Yes, Canada is relatively young and not a perfect country,
but it has forged ahead with strong values and good and well-meaning intentions while also
setting itself apart from its neighboring superpower by making conscious choices and
efforts steeped in peacemaking and respect of other nations, cultures, and ethnicities with an official bilingual system and a living practice
and emblem of multiculturalism.
There is lot to be proud of, and yet, it is rarely
demonstrated or talked about in terms of national pride, for different reasons
and under separate pretexts. As an immigrant to Canada, I was surprised to see
how Canadians often downplayed and subdued national pride. Unlike their often boisterous and
unapologetically proud neighbor, this northern side of the continent was rather
humble and humbly modest.
Almost sixty years ago to the day, we officially adopted our
red and white Maple Leaf flag but they were not waved about unless there was a
serious international hockey game in the offing, and flags could be spotted here
and there - albeit diminishing in recent times - on the first of July, Canada’s
Day and a sort of counterpart to the July 4th of our American
neighbor - minus the grand festivities, the overflowing enthusiasm, and the
fireworks.
Why do Canadians not embrace their nation more
wholeheartedly, I asked myself, a previous asylum seeker who has grown up in
Germany. Here in Canada, there seemed to be a block and reluctance to freely express
national pride, as if Canadians were insecure about themselves and their nation
or just incredibly shy to make any waves and as if they were uncomfortable putting themselves in the spotlight. Back in Germany, we would hear very little
about this large country up north and would hence imagine snow-covered huts and cabins, waterfalls, diligent hard-working beavers, and lumberjacks hunting for bears.
And yet, this modest poise and calm seem like a cool outward veneer, a type
of facade that could be punctured, and then erupt in wild and sudden outbursts,
particularly during hockey games where bodychecks would be dispensed and
delivered with glee and the gloves would be dropped; in fact, fighting has
become a staple of this popular national sport.
Who could tell, especially if day in and day out, we would
see Canadians everywhere apologizing for everything regardless of if they were
at fault or not, and they would be walking on eggshells afraid of accidentally
and even unconsciously offending others and avoiding microaggressions like the
plague, except of course, the previously mentioned fighting in the ice rink,
which was more bravura and fun and games than a blood sport.
This contrasted with the brash expression of Americans and
the direct and upfront demeanor of Germans. With each of these nationalities,
there would be not much mincing of words and especially with the former, there would
be no shortage of personal, often unsolicited opinions no matter how outrageous
they would seem to others. Germans in terms of their nationality and the
expression thereof were heavily burdened by their horrible and devastating past
and their flags would be the exclusive domain of international soccer games,
their source of pride but also the vortex of pain considering the lack of success
and accomplishments in recent times.
Yet the American dream and this lavish, carefree, and often
careless lifestyle were filled with an enthusiasm, a sense of freedom and
unfiltered patriotism that in some ways are the envy of many countries, including
us here in Canada. Evidently, the American experiment is not without its flaws,
detours, or shortcomings. The issue of race and the unconcealed practice of
slavery as well as oppression of others tend to be ignored or brushed aside.
Moreover, the involvement in political wars and international affairs,
be it Vietnam or the Middle Eastern wars are downplayed and even ignored, while
the focus and attention are posited more on positive results and outcomes, be
it their budding economy, their innovation, their steadfast and unwavering determination
and the firm handheld belief that anything is indeed possible, and no dream is
out of reach. These are commendable perspectives and attitudes as long as they
are carefully calibrated, and checked and counterbalanced with the negative aspects and counterparts, the push
and pull and gravity of truths and reality.
When it comes to Canada, we seem to have been carrying an invisible stain of guilt and shame all along and this exploded when news hit us regarding the
atrocities of residential schools. No nation is perfect, and every country has
its dark side and its bleak past, but this hit hard and temporarily sank the little pride
that Canada still had in itself. The same way blindly believing in oneself
despite and against the facts and reality can be detrimental to the psyche,
being haunted and weighed down by feelings of guilt and shame are also harmful.
Over the past years, this has gone into overdrive with the implicit
approval and even insistence of the government. Any person who was or could be
oppressed was hailed as a hero and any who had privilege, whether merited or
not, whether through their hard work or not, was seen as potentially evil or was
seen as part of the problem. Not only would a large portion of the population
be accused of engaging in “microaggressions” – a vague term that could be
applied to pretty much anything - on a daily basis, but they would also be considered
racist unless they were from a minority, who were incidentally given carte
blanche and were automatically and a priori exempt from any potential blame or
wrongdoing.
This led to an obsession and preoccupation of offending or
slighting others that it became even frowned upon to wish someone Merry
Christmas or for busses to support our local hockey team because anyone who did
not like hockey would and could be potentially offended. This misguided relativism
dilated, weakened, and undermined many of our traditions, practices, and even
values, so we wished people happy holidays to be as inclusive as
possible while ironically excluding large swaths of our population.
This untenable and unsustainable state continued, and people
would even avoid saying “Happy Canada Day” as if the nation was a dirty word
and needed to be eradicated and replaced with something else or a different
name. Any citizen with an ounce of national pride would be cancelled or
ridiculed and be “educated” and put on the supposedly right path and side of
history.
All this continued and put in question our identity and values
until our very own sovereignty and existence came under threat. It was a
seeming running “joke” by the American president that was actually meant as a serious
comment underlining and harboring a malignant intention of usurping this young country
that has stood on its feet and has a strong reputation and standing in the
world. Suddenly, we all woke up, put our elbows up and showed grit
and stamina that no one, perhaps not even ourselves, thought we had.
Suddenly we realize that we have taken so much for granted
as we have either wallowed in self-pity, shame and guilt or were divided and
polarized, with all of this weakening our resolve, will, and confidence along the way. Yet this
existential threat to our land and our home put us back on the map. We may
have weakened but we remain strong and resilient, and we can come together and
fight for our freedom and independence as we have done in the past and shall in
the future.
