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From: laura@utcsstat.UUCP (Laura Creighton)
Newsgroups: net.movies,net.politics,net.music
Subject: Re: The Star-Spangled Banner
Message-ID: <1513@utcsstat.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 3-Dec-83 15:35:32 EST
Article-I.D.: utcsstat.1513
Posted: Sat Dec  3 15:35:32 1983
Date-Received: Sat, 3-Dec-83 16:31:36 EST
References: <143@houxk.UUCP>, <2820@utcsrgv.UUCP>, <1093@rocksvax.UUCP>, <843@cwruecmp.UUCP>
Organization: U. of Toronto, Canada
Lines: 53

O Canada --

	The first thing to remember is that Canadians *aren't* brought up
on it. My generation has had both a flag and an anthem. Previous generations
haven't. Before O Canada it was God Save the Queen. So any "Loyalty to
the Flag" will not have very deep roots around here. Also we don't have
flags in classrooms or classroom anthem singings... except in prparation
for school concerts or soemthing. We still had to sing God Save the
Queen about as often as O Canada.

	The Star Spangled Banner is a very difficult thing to sing. Anybody
who can sing it *ought* to be getting a red glow inside -- just to
accomplish the feat. O Canada is neither difficult, nor (in the first
verse which is all that most people ever know anyway) very interesting.
A few (10?) years ago they spruced up the anthem by replacing one of
the repetitive "We Stand on Guard, We Stand on Guard" with "God
Keep Our Land". This is official, but it hasn't gone over too well.
Historically, dependance upon God has not been all that reliable. I
think that a few extra "we stand on guard"s might help keeping
Canada "glorious and free", though...

	patriotism is looked on as an American disease. it is not
polite to draw attention to how wonderful you are, after all. In the
apartment building I live in a new sign was errected beside the light
switch "Be Patriotic -- Save energy!" I know three people (including
myself) who laughed themselves silly when they saw it.

	However, there *is* real patriotism here, though you have
to work hard to find it. I discovered that I was patriotic when it
*really mattered* to me as a kid whether the Canadians beat the
Russians in the Canada/USSR hockey challenge. At the time I remember
wondering if I had some strange disease...

	Canadians also take pride in "not being Americans" which is
a strange form of Patriotism.

	Despite this there is a strange ability on the part of
Canadians to absorb American patriotism. thus I remember that
after the Canadian athletes had been eliminated from the olympics
in some competition, Canadians would root for the Americans. 

	i still think that O Canada is primarily what they play
to tell you that the hockey/football/baseball games has started.
I have never felt the warmth that is talked about, except after
the Canada USSR hockey challenge that i mentioned. I have not
discussed this with other people, but I suspect that I am not
very unusual in this respect. Thus American patriotism seems to
be some sort of strange madness from my point of view. it is
unfathomable -- but you do seem to get a lot of enjoyment out of
it, don't you? There is always something to be said about that...

Laura Creighton
utzoo!utcsstat!laura