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Little Canada ... but full of itself

Edward Campbell

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There is a page with a similar title title, elsewhere on Army.ca but it’s not quite on the same topic.

Here, reproduced under the Fair Dealing provisions (§29) of the Copyright Act from today’s Ottawa Citizen, is a column that sums up, as well as I have seen, the “new” (post 1967) Canada:
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http://www.ottawacitizen.com/Health/over+yourself+Canada/1174426/story.html

Get over yourself, Canada


BY DAN GARDNER, THE OTTAWA CITIZEN

JANUARY 14, 2009 3:02 AM

We use the word "historic" far too casually, but it will truly be an historic moment when Barack Obama raises his hand, swears his oath, and becomes the 44th president of the United States of America.

CBC Radio has announced that, "to celebrate," it is asking listeners to vote for the 49 songs the new president must hear. Why 49? Because they will be "49 songs from north of the 49th parallel."

"One of the best ways to know Canada is through the depth and breadth of our artistic expression," CBC Radio's executive director, Denise Donlon, says on the CBC website. "We're excited about the new president and we want him to be excited about us, so we're asking our audience to help compile the list of our most definitive Canadian songs!"

The Bible on which Barack Obama will swear the oath of office belonged to Abraham Lincoln. The hand Obama will lay on that Bible is black. For a nation founded on the ideal of liberty and the reality of slavery, the inauguration of this president will be the joyous culmination of a struggle that lasted centuries.

And the CBC is marking this landmark in the history of human freedom by asking Canadians whether it is the gritty blue-collar realism of Sudbury Saturday Night or the boyish enthusiasm of The Hockey Song that best captures the complex and subtle character of the Canadian identity that so fascinates us, and will -- surely -- intrigue the new American president.

Cynics will have unkind words for this little initiative. But not I. The CBC's mandate is to reflect Canada. And here, with one simple contest, the CBC has given us a stark and unmistakable demonstration of the narcissism, parochialism, insecurity, pettiness, and self-delusion that are essential components of Canadian identity.

It's all about us. It's always about us.

A few years ago, I went with a group of Canadian tourists to a dusty village in the interior of Mexico's Baja peninsula. In the shadow of a 17th-century Jesuit mission, we came across some young children and I listened with an odd mix of fascination and embarrassment as my fellow Canadians used the universal language of the idiot traveller -- grin, wave hands, raise voice -- to chat with the kids about, of course, themselves.

"We're from Canada! CA-NA-DA!" they bellowed at the bewildered toddlers. "Do you know how to spot a Canadian? We say 'eh'!" I was left hoping that one day these children would grow up, visit Canada, and subject everyone they met to lengthy Spanish monologues about cactuses.

Our collective self-absorption is boundless. Look at Canadian coverage of international news. No matter what the subject, Canadian journalists will find "the Canadian angle."

When a tsunami ravaged the coastlines of the Indian Ocean, Canadian reporters rushed to the region and fanned out to find -- what else? -- the Canadian ex-pats, aid workers, and villagers whose brother drives a cab in Toronto. That a quarter of a million people were dead was of some interest. That a Canadian snorkler missed his girlfriend back in Saskatoon --this was essential news.

Even 9/11 became about us after George W. Bush failed to mention Canada when he thanked other countries for their support.

"What became known as 'the snub' steamrolled into a national conversation carried on by all Canadian publications and radio call-in shows," wrote Jennifer Welsh, the Canadian political scientist and Oxford University professor. "It was a raw and unattractive display of our national inferiority complex. How could we turn an international crisis, an impending war, into an opportunity to navel-gaze and wring our hands over our lack of influence in Washington?"

I have a document from the Mayo Clinic that may answer that question. It's about something called "narcissistic personality disorder."

NPD is "a mental disorder in which people have an inflated sense of their own importance and a deep need for admiration," the document states. "But behind this mask of ultra-confidence lies a fragile self-esteem, vulnerable to the slightest criticism."

We Canadians are so full of ourselves we think compiling a list of songs that best define Canadian identity is an appropriate way to honour our neighbour's historic triumph. We boast that "the world needs more Canada," we imagine that foreigners would like nothing more than to live here, and we believe -- contrary to abundant evidence -- that Canada is a significant player in world affairs.

And yet we are so lacking in genuine confidence that it matters enormously to us whether a new American president makes us his first or third foreign visit, any mention of this country on The Daily Show or The Simpsons makes the next day's news, and a trivial oversight by an American president at a time of global crisis is enough to send us to the mirror to mewl and moan, "I'm not pretty! I'm not! Not, not, not!"

If this country were a teenaged girl, she would have been diagnosed and packed off to psychotherapy years ago.

Dan Gardner writes Wednesday, Friday and Saturday and blogs at ottawacitizen.com/katzenjammer. E-mail: dgardner@thecitizen.canwest.com

© Copyright (c) The Ottawa Citizen

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Insecure, narcissistic and self-absorbed; it’s an interesting combination. There are, probably, one or two other countries that share some, even all of our ‘failings’ to one degree or another. China, for example, is, despite its long history and highly visible power, mildly ‘insecure’ in its place in the world and it is entirely self absorbed but it is anything but narcissistic, if anything the Chinese are constantly looking for ways to verify their standing. No one I ever met in that great country ever suggested that “the world needs more China” and most Chinese people are constantly looking to see if they are doing enough in the world; they never rest on their laurels.

Nor did we in the 1940s and ‘50s and well into the ‘60s. Despite great trials and tribulations, perhaps because of them, Canadians were confident in their abilities, modest and humble about their achievements – perhaps to a fault, and eager to “do something” to make the world a better place for all.

What a change a generation or two makes.

We made a big international splash in 1967. “Look at us!” we said to an admiring world. ”We’ve got all this potential!” Look out, world, here we come!” And then? Then …
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Less, and less, and, less, and finally … nothing

And here we are, 40+ years after Expo 67 and all that promise, 40+ years after Trudeaumania, and we are immature, insecure, self absorbed little narcissists – trying to find a way to bask, just a wee tiny bit, in America’s latest ‘triumph.’

So sad. So predictable, but so sad to see so much potential squandered.

 
I can't wait for the people who fit that description to start their belly-aching about the article! I thought the article was extremely well written and spot on. We, as a people, do have this massive inferiority complex and it shows in our "national news" on the CBC.
 
NPD is "a mental disorder in which people have an inflated sense of their own importance and a deep need for admiration," the document states. "But behind this mask of ultra-confidence lies a fragile self-esteem, vulnerable to the slightest criticism."

Strangely, NDP seems to be a similar disorder.  ;D
 
Gunnar said:
Strangely, NDP seems to be a similar disorder.   ;D

;D I knew it was only a matter of time before this was going to be said!
 
Bullshit!!

Just what else should a RADIO station send but music?

Maybe this clown thinks we should emulate his little analogy about the bible being "black" and send some friggin" watermelon?
I get the feeling he's just one more sad little man who thinks we shouldn't keep score at our kids sporting events.....less they start thinking they are good or something.

My name is Bruce!!
And I am Canadian||
[and proud to be full of myself]
 
NPD is "a mental disorder in which people have an inflated sense of their own importance and a deep need for admiration," the document states. "But behind this mask of ultra-confidence lies a fragile self-esteem, vulnerable to the slightest criticism."

Internet trolls and some journalists would seem to fit that description too.

A radio station offers music because "sound" is its currency of exchange.  A journalist spins a tale around that, because he's committed to a word-count and substance means less than the potential to stir controversy.

Personally, I think Edward's comments have much more substance and are more worthy of debate than a journalist's comments which are , primarily, about the actions of other journalists.

If there is a national hypochondria detectable in our news media, to whom, exactly should we assign responsibility for that symptomology?  Hmmmm, perhaps all those proponents of "balanced reporting" should look inwards a little more often.

 
We are full of ourselves, but former SecDef Donald Rumsfeld's memoirs and papers are not:

Further to this post at the CDFAI's 3Ds Blog,

The World Needs More Canada?
http://www.cdfai.org/the3dsblog/?p=94

One finds this at a Maclean’s blog:

One reference to Canada in new Rumsfeld memoir
http://www2.macleans.ca/2011/02/08/one-reference-to-canada-in-new-rumsfeld-memoir/


If one digs in The Rumsfeld Papers (via Tom Ricks’ The Best Defense)
http://ricks.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/02/08/playing_rummy_bingo
one discovers that this country is virtually absent there too in any substantive way. A search for “Canada”, “Canadian” or “Canadians” (you have to do it yourself)
http://www.rumsfeld.com/library/default.asp
certainly produces meagre results. Indeed one gets more for “Spain” or “Spanish”. There may just be a lesson in reality for us there. Readers may wish to make their own further comparisons. In any event such access to information is most refreshing to this Canadian.

Mark
Ottawa
 
Considering we are talking about Rumsfeld here, I take comfort in the fact that  Canada's contribution (and Australia's) was mentionned and spelled out in the same group as Britain and Germany, is included in the short specific list that only expanded to include France and Italy, instead of merely being pooled with all the other 63 nondescript (or unknown? :) ) countries and contributions of the "in all sixty nine" contributing nations.
 
Won't you send in a donation today to help us stamp out CMCS?  Canadian Middle Child Syndrom, it's here, it's real, and it keeps us up at night.
 
Bruce Monkhouse said:
Bullshit!!

Just what else should a RADIO station send but music?

Maybe this clown thinks we should emulate his little analogy about the bible being "black" and send some friggin" watermelon?
I get the feeling he's just one more sad little man who thinks we shouldn't keep score at our kids sporting events.....less they start thinking they are good or something.

My name is Bruce!!
And I am Canadian||
[and proud to be full of myself]

I think his point of that referance is more along the lines of anyone thinking the US President cares, or is even remotely interested in what message a Canadian Radio station wants to send him and the fact that a Canadian radio station makes more of a celibratory event of a new US President then anything Canadian

Just my thoughts
 
I am sure that messages to the President by Canadian radio stations make their way to the State Department through diplomatic cables of the US Ambassador that are better left out of Wikileaks' site. :)
 
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