Conservatives eye new lyrics for our national anthem (Canada)

[edit on 8-3-2010 by starstrings]

reply to post by SmedleyBurlap


You have a right to your opinion no matter how delusional or wrong it is.

Not saying Canada is perfect but it is a long way from being an apartheid state. Native Canadians are free to join regular society (I know some who have) or not, their choice. How is that apartheid?

You're analysis of the anthem is less than scholarly, IMO.

reply to post by TheComte


You're entitled to disagree with me, but in twenty, thirty years' time I will be vindicated (it almost happened at these Olympics, but phony anarchists gave the police an excuse to crack down on protests).

Why? What's going to happen in twenty or thirty years time?

And what was supposed to happen at the Olympics that didn't?

Originally posted by SmedleyBurlap
reply to post by TheComte

 

You're entitled to disagree with me, but in twenty, thirty years' time I will be vindicated (it almost happened at these Olympics, but phony anarchists gave the police an excuse to crack down on protests).

Huh?

I'm wondering about this post, myself. What was supposed to happen at the olympics?

I assumed that everyone had heard about the protests against the Olympics, "No Olympics on Stolen Land". These protests ultimately didn't make much of a splash!

I totally agree with you that native land was stolen/conquered/scammed. No argument. Looking back we can all agree that wouldn't happen today. But that was a different mindset. You could go back to the Romans and say well let's give France back to the Irish. Or how do we go back and get the vikings out of nearly everywhere? Damn viking colonists.

Canada is not perfect, but it's no apartheid. That's going a little too far..IMO.

[edit on 9-3-2010 by TheComte]

The system of First Nations reserves is similar to the bantustans of South Africa, although given some superficial improvements and legal tweaks to seem less like ghettos for second class citizens. I think it is an apt comparison, although I think that 'apartheid' is an Afrikaans word, so maybe we should use the official English alternative, "separate development." www.etymonline.com...
The conquest may have been in the past, but it's not like Canada changed from a racist, white supremacist apartheid state into a modern cosmopolitan city-state overnight. The historical continuity is there, although it is glossed over by politicians and gleeful protesters when they revel in the recent (extremely minor) improvements in Native-Occupation relations.

BEHOLD!

www.consciousape.com...

Through our ignorance and indifference, we condemn the native peoples to future indignities and suffering, as the state which represents us commits unseen crimes against the remnants of their civilization.

[edit on 9-3-2010 by SmedleyBurlap]

What I would like a member of our oh-so-wise government to explain to me is why the sudden concern for women? Two of the first things they did when they got power was to remove 'equality' from the mandate of Status of Women Canada and eliminate funding for charter challenges (where most of our advances came from) and now they want me to believe they care about women feeling included in the anthem?

Sorry, my memory isn't that short and I can't be bought that cheap.

I've lived through an anthem change - it sucked and took me years to figure out what I was supposed to sing. Now all I can remember of the old one is something about silver pines.

Originally posted by Duzey
Sorry, my memory isn't that short and I can't be bought that cheap.

I've lived through an anthem change - it sucked and took me years to figure out what I was supposed to sing. Now all I can remember of the old one is something about silver pines.

In the pines
In the pines
Where the sun never shines.

Oh, wait... wrong song

When you get around my age, Duzey, you'll either be humming or singing it as if it's an old ritual. I just belt it out the way I like and, when it come to the French part, I slide into the Beatles Michelle.

Tres bien ensemble...

reply to post by masqua


I've never had occasion to sing the anthem in french and I can just imagine the confusion that would ensue if they tried that at a Canucks game.

Oh Canada
Our home and native land
mumble mumble mumble
mumble mumble mumble mumble.....

This half and half stuff must be an eastern thing (Olympics was a special case), because the only time I ever hear it done is on TV.

This whole anthem changing thing was a dumb idea. It's like somebody read the speech at the last second and went 'oh crap, we ignored the women again and since we don't actually care but want their votes, we better come up with something fast' and then this other guy goes 'well, I heard some lady complaining that the anthem had sons in it' (probably right after complaining that the pre-existing airport she moved in beside is too noisy ) and then someone else says 'damn that will get us some good press and the women will love it!' (Dimitri Soudas, I'm looking at you) and the rest of them went 'yes Mr. Harper's lacky sir, whatever you say sir'.

Phew. I'm lucky this is a mesage board or I'd be out of breath at this point.



[edit on 9-3-2010 by Duzey]

Here's the way I see it:

In Davos, Harper put the focus on the status of women so that it would divert attention away from the detainee storm. It worked.

The throne speech had some controversial statements in it which, even now, are not being discussed. Mining and corporate taxes, for example.

The diversion worked again... quite simple.

Lesson learned? Create a mini-crisis, get the pubic in an uproar, drop the mini-crisis in the trash and the end result is an upward blip in the polls.

Win/win.

[edit on 11/3/10 by masqua]

reply to post by SmedleyBurlap


Well, I've personally known a number of Native Americans who chose to live and work off the reservations. They work the same jobs as I did and got paid the same wage, paid income taxes same as I, lived in regular houses and drove regular cars. But they still didn't have to pay any sales taxes. So that's one benefit they have that I don't. So, I'm not really seeing your point about apartheid. Yes, there are reservations. Status Indians have the choice whether or not to live on them. There is no law that says they cannot leave.

My personal proposition for 2010 version:

Oh, Canada, a country of many anthems
Let your verbosity flourish and your people get creative
Throughout your twisting history
Oh, Canada
Multicultural as thee
And lots of seal meat for free
Oh, Canada
We forever will be
Oh, Canada, let's just keep on trying to agree.

1906 version found in St Lawrence Market:

" O Canada! Our fathers' land of old

Thy brow is crown'd with leaves of red and gold.

Beneath the shade of the Holy Cross

Thy children own their birth

No stains thy glorious annals gloss

Since valour shield thy hearth.

Almighty God! On thee we call

Defend our rights, forfend this nation's thrall,

Defend our rights, forfend this nation's thrall."

www.thestar.com...

And the face behind the push for the new change:

www.thestar.com...

reply to post by TheComte


My point is that the Parliamentary government of Canada has forced the natives into a position where they can choose to live in the ghettoized remnants of their culture, or abandon it. If the government had respect for the native peoples then this choice would never be necessary.