Is American influence the reason Canada has become more right wing? (living, military)
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- and underrate the influence of the elephant to the South? American influence is always on people's minds in Canada but they rarely do much about it other than fret or bemoan it. They've got too many CSI episodes or NFL scores to catch up on to waste time on that.
Just a slight modification, Acajack:
Canadians bemoan the influence and power of that dreadful Republic to the south:
WHILE they watch CSI or the NFL or Duck Dynasty, Big Bang, etc, or any one the shows on US specialty channels they subscribe to;
WHILE they shop at Apple, Target, Walmart, Costco, J. Crew, Marshall's, Gap, Victoria's Secret, etc. (ARE there any Canadian retailers that still have a pulse in Canada?);
WHILE they eat at McDonald's, Wendy's, Panera, Chili's, Applebee's, Dairy Queen, Baskin Robbins, etc.;
WHILE they continue to shop across the border (never understood that practice);
WHILE they spend their retirement funds in the US during their 6-month annual stays.
If Canadians disapprove of the American behemoth, they sure have a funny way of showing it. Ultimately, Canadians have the power to choose how much US culture they consume, and it's clear that they, by their own free will, have made their choice (and then they complain about that choice).
Last edited by newdixiegirl; 08-28-2014 at 10:27 AM..
Most of the comments in the thread don't really address the question in the title. First of all, we would have to ask the question, "has Canada become more right-wing?" This is actually a complex question because the direction Canada has gone really depends on which issue you're looking at.
Certainly the country is aging, and older people are more concerned about right-wing concerns like crime and punishment, but at the same time the country has shifted to the left in other areas like euthanasia.
"A man who has not been a socialist before 25 has no heart. If he remains one after 25 he has no head." —King Oscar II of Sweden
Certainly the country is aging, and older people are more concerned about right-wing concerns like crime and punishment, but at the same time the country has shifted to the left in other areas like euthanasia.
Most of the comments in the thread don't really address the question in the title. First of all, we would have to ask the question, "has Canada become more right-wing?" This is actually a complex question because the direction Canada has gone really depends on which issue you're looking at.
Certainly the country is aging, and older people are more concerned about right-wing concerns like crime and punishment, but at the same time the country has shifted to the left in other areas like euthanasia.
"A man who has not been a socialist before 25 has no heart. If he remains one after 25 he has no head." —King Oscar II of Sweden
First we need to define right wing.
Supporting euthanasia and advocating free market economy don't conflict each other. I am for both, does that make me right or left?
The OP probably should be clearer on right wing how: economically or socially, as they can be different.
Also, leaning toward the US doesn't necessarily mean "right wing".
Also, leaning toward the US doesn't necessarily mean "right wing".
Yes, many progressive/liberal/left-leaning are very interested and attracted by the U.S. as well and many of their "inspirations" are from the U.S. liberal or Democratic side of the spectrum like Michael Moore, Barack Obama, Teddy Kennedy, Michael Moore, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Harper's, Utne Reader, etc.
Another change I have noticed is how in your face military matters have become in recent years in Canada. It was much more discreet in the past. Some may welcome the new "Canada kicks butt militarily" mindset, but it still represents, for better or for worse, a veering to the right and Canada becoming a bit more like the U.S.
Another change I have noticed is how in your face military matters have become in recent years in Canada. It was much more discreet in the past. Some may welcome the new "Canada kicks butt militarily" mindset, but it still represents, for better or for worse, a veering to the right and Canada becoming a bit more like the U.S.
9/11 had a huge impact on the political views of Canadians, Americans, and others, namely on the military side of things. They even have a term for this: "9/11 conservatives" are those like Dennis Miller who became conservative because of 9/11. There are also many "9/11 liberals" like Bill Maher, Aayan Hirsi Ali, and Tony Blair who became conservative on this one issue, but still fall within the liberal camp on most issues.
Botticelli, you are right that the left-right spectrum is not a monolith. If we define the extremes of left and right as totalitarian (no freedom) and anarchy (100% freedom), I would say that we are moving to the right (more freedom) because the current government is to the right (more gun freedoms, more tax freedoms, etc.), but the 5% of people who change their votes from one election to another could easily change this direction in a year's time.
Watered down accents... To be frank, American accent is actually quite pleasing to the ear. Who wouldn't want to have that sexy thick southern accent like Kevin Spacey? And if I were forced to adopt another accent, I'd probably go for British (London) accent all the way.
Yes, I think Canada is gradually leaning more towards free market capitalism. And that may not be a such a bad thing. In fact, the entire world has been gearing towards that direction for the last 20-30 years since the fall of the USSR.
Depends. If you wanna get rich you probably have a better chance, if you want a secure middle class existence that's probably not nearly as easy.
More watered down accents; (insofar that one agrees that noticeable accents existed in the first place,) ~ answer: "Nope".
Canadians older than 30 or 40 have very obvious accents, aside from the ones who have lived in America a long time. It sounds almost as close to a northern English accent as to an American accent, and closer than it does to say a southern US accent.
WHILE they shop at Apple, Target, Walmart, Costco, J. Crew, Marshall's, Gap, Victoria's Secret, etc. (ARE there any Canadian retailers that still have a pulse in Canada?);
Actually there are still a lot of uniquely Canadian retailers. Chapters (their version of Barnes and Noble), Canadian Tire, No Frills (their oddly expensive "discount" grocery store).
But yes their retail landscape has become more Americanized compared to before the Free Trade Agreement with America in the late 80s, or even just compared to ten years ago.
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