Am I the only one who experiences culture cringe? (rated, area)
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For example, if you took a census of how many people actually care about hockey or maple syrup or whatever in greater Toronto, Montreal, and Van (which is by then a majority of the population), it probably wouldn't even be close to half of everyone surveyed. So probably most Canadians by a landslide don't care about these things at all, and therefore, I'm not sure how united the country is in these topical, passive interests.
I think these stereotypes and images of Canada were forged long before the country became urbanized and modern in the way that it is today, and therefore are just surviving images of what people perceived to be Canadian before the now.
I am just poking fun at the impulse that so many Canadians seem to have about throwing their country's heritage in the garbage because it's seen as old hat or (allegedly) no longer relevant.
I mean, it's fine to evolve but most places in the world manage to evolve without being so deliberately amnesic towards their past.
All of this also raises a really good question: if the old stuff is only good for the garbage heap, what is it being replaced with?
I am just poking fun at the impulse that so many Canadians seem to have about throwing their country's heritage in the garbage because it's seen as old hat or (allegedly) no longer relevant.
I mean, it's fine to evolve but most places in the world manage to evolve without being so deliberately amnesic towards their past.
All of this also raises a really good question: if the old stuff is only good for the garbage heap, what is it being replaced with?
As a foreigner first things I have noticed about Canada was people's love for sports (not watching sports but actual fitness), in Toronto it seems lik everybody's running, cycling, excercising, going to the gym, skiing and snowboarding. Also love for the nature and outdoorsy things, either camping, fishing, hiking etc
As a foreigner first things I have noticed about Canada was people's love for sports (not watching sports but actual fitness), in Toronto it seems lik everybody's running, cycling, excercising, going to the gym, skiing and snowboarding. Also love for the nature and outdoorsy things, either camping, fishing, hiking etc
I am just poking fun at the impulse that so many Canadians seem to have about throwing their country's heritage in the garbage because it's seen as old hat or (allegedly) no longer relevant.
I mean, it's fine to evolve but most places in the world manage to evolve without being so deliberately amnesic towards their past.
All of this also raises a really good question: if the old stuff is only good for the garbage heap, what is it being replaced with?
I don't know what it's being replaced with. Some sort of modern monoculture? This stuff never really concerns me. I love seeing the world and all it has to offer in its beautiful, infinite diversity, but if you want to know my honest deep-down opinion: I think culture is baggage, and baggage is -judging by old relationships- bad. It's a source of tension and fighting and I think in many ways it's better to not be so hung up on culture. In the case of Canada, this works well to its advantage since its history is short and its unique traits are then limited. I like that it's a country that's based more off of certain 'values' than it is over a regional history, which it couldn't be anyways.
But I mean, besides that, I'm not sure if the things associated with Canada are necessarily even really related to some sort of history. Hockey is just a sport, popular in other cold climates also; Tim Hortons isn't even that old; Bombardier is a company that's responsible for more than just snowmobiles now, and how many Canadians can relate to the experience of riding one, proportionally speaking?
I think maybe the outdoorsyness thing sticks well, but it's almost the only thing I can think of.
I don't know what it's being replaced with. Some sort of modern monoculture? This stuff never really concerns me. I love seeing the world and all it has to offer in its beautiful, infinite diversity, but if you want to know my honest deep-down opinion: I think culture is baggage, and baggage is -judging by old relationships- bad. It's a source of tension and fighting and I think in many ways it's better to not be so hung up on culture. In the case of Canada, this works well to its advantage since its history is short and its unique traits are then limited. I like that it's a country that's based more off of certain 'values' than it is over a regional history, which it couldn't be anyways.
But I mean, besides that, I'm not sure if the things associated with Canada are necessarily even really related to some sort of history. Hockey is just a sport, popular in other cold climates also; Tim Hortons isn't even that old; Bombardier is a company that's responsible for more than just snowmobiles now, and how many Canadians can relate to the experience of riding one, proportional speaking?
I think maybe the outdoorsyness thing sticks well, but it's almost the only thing I can think of.
I see your points and respect them, but I still find it ironic that the stuff you say doesn't concern you (with respect to Canada) is precisely the stuff that draws many people to international travel. Otherwise, why would you spend so much time, energy and money to travel to places that are exactly the same as home?
Always the default answer when what they are saying is true, but you don't want them to say it. Anyone who lives in Ontario knows what Canada is like and can generalize well enough.
I disagree. What they know is Ontario, and more specifically Toronto. They will have a very, very general idea what Canada is about.
I find the answer very Toronto/Ontario centric. It's like saying someone who lives in NYC know what life is like in L.A.
I like Zoisite's suggestion that she get out of Toronto and see more of the country before jumping to a conclusion about a place.
As my Dutch friends say " Amsterdam is not The Netherlands "
I see your points and respect them, but I still find it ironic that the stuff you say doesn't concern you (with respect to Canada) is precisely the stuff that draws many people to international travel. Otherwise, why would you spend so much time, energy and money to travel to places that are exactly the same as home?
I don't deny that it fascinates me, I just think that it's a double-edged sword. People recognize a culture as a thing of beauty and want to protect it (and they're right to), but that's the same rationale that makes people fiercely aggressive in the face of other 'threatening' cultures, and I think that causes problems for everyone in the end.
This stuff is still here today so I just like to go and have a look at it now while I can. I guess it's like a pick-your-poison kind of scenario.
Also, I think the next response to something like this is a question like 'okay, well who gets to decide the dominant monoculture?', and likely the answer to that question will mostly be the United States. But I think it's a mistake to just assume that modernization and Americanization are the same thing.
For example, a couple of years ago I was in a train somewhere in the Netherlands. It was between Amsterdam and Utrecht, and we were in this super dense area that was nothing but new glass and steel buildings as far as the eye could see. There was absolutely no sign of something 'typically' Dutch. But I never felt as though this was an 'American' aesthetic. I couldn't even think of a place in the USA that would resemble anything like it. It was too new and design-heavy. It must be the same thing in East Asian cities. Do their developments feel American, just because they aren't historic or inspired by a different epoch?
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