Trojan Horse: The Impending Comeuppance of Americanadians
The Trojan Horse, the two-part mini series that starts off with Canada joining the United States, was a great political thriller that once again raises the eternal question that faces every Canuck: Are we to continue to be our own sovereign country or partner with the Americans as we move into the future? Granted, many Canadian politicians and power brokers don’t actually come out and ask that question to citizens for it would be considered treason and the answer would be no. But every Canadian has witnessed the, at first subtle, and now not so subtle, absorption into our neighbours to the South. Economic independence was first to go, solidified by the free trade agreements. Next we have cultural infiltration through our airways and now the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America is taking aim at defense integration.
But who is really to blame for these series of events. Those pesky imperialistic Americans? Some global plot aimed at establishing a world government?
Before jumping to what would seem convenient answers, we need to start to explore who has done this? Who made the key decisions? The more you explore, the more it becomes clear that we have to look within for answers. In most cases, the trajectory that we are on as a country has largely been charted by citizens from this side of the fence.
The most powerful businesses, the media barons, the politicians which have shaped a policy of economic, cultural, and defense integration have been largely all Canadians - Americanadians if you will.
And seldom do we ask, why is this the case? What creates the mindset in these Canucks that leads them to believe this destiny for the country is what is best. Even more disturbing, why must they advance their objectives with a level of subtlety as to not excite the average citizen? If their goals were intelligent, sound, visionary, inspiring, they would sell themselves and Canadians would get behind them with enthusiasm and deify the major proponents.
Yet, this is not how our move towards Americanization has progressed. It’s more akin to being slowly boiled to death while having a bedtime story read to us as we fall to sleep. Aside from the go-boring approach, shock treatment have been applied from time to time. Post 9-11, we were told our only hope for military and economic survival was to embrace the Big Idea of joining the U.S. Culturally, we are constantly told we are boring, not edgy enough and, What is Canadian culture anyways? This is despite a thriving arts scene in the country that is embraced honestly when given the chance and a film industry that stands up to Hollywood in quality when it is given a level playing field. Even our national sports passions, hockey and football are consistently major draws on TV. In the case of the CFL, the fan support is inspiring as it is in the face of almost constant derogatory remarks being made about the league and a minuscule amount of support from corporate Canada.
It seems that nothing will convince Canadians to willfully buy into the plan of these Americanadians: Threats, putdowns, limiting access to your own culture, and finally the good old standby - inevitability.
And there’s the rub -if you can’t sell something honestly, you have to go dishonest and people don’t take too kindly to being conned into something. Eventually, there will be a backlash and it starts with a nation-wide Shawinigan Handshake.
