Shifting as the wind blows
May. 9th, 2005 11:34 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fajrdrakoI just read an interesting poll on the Globe and Mail website. Now, I don't think such polls are worth the paper they aren't written on, but this one was interesting. The question was, "Do you think Canada's social and cultural values have shifted away from those of the United States?" Now, I had to stop and think for a minute, because it's a little like "have you stopped beating your wife?" - I don't think Canadian social and cultural values have ever been very close to those of the States in numerous fundamental ways from 1776 onwards, unless you're talking in the broadest way of 'freedom' and 'democracy' and I'm not sure we even mean the same things by these words.
Anyway, I think our history has always been a push-pull thing, constantly influenced by American cultural values, and constantly going our own directions. Accepting and rejecting American trends and ideas alternately. Accepting McDonald's, but preferring Tim Horton's - that sort of thing.
So, on consideration I voted "yes" but I kind of thought other people would be voting "no".
To my surprise, the results were 8,767 votes saying we were shifting away from American cultural values, to 2,011 people saying we weren't.
Really! I can only conclude that this reflects Canadian horror of the States' presence in Iraq, or fear of Bush's polite right-wing bullying of Canada, or the problems with the border, or the loud voice of American fundamentalists. Or something else I'm not thinking of?
Anyway, I think our history has always been a push-pull thing, constantly influenced by American cultural values, and constantly going our own directions. Accepting and rejecting American trends and ideas alternately. Accepting McDonald's, but preferring Tim Horton's - that sort of thing.
So, on consideration I voted "yes" but I kind of thought other people would be voting "no".
To my surprise, the results were 8,767 votes saying we were shifting away from American cultural values, to 2,011 people saying we weren't.
Really! I can only conclude that this reflects Canadian horror of the States' presence in Iraq, or fear of Bush's polite right-wing bullying of Canada, or the problems with the border, or the loud voice of American fundamentalists. Or something else I'm not thinking of?
