Quote:
|
Quote:
Later on into adulthood, my first visits to big, iconic American cities were somewhat surreal - all these buildings and streets that I had seen in movies and television for years were actually there in front of me. It was weird - like an old friend that I had known for years but never actually met. Anyhow, it occurred to me that I really should not be so familiar with American locations but I had just absorbed it all over the years as though by osmosis. As a side note, due to the little diddies like Schoolhouse Rock that they played regularly during Saturday morning cartoons, I could recite the first part of the American Constitution in song... what a mind blower that is, especially considering that most Americans probably have a hard time understanding where Toronto is, and have no idea who our Prime Minister is, other than that 'attractive' guy that Melania was eyeing up on social media... :haha: |
Quote:
|
Quote:
as for latino and black influences? In the us they are HUGE influences. The uS has far more cultural influences from black and latino cultures than Canada does which skews the US quite a degree differently. In contrast first nations peoples and cultures are far more dominant here in Canada. as for Vancouver being cascadia? I don't see it, other than the environment of the area, BC is quite a degree different from washington state. Vancouver is demographically vastly different from seattle due to the huge influence of asian populations here that are lacking in seattle. BC is also more conservative than washington state is and in BC urbanization and urban planning is far more influences by asia then seattle is. The uS side of the pacific northwest does have a lot of similarities with us but it's way overaggerated mainly by a subsect of young white people that either used to believe in the cascadia movement or still do. I notice a difference between BC and washington even when only visiting bellingham. In General Canada is a more conservative and reserved country then the united states is. |
Quote:
(Note that I said French-derived, not French.) |
Quote:
|
Isn't it a common thing in France to see Quebec as the French version of the US? (ie. Thinking of it as America, but in French?).
|
Quote:
For others who know little about us, it ranges from a slice of quasi-authentic France in America, to something no more French than Louisiana. |
Quote:
Unless you were in an Anglo enclave in say Montreal, like being a McGill student or something, maybe you'd think Montreal was no more French than New Orleans, but even then, I'd imagine you'd notice that around you, there are people who are conversing with others in French on the street, all around you and in daily life in a way you would rarely see in Louisiana unless you went to a really small town and even then, the assumption would not be that you address strangers/tourists you don't know with "bonjour-hi"! |
Quote:
Like for instance, is a white suburbanite or "middle America" type person in say Iowa who never grew up around minorities more influenced by Hispanic and Black culture than a small town Canuck from the prairies or maritimes would be influenced by First Nations culture (or even if you would have it, Asian culture, if this person was from small town BC, say, far away from Vancouver or any urban area). Aside from being more aware of their presence from media coverage etc., what elements of food, dress, diet, culture etc. are prominently more "black" or Hispanic" about white Americans vs. white Canadians, and what elements of say, First Nations or "Asian" culture does the average white Canadian have more than the average white American? |
Quote:
|
Quote:
But in any case, I'd still be surprised that a French person in France would expect the most French part of Canada to be no more French than the most French part of the US, given that most people in France I presume would be aware that Canada at least is officially bilingual and supports/revived the French language much more than its US counterparts (Louisiana and whatever parts of New England or the Midwest once had more French influence). I would still be rather surprised if a French person really thought that Canada's most French part was no more French that the US in general within the broader North American context, as I presume most French people are aware, if they know Canada and the Quebec situation at all, that one thing that makes it distinctive is that the Francophone influence hasn't gone away, relative to the rest of Anglo North America. That makes me wonder, how many people in France are unaware of the French language revival post 1960s, and think that Montreal now is no more French than Toronto or NYC, and still think Anglo dominance over Canada is still the way it was say in the 50s and French has long been assimilated away? |
Quote:
Usually, the most commonly brought-up "mother country" scenarios are thought of as an "Old World-New World relationship" with settler colonial offshoots like Britain and the US/Canada/Australia/NZ, or Spain and Latin America etc. But the idea of an older New World (or let's say post-colonial) country being a "mother country" for a "newer" (post-colonial) New World country is interesting -- like is Australia a "mother country" for NZ (similar to Canada, NZ chose not to join the federation of Australia, while different colonies that became Australia did)? Or is Malaysia, Britain or China the mother country for Singapore? Is the US also the mother country for Liberia? Is Britain or France the mother country for Haiti and Jamaica, because it set up the institutions and set the tone for the culture, even though the people (descendants of African slaves) initially never wanted to be brought there in the first place? Does the modern state of Israel have its mother country be the Biblical Israel, or do any of the western powers (Britain, the US and other allies) and members of the Jewish diaspora all over the world that agreed to and fought strongly for the modern set-up) that helped create the modern nation state ever deserve to be called "mother country" for it, at least as a post 1948 nation state. I think "mother country" really opens up a real can of worms. Not saying that Canada's origins versus the US are gonna be as controversial as say what the creation of modern Israel was like, but the concept of "you wouldn't be here without us, we created you, you're an offshoot of us" does rub people the wrong way. I don't think everyone everywhere the world over has a coherent definition of "mother country". |
Quote:
Some of the show's main sponsors were from Atlantic Canada even though the show was produced in Maine. |
Quote:
When I look at some of my old friends' activity on social media, and how irate they can get about Trump and other U.S. issues, I wonder if the fact that we grew up with all this stuff so ubiquitous in our lives didn't subliminally convince a lot of people that U.S. issues are happening on "home turf". |
Quote:
The classic image of us being that of the Village Gaulois from the Astérix comic strips, surrounded on all sides by threatening Roman outposts: http://one360.eu/blog/archives/42068 That said, people are more iffy on the details of how successfully we are resisting. Which is why for example many European French are often mystified by the fact that many Québécois speak little to no English. |
Quote:
I'm reminded of a conversation I had once with a senior South Korean bureaucrat who, on learning that about half the population didn't speak English, scrunched up his face in a way that spoke to his astonishment and asked me "On purpose?". |
Quote:
I am not saying it's the majority view but it's something that can be out there. Though perhaps a better choice of words would be "a perception that Quebec is barely more French than Louisiana". I'd agree that it's surprising given that a Frenchman is about 10000 times more likely to see a Québécois person on their TV set, speaking in French, than he is someone from Louisiana. Just about the only Cajun who has any star power in France and who speaks French is Zachary Richard. Whereas there are oodles of Québécois about whom you could say the same. I can't think of any Louisiana authors who would be guests on French literary programs, talking about books they've written in French. |
Quote:
|
Quote:
Most people have not taken my caveat into account in their responses. But there is definitely something there and the way Canadians focus on and mimic so many things about the U.S. is arguably reminiscent of relationships with a Mother Country as observed around the world. Regardless of what the genesis of that relationship was. |
All times are GMT. The time now is 9:03 PM. |
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.