Last week I was at a restaurant (rant forthcoming) equipped with TVs fixed on the CBC channel.
Some of the topics I noticed through the headlines since the volume wasn't on was an Inuit film (continuing the CBC's obsession with Native issues) as well as a three person panel (I forget the names as I've never heard of them) asking - what else? - 'Our we losing our identity'? with an added obvious statement "Canadians consuming more U.S. content."
YAWN.
As in, BORING.
This is what we get (along with some Neil MacDonald vapidity) for a billion dollar tax payer funded entity? Tiresome navel-gazing from a fresh crop of nouveau-cultural 'experts?
No shit Canadians consume U.S. content. It's where all the action is. In the last 20-25 years American programming brought iconic shows like The Sopranos, Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones among many others. Even specialty channels from Velocity (where else can you get the Barrett-Jackson auction? On CTV?) to Discovery are filled with shows people enjoy to watch. I personally love Deadliest Catch.
No one cares about CanCon except for nationalists, the CRTC and the CBC. Moreover, the notion that the CBC 'connects people from coast to coast' is as irrelevant as it is antiquated in today's information age. What the CBC *thinks* binds Canadians, isn't necessarily accurate as anyone who digests modern media can attest.
I don't know to what detail they got into but I'm surmising it's no different than what I've heard for the last, oh I don't know, 35 fricken years.
There's nothing more childish and insufferable than having to listen to Canadians wonder about their 'national identity.'
Where the CBC pearl clutches about how Canadians choose to entertain themselves, they could perhaps ask, 'Are Canadians actually upset about Trudeau unilaterally changing the lyrics to our anthem without consent of the people?'
Among other things. If we're losing our values and identity, the Liberals have played their part in that game.
That worries me more than what we watch.
Back in university - when it wasn't over run by ideologues - I took a Canadian history class focusing on the 1920-30 period.
It was the defining navel gazing decade as the nation was seeking to shape its identity. It was stuck, as it were, between its British heritage and the cultural hegemony of American might. This manifested itself in our magazine industry. When all was said and done, our elites and capital took the easy (and most rational) rout and simply kneeled before Zod. That is, Canadians weren't interested in Canadian content. They liked reading American stuff.
It's a key feature of our paper nationalism. When push comes to shove, we don't support Canadiana as much as we could or should. We will choose Wal-Mart over Canadian Tire in a jiffy if we had too.
For me, the CFL is a prime example of our thinking. Canadians talk about having pride in the CFL, but they don't support it as much as they could (except for Saskatchewan). If the NFL came knocking to annex us we'd ask 'where do we sign?'
A nation, I might add, that never maintained its military in any serious manner since the end of WWII choosing instead to - wink - off load this responsibility to the United States. Our army is under sized, under equipped and behind technologically for a huge land space such as ours.
So just accept it and spare me these 'what for no watch more Beach Combers? segments.
Defund the CBC.
Some of the topics I noticed through the headlines since the volume wasn't on was an Inuit film (continuing the CBC's obsession with Native issues) as well as a three person panel (I forget the names as I've never heard of them) asking - what else? - 'Our we losing our identity'? with an added obvious statement "Canadians consuming more U.S. content."
YAWN.
As in, BORING.
This is what we get (along with some Neil MacDonald vapidity) for a billion dollar tax payer funded entity? Tiresome navel-gazing from a fresh crop of nouveau-cultural 'experts?
No shit Canadians consume U.S. content. It's where all the action is. In the last 20-25 years American programming brought iconic shows like The Sopranos, Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones among many others. Even specialty channels from Velocity (where else can you get the Barrett-Jackson auction? On CTV?) to Discovery are filled with shows people enjoy to watch. I personally love Deadliest Catch.
No one cares about CanCon except for nationalists, the CRTC and the CBC. Moreover, the notion that the CBC 'connects people from coast to coast' is as irrelevant as it is antiquated in today's information age. What the CBC *thinks* binds Canadians, isn't necessarily accurate as anyone who digests modern media can attest.
I don't know to what detail they got into but I'm surmising it's no different than what I've heard for the last, oh I don't know, 35 fricken years.
There's nothing more childish and insufferable than having to listen to Canadians wonder about their 'national identity.'
Where the CBC pearl clutches about how Canadians choose to entertain themselves, they could perhaps ask, 'Are Canadians actually upset about Trudeau unilaterally changing the lyrics to our anthem without consent of the people?'
Among other things. If we're losing our values and identity, the Liberals have played their part in that game.
That worries me more than what we watch.
Back in university - when it wasn't over run by ideologues - I took a Canadian history class focusing on the 1920-30 period.
It was the defining navel gazing decade as the nation was seeking to shape its identity. It was stuck, as it were, between its British heritage and the cultural hegemony of American might. This manifested itself in our magazine industry. When all was said and done, our elites and capital took the easy (and most rational) rout and simply kneeled before Zod. That is, Canadians weren't interested in Canadian content. They liked reading American stuff.
It's a key feature of our paper nationalism. When push comes to shove, we don't support Canadiana as much as we could or should. We will choose Wal-Mart over Canadian Tire in a jiffy if we had too.
For me, the CFL is a prime example of our thinking. Canadians talk about having pride in the CFL, but they don't support it as much as they could (except for Saskatchewan). If the NFL came knocking to annex us we'd ask 'where do we sign?'
A nation, I might add, that never maintained its military in any serious manner since the end of WWII choosing instead to - wink - off load this responsibility to the United States. Our army is under sized, under equipped and behind technologically for a huge land space such as ours.
So just accept it and spare me these 'what for no watch more Beach Combers? segments.
Defund the CBC.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Mysterious and anonymous comments as well as those laced with cyanide and ad hominen attacks will be deleted. Thank you for your attention, chumps.