The Myth Of National Identity.

[breakwall]

Yeah, so I was in the woods thinking too much and I began to wonder...

It seems that the things which define us as a nation, whatever nation that may be, are becoming absorbed and overrun by international trends.

Canadians define themselves by hockey and beer. But we keep losing our NHL franchises like Winnipeg and Quebec City to places like Nashville and Tampa Bay. And look down the bar at any pub in the country and you'll see more Bud and Coors labels on the bottles than Canadian and Blue.

And snap a picture in any urban area in any city in the world and you can find two coke ads, a McDonalds and a Sony billboard.

Are we losing touch with our national identities? And is that a bad thing?

Maybe in the new Global Reality, the concept of national identity is antiquated and does more harm than good. Maybe it fosters elitism, an us versus them mentality that has fueled so much tension and destruction in our past.

Douglas Coupland once wrote sarcastically that he loved Europe because "All their malls had different stores."

Is it important to have a national identity?

Or should I go back to the woods?

...maybe this should be a poll.

 

[LeahLo519]

Either way you look at it, Wal-Mart and McDonalds will eventually take over the world, one country at a time.

 

[breakwall]

Either way you look at it, Wal-Mart and McDonalds will eventually take over the world, one country at a time.

Too late, Coke owns the planet and holds the copyright.

 

[BBWetKitty]

Maybe having woods IS part of Canada's identity. When I think of where I live, the PNW or Canada, I think of woods and mountains.

 

[LeahLo519]

Too late, Coke owns the planet and holds the copyright.

I bet Pepsi is pissed.

 

[marshalt]

Maybe having woods IS part of Canada's identity. When I think of where I live, the PNW or Canada, I think of woods and mountains.

not all of canada is woods though. You got plains and moutains and tundra and all sorts of shit.

 

[lapinova]

Too late, Coke owns the planet and holds the copyright.

One of the Four corporations of the Apocalypse.

 

[Equinoxe]

Are we losing touch with our national identities? And is that a bad thing?

To an extent, yes and yes. I'm not terribly in a mood to expand upon that, but suffice it to say, I don't relish the idea of a post-national world. And while it does seem that we are, in many respects, headed in that direction, I am not entirely convinced it's going to happen, there may be a reaction against it.

 

[BBWetKitty]

not all of canada is woods though. You got plains and moutains and tundra and all sorts of shit.

that's why I said 'part' of the identity. I think of natural beauty when I think of Canada. Montreal was gorgeous, Banff was stunning, BC and Victoria are beautiful areas. When I think of Canada, I think of beautiful surroundings.

 

[Ham Murabi]

National identity, eh.

 

[breakwall]

Maybe having woods IS part of Canada's identity. When I think of where I live, the PNW or Canada, I think of woods and mountains.

I like to think of Canada as a frontier nation, a wilderness domain where men wear plaid flannel and open doors for women, and women can handle their liquor and watch hockey games on mute while having sex.

But I bet that more than half of the population of this country think the conservation area just outside of town is "wilderness" and think a harsh winter is when they have to pay the neighbour's kid TWICE in one week to come shovel the driveway.

 

[BBWetKitty]

I like to think of Canada as a frontier nation, a wilderness domain where men wear plaid flannel and open doors for women, and women can handle their liquor and watch hockey games on mute while having sex.

I'll bring my own stick, puck and Cam Neely's autograph that I got when I was 11 years old and he played for Portland Winterhawks - I really have it!

 

[breakwall]

To an extent, yes and yes. I'm not terribly in a mood to expand upon that, but suffice it to say, I don't relish the idea of a post-national world. And while it does seem that we are, in many respects, headed in that direction, I am not entirely convinced it's going to happen, there may be a reaction against it.

I have a hard time envisioning a post-nation society because I have no references.
But I think we are standing on a razor's edge between globalization and hostile protectionism.

Between the two, I think I'd pick globalization.

 

[cjh]

Yeah, so I was in the woods thinking too much and I began to wonder...

It seems that the things which define us as a nation, whatever nation that may be, are becoming absorbed and overrun by international trends.

<snip>

Is it important to have a national identity?

Or should I go back to the woods?

...maybe this should be a poll.

i don't think in terms of national identities. i think in terms of regional identities. simply because the states historically had so many distinct identities. my guess is the same is true for canada.

i think it's important to have identity. to have roots. and a culture. to have the benefit of many voices and perspectives.

genius gets lost when you strive for uniformity, when you take a lathe to the quirks and idiosyncrasies of place. you just get particle board and veneer.

 

[breakwall]

One of the Four corporations of the Apocalypse.

The fifth one is that one you read about as the Highest Grossing Corporation worldwide and you've never heard of it. "Hypernion Enterprise Horizonco? And they had to invent a new number to express their quarterly earnings? Just what IS a Gongazillion?"

 

[lapinova]

The fifth one is that one you read about as the Highest Grossing Corporation worldwide and you've never heard of it. "Hypernion Enterprise Horizonco? And they had to invent a new number to express their quarterly earnings? Just what IS a Gongazillion?"

i have two Gongazillions.

 

[Paendragon]

. . . and women can handle their liquor and watch hockey games on mute while having sex.

Are there many like this where you live? Can you hook me up?

 

[breakwall]

i don't think in terms of national identities. i think in terms of regional identities. simply because the states historically had so many distinct identities. my guess is the same is true for canada.

i think it's important to have identity. to have roots. and a culture. to have the benefit of many voices and perspectives.

genius gets lost when you strive for uniformity, when you take a lathe to the quirks and idiosyncrasies of place. you just get particle board and veneer.

Does regionalism necessarily encourage genius? It's important to have roots and a sense of history, but it seems that the past is becoming more irrelevant as we move forward.

I remember when I was a kid, The Future was this mythical land of flying cars and cool outfits made of tinfoil and discs on the sleeves.

But now the future is...well, next Thursday. And society doesn't have time for a past anymore.

 

[SweetBrie]

There are guys who want sex during a sporting event?

 

[breakwall]

Are there many like this where you live? Can you hook me up?

There are a few. They drink beer like it's going to be taken away from them and they swear a blue streak on bad calls.

Also, on special nights, they wear the panties with the team logo on them, which means you will get laid. This is called "Foreplay".

 

[Equinoxe]

I have a hard time envisioning a post-nation society because I have no references.
But I think we are standing on a razor's edge between globalization and hostile protectionism.

Between the two, I think I'd pick globalization.

It may sound ridiculous, but I'll take hostile protectionism. I'd rather visit, say, Japan and be killed for being an "outsider" than visit Japan and be greeted by an English-speaking European-looking gentleman named "Keith" or some such who leads me through the great Japanese city of New New York (formerly Tokyo), where we have a lovely meal at McDonald's.

Fortunately, that is an extreme example, I don't think Globalisation will quite go that far, I think human beings have too much of a tendency to fragment. It has it's downsides, to be sure, I can't deny that, but I'll take difference -- even hatred based upon difference, over uniformity and destruction of cultures.

 

[breakwall]

There are guys who want sex during a sporting event?

Oh god yes. Legend has it that if you can coordinate a good cum at the exact moment of power-play goal, it makes your mind turn to red lightning.

 

[SweetBrie]

Oh god yes. Legend has it that if you can coordinate a good cum at the exact moment of power-play goal, it makes your mind turn to red lightning.

I always get told to stay far away because I'm bad luck.

 

[breakwall]

It may sound ridiculous, but I'll take hostile protectionism. I'd rather visit, say, Japan and be killed for being an "outsider" than visit Japan and be greeted by an English-speaking European-looking gentleman named "Keith" or some such who leads me through the great Japanese city of New New York (formerly Tokyo), where we have a lovely meal at McDonald's.

Fortunately, that is an extreme example, I don't think Globalisation will quite go that far, I think human beings have too much of a tendency to fragment. It has it's downsides, to be sure, I can't deny that, but I'll take difference -- even hatred based upon difference, over uniformity and destruction of cultures.

It's interesting how we cling to our national icons. We had an engineer come over from Scandanavia a few months ago, and he was met by a rep and shown around and given a taste of what Canada has to offer.
Later I was sitting with him during a meeting and I asked him what he had seen since he had been here.

He told me he had been taken to a place that serves coffee(which he doesn't drink), a place that makes great hamburgers (which he detests), a rather nice waterfall (he lives about ten minutes from some breathtaking fjords), and to a big city where he was taken to...Chinatown.
I could understand why he was a bit confused as to how Canadians define themselves.

 

[cjh]

Does regionalism necessarily encourage genius? It's important to have roots and a sense of history, but it seems that the past is becoming more irrelevant as we move forward.

I remember when I was a kid, The Future was this mythical land of flying cars and cool outfits made of tinfoil and discs on the sleeves.

But now the future is...well, next Thursday. And society doesn't have time for a past anymore.

maybe my perspective is shaped by where i live, in mississippi.

it's quirky as hell. but it has spawned a peculiar genius: tennessee williams, william faulkner, william faulkner, walker percy, barry hannah, b.b. king, bo diddley, willie dixon, john lee hooker....

they write and sing of the place. their genius can't be torn from it.

and though i believe in the exchange of ideas, and in fusion, i think place is important.

save me from the wal-martization of the world. from applebee's and mcdonald's.

give me accents.

and seersucker and linen.