Is Canadian Culture Doomed to Become American? As Alvin Toffler once said, “The wider any culture is spread, the thinner it gets”1. Such holds true for the American culture, which is not only a dominating factor in its own internal market and known domestically but also a dictating force in countries around the world on the global scale, and the first on their list – Canada. This issue of cultural imperialism is touched upon by Gaëtan Tremblay in his article, “Is Quebec Culture Doomed to Become American?” Although Tremblay talks about the American culture’s influence on Canada as a whole, his main concern in this article is Quebec, which is in a separate league than the rest of Canada due to its different linguistics. Tremblay focuses on Quebec culture and raises many significant issues that should be noticed. He mentions that due to their similarity in language, Canadian television is “much more exposed to American influences”2. Therefore, the Quebecois feel rather alienated in terms of their distinct culture and “like Canadians, want to keep their protective policies and regulations concerning the promotion of their cultural identity”3. His opinion about American culture is rather clear and his main point is that although there are many Canadian based organizations that are formed for the promotion and protection of Canadian culture such as the Broadcasting Act adopted by the Parliament in 1991 and the Canadian Radio-Television and telecommunications Commission (CRTC), Canadians should further endorse themselves in increasing Canadian cultural production not only in Canada itself, but in the global market as well. As American culture becomes more and more powerful and influential, the Quebec culture and identity is at ... ... middle of paper ... ...tive impact of the American culture and only a great emphasis on the negative factors. He should consider the fact that while Americans can seem as a threat to Canadian culture, there are also their neighbours and establishing a good relationship could mean a greater market for Canada’s domestic goods. Sources 1) Amusing Quotes (2003). “Culture Quotes”. Online at: , consulted on February 10th, 2004. 2-8) Canadian Journal of Communications (1992). “Is Quebec Culture Doomed to Become American?”. Online at: , consulted on February 4th, 2003. 9) Quotes on Culture. “Quotations on Culture”. Online at: , consulted on February 12th, 2004.
In 1933, as part of the Cuban army, Batista led a rebellion called the Revolt of Sergeants. The goal of this uprising was to overthrow the administration of Gerardo Machado. In alliance with students, ...
• "French Language in Quebec and is it changing?." - Online Party of Canada. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Feb. 2014. .
Clarke, Philip. “Cuba’s Newest Revolution Bloodless but Plenty Bewildering as New President Breaks Army Grip, Aims at Democracy.” The Washington Post. 22 July. 1945: B3. ProQuest. James Madison University library. 16 September 2003
In 1952, Flugencio Batista, then president of Cuba, conducted yet another falsified election in his favor. Resulting in a shutdown of all political parties, constitutional rights and even the closure of the University where Castro attended. By July 26, 1953 Fidel Castro and his brother Raúl, standing for social justice, began assembling, “111 insurgents... and headed an armed assault on the Moncada army barracks in Santiago de Cuba,” (Padgett 43). Raúl and Fidel were caught and set to trial, beginning the Revolution of Cuba. It was at this trial where Fidel Castro stood before the judges announcing his lack of fear for prison stating confidently, “History will absolve me” (Fidel Castro). This is where his support came from, he was seen by his followers as the symbol of avengers who stood up the greater evil. Through gore and long ensued battles his victory came in January of 1959, Fidel Castro was the new leader of Cuba (Fidel: The Untold Story). Those who were pro Batista fled to Miami and other far away locations as soon as possible. While those who stayed, predominately the working class, stayed and celebrated in the streets because justice had been served and the dictator had been overthrown by the Valiant
Tremblay's article on the Americanization of Quebec culture is slightly more than a decade old, yet most of the information he provides is still relevant today. In his article, Tremblay takes a look at the invasion of Quebec 's airwaves by American content. His title refers to a belief in his mind that the Quebecois culture will one day be integrated into that of America , which in turn will lead to Quebec throwing itself into the melting pot of American culture.
At first glance through Tremblay's article, "Is Quebec Culture Doomed to Become American?" he proposes that the vulnerable and threatened Quebec province is in danger of a cultural invasion by our Big Brother the United States. He fails to directly answer the question "Is Quebec Culture Doomed to Become American?" According to the statistics presented Quebec is hardly in such a bad state. The data outlined in the article assessed the degree of American influence over Canadian and Quebecois cultural industry and the demand of Quebecois programming by the Francophone people, thus allowing the readers to make their own assumptions about the apparent threat to Quebec's culture. Tremblay also discusses whether Quebecois and Canadian cultural industries - such as "broadcast programming and production and film and video" - should enter the Free Trade Agreement (Culture Network, 1997). Would the entrance open the way to a complete cultural invasion? Or would it enhance Canada's and Quebec's cultural industries by maximizing profits? The main reason for noncompliance with deregulation is the fear that Canadian and especially Quebecois culture would be overtaken by America. Unfortunately, in reality, the more powerful and thriving nation has the upper-hand and may enforce more control. Is the future of Quebec in jeopardy of being swallowed up by the big giant?
Many people across the globe argue that nationalism within Canada is simply not feasible. It is said that we as a people, differ so greatly with our diverse cultures, religions, and backgrounds that we cannot come together and exist together as a strong, united nation. In his book, Lament for a Nation, George Grant tells the reader that “…as Canadians we attempted a ridiculous task in trying to build a conservative nation in the age of progress, on a continent we share with the most dynamic nation on earth. The current history is against us.” (1965) Originally directed towards the Bomarc Missile Crisis, the book argues that whatever nationalism Canada had was destroyed by globalization as well as the powerful American sphere of influence. Although it is true that the book was initially written as a response to the events that took place in the late 1950s, many of the points are still valid today.
One of the common criticisms of national pride is the development of xenophobic, “Us vs. Them” thinking. Living in Canada, a nation which has a relatively small population of approximately 33,390,000, compared to America, a country of an estimated 303,824,000 people (Central Intelligence Agency, 2008), gave me a glimpse of how this kind of thinking can work. Canadian culture is, at its core, incredibly nationalist. Canadians have an irrational fear of cultural dilution at the hands of America's exported entertainment, news, and world politics. Given the fear and righteous self-view of the dominant culture, it is an inevitability that co-cultures separated from the dominant culture by national identity are treated as sub-cultures.
...to identity with at least one of the countries predominate languages, English or French, dictated the degree in which they could participate in Canadian life. According to the Commission, this participation was real under two conditions: “that both societies, the French-speaking as well as the English-speaking, accept[ed] newcomers much more rapidly than they have done in the past; and that the two societies willingly allow other groups to preserve and enrich, if they so desire, the cultural values they prize[d]” (RCBB Book 1 xxv). It creates an interesting take on the acceptance of those “othered” groups, as change was necessary not only on the part of the minorities but also from Canada’s French and English-speakers. The Commissions work remains focused on language and culture, more so than ethnicity amongst a bilingual, bicultural and “othered” Canadian society.
“ Canada 's national obsession seems to be its own identity.” For many years Canada has feared the increasing influence of its North American neighbors on its culture - the United States . It has become a matter of growing concern for the people of power and influence in Canada to maintain their separate cultural identity and to promote their own cultural norms. Gaetan Tremblay presents his views on this topic and does this from the perspective of a person living and working in Quebec.
In the last 20 years the penetration of the Canadian market by American cultural industries is still extremely strong. The United States is still the main source of culture products. American products represent 81% of all culture commodity imports. Canadians watch American TV shows, listen to American music, love American sports teams, drive American cars and buy American goods at American stores like Walmart. They eat American food, drink American beer (sometimes).
Canada as a nation has been striving to characterize itself as more ?Canadian? for decades. This has included numerous struggles and events such as protests, bans, and the creation of the Massey Commission, to encourage national development in the arts, and support major companies like the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) and National Film Board (NFB). However, this has not been an easy task for the Canadian government, as major influences from below the border (the United States) have been captivating the Canadian audiences by large. American media has had a momentous revolutionizing effect on Canada, even through efforts made to define Canada with its own cultural identity.
But today more then even Canadian culture is affected by the American influence. Media, American artists, economic dependence, American propaganda and political pressure from the United States is making Canada too Americanized. All of these factors reflect on the social life of ordinary Canadians threatening the heritage and the traditions that define Canada as independent country. Canada and the United States are the largest trade partners in the world. It is the result of the geographical position of two countries and the free trade between two countries.
The culture of Canada refers to the shared values, attitudes, standards, and beliefs that are a representative of Canada and Canadians. Throughout Canada's history, its culture has been influenced by American culture because of a shared language, proximity, television and migration between the two countries. Over time, Canadian-American relations have helped develop Canada’s identity during the years 1945-1982; thus introducing changing social norms, media and entertainment. In support of this, due to the United States being approximately 9.25 times larger in population and having the dominant cultural and economic influence, it played a vital role in establishing Canada’s identity. With Canada being its neighbour, naturally, the United States would influence their way of life upon Canada.
The Cuban Revolution is one of the most important and influential events to occur in Latin American history. Between the years 1953 and 1959, Fidel Castro, a young politician and activist at the time, led an armed guerrilla rebellion against the authoritarian government in Cuba. While much of the war was fought using guns and soldiers, a majority of the revolution was fought not firing a single shot. Fidel Castro’s “other” weapon in the revolution was propaganda. The combination of bullets and propaganda proved to be extremely successful for Fidel and his fellow rebel comrades. Castro’s revolutionary propaganda “machine” is considered to be one of the main factors that lead to his victory and even today, aspects of his “machine” can be seen