Cup.
Well, I will admit, I have been paying a bit of attention to the World Cup. I think that Germany is doing a bang-up job. Those dirty Huns sure know how to throw a party!
However, I notice I have been started to harbor a creeping resentment these last few weeks as we get closer and closer to the Final Outcome, and I will expound. Whereas the World Cup is a wonderful way to bring all of the nations together in harmony, it seems that it has the opposite effect in North 'Merica. There have been more racist slurs uttered in the last week in my presence than the last three and a half years combined, more resentment, more division, and what I have most feared about our society seems to be accentuated by the recent goings-on. We are not getting along as one huge family as we'd like to think, we are only self-segregating and allowing the rift to expand. The reasons I imagine have to do with sheer numbers, as certain populations have vast enough numbers so that they may fill out entire neighborhoods and never truly have to make any lasting contact with the 'others'.
What happens then is we have an Italian community, Portuguese community, Chinese, etc., that do not identify as Canadian, even if they are second or third generation. They identify more as Tunisian, Iranian, Egyptian rather than American... Now, I am a blend of Irish, Scotch and French, and of that I am guilty of pride and reverence, but I do not regard myself as a son of any of those nations. When Ireland wins an international contest i do not strap an Irish flag to my car, get blotto, block traffic and harass people for not belonging to my bloodline. The Portuguese community have blocked traffic and harassed our town twice in the last week... waving flags, etc. I admit to some hardcore racist thoughts at those moments, borne of frustration and bewilderment... How shitty is it in Canada that there are those that identify more with a country that they did not even originate in, that the flag of a nation with a near third-world economy that their parents fled is considered more of a home than the nation in which they were offered refuge? Are we being too Liberal in our views towards immigration, are we allowing subcultures to exist at the expense of our society... does this mean anything towards a broader picture, say, like that of National Unity?
There is a debate in the U.S. right now about making English the ONLY national language. Because of Mexican influence many neighborhoods are developing where you have third generations that have no requirement of English within America. They live, eat, work, sleep in Spanish only. Should this be tolerated? If this continues, honestly, you will have the same issues that Quebec has in Canada, a growing rift, a lack of understanding and bigotry aimed in either directions... with little or no hope of reconciliation. Take the unfortunate case of some Islamic communities, or the Hasidim, to integrate fully is to allow their identity to be compromised, so cultural contact is verboten, and we all go to our corners, ignorant, dutifully donning our Dunce Caps with weary compliance. Right and wrong in this case depends on which side of the line you are on. Both sides are complicit, we need to take steps to understand each other, and find a common ground we can agree on.
The fact of the matter is this: North America, as it was imagined, will never work. The races refuse to agglomerate, associate, nor cooperate as cultural concessions are difficult to make and, as the populations grow the divide may get even wider. Now, I do not offer a solution, I am merely posing the question here.
However, I notice I have been started to harbor a creeping resentment these last few weeks as we get closer and closer to the Final Outcome, and I will expound. Whereas the World Cup is a wonderful way to bring all of the nations together in harmony, it seems that it has the opposite effect in North 'Merica. There have been more racist slurs uttered in the last week in my presence than the last three and a half years combined, more resentment, more division, and what I have most feared about our society seems to be accentuated by the recent goings-on. We are not getting along as one huge family as we'd like to think, we are only self-segregating and allowing the rift to expand. The reasons I imagine have to do with sheer numbers, as certain populations have vast enough numbers so that they may fill out entire neighborhoods and never truly have to make any lasting contact with the 'others'.
What happens then is we have an Italian community, Portuguese community, Chinese, etc., that do not identify as Canadian, even if they are second or third generation. They identify more as Tunisian, Iranian, Egyptian rather than American... Now, I am a blend of Irish, Scotch and French, and of that I am guilty of pride and reverence, but I do not regard myself as a son of any of those nations. When Ireland wins an international contest i do not strap an Irish flag to my car, get blotto, block traffic and harass people for not belonging to my bloodline. The Portuguese community have blocked traffic and harassed our town twice in the last week... waving flags, etc. I admit to some hardcore racist thoughts at those moments, borne of frustration and bewilderment... How shitty is it in Canada that there are those that identify more with a country that they did not even originate in, that the flag of a nation with a near third-world economy that their parents fled is considered more of a home than the nation in which they were offered refuge? Are we being too Liberal in our views towards immigration, are we allowing subcultures to exist at the expense of our society... does this mean anything towards a broader picture, say, like that of National Unity?
There is a debate in the U.S. right now about making English the ONLY national language. Because of Mexican influence many neighborhoods are developing where you have third generations that have no requirement of English within America. They live, eat, work, sleep in Spanish only. Should this be tolerated? If this continues, honestly, you will have the same issues that Quebec has in Canada, a growing rift, a lack of understanding and bigotry aimed in either directions... with little or no hope of reconciliation. Take the unfortunate case of some Islamic communities, or the Hasidim, to integrate fully is to allow their identity to be compromised, so cultural contact is verboten, and we all go to our corners, ignorant, dutifully donning our Dunce Caps with weary compliance. Right and wrong in this case depends on which side of the line you are on. Both sides are complicit, we need to take steps to understand each other, and find a common ground we can agree on.
The fact of the matter is this: North America, as it was imagined, will never work. The races refuse to agglomerate, associate, nor cooperate as cultural concessions are difficult to make and, as the populations grow the divide may get even wider. Now, I do not offer a solution, I am merely posing the question here.
posted by Blog Monkey at 10:58 a.m.
10 Comments:
A cat with a small moustache!!! Hilarious!!!
I for one am the last to wave a flag for any country as atrocities exist everywhere. I was born and raised here and am thankful for the opportunities given to me. Unfortunately they were at the expense of the native people of this country who may I remind everyone, still suffer from an on-going genocide. When's the last time you've seen a happy native family chillin the fuck out in the parc? Never. You see a few drowning their heritage away in alcohol but that's about it. And don't get me started on how the black population's been treated...
Still, Canada's a great place. One of the best in the world to live. People have fled their countries to have a second chance here, but seriously, I really couldn't care less about Canadaian heritage. Sure great things ahjave happened, ballsy stuff, but shitty things tend to be ignored. Fuck it. Why can't Canada redefine what it is to be a truly multicultural country? It should definitiely encourage the mixing of cultures, yes., have english and french as mandatory languages to learn, while teaching the history of this country, both bad and good, what we stand for, what we won't stand for, but at the same time embrace these cultures, create a new culture. Ity's importnat never to forget how Canada came to be.Everyoe should know the history of where they're living and respect why it's here. This can't be a country of we're all the same, we shall abe treated the same, because we're not. It must be inclusive, yet still aloow cultures to retain their identity.
Now.
World Cup.
Who the fuck cares? So the Portugese block traffic a few times during the event. So what! People are honking horns and partying!
Do we need to get bent out of shape about it? If it happened every single week then I'd have a problem with it. Let a community be proud of their country for SOMEthing.It is afterall where their ancestors are from.
Did Canada get anywhere in the cup?
Who gives a fuck, it's just a game. We get so bent out of shape over something that has no effect on us.
Oh wait. The street's blocked. There's drunks in the streets waving flags. No one's that patriotic.
It's funny, if something seriously heavy is going down say in France, people aren't marching around wearing flags. People from France weren't wearing flags when they said fuck you to the States.
It's soccer! Let peole party! The bigger the party, the bigger the inconvenience.
But all parties end.
We forget how lucky we are to even have streets, cars, another culture to eat food from.
It's silly to let it get to you, let 'em honk, let em shout, let 'em dress up. In a week or two it'll be all over and we can start bitching about something else. Somethinmg a little more important.
beh.
The whole "cup thing" pisses me when I'm out trying to get around traffic jams on my bike and having some yahoo with flags comin' out of his ears lay on his horn just as I gingerly pull up beside him trying to negotiate a tight maneuver between his car and the one idling a mere inches away. Almost makes me want to get off and punch him then punch his horn until it's dead.
But yeah, that's just temporary anger and it will all be over shortly.
The only thing the whole phenomenon reminds me of (and we're just as guilty of it when the Stanley Cup gets in our grubby little paws...."we" meaning, the "we" that is supposedly immune to sport celebrations gone wild) is that human beings are funny little beasts. We grasp desperately onto ill-conceived, convenient moments to try to solidify who we are. "Soccer's on! Wholly shit do I feel French! Frenchier than I've felt all year and that makes me feel like I belong somewhere in this day to day chaos that is a human life! Pass me the chips!"
And funny too how we're so desperate to participate in "meaningful" activities though scared shitless to have it cost us anything, be uncomfortable or require some personal sacrifice that instead of getting out there and getting pissed off over the terrifying consequences of global warming, species extinction, habitat loss, pollution or any other number of staggeringly horrific causes such as poverty, racism, genocide, third world child mortality rates, we only get off our butts for the safe substitutes of sporting events, reality show local celebs (anyone remember Audrey????) and go back to our little insulated lives.
This makes me sad. And if we would get off the couch once in a while for more important things then I think this kind of sports-party group mentality wouldn't piss me off at all.
Native thing: Yeah, look at that shit going down in Caledonia Ontario. I wrote the Chamber of Commerce and the Mayor telling them they were basically racist fucks who were crying foul over a piece of land while sitting on an entire stolen country! Like freakin' kids hording their damn toys until they're buried up to their eyeballs in em and can't even lift a finger to play with a single one.
Sinkchicken's right. A cat with a small moustache is hilarious. And both he and daprokah are right about Canada being a good place to live even though natives and others get and got a raw deal - even if this is unrelated to the mild annoyance of brainless fuckholes waving and screaming their stupid shit around.
The issue is largely about belonging. A need for a sense of belonging is so deeply ingrained in most of us, that any chance to have a legitimate role in a larger group is something most people will jump to. I feel it every time I go to a bar-mitzvah. I may be as jewish as Attila the Hun, and there is nothing I like better than washing down a bacon sandwich with a milkshake while making love to my goyishe girlfriend on saturday in a bed I paid full retail price for, but show me a 13 yr. old boy with his pockets full of checks made out to "cash", standing in front of a sweet table loaded with noodle puddings and candied carrots and you can't stop me from shouting "Let's do the Hora!" and fantasizing about machine gunning every last palestinian on earth. After all, these assholes are my bloody peeps. I just want to be loved and accepted. Just like you.
And it's funny. I can remember when Canada initiated the Ottawa Protocol on landmines. My heart swelled with pride at being Canadian. Why can't we get into the streets waving flags, feeling part of a community that does good things for people, rather that cheer for an activity that has absolutely no significace whatsoever? Because soccer players have fucking hot bodies that's why. The glistening sheen of sweat trickling down the chisled crevasse of their backs and presumably between their ass cheeks and into their pursed little anuses makes us forget that we are human. Faced with the choice of touching myself, or someone standing near me, however furtive and poignant, or undoing two hundred generations of grotesque violence and exploitation, I'll take the salty solution, and damn you all to hell!
yes, i agree with each and every last one of you. cats, with pursed faces and proper little moustaches, are a recommended source of hilarity.
sinkchicken, i admire your oft bleeding heart. how are your plastic figurines? do they make you happy? your points are good, and pure of heart. i wish your angry emails actually could give the land back to the injuns... i do. i'm tired of getting boxed in when those idiots parade.
chimp: why do you not feel so jewish all the time? you need to make people feel guilty more, eat more runny soup and hoard your wealth and resources, and you will be fine... you have to stop looking at young boys, though. that is sink-chicken's lot.
Answer: I do it, so you don't have to.
Figurines = happy (for now). Though sometimes the fact that I am so addicted to that burst of momentary pleasure from adding another to my growing horde that often it keeps me awake at night, the worrying about what it all means that is. But oh-wonderful mind-numbing morning! Is there any existential crisis you can't erase with your alarm clocks and bus schedules!
And pee-boners!
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