WOE CANADA

   

In my last post I indicated that I had learned (again) that the city in which I reside is not deemed to be a particularly desirable place in which to live. Whenever I am outside of the country and am asked where I am from, I don't generally characterize London in such a negative way. I suppose I do typically locate it for the questioner by saying, "Halfway Between Toronto & Detroit." You can buy the T-shirt pictured at Museum London. 
   Nor am I negative about the country in which this London is located. I admit to even being unapologetically nationalistic and to saying that "Canada is a great country in which to live." Apparently I should now add to that sentence this disclaimer, "but a lot of Canadians don't agree."
   Perhaps it was because I live in a city that is regarded as not particularly "livable" that I noticed that many now regard Canada as an increasingly undesirable place in which to be. That sentiment is expressed in the headline atop a poll conducted by the Angus Reid Institute. Here it is:
"From 'eh' to 'meh'? Pride and Attachment to Country in Canada Endure Significant Declines."
The percentage of people saying they are "very proud" to be Canadian has dropped. "Pride" is now displayed far more often in flags not related to a country. Here are the graphic details.

It is not reassuring that slightly more people are "attached to Canada but only as long as it provides a good standard of living."
  I noted in my last post that high ratings and rankings attract more attention than negative ones and if there was a poll indicating Canada rated high up there in the "World Happiness Report," you would have read about it (Finland is usually at the top.) As far as I can tell, the reaction to the Reid poll about how Canadians feel about Canada is muted. 

  I did find one attempt to answer a question related to the poll results -- "What is driving this change in mood, this massive drop in patriotism?"  Unfortunately the question was asked and answered in a publication you probably don't read (you may look at it for the 'girls', which I see are still being displayed.) It would be good to see such questions and answers in the publications you do read. There are far fewer outlets produced by the mainstream or institutional media and increasingly, it seems to me, 'countervailing' ( to use a word used often by Galbraith) views and opinions are relegated to fringe magazines or newspapers or blogs such as this one. 
   Although the author of the article places the blame at the very top, which is debatable, the points made are worth considering. The article:

"Trudeau Trash Talks Canada and National Pride Falls Quickly," Brian Lilley, Toronto Sun, Dec.13, 2024. "Who would feel pride in a systemically racist country committing genocide with no core identity? All ways Trudeau has described Canada....."
Of course fewer Canadians say they are “very proud” to be Canadian. Who wants to boast about being part of a genocidal state built on colonialism, discrimination and systemic racism with no core identity."

E pluribus unum -- not in Canada. 

Woe Canada?
   The title I used seemed familiar and I see that I have already used it in the bottom of another post of mine you will not have read. Here it is and it has some relevance. We will probably see it more often. 

WOE CANADA - Factlet (12)
   Given the focus on Identity and Indigeneity this statistic made me wonder if there will be a Canadian identity in the future, or several thousand solitudes not just two.
"There are more than 630 First Nation communities in Canada, which represent more than 50 Nations and 50 Indigenous languages."

Source: The Angus Reid Poll

FLAGS: Don't Fly Them!

    

   I thought I might begin with a softer title rather than the one above and considered, “Let’s Fly the White Flag of Surrender,” but even the colour ‘white’ is controversial these days. There has been both a lot of flaunting and flouting about flags and enough red flags have been raised to let us know that flags now symbolise mainly disunity. They are currently used as a way for signalling values, the way semaphore was developed  for sending messages, but the values being transmitted often differ and are not well received by some who see them. The flag poles have become performative poles and, like statues, flags should be removed. 

   As an admirer of “free speech” (another divisive subject) I will add that I am only calling for their elimination in displays by government entities. As a private citizen you should be able to  fly whatever flag you wish, at your own risk, or if your condo manager permits it,  and you should  even be able to desecrate the flags of others as the Canadian Charter allows. Too much time and effort is devoted to the issue of flag flying and most of the efforts expended by even the most well-meaning and righteous are counterproductive. 

Vexillography is Vexatious

   While there are arguments over flags here in Ontario, proof about the energy spent on flags (not to mention false ones) is found in this article: “This is Utah’s New Flag - and Here’s Why More States are Mulling Designs,” (Washington Post, March 25, 2023), which is where I learned the word, “vexillography” and its variants. There are a lot of vexillologists who care deeply about flags for aesthetic reasons and there are many citizens who do so for political ones. The Utah flag was selected by a committee from 7000 choices and not everyone was happy with the final one. A compromise was made to allow the old flag to be flown over the new one in the Capital and on holidays and still there is a referendum to overturn the new flag law. 

   The legislators in many other states are spending hours debating the designs for new flags for both artistic and ideological  reasons. People, images, colours, etc. now are being removed or changed to make room for ones more acceptable. This is a global phenomena as this headline indicates: “New Zealand Spent $17 Million on a Failed Flag Referendum. Now It Wants Australia to Change Its Flag Instead.” Note the word - “FAILED.”

   Here in Ontario, one community has been shamed because their solution to fly only government flags was unacceptable to some who want to fly their own. Although that does not seem to be an unreasonable arrangement, perhaps it is better just to eliminate them all. Even the government flags are likely to be attacked at some point, just as the statues were. (As this is being written,  other symbolic artefacts are being altered: religious imagery is being removed from the Canadian Crown and replaced with fleur-de-lis for maple leafs and a snowflake; and whether the King’s likeness will be on our bills or the Fathers of Confederation on our passports is being considered.)

   While the number of ardent vexillologists may not increase, the diverse number of people wanting to display their own flags certainly will. To consider just one ‘category’, here are some of the other flags now related to the Pride one, the displaying of which, caused the dispute here in Ontario: PRIDE FLAG - GENDERQUEER FLAG -  GENDERFLUID FLAG -  PROGRESS PRIDE FLAG - LESBIAN PRIDE FLAG - TRANSGENDER PRIDE FLAG - BISEXUAL PRIDE FLAG - PANSEXUAL PRIDE FLAG - INTERSEX PRIDE FLAG. If you don’t believe me, or want to bone up on flag lore before a PRIDE MONTH, see: “”What Do the Colors of the Rainbow Flag Mean? A History of How the Flag Came to Be,” Olivia Munson, USA Today, April 28, 2023 or, “Diverse Gender Identity Flags: Learn the Genderqueer, Nonbinary, Gender Fluid Pride Flags," Clare Mulroy, USA Today, April 28, 2023.

      Patriotism is now mostly personal and civic pride has been replaced by the heraldry of DEI, which seems to have served only to increase divisiveness and exclusion. 

Sources:
   Apart from those provided, there will be one. A search about "flags" generally yields results that relate to controversies over them. I will provide a rather benign example which simply shows how long flag arguments have been raised.