So what happened? The Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games were used, and continue to be used, to try and marshal nationalistic support. Canadians are becoming too American it seems. The world is breaking apart from it's nations, and is swirling together into the field of economics. The borders are becoming more about which company owns what resources, rather than what country a company hails from. Is this a good thing, or a bad thing? Is it good that we are focusing more on doing business with each other, and are leaving out of style things such as nations behind? Or is it bad that we are forgetting some of what makes each of us special? Are we losing that part of ourselves that makes us proud to be from a certain piece of land?
I read a book recently, a Tom Clancy novel, where privately owned armies were being given more and more control of the U.S. government. The Air Force, Navy and Army were being made redundant by shiny new corporations that fought for money. One day, a mercenary company would fight for a rogue South American regime, the next day they would merge with a bigger label that worked for the United States. Several of the characters wanted to make a future where countries were a thing of the past, where everything was run by corporations and competing businesses made the world go round. Several pilots, formerly of the United States Air Force, ran illegal missions to prevent a takeover by the companies the U.S. had hired for it's own protection. Is there something wrong with that picture? A world run by companies that won everything and employ everyone?
As part of my last semester of high school, I'm helping teach a course on Canadian history. Now, admittedly, Canada does not have much of a history when compared to the Old World. We are still rather young, and have not done much that is noteworthy to the rest of the planet. Our biggest impact was during the World Wars, when we gained a reputation for taking the hard jobs and getting them done, doing what no-one else could do. We took Vimy Ridge, battled in Kitchener Wood. We were slaughtered again and again, but we kept coming back, because we believed in something. We continued to surrender our lives, parents blessed their children as they walked out the door, we lost brothers, fathers, cousins, uncles. We continued to give, because we had a dream of a better world. The class I'm helping with, does not seem very interested in history. Some of the guys have a touch of interest because of games like Call of Duty, which is an American game. Some girls are enjoying the course because they genuinely enjoy learning about their home country. Some want better marks, so they can get accepted to a better university, get a well paying job, and settle down to make lots of money for the rest of their lives.
Where did patriotism go? Why have we moved away from nationalism? Admittedly, nationalism played a big part in the World Wars, it may even have been the reason for them. But I don't believe there is anything wrong with the system. Sometimes things get taken too far, but that happens with everything. One can be proud of their country without thinking that others are inferior.
Egypt is a good example of this. It is a modern country, industrialized, but it has kept it's national identity and culture. When they wanted a change, the people of Egypt got together and told the government what they wanted. They waited for things to change, they encouraged things to change, all without violence. It was not the protestors that started the conflict. It was the supporters of the government. Then men and women who wanted a change did not attack their fellow countrymen, they set up camp and waited for their request to be fulfilled. The military did not use tear gas, riot shields and clubs to control protesting mobs. They simply drove up, parked their vehicles, and waited.
Meanwhile Canadians protesting the G20 set cars on fire, they smashed windows. Admittedly, anarchists may have had a hand in starting the violence, but we Canadians went about this all the wrong way. Some of us wanted to protest the government spending millions of dollars on security, so we went and started pushing the police that had been placed around the Summit. We clawed at the barriers, we blew bubbles in their faces, we taunted the officers who had sworn to uphold law in our country. And then they beat us, they chased us down, they fought back. And we crucify them for it. If you poke a bear with a stick, when the bear is merely sleeping in the woods, and the bear attacks us, do we blame the bear for ravaging the people who provoked it? Who is in the wrong? The bear acted according to it's nature, it does not know better, so it is not in the wrong. The person who saw a big and dangerous creature, got the stick, and taunted it, irritated it, is to blame.
Canada, we need to fix things. We are supposed to be the friendliest people on the planet, willing to learn another language rather than force others to learn our own. We say "please" and "thank you" when we want something in a store, or when someone smiles at us when we're having a bad day. Small things, actions we do not have to do. But we do them. Canada is our home, we live here. Why can we not make it more like home and less like an office? I'm not a huge fan of hockey, or most sports, but when the Olympics are on, I am willing to watch Canadians perform and compete with the rest of the world. I also watch the Netherlands, as my family originally came from there. I support two countries, I cheer them both on. How is this wrong? How is it hard? Why can I not be proud of my heritage and my home?
Canadians, we're known to be the "get r done" folk. Well, let's get it done, shall we? We have issues with the politicians in Ottawa, eh? Then get some new people in! You want honesty, then vote for honest people. If you can't find any, find a friend who would be a good administrator, and get them to run in the next election. It's time to get things moving. We know there's a problem, we have ways to fix it. If something goes wrong, then we'll fix that too. WE've all made mistakes before. Let's get going!
We often look south of our border for the newest fads and styles. The Americans are trying to clean up their mess, slowly, but they are. Obama was a good choice, he's trying to improve his country. Note, his country. Barack Obama is very proud of his home, and he works hard to make it a better place to live in. We want Canada to be a better place, so let's get to work, eh?
Come on, Canada! We can make a difference, we can change the world. We have more money than most, so let's use it. We can travel more freely than many other countries can, so let's make use of that and start working on improving our country and others. We have beliefs that we know to be true. The Charter of Rights and Freedoms was written by Canada for a reason. Take off the suit, put on the steel toes and gloves and help each other improve our home.
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