Canadians find themselves in a happy place today. The Winter Olympics in Vancouver have been a smash success, with Canada carrying off the honour of having scored more gold medals than any other country before in the history of the winter games. The Games have seen their share of heartache, what with the deaths of a luger and the mother of a Canadian athlete, but they will be remembered as not only a great global party, but also as the birth of a “new Canada”.
Canadian and international commentators alike have concluded that the recent events in Vancouver have showcased a new kind of Canadian, one who enjoys celebrating his or her patriotism in an exuberant and boisterous way. It has been noted, for example, that Canadians have shed their excessive focus on political correctness. I’d say that Canadians have finally discovered their “inner American”.
One should be careful with predictions, however. It could be that Canadians are simply caught up in the moment, and by next week, we could be our old sullen selves again, who don’t mind being told by government what to do. But maybe there is hope this time around. Just maybe Canadians, having tasted blood, will finally start demanding red meat when it comes to their personal and civic freedoms.
While staging the Olympic Games was a national effort, with Canadians from all over this vast country contributing to the event’s success, one aspect does stand out that could explain the very unique nature of people’s reactions: the Games happened in Western Canada. Perhaps it was the Western mentality, which is much more prone to unleashing that inner American, that emerged on the Olympic sites in Western Canada and then spread across country, infecting even the usually morose folks of Toronto.
How much of that Western-style celebration of patriotism and pride, with the accompanying disposal of political correctness, will stick to easterners remains to be seen. It would do them a world of good if they hung on to it, as it would benefit them politically, economically, socially and personally.
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