Artemis wrote:I don't know how the other Canadians on this forum feel, but I feel a little, um, uncomfortable with all the Canadian nationalism the last couple of days. The only time I see so many Canadian flags and 'Go Canada' is during Olympic hockey. I'm not diminishing the events of the last few days or anything like that, it's just not normal for us.
I think it's right to be concerned about it, because feelings like this, left to get out of control, can easily turn into the bad kind of nationalism -- the kind that starts separating people out into "us" Canadians vs. "them" (including people who are de facto, by right and citizenship, Canadian, as well as those who are mere landed immigrants but who don't *look* like they are "with us").
It's also the case that given who is currently in power in this country, events like this could easily be used to push things even further away from what Joe Clark calls "the Canada we recognize", toward something that looks increasingly like a miniature America that even America has already moved away from.
It will be sad if Canada does not learn from the US's behavior after 9/11. We freaked out and over compensated with nationalism.
Re: Ottawa shooting.
Posted: Sun Oct 26, 2014 8:35 am
by Hype
guysmiley wrote:
Adurentibus Spina wrote:
Artemis wrote:I don't know how the other Canadians on this forum feel, but I feel a little, um, uncomfortable with all the Canadian nationalism the last couple of days. The only time I see so many Canadian flags and 'Go Canada' is during Olympic hockey. I'm not diminishing the events of the last few days or anything like that, it's just not normal for us.
I think it's right to be concerned about it, because feelings like this, left to get out of control, can easily turn into the bad kind of nationalism -- the kind that starts separating people out into "us" Canadians vs. "them" (including people who are de facto, by right and citizenship, Canadian, as well as those who are mere landed immigrants but who don't *look* like they are "with us").
It's also the case that given who is currently in power in this country, events like this could easily be used to push things even further away from what Joe Clark calls "the Canada we recognize", toward something that looks increasingly like a miniature America that even America has already moved away from.
It will be sad if Canada does not learn from the US's behavior after 9/11. We freaked out and over compensated with nationalism.
The laws that we passed after 9/11 were in some ways stronger and more draconian than the Patriot Act(s). For whatever reason, Canadian law enforcement agencies have just tended to use their powers in more measured ways, as far as anyone knows. And Canadians tend to be considerably less nationalistic, mostly because so many Canadians still feel deeply nationalistic about their ancestral homelands.
Re: Ottawa shooting.
Posted: Thu Oct 30, 2014 4:22 pm
by Lokus
This isn't a scientific sample, although it appears they were able to find at least a few people in a single day that would stand up for this "muslim". This actually makes me pretty proud of my fellow citizens.
Re: Ottawa shooting.
Posted: Thu Oct 30, 2014 5:33 pm
by Essence_Smith
Lokus wrote:This isn't a scientific sample, although it appears they were able to find at least a few people in a single day that would stand up for this "muslim". This actually makes me pretty proud of my fellow citizens.
