Path: utzoo!lsuc!nrcaer!scs!sce!warpdrive!stewartw
From: stewartw@warpdrive.UUCP (Stewart Winter)
Newsgroups: can.general
Subject: Re: Canada: one or two cultures?
Message-ID: <6674@warpdrive.UUCP>
Date: 26 Jul 89 21:38:47 GMT
References: <615662921.9256@myrias.uucp> <568@UALTAVM.BITNET> <604@philmtl.philips.ca> <89Jul19.104948edt.18727@me.utoronto.ca> <609@philmtl.philips.ca> <1989Jul24.085326.28706@jarvis.csri.toronto.edu> <1989Jul24.220904.22318@tmsoft.uucp>
Reply-To: stewartw@cognos.UUCP (Stewart Winter)
Distribution: can
Organization: Cognos Inc., Ottawa, Canada
Lines: 34

In article <1989Jul24.220904.22318@tmsoft.uucp> ead@tmsoft.UUCP (Elizabeth Doucette) writes:
>
>I am proud of being an Acadian.  I prefer my French, Irish and Indian
>ancestry.  But I am Canadian first.  I am sick and tired of all this
>belly aching about cultures.  If someone doesn't want to be a Canadian
>or they are not proud to be a Canadian, then go back to the country
>they came from.  I realize that it is not that simple.  

    This is such a natural reaction to have I don't know what the
'appropriate' way to deal with it is.  My example is not of the
culture of language, but culture of religion (i think).

   I went to see the Canadian Nation BasketBall team play at varsity
arena (several years ago).  The team they were matched against was
Israel.  The arena was packed ... unbelievably so and almost all were
cheering for Israel.  The patriotism exhibited for Israel was amazing;
flags were waving, people cheering.  Basketball doesn't fit in the
world of religious experiences, so I put this into 'culture.'  I know
that I felt a great deal of anger at knowing these Canadians were
supporting the opposition.  I'm not sure that that is how I should
have felt, but I've never decided what would have been better.

   The problem is that this is exactly the same concerns many
Canadians have with naturalized Canadians that really don't put
Canada first.  The question then becomes should Canada be first
for all Canadians and do the rest of us have the right to be
angry at Canadians for whom Canada doesn't come first?

 Stewart
-- 
Stewart Winter                Cognos Incorporated   S-mail: P.O. Box 9707
VOICE: (613) 738-1338 x3830   FAX: (613) 738-0002           3755 Riverside Drive
UUCP: uunet!cognos!stewartw                                 Ottawa, Ontario
"The bird for the day is .... canary winged parakeet."      CANADA  K1G 3Z4