[lbo-talk] American Religion (Was Irrationality of the Masses)

Marvin Gandall marvgandall at rogers.com
Sat Jun 11 12:52:13 PDT 2005


Wendy Lyon wrote:


>> Not my experience in Canada, either, where most people would describe
>> themselves as "Canadian nationalists", but don't worship their country
>> with
>> the same blind fervour as many Americans.
>
> Well, I think that nationalism expresses itself in different ways in
> different nations, and one country's particular means of expression
> may be misinterpreted outside its borders. An Irish friend of mine
> once told me that she viewed Canadians as "stupidly nationalistic", on
> account of their tendency to plaster the maple leaf all over
> themselves whenever they leave North America.
-------------------------------- Heh. Did you ever wonder why they do so "whenever they leave North America"?. They sport the maple leaf very self-consciously so as not to be mistaken for Americans, who are not liked abroad. People joke about it. Inside the country, there are very few ostentatious displays of the Canadian flag on cars, lapels, or in front of homes, except during the world hockey championships.

Let me amend that. A very ugly Canadian nationalism, with a lot of flag-waving and anthem-singing and not a small dose of racism, does assert itself whenever there is an independence referendum in Quebec. That's when I get a good sense of the alienation my American friends feel on a daily basis south of the border.

MG



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