The Cultural National Divide

[leahbobet]

Today I am writing my paper on why we should support Canadian Aboriginal languages. It is due Tuesday. This is why I'm not talking to anybody really today.

However, I did talk to a few people about said paper, and, because there's no faster way to get a Canadian to do something, one of my sideswipe supporting points is "if Canadians don't support that then they're not supporting multiculturalism and then we're *gasp!* acting like Americans with their Melting Pot."*

It is amazing how all the Canadians find this ruefully hilarious (and reminiscent of fifth grade history!) and all the Americans are getting pissed off. *g*


*Because no shit, this is how multiculturalism is taught in grade school to us. It is contrasted with the evil that is Americans. And if they're going to install a national-psychological button that's big and red and shiny, when I am writing persuasive papers meant to garner awareness and funding, I will use the hell out of it.**

**Yes, I am an evil propagandist.***

***I got to call people racists too.

Comments

[leahbobet.livejournal.com]

...oh wow. To my upbringing, that song is like those horror movies with clowns.

Can't sleep...melting pot's gonna eat me...

[merriehaskell.livejournal.com]

Well, I'd call this an interesting blind spot in my education. My anthropological training is definitely keen on preservation of cultures--particularly indigenous ones, but largely, only in their native environment. My American sensibility says that the melting pot serves the function of *adding* to our society, not taking away from (de facto non-indigenous) cultural groups that immigrate. I suspect the general point of our national rhetoric is that coming to another country to build an insular, non-integrating community is hardly the point.

But seriously. Cultural blind-spot here. Still thinking about this one. I know that the Indian boarding schools of past centuries were probably part of the melting pot theory, and I find everything about them abhorrent, so, uh, yeah.

[leahbobet.livejournal.com]

I suspect the general point of our national rhetoric is that coming to another country to build an insular, non-integrating community is hardly the point.

That is a good general point. Yes, you do not move house to ignore everyone else. I don't believe Toronto is particularly ghettoized that way: there are definitely areas where different ethnic communities congregate, but people go in and out and across them all the time. There's really nowhere to be where you can avoid hearing someone else's language or seeing someone that isn't like you.

Some neighbourhoods come close -- more in the suburbs -- which is why I will never, ever, ever live back in the neighbourhood where I grew up. Which is yes, (only quasi-)fondly referred to as The Ghetto.

I know that the Indian boarding schools of past centuries were probably part of the melting pot theory, and I find everything about them abhorrent, so, uh, yeah.

Well, maybe that theory taken to a serious extreme. I suspect it had more to do with earnestly trying to civilize the savage and bring to them the benefit of English, Jesus, and starched ties.

Not that I feel strongly about that. *cough*

[boywhocantsayno.livejournal.com]

I know you're several years younger than me, but was Schoolhouse Rock already off TV when you were a kid? I remember watching it on Saturday mornings between cartoons. I even have a CD called "Schoolhouse Rock Rocks!", which has about a dozen of the songs performed by rock bands. Blind Melon's version of "Three Is A Magic Number" is a particular favourite of mine. "My Hero Zero" by the Lemonheads, Daniel Johnston's "Unpack Your Adjectives" and Deluxx Folk Implosion's "I'm Just A Bill" are good too. (I'm not as fond of Moby's version of "Verb: That's What's Happening," though.) Obviously several of them talked about American history and government, but the songs were catchy.

As for the paper you're writing - did you see tonight's Leaf game? The national anthem was sung by a 13-year-old girl - in Cree.

[leahbobet.livejournal.com]

I don't remember seeing it. Wiki says it went off the air in 1986, so I would have just been doing the morning cartoon thing then (was 4). The ones I remember are more...well, Sesame Street, Care Bears, Smurfs, He-Man and/or She-Ra (which I still harbour insane love for), Rainbow Brite, and, well, Square One. *g* I learned a lot about both math and snarky humour watching Square One.

(And then I learned geography from Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego. Educational TV, kids -- it works.)

I did not see the Leafs game tonight. And now I am doubly sad I didn't, because I have missed the last few pastings of supreme ownage games. And I would have liked to hear it in Cree.

[boywhocantsayno.livejournal.com]

I don't remember seeing it. Wiki says it went off the air in 1986, so I would have just been doing the morning cartoon thing then (was 4).

Meep. Okay, scratch that "several years" reference above and replace it with "several eons". ;)

The ones I remember are more...well, Sesame Street, Care Bears, Smurfs, He-Man and/or She-Ra (which I still harbour insane love for), Rainbow Brite, and, well, Square One. *g* I learned a lot about both math and snarky humour watching Square One.

I don't recall that last one - but when I was little, I watched Sesame Street and The Electric Company. I still have an EC cast album on vinyl here. :) Alas, no turntable on which to play it. Ahhhh... learning from the likes of Morgan Freeman, Rita Moreno, Mel Brooks, Gene Wilder, Zero Mostel and Bill Cosby. It was amazing. (The show also featured a 12-year-old Irene Cara.)

I did not see the Leafs game tonight. And now I am doubly sad I didn't, because I have missed the last few pastings of supreme ownage games.

Well, tonight's game was closer than the other recent games have been - it went to a shootout. Five rounds. John Pohl scored the winner. Raycroft had another excellent game, though.

And I would have liked to hear it in Cree.

They didn't show the whole thing, unfortunately. They hadn't been able to broadcast the anthem live (I forget why, exactly), but they showed about half of her performance during the first intermission. She has quite a voice, whoever she is.