I really like your work, loved your book on what I prefer to call "The Social Floor" (safety nets are for those who've fallen; floors support us all).
But i have to offer an additional definition of "culture" and "nationalism" that changes the discussion.
It's from author Neal Stephenson, a real STEM techie type, who pleads for our side of CP Snow's division: that "Culture is how you feed, clothe, house yourself, provide education and medical care and transportation and safety. The rest is funny hats and clog dancing."
Canada has a distinct culture in how it provides medical care and public health; a superior one during the pandemic, when we suffered fewer casualties, not just compared to America and the UK (1/3rd as many!!) but compared to all of Europe save Norway and Denmark.
I'm pretty sure the pandemic results mean something. Canada lost 1100 lives under the age of 50. America, over 70,000 - more than 7X as many young victims per capita. We're clearly, clearly different, if you measure with the right ruler.
And we need to fight for it. With organization. American culture is to bully. Ours is to organize smaller nations into a group. With a group that all tariff in return if any one is tariff-bullied, we can stop the bullying. Without using escalating force. That's Canadian.
As an aside to the main message, I was struck by the question at the beginning:
"what did you say to get a message like that?"
It sounded like, if you said something that bad, then maybe you deserved death threats. It's exactly the same question when they ask, "what were you wearing?" after you are assaulted.
For a long time, we have been defined by "Not American". Not a great unifying story.
We have lost much of what did bring us together over the last 40 years. In Alberta, it was the Service Clubs. Rotary, Elks, Kawana's & the Churches that brought us together. It was the small town business community, the schools, and the sense of community. It was going to the community supper where the whole community came to the Gladys Community Hall and had a big pot luck dinner.
That was what made Alberta a great place. It was forged in the 1930's when no one had any money, and a Hobo could count on being fed at any farm house provided that they helped to feed the chickens. At that point, everyone was in the same place, and needed their neighbors. Race, religion & class took a back seat to survival. The small town church in Okotoks fed the hobos off the trains, because they saw themselves in the hobo.
We became prosperous & lost that.
There's another story which is still being told, which was the story of Alberta being the hinterland. The place that Toronto / Ottawa did not care about. The story of people who could not get loans for their farm, business or oil company from Bay Street, so they went to Houston & got it. The story of going to Toronto, and being told that they were just a "Red Neck".
Why is this relevant? Because, if Canada wants to remain a nation, it needs to have Federal Governments that act in the best interests of all of Canada, not just the select few. The Prime Minister needs to understand that he / she represents the interest of the people who live in Okotoks, Cape Bretton, and Yellowknife, not just the few in Ottawa that they consider important..
Somethings broken that won't let me "like" but thank you.
i heard about that Alberta from my mother, who grew up in coal-town Drumheller through the Depression. They were dirt poor, but her mother helped hobos.
I keep telling myself that less than you think has changed since then. My grandmother's compassion was taught down through the generations, and is still there. We just need to organize.
Sadly I think the Alberta you refer to is also long gone. It's no small feat that the powerful few in Edmonton have convinced the people of the prairies to not only stop caring about the other provinces but to full on hate them (particularly those out east). Good luck ever having a conversation about building a resilient national project with an Albertan, they just get angry about transfer payments their government agreed to. I've met plenty of people like this in interior BC who come with their oil money and selfish attitudes
I really like your work, loved your book on what I prefer to call "The Social Floor" (safety nets are for those who've fallen; floors support us all).
But i have to offer an additional definition of "culture" and "nationalism" that changes the discussion.
It's from author Neal Stephenson, a real STEM techie type, who pleads for our side of CP Snow's division: that "Culture is how you feed, clothe, house yourself, provide education and medical care and transportation and safety. The rest is funny hats and clog dancing."
Canada has a distinct culture in how it provides medical care and public health; a superior one during the pandemic, when we suffered fewer casualties, not just compared to America and the UK (1/3rd as many!!) but compared to all of Europe save Norway and Denmark.
I'm pretty sure the pandemic results mean something. Canada lost 1100 lives under the age of 50. America, over 70,000 - more than 7X as many young victims per capita. We're clearly, clearly different, if you measure with the right ruler.
And we need to fight for it. With organization. American culture is to bully. Ours is to organize smaller nations into a group. With a group that all tariff in return if any one is tariff-bullied, we can stop the bullying. Without using escalating force. That's Canadian.
As an aside to the main message, I was struck by the question at the beginning:
"what did you say to get a message like that?"
It sounded like, if you said something that bad, then maybe you deserved death threats. It's exactly the same question when they ask, "what were you wearing?" after you are assaulted.
Talk about blaming the victim.
For a long time, we have been defined by "Not American". Not a great unifying story.
We have lost much of what did bring us together over the last 40 years. In Alberta, it was the Service Clubs. Rotary, Elks, Kawana's & the Churches that brought us together. It was the small town business community, the schools, and the sense of community. It was going to the community supper where the whole community came to the Gladys Community Hall and had a big pot luck dinner.
That was what made Alberta a great place. It was forged in the 1930's when no one had any money, and a Hobo could count on being fed at any farm house provided that they helped to feed the chickens. At that point, everyone was in the same place, and needed their neighbors. Race, religion & class took a back seat to survival. The small town church in Okotoks fed the hobos off the trains, because they saw themselves in the hobo.
We became prosperous & lost that.
There's another story which is still being told, which was the story of Alberta being the hinterland. The place that Toronto / Ottawa did not care about. The story of people who could not get loans for their farm, business or oil company from Bay Street, so they went to Houston & got it. The story of going to Toronto, and being told that they were just a "Red Neck".
Why is this relevant? Because, if Canada wants to remain a nation, it needs to have Federal Governments that act in the best interests of all of Canada, not just the select few. The Prime Minister needs to understand that he / she represents the interest of the people who live in Okotoks, Cape Bretton, and Yellowknife, not just the few in Ottawa that they consider important..
Somethings broken that won't let me "like" but thank you.
i heard about that Alberta from my mother, who grew up in coal-town Drumheller through the Depression. They were dirt poor, but her mother helped hobos.
I keep telling myself that less than you think has changed since then. My grandmother's compassion was taught down through the generations, and is still there. We just need to organize.
We need to need each other again. Otherwise known as Community. It is not dead but dormant. I saw it in High River after the 2013 floods
Sadly I think the Alberta you refer to is also long gone. It's no small feat that the powerful few in Edmonton have convinced the people of the prairies to not only stop caring about the other provinces but to full on hate them (particularly those out east). Good luck ever having a conversation about building a resilient national project with an Albertan, they just get angry about transfer payments their government agreed to. I've met plenty of people like this in interior BC who come with their oil money and selfish attitudes