you think Scotland is any better, you need to look again. Just because a few people accepted you, doesn't mean the country as a whole will. This is provided that they don't suffer from economic and social collapse before then. There are already religious and race battles breaking out across the UK, with things like the muslim patrols and Christian activists. A resurgence in pressure from the IRA, who are waging a war on drugs by killing people.
The world is not getting better, and it's not shifting towards certain countries having global power. This is a temporary situation.
The real test is coming in the next 50 year. We're talking mass migrations of over a billion people across the world as land becomes uninhabitable due to sea level rise, salting much of the coastal areas, increasing storm size. Our fracking to get oil has destabilized more area making them prone to earth quakes and we have literally thousands of volcanoes on mass surveillance because they could explode at any time, like Yellowstone park.
If you want to know why I still care about Canada, is because this might be the last safe place on the planet.
