modern life vs. human nature

I recently had a discussion with a friend about manners and the slow decay of polite behaviour in public. He suggested that people are less likely to hold open doors for others, say thank you, please or other such polite acts of a well mannered society.  So in an effort to stop the erosion of manners in our civilized country I thought I might try help people who live in Canada.  There should also be tips for visitors to our vast nation so if you have any suggestions I would love to hear them.

Before I get started I have to eliminate Canada’s biggest pet peeve; being referred to as American. I think this first one overrides almost every other Canadian issue because it has a lot to do with the subtle differences between Canadians and Americans. Not that Canadians don’t like Americans, it is that Canadians have different social norms than Americans.

So for people of Canada and those visiting, the number one rule of manners in Canada is:

1)Do not assume Canadians are like Americans.

Though Canada is next door to the USA, Canadians do not like to be considered Americans for a number of reasons. The history of the country is that Canadians take care of each other because Canada has a less hospitable climate then that of it’s southern neighbor.  With a large country and so few people the government acts as an important part of joining people together whether it be by rail(VIA), air(Air Canada), telecommunications(Bell-not anymore-thank you) or entertainment(CBC). Canadians see governement and taxation as a necessary way to create an organized and cohesive society; one that couldn’t be so if it was left up to the private sector.  Plus, a good number of Canada’s founding citizens have drizzled across the border from the US throughout history because they wanted a slightly different way of living. There are not a lot of Canadians in the world and they are spread out across a vast nation so they value the glue that binds them, even if it is hockey, the CBC, universal healthcare, beer drinking and snowboarding.  Special note: Canada won the first Olympic Snowboarding Gold medal and our athlete Ross Rebagliatti was then almost stripped of the medal because they found traces of a marijuana in his system. Sweet! Why? Because even though he was an Olympic athlete he still couldn’t miss that killer party dude! Very Canadian!

Oops lost track.

Next, Canada did not go to war against England.  Canada is a commonwealth country with the Queen’s face still on the currency.  Unlike America, Canada is a “semi-socialist” democracy and Canadians are “ok” with a certain level of taxation so that they can live in an organized and safe society.

What does this mean?

It means that generally Canadians are a kinder, gentler and more quite people than their politically powerful neighbor.  Without the military and economic might of 300 million Canadians assume less about themselves and try to be understanding toward each other just in case they need a hand shovelling out the drveway after the latest blizzard.

It also means that NOT all Canadians like football or baseball (although they invented basketball) so they don’t necessarily like it when someone says “let’s put on the game”.  I am going to go out on a limb her eand suggest that a television set or 6 or ten of them at a bar/restaurant other than a shitty local sports pub, is the worst thing to hit the bar scene since wine coolers.

It also means that even though Canada has been invaded by American consumerism in almost every area of life Canadians still want to politely maintain their distance from the eccentricities of the American way of life. No buffets, No Nascar less Walmart and less drive thru please!

What it doesn’t mean is that Canadians don’t like Americans. They love America!  They view America as the crazy neighbor that has all the good parties…as long as they can get out before the cops show up.

Enjoy!

I am going to try to keep this political argument short. If you are younger than 45 you are not part of the majority in Canada.  Older people (ie. babyboomers) outnumber every other age group in the country besides their children; “echo boomers” or “Generation Y” or “spoiled brats” or “lazy media darlings” or even …well..most of my friends and people who are still naive enough to be excited about life and therefore more interesting than their parents who are busy limiting the salaries of Generation X so they can buy a condo in the city(for them and another for their kids) and a cottage in the country..plus a boat, a yearly vacation to Florida,  a golf membership, an in-house helper from Mexico and every other conceivable luxury for “their retirement”. And really, why shouldn’t they?  They have worked hard as the luckiest and richest demographic in the history of humankind.  They deserve to live out the rest of their lives comfortable, secure and wrapped in plastic, driving outdated gas guzzlers and continuing to create the biggest heaps of garbage the world will ever see. Oh, right… back to the argument.

Yes, well..if you are under 45 you are not being represented and you have only one real option when voting.  Most of the political parties in Canada represent ideas that are older than we are…like babyboomers..and although we may care about things like clean water, air and the environment (ie. the world) old people do not.  Yes, I am totally stereotyping “old people”. Why? Because if I am wrong I want the old buggers to prove it to me.  (Of course not all of them are like this but we are ignoring the good ones for this argument)

Old people care more about the economy and their money because they are old.  They are not going to be here much longer and they are scared.  This is exactly why the “politics of fear” works in the US and in Canada.  Fear creeps in when you are older and if you are not guarded you will be sucked in by it. If you don’t believe me then get on skateboard and try to do any trick without crapping your pants-then watch some 8 year old try the same trick; you have fear, they do not.  TV helps to create these economic fears and old people don’t really understand tv.  We, people who are younger than 45, understand things like the “internet”(yes, that collection of tubes) and understand that the media is sort of a bullshit game. We are wise (and bored) of their game and most importantly we are not yet scared and old. We are also learning (hopefully some of us) that money , and the economy 1) do not make you happy 2) cause shitloads of undue stress and 3)make you a miserable and boring person.  If you don’t understand this then you need to read a little more and figure your shit out before you become miserable and boring. (Yes, this is a warning!)

Where was I? Oh, the only way to really see that your opinions are represented in Canada if you are under 45 is to vote for minority parties. This year it’s an obvious choice; the Green party.   As a political science major I learned one thing about politics; power corrupts!  If the Conservatives have a majority government they will screw things up in a major way!  If the Liberals have a majority(which they won’t) the same will happen.  A minority government is the best way for Canada to operate as a true multi-cultural and multi-regional country.  But old people “en masse” are going to vote for the Conservatives especially given the latest stock market upheavals.  So young people have to vote “Green” to counter the “old” vote.

That is why I firmly advocate voting for the Green Party.  Voting for them will help dilute the center of power at the federal level and give it to the provinces .  Besides their smart environmental policies, more Greens in parliament means better environmental policies, less corruption and more checks and balances.

P.S. Don’t forward this to your mom.