My 2 cents
When you live abroad you realize that everybody has a formed opinion about your country and culture; sadly most of the time these opinions are based on stereotypes mixed with bits of actual knowledge. Like of every other country there is an international image of Canada and Canadians.
I know I had it. This image was of course created by the usual channels: TV, Movies and the news. People outside Canada think of Canadians as friendly, cultured, Hockey obsessed, and chauvinistic lumberjacks...But NOT Gun crazy.
Gun violence and violence in general are new to me (I do realize how lucky I am) so to realize that in Canada it is so common that its a usual topic of conversation among young people really came as a shock.... Now how sad it’s that.
I used to believe in that image of Canada, the Canada that respected Human rights, the Canada of Medicare, and above all that the melting pot Canada. Now I think that image is based on comparison to their neighbors and that it’s mostly fueled out of the hate a big chunk of the world has towards the USA. People like Michael Moore, praising how many fewer deaths of gun violence are in Canada compared the USA keep building on that Image. Don’t get me wrong, Its true, Canada its all that I expected but no one told that from every Naomi Klein and David Cronenberg there are Thousands of Kids killing each other. And they are doing it right in front of us.
I’ve read my classmates comments on the subject and agree with their points of view, there is a government and a society to blame, families are not playing their socializing role properly and because of that; what should have been the Canadian dream has become the Canadian Nightmare.
That a First world country has reached this point amazes and puzzles me. Where lies the solution? I cant say ...But I know that something needs to be done,
Kids have access to guns HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE???? Kids don't have the information or the judgment to say NO to guns HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE ???
This is a country with an overdose of consumerism and and a serious lack of values.
Quoting Homer Simpson when he found out he had to go to Canada "we live in America, why do we have to go to America Jr?"…. .... America Jr? Not quite yet but we are getting there.
When you live abroad you realize that everybody has a formed opinion about your country and culture; sadly most of the time these opinions are based on stereotypes mixed with bits of actual knowledge. Like of every other country there is an international image of Canada and Canadians.
I know I had it. This image was of course created by the usual channels: TV, Movies and the news. People outside Canada think of Canadians as friendly, cultured, Hockey obsessed, and chauvinistic lumberjacks...But NOT Gun crazy.
Gun violence and violence in general are new to me (I do realize how lucky I am) so to realize that in Canada it is so common that its a usual topic of conversation among young people really came as a shock.... Now how sad it’s that.
I used to believe in that image of Canada, the Canada that respected Human rights, the Canada of Medicare, and above all that the melting pot Canada. Now I think that image is based on comparison to their neighbors and that it’s mostly fueled out of the hate a big chunk of the world has towards the USA. People like Michael Moore, praising how many fewer deaths of gun violence are in Canada compared the USA keep building on that Image. Don’t get me wrong, Its true, Canada its all that I expected but no one told that from every Naomi Klein and David Cronenberg there are Thousands of Kids killing each other. And they are doing it right in front of us.
I’ve read my classmates comments on the subject and agree with their points of view, there is a government and a society to blame, families are not playing their socializing role properly and because of that; what should have been the Canadian dream has become the Canadian Nightmare.
That a First world country has reached this point amazes and puzzles me. Where lies the solution? I cant say ...But I know that something needs to be done,
Kids have access to guns HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE???? Kids don't have the information or the judgment to say NO to guns HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE ???
This is a country with an overdose of consumerism and and a serious lack of values.
Quoting Homer Simpson when he found out he had to go to Canada "we live in America, why do we have to go to America Jr?"…. .... America Jr? Not quite yet but we are getting there.
