historical, ethnic, political, and other socioeconomic considerations.
can tradition disappear?
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example: canada42% Voted for by editorinchimp, Cincinnatus Kinbote, 5th position Gb.
in a recent message i sent to a friend i claimed that canada's national identity was absolved of any tradition through the support of multiculturalism, immigration, the decline of organized religion, and the increase in communications. this is rather loosely put, but is a more holistic representation of my understanding of these general matters. i see no negative connotations in the increase of personal traditions and/or decrease of interpersonal traditions as a result of the above factors.
my interest here is to explore further considerations to try and anticipate the communitarian response to an almost isolationist liberalism via the pursuit of personal freedoms. all thoroughly-considered opinions welcome.
what follows is the original excerpt [syntactically-modified]:
canada is desperately trying to create tradition. case-in-point: we have breathtakingly bad 'canadian heritage moments' commercials, teaching canadians about their 'valuable' but completely unknown history. the majority of canadians have no interest in canadian history and, much like in the states [though decidedly more meekly], it is the job of the media to promote some sort of togetherness. the problem is, most people here don't really buy a 'specific national identity', it's merely 'another one of those white countries that celebrates all the commercial holidays and speaks english'.
this, however, is the view from space. in reality, there are some pseudo-traditions that, to me, in my relative ignorance, seem to simply be appropriated characteristics that are favoured in the international community, such as 'canadians are polite', 'canadians are welcoming', etc. there is a pretty perceptible sense in the air that everyone is trying hard to be nice because it's the right thing to do.
i have pride in the good things that canada represents, and there is a lot of good. but canada is like the fibre of international foods, because we have no real traditions. we celebrate our multicultural mosaic so proudly, that everyone is to carry on their own traditions as they wish in peace and that means there's no national identity.
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...28% Voted for by Cincinnatus Kinbote, SeanJ.
The title's a little off. Can it have a future [national identity] if it's got no past?
As an American, I can only offer my view of Canada's natioanl identity from the viewpoint of an American (obviously), which is to say.....uhhh.....hmmmm....
I've taken Canadian Literature courses. I like to think that I know more about the country than your average Americanite. But our perception of ya is sort of....wishy washy. Like you were saying...Canadians are nice, polite; uh...there's alot of snow up there? We, on the whole, find you cute and a bit bumbly, slightly backwards; and entire country of people named "Doug".
I look at this from a literary standpoint: you have your writers; David Adams Richards, Elizabeth Smart (not the kidnapped girl, the other one), but nobody's ever heard of the fuckers, besides a few nerds like myself. And anyone who becomes recognized in a worldwide sort of way, we forget they're Canadian. This goes for celebrities and shit, to, it seems.
The thing I'm curious about is, how much is Canada dependent on America for it's national identity (or lack thereof)? Is Canada's somewhat homogenized cultural fair being overshadowed? It's got to be more than that, but it's a part of it.
I'm curious about your last sentiment, to. Is the peace that which removes identity? Must there be some sort of violence inheret with knowing oneself, the pain of birth? My country was founded on a war, we've inherited a long history of violence. Is that what got us cool-kid status, too?
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A Canadian POV28% Voted for by christopheshea, Eye-Beam.
Ok, first of all, what is national identity? Canada and America were founded exactly the same, the latter taking their independance first, how could it not overshadow? We talk the same, minus the few funny accents within each country, we drive on the same side of the road, drink the same type of beer, Canadian's being a little stronger. Both countries have no real identity except what we're told it is, but if you go look around, go take a visit to several cities, there isn't much difference between them. We're all european mutts to start off with, now there are more immigrants than ever coming from all over the world. If we really want to get into national identity, North America would have several nations, except they've been wiped off the board, Natives is what I'm saying. If anything they'd have our national heritage, but our descendants, the settlers decided it wasn't good enough. North America was basically the New France, the New England, and Mexico, the New Spaine. I feel more satisfied that we don't have a "national identity" to call our own, like someone said up there, we're all just a bunch of "white people talking the same." This continent was colonized, either take the heritage of the Fatherland, or come up with a new one. I suggest we take neither, and come to the conclusion that we're a bunch of people living to together with our own identities. That's what I'd like to see anyway, rather than have a made up heritage that basically sets the Good and Evil morals to everything which inevitably lead to war. So from a Canadian POV, each city has its own identity through the identities of those who live there, who basically make up the whole country, we've no made up past, just what was made and a future. If anything, national identities are the problem with the world today, we seem to have to belong to something.
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