becoming

1. Alan Yu

   Good question Edmund. Thanks for asking.

   I too am questioning too. If we lost yesterday, will people still be proud to be Canadian? What is our pride based on?

   Mar 1st, 2010

2. Quan

   Sure, Alan, of course. To make us proud is the job of the media. Good job media….

   Mar 2nd, 2010

3. edmund

   Don’t get me wrong, I am deeply moved by the determination and hard work of all our Canadian athletes, not to mention the incredible game of the men’s hockey final!

   But when the Olympic game is reduced to a medal count chart; when all the complains before the game seemed to be “redeemed” by a puck in the net; when people shows their patriotism ONLY when their country is winning —

   I do think there is something wrong.

   Mar 2nd, 2010

4. Quan

   As always, for human, perception is the “truth”.

   And my fellow Candians, that “feeling” of patriotism cost you 6 billion dollars :)

   Mar 2nd, 2010

5. Joanna

   ditto…sigh….somehow i find that this is really saddened…

   on facebook, one of my friends even said: “I have never felt so much like a Canadian.”

   sigh…. i really don’t know what is the meaning of that…

   Mar 2nd, 2010

6. 中

   I think the general consensus about Vancouver was that people were showing patriotism before we were winning. People were out in the streets and being happy before we won significant number of medals.

   http://articles.latimes.com/2010/feb/28/sports/la-sp-olympics-plaschke28-2010feb28

   http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/news;_ylt=Ag6Z0QXQJt_ZNMR0whClb919sbV_?slug=dw-winnerslosers022810&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

   And stories like that? They make me proud.

   So maybe it’s only the hockey fans :o)

   Mar 2nd, 2010

7. Anson

   I was chatting with a friend at school the other day, and there’s this thought from one of the professors, saying that perhaps the Winter Olympics experience has created, for the first time ever, a common narrative for Canadians to anchor their identity onto. There really hasn’t been anything significant in the history of Canada that bonded Canadians across the board at that deep of a level, not until the last few weeks.

   Just look at all that fever of the past two weeks (well, you are in Toronto, so it might not have be as intense, but here in Vancouver it was crazy), I think it is not an exaggeration to call it literally a “religious experience”, with all that adoration, praise, devotion, dedication, and worship.

   Hence, we do not only observe the “story”, but also the rituals (e.g. hearing ‘O Canada’ sung everywhere, people tweeting medal counts in real time) and the symbols (e.g. the mascots, the red jackets), creating a total religious experience.

   Perhaps the Winter Olympics has not just created some kind of collective memory for us, but it might have also permanently made some deep changes in the Canadian sense of self-identity and spirituality. It is something we need to keep an eye on.

   Mar 3rd, 2010

8. edmund

   I think 中 and Anson have said it — it seems for us outside of Vancouver, we are watching the game from the outside and witness the media perception of the game changed drastically: from the very negative images and depiction on its early delays, no snow, over-budget in the beginning of the games, to the never-ending praise as to how many, not just medals, but GOLD medals we have, and that we now own the podium in a different way.

   Apparently those who are in Vancouver have this “general consensus” as 中 described, yet those who are not are observing this “story” as Anson mentioned from a far more superficial (and numeric) sort-of way, hence our perception that those who are proud of “being Canadian” are in fact, just proud of the sensation of winning.

   Mar 3rd, 2010

Reply to “Proud of what?”