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View Poll Results: Has Canada become more or less American over time?
Canada is becoming less American compared to several decades ago 16 22.54%
Canada has stayed about the same amount different from America 19 26.76%
Canada is more American than it was a few decades ago 36 50.70%
Voters: 71. You may not vote on this poll

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Old 07-24-2012, 08:27 AM
 
Location: Gatineau, Québec
26,756 posts, read 37,644,012 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jambo101 View Post
Hard for Canadians not to become more like the USA as the US is so big and so close that sharing much is unavoidable,i think for many years Canadians were not that concerned about their ever increasing cultural proximity to the USA however in recent years many Canadians are backpeddling from that cultural plunge toward all things being American and being relegated to pocket American status and are now trying to find ways to redefine their Canadian uniqueness as its becoming all too apparent that something has gone seriously wrong with our neighbor to the south and Canadians for the most part no longer want to be involved in their madness and decline...
But therein lies the paradox, and this backpeddaling away from the U.S. is a bit of a façade in most cases. So you have more people with big Canadian flags on their lawns or tattoos on their chests but who consume almost exclusively American stuff in all spheres of their lives (literature, TV, movies, food, fashions, online, etc.)

Fiercely proud to be Canadian, with Taylor Swift or Toby Keith on the Ipod, Twilight on the DVD player, Daily Show with Jon Stewart for news, Saturday Night Live for political satire, Super Bowl (but not Grey Cup) parties for the buddies, NCAA March Madness pools, etc.

It's all a bit odd.
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Old 07-24-2012, 09:47 AM
 
35,309 posts, read 51,976,495 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Acajack View Post
But therein lies the paradox, and this backpeddaling away from the U.S. is a bit of a façade in most cases. So you have more people with big Canadian flags on their lawns or tattoos on their chests but who consume almost exclusively American stuff in all spheres of their lives (literature, TV, movies, food, fashions, online, etc.)

Fiercely proud to be Canadian, with Taylor Swift or Toby Keith on the Ipod, Twilight on the DVD player, Daily Show with Jon Stewart for news, Saturday Night Live for political satire, Super Bowl (but not Grey Cup) parties for the buddies, NCAA March Madness pools, etc.

It's all a bit odd.
We arent getting away from the huge materialistic impact America places on Canadians or the globalization that seems to be prevalent on all things materialistic,i was thinking more along the lines of a mental separation from the USA that makes Canadians distinctly Canadian and not just watered down versions of Americans, Tough job as most dont give much thought to the difference but i am noticing a trend with many of my friends,they arent interested in going to the USA anymore myself included whether it be for long weekend shopping sprees or family vacations many are choosing to keep to Canada,when asked about their views of Americans the normal response is they've gone nuts.
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Old 07-24-2012, 09:52 AM
 
Location: Gatineau, Québec
26,756 posts, read 37,644,012 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jambo101 View Post
We arent getting away from the huge materialistic impact America places on Canadians or the globalization that seems to be prevalent on all things materialistic,i was thinking more along the lines of a mental separation from the USA that makes Canadians distinctly Canadian and not just watered down versions of Americans, Tough job as most dont give much thought to the difference but i am noticing a trend with many of my friends,they arent interested in going to the USA anymore myself included whether it be for long weekend shopping sprees or family vacations many are choosing to keep to Canada,when asked about their views of Americans the normal response is they've gone nuts.
True but how long can you maintain this different way of thinking in light of the heavy cultural dominance. In order to continue to think like a Canadian you at least have to have some Canadian stuff input in your brain and affecting your outlook on life. It does not happen overnight but in the long run there is a good chance you might gradually become fairly indistinguishable from them simply by osmosis.
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Old 07-24-2012, 10:03 AM
 
Location: The heart of Cascadia
1,328 posts, read 3,163,690 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Acajack View Post
True but how long can you maintain this different way of thinking in light of the heavy cultural dominance. In order to continue to think like a Canadian you at least have to have some Canadian stuff input in your brain and affecting your outlook on life. It does not happen overnight but in the long run there is a good chance you might gradually become fairly indistinguishable from them simply by osmosis.
To be fair was there really any more Canadian content in say the eighties? I actually think with stuff like Scott Pilgrim, Carly Rae Jepsen, hell even Bieber, I'll say it, Canadian culture is actually making a comeback to a degree.
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Old 07-24-2012, 10:26 AM
 
Location: Gatineau, Québec
26,756 posts, read 37,644,012 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by callmemaybe View Post
To be fair was there really any more Canadian content in say the eighties? I actually think with stuff like Scott Pilgrim, Carly Rae Jepsen, hell even Bieber, I'll say it, Canadian culture is actually making a comeback to a degree.
Canadian cultural professionals are more dynamic and present than ever, but I am not sure that this is leading to the production of that much more authentically Canadian stuff out there.

Just looking at TV, there is more Canadian production than ever (due in part to the proliferation of Canadian specialty channels), but there are also way more American programs available than before as well. So are Canadians watching more Canadian TV than in the 70s or 80s? Hard to say for sure but probably not that much.

The Canadian feature film industry in English is about the same as it has always been: its impact is pretty miniscule.

So to answer your question: is the cultural diet of the average Canadian getting more Canadian or more American? It is certainly not getting any less American I would say.

I certainly do see Canadians these days getting passionate about things "American" that they never used to pay much attention to in the 70s or 80s. Stuff like NCAA Final Four March Madness for example...
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Old 07-24-2012, 10:28 AM
 
35,309 posts, read 51,976,495 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Acajack View Post
True but how long can you maintain this different way of thinking in light of the heavy cultural dominance. In order to continue to think like a Canadian you at least have to have some Canadian stuff input in your brain and affecting your outlook on life. It does not happen overnight but in the long run there is a good chance you might gradually become fairly indistinguishable from them simply by osmosis.
While some may become quasi Americans or not give much thought to being Canadian I have different experiences than most after living almost 20yrs in the USA, i actually had to go through the process of becoming a Canadian, very proud moment in my life, highly recommended for a boost of patriotism.I personally have no problems maintaining a staunch Canadian stance,i'm proud to be a Canadian and am blessed to be so privileged to be a Canadian.
I'm hoping its a general trend of Canadians to be backing away from the Americanization of our attitudes/culture as i believe Canadians deserve a better fate than just being classified as America Lite.

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Old 07-24-2012, 10:41 AM
 
Location: Gatineau, Québec
26,756 posts, read 37,644,012 times
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To be honest, it is true that Canada has always been bombarded with American culture and yet still has retained a somewhat different dominant frame of mind.

Of course, on the one hand Canadians are much more similar to Americans than many ''Canadian patriots" would like to admit.

But they are also more different than the "identicalists" (people who see Canadians and Americans as identical) like to admit as well.

The reality is likely somewhere in between these two views.
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Old 07-24-2012, 11:16 AM
 
Location: The heart of Cascadia
1,328 posts, read 3,163,690 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Acajack View Post
To be honest, it is true that Canada has always been bombarded with American culture and yet still has retained a somewhat different dominant frame of mind.

Of course, on the one hand Canadians are much more similar to Americans than many ''Canadian patriots" would like to admit.

But they are also more different than the "identicalists" (people who see Canadians and Americans as identical) like to admit as well.

The reality is likely somewhere in between these two views.
Oh yeah, for sure. To be honest I expected British Columbia (the first province I really visited for real, I spent like 2 hours in Alberta before that once back in 2000) to feel just like another American state. The reality was it felt somewhat foreign, but not too foreign. I was expecting it to not feel foreign at all.
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Old 07-24-2012, 11:38 AM
 
Location: Gatineau, Québec
26,756 posts, read 37,644,012 times
Reputation: 11522
I also think that the taking on of allegedly American traits by Canadians happens subtly and slowly.

For example, you have pointed out the Highway 401 tributes to fallen soldiers. Also I have noticed a slight uptick in the place of religion in the public sphere in Canada, and also an increase in the religious fervour of believers here in Canada, even amongst groups that have been traditionally more "relaxed" about things in my lifetime (ie Catholics).

We also increasingly have media polarization along political lines in Canada, something we didn't really have before. Case in point, this interview on a new reactionary, nasty right wing TV news network:


Sun News "Interview" with Margie Gillis - part 1 - YouTube
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Old 07-24-2012, 01:52 PM
 
Location: Ontario
328 posts, read 989,277 times
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It seems to me like both countries are going in opposite directions. Canada seems to be growing and improving while America seems to be shrinking and not improving. I think it could be because Canada is still a young country with lots of space and natural resources. The U.S. might be a bit past its prime. Almost like your average 27 year old human body. Not really starting to decline yet but no longer increasing in strength and agility. Like a plateau.
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