Very Interesting article I found: Canadian vs. American
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Americans think they know what is best for every country in the world except their own. Then,when a nation rejects all the supposed benefits of American capitalism-the bombings start.!
The truth is there is no single Canadian identity and more than there is an American identity, there is just English speaking Southern Ontario speaking on everyone elses behalf. Western Canadians are just as guilty by continuously lumping Atlantic Canada in with Ontario.
All talk of "what it is to be Canadian" is ultimately racist and regionalist, and hipocritical for claiming not to be.
All talk of "what it is to be Canadian" is ultimately racist and regionalist, and hipocritical for claiming not to be.
The problem with some americans they are brainwashed from an early age. They think everyone in the world wants to live there even though a UN survey that came out last year showed 82% of world people do not want to live there even though the poll found 98% of americans think everyone wants to live there.
I love Canada and the truth is we really are a more free country than America. If unfortunatly there is ever another terror attack in America their freedoms will erode even more. Sad.
I love Canada and the truth is we really are a more free country than America. If unfortunatly there is ever another terror attack in America their freedoms will erode even more. Sad.
I can go with that. I'll back away from the rest of the post, but this is a flash of truth.
I've got four different sets of Europeans in my family. The ones that define me most are the Ukrainians and the Irish. Why? Because those are the ones that are themselves without collapsing into some greater collective and yet are willing to be a part of the greater culture...accepting all those others.
That's a familial thing...there are plenty from within and without that contradict that, but in the end I identify with those two bits because they figured it out and got along. Plus they drink a lot.
Yes, in effect there is no one Canadain Identity if you look at it that way, just as there is no single American, or Britsh identity either. Many, if not all countries have had some form of immigrants over time that have added to their cultures. My point is to stand up for where you live, we can all trace our roots back to cave people or further if we wish to go back that far. Look at it this way, a player on a team, like the Vancouver Canucks for example, is identified as a Vancouver Canuck, you don't go around calling him a Soviet Canuck or Swedish Canuck with some Irish blood. Standing up for your country by being called a " Canadian " doesn't and can't change your roots, however it does show respect and support for where we live. You sure don't see people of a particular religion start calling themselves different names like a Spanish/Irish Christian. " Yes Minister, I would like special services for our sub group to help keep our identity " , Just a hunch, but I think that you would need to continue to attend the regular services.
Tacking on all these definitions on a nationality, speaking in a citizenship sense, is trying to be too identified. Your are a Canadian whether having been born here or having received citizenship. If the later is true, then it means that you moved here because you wanted to live here as opposed to the U.S. or Sweden or Nigeria. We live in a proud country not a collection of private members clubs. Setting yourself apart in a defined group really doesn't make you anymore special than any other Canadian, except in your own mind.
As a Canadian citizen, ever thought about travelling to the U.S. and telling the immigration/customs officer that you are a Russian/Irish Canadian ? Think the officer might want to ask a few more questions ? Like... what is you actual nationality?
As a citizen of Canada, the correct answer is .... You got it, Canadian.
Sure the immigration officer may have Irish blood, but you can bet he is proud enough to call himself an "American" ( single word ) regardless of his bloodline.
This post was not meant to pick on any particular nationality or religion.
Although I have made my roots known, just call me Canadian , EH!
Tacking on all these definitions on a nationality, speaking in a citizenship sense, is trying to be too identified. Your are a Canadian whether having been born here or having received citizenship. If the later is true, then it means that you moved here because you wanted to live here as opposed to the U.S. or Sweden or Nigeria. We live in a proud country not a collection of private members clubs. Setting yourself apart in a defined group really doesn't make you anymore special than any other Canadian, except in your own mind.
As a Canadian citizen, ever thought about travelling to the U.S. and telling the immigration/customs officer that you are a Russian/Irish Canadian ? Think the officer might want to ask a few more questions ? Like... what is you actual nationality?
As a citizen of Canada, the correct answer is .... You got it, Canadian.
Sure the immigration officer may have Irish blood, but you can bet he is proud enough to call himself an "American" ( single word ) regardless of his bloodline.
This post was not meant to pick on any particular nationality or religion.
Although I have made my roots known, just call me Canadian , EH!
For me, being of Southeast Asian origin, region is VERY important! I am from California, but when people tell me that Wyomingites or Iowans or West Virginians are my countrymen, um, no, I'll take British Columbia anyday. This whole Canada vs USA thing was invented by colonial morons who managed to pass along the ignorance by the generations. But you put me on either side of the border and my origin doesn't change. What changes is that I would not feel out of place in Vancouver (or Toronto, or even Calgary or Edmonton), but I would feel out of place in a great portion of the USA. Of course, the important thing is that I am not very particular about my ethnicity and I can get along with everybody, but I'm trying to make a point about how this Canada vs. USA thing is quite irrevelant to some of us who see both places as European-origin dominated multicultural polygots in which we stick out in some areas and not in others.
How many people know the first thing about Canada? In being canadian the only thing we have in common is that we are governed by a federal government. Most people don't even have an idea of how their government functions let alone what it does. Do some research into your federal government and you will quickly find that there is little to be proud of. Most of the changes that hard working canadians laboured at to make life better for us are now gone or fading fast. You may want to be proud of Canada simply because you've been told to, but it's funny to note that many people comment on how americans think they're the greatest place in the world, yet canadians think the exact same thing. In the US it's propaganda, what do we call it in canada?
The notion the our country is more 'free' than the US is simply ludicrous and can't even remotely be defended. Even under the Patriot Act (and Canada has a similar one) americans have far more electoral and referenda powers. At the municipal levels they have considerable powers, in canada your municipal government are pretty much bookkeepers who don't even have the final say on most issues. Canadians only see the media that comes out of states, how would it be in canada were judged internationally by what they saw of global and the National Post?
Finally, the fact is that canada is far more 'regionalist' and ethnic centred. The point is generally made that there is no canadian identity, that people are searching for one. That's just crazy, people 'identify' themselves all the time, if there is no canadian identity then there will be a different one. I am from the maritimes and I define myself far more on a regional level than a national one, I also can be identified linguistically, meaning that I speak english, however, language was pretty much omnipresent in New Brunswick society. I also identify myself as suburban more than urban or rural, each of those has pretty ingrained identifiers, but you have to live in an urban and rural setting before you recognize that. Finally, my ethnicity defines me, I have primarily loyalist blood in me, but mixed with native (maliceet) and irish. My point is that until you 'step outside the box' you can't analyze your culture.
The notion the our country is more 'free' than the US is simply ludicrous and can't even remotely be defended. Even under the Patriot Act (and Canada has a similar one) americans have far more electoral and referenda powers. At the municipal levels they have considerable powers, in canada your municipal government are pretty much bookkeepers who don't even have the final say on most issues. Canadians only see the media that comes out of states, how would it be in canada were judged internationally by what they saw of global and the National Post?
Finally, the fact is that canada is far more 'regionalist' and ethnic centred. The point is generally made that there is no canadian identity, that people are searching for one. That's just crazy, people 'identify' themselves all the time, if there is no canadian identity then there will be a different one. I am from the maritimes and I define myself far more on a regional level than a national one, I also can be identified linguistically, meaning that I speak english, however, language was pretty much omnipresent in New Brunswick society. I also identify myself as suburban more than urban or rural, each of those has pretty ingrained identifiers, but you have to live in an urban and rural setting before you recognize that. Finally, my ethnicity defines me, I have primarily loyalist blood in me, but mixed with native (maliceet) and irish. My point is that until you 'step outside the box' you can't analyze your culture.
How many people know the first thing about Canada? In being canadian the only thing we have in common is that we are governed by a federal government. Most people don't even have an idea of how their government functions let alone what it does. Do some research into your federal government and you will quickly find that there is little to be proud of. Most of the changes that hard working canadians laboured at to make life better for us are now gone or fading fast. You may want to be proud of Canada simply because you've been told to, but it's funny to note that many people comment on how americans think they're the greatest place in the world, yet canadians think the exact same thing. In the US it's propaganda, what do we call it in canada?
The notion the our country is more 'free' than the US is simply ludicrous and can't even remotely be defended. Even under the Patriot Act (and Canada has a similar one) americans have far more electoral and referenda powers. At the municipal levels they have considerable powers, in canada your municipal government are pretty much bookkeepers who don't even have the final say on most issues. Canadians only see the media that comes out of states, how would it be in canada were judged internationally by what they saw of global and the National Post?
Finally, the fact is that canada is far more 'regionalist' and ethnic centred. The point is generally made that there is no canadian identity, that people are searching for one. That's just crazy, people 'identify' themselves all the time, if there is no canadian identity then there will be a different one. I am from the maritimes and I define myself far more on a regional level than a national one, I also can be identified linguistically, meaning that I speak english, however, language was pretty much omnipresent in New Brunswick society. I also identify myself as suburban more than urban or rural, each of those has pretty ingrained identifiers, but you have to live in an urban and rural setting before you recognize that. Finally, my ethnicity defines me, I have primarily loyalist blood in me, but mixed with native (maliceet) and irish. My point is that until you 'step outside the box' you can't analyze your culture.
The notion the our country is more 'free' than the US is simply ludicrous and can't even remotely be defended. Even under the Patriot Act (and Canada has a similar one) americans have far more electoral and referenda powers. At the municipal levels they have considerable powers, in canada your municipal government are pretty much bookkeepers who don't even have the final say on most issues. Canadians only see the media that comes out of states, how would it be in canada were judged internationally by what they saw of global and the National Post?
Finally, the fact is that canada is far more 'regionalist' and ethnic centred. The point is generally made that there is no canadian identity, that people are searching for one. That's just crazy, people 'identify' themselves all the time, if there is no canadian identity then there will be a different one. I am from the maritimes and I define myself far more on a regional level than a national one, I also can be identified linguistically, meaning that I speak english, however, language was pretty much omnipresent in New Brunswick society. I also identify myself as suburban more than urban or rural, each of those has pretty ingrained identifiers, but you have to live in an urban and rural setting before you recognize that. Finally, my ethnicity defines me, I have primarily loyalist blood in me, but mixed with native (maliceet) and irish. My point is that until you 'step outside the box' you can't analyze your culture.
How many people know the first thing about Canada? In being canadian the only thing we have in common is that we are governed by a federal government. Most people don't even have an idea of how their government functions let alone what it does. Do some research into your federal government and you will quickly find that there is little to be proud of. Most of the changes that hard working canadians laboured at to make life better for us are now gone or fading fast. You may want to be proud of Canada simply because you've been told to, but it's funny to note that many people comment on how americans think they're the greatest place in the world, yet canadians think the exact same thing. In the US it's propaganda, what do we call it in canada?
The notion the our country is more 'free' than the US is simply ludicrous and can't even remotely be defended. Even under the Patriot Act (and Canada has a similar one) americans have far more electoral and referenda powers. At the municipal levels they have considerable powers, in canada your municipal government are pretty much bookkeepers who don't even have the final say on most issues. Canadians only see the media that comes out of states, how would it be in canada were judged internationally by what they saw of global and the National Post?
Finally, the fact is that canada is far more 'regionalist' and ethnic centred. The point is generally made that there is no canadian identity, that people are searching for one. That's just crazy, people 'identify' themselves all the time, if there is no canadian identity then there will be a different one. I am from the maritimes and I define myself far more on a regional level than a national one, I also can be identified linguistically, meaning that I speak english, however, language was pretty much omnipresent in New Brunswick society. I also identify myself as suburban more than urban or rural, each of those has pretty ingrained identifiers, but you have to live in an urban and rural setting before you recognize that. Finally, my ethnicity defines me, I have primarily loyalist blood in me, but mixed with native (maliceet) and irish. My point is that until you 'step outside the box' you can't analyze your culture.
The notion the our country is more 'free' than the US is simply ludicrous and can't even remotely be defended. Even under the Patriot Act (and Canada has a similar one) americans have far more electoral and referenda powers. At the municipal levels they have considerable powers, in canada your municipal government are pretty much bookkeepers who don't even have the final say on most issues. Canadians only see the media that comes out of states, how would it be in canada were judged internationally by what they saw of global and the National Post?
Finally, the fact is that canada is far more 'regionalist' and ethnic centred. The point is generally made that there is no canadian identity, that people are searching for one. That's just crazy, people 'identify' themselves all the time, if there is no canadian identity then there will be a different one. I am from the maritimes and I define myself far more on a regional level than a national one, I also can be identified linguistically, meaning that I speak english, however, language was pretty much omnipresent in New Brunswick society. I also identify myself as suburban more than urban or rural, each of those has pretty ingrained identifiers, but you have to live in an urban and rural setting before you recognize that. Finally, my ethnicity defines me, I have primarily loyalist blood in me, but mixed with native (maliceet) and irish. My point is that until you 'step outside the box' you can't analyze your culture.
A lot of violent reactions to this article. But to dismiss is just as dangerous. Look around the world; regional economic blocs are emerging, and it would be silly to think it can't happen. There are many scholars who think US-Canada integration will evetually happen, and I wouldn't say these people who have dedicated their lives to academics are MORONS. Hey, with all the anti-intellectual attitude pervading here, maybe Canada is more like the USA than many are lead to believe.
A lot of violent reactions to this article. But to dismiss is just as dangerous. Look around the world; regional economic blocs are emerging, and it would be silly to think it can't happen. There are many scholars who think US-Canada integration will evetually happen, and I wouldn't say these people who have dedicated their lives to academics are MORONS. Hey, with all the anti-intellectual attitude pervading here, maybe Canada is more like the USA than many are lead to believe.
A lot of violent reactions to this article. But to dismiss is just as dangerous. Look around the world; regional economic blocs are emerging, and it would be silly to think it can't happen. There are many scholars who think US-Canada integration will evetually happen, and I wouldn't say these people who have dedicated their lives to academics are MORONS. Hey, with all the anti-intellectual attitude pervading here, maybe Canada is more like the USA than many are lead to believe.
RE: Very Interesting arti
There are a lot of academics that fear such a union would lead to the end of a separate Canadian identity too, Patrick.
North America has a far different dynamic than the EU or Asia does. We have a giant to contend with and no real way of balancing that giant. The EU has Germany, but there are several mid-sized powers to balance the size of that one power. Here we have only Canada and Mexico. We do not have the power to achieve balance.
Throw in that US has much more protectionist and unilateralist tendencies than any power in the EU, and any sort of union becomes very dangerous for the smaller countries.
There are a lot of academics that fear such a union would lead to the end of a separate Canadian identity too, Patrick.
North America has a far different dynamic than the EU or Asia does. We have a giant to contend with and no real way of balancing that giant. The EU has Germany, but there are several mid-sized powers to balance the size of that one power. Here we have only Canada and Mexico. We do not have the power to achieve balance.
Throw in that US has much more protectionist and unilateralist tendencies than any power in the EU, and any sort of union becomes very dangerous for the smaller countries.
RE: Very Interesting arti
There are a lot of academics that fear such a union would lead to the end of a separate Canadian identity too, Patrick.
North America has a far different dynamic than the EU or Asia does. We have a giant to contend with and no real way of balancing that giant. The EU has Germany, but there are several mid-sized powers to balance the size of that one power. Here we have only Canada and Mexico. We do not have the power to achieve balance.
Throw in that US has much more protectionist and unilateralist tendencies than any power in the EU, and any sort of union becomes very dangerous for the smaller countries.
There are a lot of academics that fear such a union would lead to the end of a separate Canadian identity too, Patrick.
North America has a far different dynamic than the EU or Asia does. We have a giant to contend with and no real way of balancing that giant. The EU has Germany, but there are several mid-sized powers to balance the size of that one power. Here we have only Canada and Mexico. We do not have the power to achieve balance.
Throw in that US has much more protectionist and unilateralist tendencies than any power in the EU, and any sort of union becomes very dangerous for the smaller countries.
RE: Very Interesting arti
There are a lot of academics that fear such a union would lead to the end of a separate Canadian identity too, Patrick.
North America has a far different dynamic than the EU or Asia does. We have a giant to contend with and no real way of balancing that giant. The EU has Germany, but there are several mid-sized powers to balance the size of that one power. Here we have only Canada and Mexico. We do not have the power to achieve balance.
Throw in that US has much more protectionist and unilateralist tendencies than any power in the EU, and any sort of union becomes very dangerous for the smaller countries.
There are a lot of academics that fear such a union would lead to the end of a separate Canadian identity too, Patrick.
North America has a far different dynamic than the EU or Asia does. We have a giant to contend with and no real way of balancing that giant. The EU has Germany, but there are several mid-sized powers to balance the size of that one power. Here we have only Canada and Mexico. We do not have the power to achieve balance.
Throw in that US has much more protectionist and unilateralist tendencies than any power in the EU, and any sort of union becomes very dangerous for the smaller countries.
I'm sure there is a fear of losing Canadian autnomy/culture regarding North American integration. & such fears are certainly justified. But I think the concept here is not the USA swallowing up Canada, but Canada becoming integrated on its own terms. I think a more apt, albeit different, comparison to the future integrated North American would be that of England/Scotland. Scotland gets to be part of Great Britain bloc in many ways, while at the same time retaining their cultural identity. I'm not saying that this is the way its going to be. or that I agree with this line of thinking, but it is important to be aware that such concepts exist and could come to be realized in the future.
I'm sure there is a fear of losing Canadian autnomy/culture regarding North American integration. & such fears are certainly justified. But I think the concept here is not the USA swallowing up Canada, but Canada becoming integrated on its own terms. I think a more apt, albeit different, comparison to the future integrated North American would be that of England/Scotland. Scotland gets to be part of Great Britain bloc in many ways, while at the same time retaining their cultural identity. I'm not saying that this is the way its going to be. or that I agree with this line of thinking, but it is important to be aware that such concepts exist and could come to be realized in the future.
I'm sure there is a fear of losing Canadian autnomy/culture regarding North American integration. & such fears are certainly justified. But I think the concept here is not the USA swallowing up Canada, but Canada becoming integrated on its own terms. I think a more apt, albeit different, comparison to the future integrated North American would be that of England/Scotland. Scotland gets to be part of Great Britain bloc in many ways, while at the same time retaining their cultural identity. I'm not saying that this is the way its going to be. or that I agree with this line of thinking, but it is important to be aware that such concepts exist and could come to be realized in the future.