"We won't say that we're better, it's just that we're less worse." -Arrogant Worms, "Proud to be Canadian"
It's Canada Day. I've grown accustomed to checking in with Mr. Wilson's holiday posts, but he won't be writing about this one, not being a Canadian. Our summer holidays are all strange. I suppose there are people who reflect with reverence on Queen Victoria while sitting on their sixpack in the bush on 24-Weekend. Wait a second, no I don't. Canada Day is mostly celebrated by the playing of bad, comedic songs on the CBC (like the link above) that reflect all kinds of stereotpyes we have about stereotypes the Americans have about us. There's mass driving to cottages, and face painting at lame corporate street festivals for the kids who's parents can't afford to leave town. Canadian nationalism is a limp and jiggly thing. As it should be! We are a collection of peoples getting along, mostly, with some of our social systems still in place. It's low key, but it's worth preserving. My neighbourhood today (and last night! loud) is all about Portugal winning soccer games. At the Portuguese bakery I go to daily the lady quizzes me on my heritage. I say Scottish and she beams, "We knew you weren't just pure Canadian. Are you cheering for Portugal?" I beam back (of course I'm cheering for Portugal, I like to see my neighbours having fun). I'm also happy because if being from Scottish stock, which makes my lineage about 100% old school, Protestant, Upper Canadian, counts as something other than "pure" Canadian, then not a single one of us in this country is "pure." Which is how I like it.
Under NAFTA, this weekend is a 5-day "Separation from England Commemoration".
Is that the same as Dominion Day?
Takes me back to the excitement over the introduction of the new maple leaf flag. Ah, those were the days; when Canadians were Canadian, or at least French.
"Is that the same as Dominion Day?" ...good question.
Canada Day is a celebration of Canadian nationalism, heritage and pride. Canada became self-governing on July 1st, 1867, with the passage of the British North America Act (BNA Act) in the British Parliament. The holiday was originally known as "Dominion Day". It was changed to Canada Day by the Canadian Parliament on October 27, 1982.
We always thought the Canadians were ripping us off because they would have the same holidays, but just move the dates slightly, like Thanksgiving in October, or the 4th of July on the 1st.
I've never understood thanksgiving in November. All the veggies are getting wilted by then.
The only "pure" Canadians are the First Nations.We're not of the First Nations, rather immigrants from Europe, but proud to be Canadian...best country in the world! Yet like many others, we don't really celebrate it, so are we less nationalistic because of this? The flag-waving nationalism of th US seems too much to us.
Hey, the flag waving seems too much to many of us in the states. I bought a flag after 9/11 to show solidarity. I haven't flown it since the bombing began in Afghanistan.
Yeah..."pure" is a pretty loaded word. I'm not so keen on purity, nor on nationalism. I'm okay with Canada, though.
Back around '88 or '89 or so, when George Bush Sr was demagoguing big time on the flag issue, a real estate agent put plastic American flags on sticks in everyone's front lawn in the neighborhood, with his business card attached to each stick. As an act of private personal rebellion I took my flag into the house and held it over an ashtray and ****** it.
nice one! funny. private disobedience.
I like Canada day and Victoria day because my neighbourhood is full of real fucking pyromaniacs, who love to set off fireworks in their front yards. Fortunately they are also very lazy ass, so they only buy their ordinance when it is conveniently available at the corner store.
Sally--Excellent post. Left me chuckling outloud. It pretty much sums up how I feel about C-Day. Yesterday, I went to my dad's and stepmother's and we had a huge Chinese barbeque with her family from Hong Kong. It was a great way to celebrate, IMHO. We deliberately left before the fireworks started, since they kinda remind me of bombs. Truthfully, I think it's awesome that it's a holiday (less enforced work days is always better!) but couldn't be less enthusiastic about the nationalist orgy that happens south of the border on July 4th. Let's hope things never get that way here.
I'm with LM in that I like the DIY, front yard holiday ordinance too! I'm with kiss machine in that the state funded stuff way up the sky is just too much about bombs and displays of state power. I watched some old Survival Research Laboratories video last night while the neighbours were popping off rockets. Now that's interesting stuff, but it was more the flopping carcasses that impressed me than the pyrotechnics. (more on this soon, I'm sure, especially as it connects to Canadian muckrakers like Istvan Kantor, Doug Back, Norman White, Steve Mann, Jubal Brown, etc.)
Nationalism is pretty keyed into art funding, which makes Canada's cultural history complicated. I like art funding, but it's fraught. Jim Munroe's op-ed piece in EYE a couple of weeks ago was really good on the subject, but skipped the history. (more on this soon too).
I just got an email from a friend in Calgary. The subject was Canada Day, and the message said "my wild party friends." You can imagine I opened the jpegs with some trepidation. It was stunning pictures she'd taken from her canoe: a deer, a pelican, a merganser. Gave me a lump in my throat, looking at them.
Thanks for the Eye link. At the beginning he refers to the wonderful grapefruit piece by Myfanwy Ashmore. It was a beauty, she had built these large abacus-like structures out of two by fours with the rotting grapefruits strung like huge beads on copper wires. It glowed with warmth. I admit to powerful professional envy when she told me that her piece had been denounced in parliament by Preston Manning. It's a rare day when an artist gets a review in Hansard. (and would you want receive a positive review in Hansard? I think not.)
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"We won't say that we're better, it's just that we're less worse." -Arrogant Worms, "Proud to be Canadian"
It's Canada Day. I've grown accustomed to checking in with Mr. Wilson's holiday posts, but he won't be writing about this one, not being a Canadian. Our summer holidays are all strange. I suppose there are people who reflect with reverence on Queen Victoria while sitting on their sixpack in the bush on 24-Weekend. Wait a second, no I don't. Canada Day is mostly celebrated by the playing of bad, comedic songs on the CBC (like the link above) that reflect all kinds of stereotpyes we have about stereotypes the Americans have about us. There's mass driving to cottages, and face painting at lame corporate street festivals for the kids who's parents can't afford to leave town. Canadian nationalism is a limp and jiggly thing. As it should be! We are a collection of peoples getting along, mostly, with some of our social systems still in place. It's low key, but it's worth preserving. My neighbourhood today (and last night! loud) is all about Portugal winning soccer games. At the Portuguese bakery I go to daily the lady quizzes me on my heritage. I say Scottish and she beams, "We knew you weren't just pure Canadian. Are you cheering for Portugal?" I beam back (of course I'm cheering for Portugal, I like to see my neighbours having fun). I'm also happy because if being from Scottish stock, which makes my lineage about 100% old school, Protestant, Upper Canadian, counts as something other than "pure" Canadian, then not a single one of us in this country is "pure." Which is how I like it.
- sally mckay 7-01-2004 5:06 pm
Under NAFTA, this weekend is a 5-day "Separation from England Commemoration".
- mark 7-01-2004 8:20 pm
Is that the same as Dominion Day?
Takes me back to the excitement over the introduction of the new maple leaf flag. Ah, those were the days; when Canadians were Canadian, or at least French.
- alex 7-01-2004 8:23 pm
"Is that the same as Dominion Day?" ...good question.
Canada Day is a celebration of Canadian nationalism, heritage and pride. Canada became self-governing on July 1st, 1867, with the passage of the British North America Act (BNA Act) in the British Parliament. The holiday was originally known as "Dominion Day". It was changed to Canada Day by the Canadian Parliament on October 27, 1982.
- sally mckay 7-01-2004 8:29 pm
We always thought the Canadians were ripping us off because they would have the same holidays, but just move the dates slightly, like Thanksgiving in October, or the 4th of July on the 1st.
- alex 7-01-2004 8:34 pm
I've never understood thanksgiving in November. All the veggies are getting wilted by then.
- sally mckay 7-01-2004 9:04 pm
The only "pure" Canadians are the First Nations.We're not of the First Nations, rather immigrants from Europe, but proud to be Canadian...best country in the world! Yet like many others, we don't really celebrate it, so are we less nationalistic because of this? The flag-waving nationalism of th US seems too much to us.
- marja-leena 7-02-2004 3:33 am
Hey, the flag waving seems too much to many of us in the states. I bought a flag after 9/11 to show solidarity. I haven't flown it since the bombing began in Afghanistan.
- mark 7-02-2004 5:26 am
Yeah..."pure" is a pretty loaded word. I'm not so keen on purity, nor on nationalism. I'm okay with Canada, though.
- sally mckay 7-02-2004 5:28 am
Back around '88 or '89 or so, when George Bush Sr was demagoguing big time on the flag issue, a real estate agent put plastic American flags on sticks in everyone's front lawn in the neighborhood, with his business card attached to each stick. As an act of private personal rebellion I took my flag into the house and held it over an ashtray and ****** it.
- tom moody 7-02-2004 6:52 am
nice one! funny. private disobedience.
- sally mckay 7-02-2004 7:30 am
I like Canada day and Victoria day because my neighbourhood is full of real fucking pyromaniacs, who love to set off fireworks in their front yards. Fortunately they are also very lazy ass, so they only buy their ordinance when it is conveniently available at the corner store.
- LM (guest) 7-02-2004 8:37 am
Sally--Excellent post. Left me chuckling outloud. It pretty much sums up how I feel about C-Day. Yesterday, I went to my dad's and stepmother's and we had a huge Chinese barbeque with her family from Hong Kong. It was a great way to celebrate, IMHO. We deliberately left before the fireworks started, since they kinda remind me of bombs. Truthfully, I think it's awesome that it's a holiday (less enforced work days is always better!) but couldn't be less enthusiastic about the nationalist orgy that happens south of the border on July 4th. Let's hope things never get that way here.
- kiss machine (guest) 7-02-2004 3:51 pm
I'm with LM in that I like the DIY, front yard holiday ordinance too! I'm with kiss machine in that the state funded stuff way up the sky is just too much about bombs and displays of state power. I watched some old Survival Research Laboratories video last night while the neighbours were popping off rockets. Now that's interesting stuff, but it was more the flopping carcasses that impressed me than the pyrotechnics. (more on this soon, I'm sure, especially as it connects to Canadian muckrakers like Istvan Kantor, Doug Back, Norman White, Steve Mann, Jubal Brown, etc.)
Nationalism is pretty keyed into art funding, which makes Canada's cultural history complicated. I like art funding, but it's fraught. Jim Munroe's op-ed piece in EYE a couple of weeks ago was really good on the subject, but skipped the history. (more on this soon too).
- sally mckay 7-02-2004 4:59 pm
I just got an email from a friend in Calgary. The subject was Canada Day, and the message said "my wild party friends." You can imagine I opened the jpegs with some trepidation. It was stunning pictures she'd taken from her canoe: a deer, a pelican, a merganser. Gave me a lump in my throat, looking at them.
- Jean (guest) 7-02-2004 8:14 pm
Thanks for the Eye link. At the beginning he refers to the wonderful grapefruit piece by Myfanwy Ashmore. It was a beauty, she had built these large abacus-like structures out of two by fours with the rotting grapefruits strung like huge beads on copper wires. It glowed with warmth. I admit to powerful professional envy when she told me that her piece had been denounced in parliament by Preston Manning. It's a rare day when an artist gets a review in Hansard. (and would you want receive a positive review in Hansard? I think not.)
- LM (guest) 7-02-2004 8:42 pm