Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I am quadrilingual and nearly completed a PhD in biochemistry - in English. If my English abilities are beyond the reach of your high school diploma, that is no fault of mine.
Say's the guy stroking his ego. Haaar! You're a quadra alrighty. Can all of you fit under just one size 8 hat?
I'm being 100 percent honest with you Acajack.. Perhaps even though i'm English Canadian and going back generations to Scottish/Irish ancestry, growing up in Toronto the Queen and the Monarchy just don't factor into my sense of identity quite much at all.. I don't know how much more I can say that, underscore it - it just doesn't play very strongly in my identity or value system as a Canadian. I'm 39 and I think that for younger people it is even more the case..... I think people are latching onto things trying to connect the Queen as HOS to our modern identity in Canada is completely over done.. It means more for people to say it is a part of our 'identity' than I think it actually is in practice..
And I totally believe that that is how you feel personally. I also believe the sentiment is growing among Anglo-Canadians, but the monarchy still has a lot of support. And more support among younger Canadians than many people realize.
The countries are joined enough as is for trade purposes, i.e. NAFTA. I am sure anyone living in Canada wishes to remain Canadian, and anyone in America the same. Some people just write nonsense to sell a story, this appears to be that...
And I totally believe that that is how you feel personally. I also believe the sentiment is growing among Anglo-Canadians, but the monarchy still has a lot of support. And more support among younger Canadians than many people realize.
I'm just not really sure what would be accomplished by dissolving the system we have in place to be honest. I think the moment the HOS tried to go beyond what is in real life a vastly ceremonial and figurehead role it just wouldn't fly with Canadians nor other Commonwealth countries with a similar system so any Commonweath Sovereign has that weight on their shoulders.
Also, when you say support for the 'monarchy' - really the only person who has any connection to Canada is the HOS of Canada, at this time is the Queen and when she dies presumably King Charles. Everyone else is fuddle duddle and has no connection to Canada. Its not like Princess Beatrice, Prince Harry or what is she Dutchess Camilla for example could interfere in any Canadian affairs whatsover. I look at the Queen really as a separate entity in her capacity as Queen of Canada to any other entity.. The only connection she has to those other entities is that she shares the same or similar roles to them or in the case of her family/extented family that she is related by blood or marriage, otherwise there is a complete divide.
Finally - say we decided to ditch the current system in terms of HOS.. Is that all you or in you estimation others who don't support it would want? Essentially what i'm saying is, i'm not at all convinced that going to a Republic is a better system for Canada in practice than our current Federal Parliamentary Democracy/Constitutional Monarch. I'm trying to get a handle on how beneficial this all would be to Canadians as a whole and how it would change us in a positive way and i'm struggling.. Don't confuse this sentiment with a 'strong' support for everything woohooo Monarchy - Yeah baby.. Its probably largely indifference and going with the flow because is it something worth our collective effort to change.. As I said, I think we have bigger more practical and real fish to fry than worring about an entity that has minimal connection to us other than in a far off capacity that would only get involved with things practically in a scenario where things were going down the toilet in a serious way. Otherwise its all smoke and mirrors when it comes to the Constitutional Monarchy part of our system... The real teeth on the national level is indeed the Federal Parliamentary Democracy..
If we do the "Merger of the Century" we go all out and go through with the North American Union and Canada, The U.S. and Mexico all switch currencies to the Amero make English, French and Spanish all official NAU language build the NAFTA Super Highway.
And I totally believe that that is how you feel personally. I also believe the sentiment is growing among Anglo-Canadians, but the monarchy still has a lot of support. And more support among younger Canadians than many people realize.
Just digging around the internet in regards to polls and the monarchy, it seems these polls are done when a royal tour is about to happen, is happening or has happened. Support usually goes up.
Just looking at the last five years support seems to hover around 50 percent. This wiki link....not my fave, but it doesn't say who was polled, where in Canada and age.
My experience is that generally speaking, young people don't think about monarchy etc unless it's in a reality show kind of way.
Regardless of support or not, the monarchy is not in the minds of most Canadians in everyday life. Beauchamp here seems to think English speaking Canadians worship the monarchy and are somehow slaves to it. His over the top, simplified version of Canada is quite odd.
It can be tough to come to grips with some uncomfortable truths. I was looking forward to a rich discussion.
One can only have a " rich discussion " with one who is at least, a little bit open. You're a closed book. You only want to lecture.
It's the most boring and unproductive type of exchange.
So no, I'm not biting.
One can only have a "rich discussion" with one who is at least, a little bit open. You're a closed book. You only want to lecture.
It's the most boring and unproductive type of exchange.
So no, I'm not biting.
Being "open" seems to mean agreeing with your political views. Look at what you have to say about Canadian conservatives and the Harperites. You aren't particularly open when they express ideas that you don't like, and that is okay. This is the case with far too many who claim to be open".
It would be of benefit if we could both express a diversity of ideas instead of resorting to anger when someone has a view that differs from ours. What would make our discussion rich is not that we both agree with each other, but the fact that we disagree. It is through dialogue, not censorship, that we can enrich the diversity of thought in Canada. Being individuals who value diversity and our multicultural framework, we should be capable of engaging in this exchange without any hostility. Enlighten me; if you disagree that there is an "English Canada", what would you prefer to call the mass of Canada that speaks English, has an Americanesque culture, and differs culturally and linguistically from French-speaking Canada? I suggest we call this part of Canada that shares a common anglo culture "English Canada", "Anglo Canada", or as some Quebecers do, just "Canada".
Additionally, would you be polite enough to share your view on what constitutes anglo Canadian culture. What foods do anglo Canadians eat that differ so markedly from the food eaten in Seattle? What language, or speech patterns are so different from your Washington neighbours? Dress? It seems to me that these are all mostly the same, if not identical, with only some minor cosmetic differences in government. What is truly fascinating about all of this is that only a matter of decades ago, anglo Canada was culturally-speaking a unique place, a place where pride was held in it's strong British influence and monarchical heritage. Today it seems that this has been purposely discarded in favour of a copycat American culture rooted in freedom of speech, diversity, and equality. All the while, the same proponents of this Americanization vehemently deny any similarity with Americans as they consciously or subconsciously embark on their quest to discard Canadian values and culture. So you can understand the absurdity of watching this all play out. On one hand, it appears from the outside that all is done to be American, on the other hand, proponents desperately try to distance themselves from their invented carictural mirage that they claim is the real American culture. Isn't it all a bit hypocritical and self-defeating? Thanks in advance for your kind response.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Natnasci
Regardless of support or not, the monarchy is not in the minds of most Canadians in everyday life. Beauchamp here seems to think English speaking Canadians worship the monarchy and are somehow slaves to it. His over the top, simplified version of Canada is quite odd.
A fair point, Natnasci. I venture to say that anglo Canadians do not worship the monarchy nor are they slaves to it. In fact, I wholeheartedly agree that the monarchical tradition is not the minds of most Canadians in everyday life. You are abosolutely right. Nonetheless, the various political systems that most world citizens live under is does is not a point of reflection in daily life. I venture to say that most Russians do not reflect on President Putin in daily life. Most Bruneians do not reflect on Sultan Bolkiah in daily life. Most Irishmen do not reflect on President Higgins in day to day life. Canada is no different in this regard. The Canadian head of state, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, is not a point of reflection in our daily life. This does not indicate that Canada is an American republic, as some seem hellbent on promoting. Nor does this mean that the monarchy is a meaningless institution. The monarchy remains one of the few identifiers of the fledgling anglo Canadian culture on a landmass that abandoned the system decades, and in some cases centuries, ago.
If we do the "Merger of the Century" we go all out and go through with the North American Union and Canada, The U.S. and Mexico all switch currencies to the Amero make English, French and Spanish all official NAU language build the NAFTA Super Highway.
No. Mexico isn't ready to be annexed. They don't speak English and its a Narco state currently. Also, the currency would remain the US dollar. The dollar is a worldwide brand. Oil is traded in dollars. People keep their wealth in dollars. Many thought that the Euro would kill the dollar. That didn't happen.
The official language would also be English. Not French, not spanish. ENglish is the langauge of commerce. After the lousiana purchase, everyone speaks english. The french canadians would eventually have to do the same.
I'm just not really sure what would be accomplished by dissolving the system we have in place to be honest. I think the moment the HOS tried to go beyond what is in real life a vastly ceremonial and figurehead role it just wouldn't fly with Canadians nor other Commonwealth countries with a similar system so any Commonweath Sovereign has that weight on their shoulders.
Also, when you say support for the 'monarchy' - really the only person who has any connection to Canada is the HOS of Canada, at this time is the Queen and when she dies presumably King Charles. Everyone else is fuddle duddle and has no connection to Canada. Its not like Princess Beatrice, Prince Harry or what is she Dutchess Camilla for example could interfere in any Canadian affairs whatsover. I look at the Queen really as a separate entity in her capacity as Queen of Canada to any other entity.. The only connection she has to those other entities is that she shares the same or similar roles to them or in the case of her family/extented family that she is related by blood or marriage, otherwise there is a complete divide.
Finally - say we decided to ditch the current system in terms of HOS.. Is that all you or in you estimation others who don't support it would want? Essentially what i'm saying is, i'm not at all convinced that going to a Republic is a better system for Canada in practice than our current Federal Parliamentary Democracy/Constitutional Monarch. I'm trying to get a handle on how beneficial this all would be to Canadians as a whole and how it would change us in a positive way and i'm struggling.. Don't confuse this sentiment with a 'strong' support for everything woohooo Monarchy - Yeah baby.. Its probably largely indifference and going with the flow because is it something worth our collective effort to change.. As I said, I think we have bigger more practical and real fish to fry than worring about an entity that has minimal connection to us other than in a far off capacity that would only get involved with things practically in a scenario where things were going down the toilet in a serious way. Otherwise its all smoke and mirrors when it comes to the Constitutional Monarchy part of our system... The real teeth on the national level is indeed the Federal Parliamentary Democracy..
The only things that makes Canada different from the US are the french, the monarchy, mounties, and the maple leaf. You take away the monarchy, you've just created a republic. You might as well merge with the US after that. The US will finish the job in making the french speak english.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
