"Happy Canada Day... or whatever it's called."
July 1, 2010 We Canadians live in a blind spot about our identity. We have very strong feelings about who we aren't but only weak ones about who we are. We're passionate about what we don't want to become but oddly passive about what we should be. - John Cruickshank (in McLean's Magazine)
Today is Canada Day, a special day for Canadians to celebrate the anniversary of the 1867 Constitution Act, a day when all that British woo-ha united into one, singular country called Con-ahhh-du.
"The houses... the village...!"
As Canadians we are notoriously humble, so much so that we do not exert a lot of time and energy into celebrating, or even conceptualizing our own culture. We are, however, undeniably talented at poking fun of ourselves, which, in conjunction with our general disinterest in raping other countries, puts us at the bottom of the Douche Bag List and enables us to travel the world while proudly sporting the Don't Worry, I Am Just A Canadian flag on our knap sacks.
Through history Canada has come to be perceived as a place of refuge. Dodgin' the draft? COME TO CANADA. Escapin' slavery? COME TO CANADA. Wanna drink before the age of 21? COME TO CANADA.
Canada is probably the most free country in the world where a man still has room to breathe, to spread out, to move forward, to move out, an open country with an open frontier. Canada has created harmony and cooperation among ethnic groups, and it must take this experience to the world because there is yet to be such an example of harmony and cooperation among ethnic groups. - Valentyn Moroz
Our country is one of openness and vast, natural space. The desire to be alone with nature seems to be deeply rooted in our bones and is part of who we are as people. Most areas of Canada endure particularly harsh weather, and I believe the risk of getting stuck in a snow bank on our way to work and potentially freezing to death helps us stay grounded.
The beaver, which has come to represent Canada as the eagle does the United States and the lion Britain, is a flat-tailed, slow-witted, toothy rodent known to bite off it's own testicles or to stand under its own falling trees. -June Callwood
Indeed, we're all about the beaver. No, I mean the animal. And the moose. Our religion is hockey and our pride is Canadian beer and simple niceties. We shop at Canadian Tire and indulge in Tim Hortons' coffee like it's a crack addiction. We breed amazing comedians like John Candy, Russell Peters, Dan Aykroyd, Phil Hartman, Mike Myers, and Martin Short, just to name a few. Even little Michael Cera and that potential douche in the making, Seth Rogan are from Canada.
Despite the fact that many American based movies and television shows are produced here, our film, television, and music industries are still in their adolescence. Well, except for Much Music, which has become quite the MTV-esque, sell out whore.
Remember the low budget, good ol' days of Much Music? REMEMBER TREE TOSS?
Author/anthropologist J. R. Colombo: "Canada could have enjoyed English government, French culture and American know-how. Instead, it would up with English know-how, French government, and American culture."
Unfortunately our adolescent media industries motivate many big artists to jump the border so they can reach a wider audience. If our industries better nurtured mainstream artists and they remained rooted in Canada, it would likely minimize our tendency to latch onto the bright lights of American culture and would help perpetuate the celebration of our own.
I was going to write about Kevin Bacon, the infamous Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon, and then relate that to how great it is when different elements of Canadiana are merged together, like Alex Lifeson from Rush guest starring on Trailer Park Boys. Or Gord Downie, Joel Plaskett, and Emm Gryner appearing in the movie One Week starring Joshua Jackson. Yes, Pacey is also a Canadian.
And then I realized that Kevin Bacon isn't even Canadian. He's from Philly. Apparently I assume that all ugly American actors are Canadian. Like Tom Hanks.
We all have different things that make us feel in touch with our Canadian roots. Although I was not a fan of the Tragically hip when I was kid, nowadays when I hear a song by The Hip I feel distinctly Canadian, probably because they dominated the radio airwaves when I was growing up, and also because their lyrical content is very Thinking About Beavers And Drinking A Pint Of Canadian Beer While Adorning A Maple Leaf Tattoo.
Americans are benevolently ignorant about Canada, while Canadians are malevolently well informed about the United States. - J. Bartlet Brebner
The average American knows very little about Canada or Canadian culture, which gives us Canadians a feeling as though we're all sharing some sort of inside joke.
Some people name their kids after they are born. They look at the kid and say, "hey, he looks like a Jeremiah." So they name him Joey. - Mikel Nielson, The Wolf Pack.
Something that is fun to do is to Google Americans debating health care and to read their insights on the social, financial, and medical impacts of our health care system here in Canada. It's like listening to a thirteen year old Hannah Montana fan with downs syndrome who is drunk off rubbing alcohol explain Quantum physics. I love it! But it's not as great as Rick Mercer interviewing Americans on the street:
Or THIS link.
For those who get the day off from work, I hope you celebrate by listening to some Canadian tunes, drinking Canadian beer, and watching Canadian Bacon. Happy Canada Day.
I want to thank all the Canadians who came out today to wave to me. . . with all five fingers.
President George W. Bush (during his first visit to Ottawa Nov. 30, 2004)
Canada in reflections
Reader Comments (10)
Ricky should be the next Governor General.
I think you mean God.
When we were traveling and people asked where we were from, a few times when we said "Canada", people would say "Really? Or are you an American pretending to be Canadian so people will like you?"
HA HA HA HA. Gold. :)
You got some strange ideas about his land of ours. Of course, it's not your fault, you're from Saskatchewan.
Well, I guess reciting the most mainstream, Canadian stereotypes would seem pretty strange to the average, small town Albertan, considering the mean education level here is grade nine.
Just watching TV and realized that I referred to Russell Peters as Russell Simmons in this post.
I confused a Canadian comedian of Indian decent with a black man who founded Def Jam records and created Phat Farm Clothing.
There's something bizarrely awesome about that.
haha is it bad that I read it and my brain processed it as Richard Simmons... la la la la. I blame it on the MuchMusic Tree Toss, I was thinking about Rick the Temp, and Sook Yin Lee and Hannah Sung.
WHAT HAPPENED to Much Music.... or did we just get old?!?!?
Haha. I've been wondering the same thing-- does much music really suck now, or have we just gotten too old?
I miss the raw, unscripted style of awkward humor it used to do so well. And the VJs that were more like the average joe, albeit intelligent and funny. Now they're true blooded, polished TV personalities-- what we're all supposed to be and look like. The quirkiness is gone. Which, in my eyes, makes it seem more Americanized.
I totally miss Sook Yin Lee.
I'm so glad you like the blog. Faded Elegance is so beautiful...you are right. This blog has been so much fun to write. I just love it!
-online replica Omega Constellation