Canadian Nationalism: How Do We Know Who Is Best?

I think the Olympics and other sporting events are a pretty good way to measure how proud you should be of your country. I mean, obviously only good, worthy nations can win medals. Nations that don’t win medals should be shunned.

A better way to judge the standard of each nation, though, is by judging its babe-quality…

(Does your country have any worth? Find out by watching the next Miss Universe pageant.)

A New Nation?

Check this AFP site out. It’s not Canadian, but does have potential effects and ramifications for Canada. It is also related to recent articles posted on Canadian Fermentation.

Leaders of the Lakota, found in parts of the Dakotas and Montanna and beyond, have withdrawn from treaties with the United States. They claim they are no longer citizens of the U.S. and will soon be distributing their own passports and driver’s licenses. Well known native activist, Russel Means — who also stared in the movie Last of the Mohicans — is part of the leadership who initiated the separation of the Lakota lands.

I’m surprised, in a sarcastic way, that I haven’t seen more news about this.

If anyone has anymore information or news about this, please pass it on.

(Here’s a link to the Lakota pain-relief site, just for shits and giggles)

State/Nation/Country

I’ve decided that I don’t really know what these terms mean; state, nation, country. As with most people, I use them interchangeable.

 

Nations, though, really don’t need political boundaries. Nations are people with shared cultural values. See this post for more information on the concept of nations.

 

A state is a recognized political region. Canada is a state.

 

Then you get ‘Nation-States’. I guess this covers everything. I don’t think Canada can be considered a Nation-State as it is a State filled up with many Nations. Most leaders would like their countries to be recognized as nation-states, as this solidifies and unifies the people behind the concept, and is more apt to bolster support for the State. A country like Canada, though, with it’s people from so many varied cultures all living together in relative harmony, is still difficult to consider as a nation due to these differences. We as Canadians don’t share one singular cultural outlook, which is fine by me.

 

As I understand it, a country is a state and a state is a country? These two terms seem to be interchangeable.

Nationalism

From the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy:

 

The term “nationalism” is generally used to describe two phenomena: (1) the attitude that the members of a nation have when they care about their national identity and (2) the actions that the members of a nation take when seeking to achieve (or sustain) self-determination. (1) raises questions about the concept of nation (or national identity), which is often defined in terms of common origin, ethnicity, or cultural ties, and while an individual’s membership in a nation is often regarded as involuntary, it is sometimes regarded as voluntary. (2) raises questions about whether self-determination must be understood as involving having full statehood with complete authority over domestic and international affairs, or whether something less is required.

 

And, from the same site, a particularly Canadian example:

 

It is traditional, therefore, to distinguish nations from states — whereas a nation often consists of an ethnic or cultural community, a state is a political entity with a high degree of sovereignty. While many states are nations in some sense, there are many nations which are not fully sovereign states. As an example, the Native American Iroquois constitute a nation but not a state, since they do not possess the requisite political authority over their internal or external affairs. If the members of the Iroquois nation were to strive to form a sovereign state in the effort to preserve their identity as a people, they would be exhibiting a state-focused nationalism.

 

I find it interesting that the Iroquois, a people found in Canada, were used as an example. Canada, and Canadians are fond of introspection with regards what we are. What is Canadian culture? What is the Canadian Nation, as opposed to the Canadian State? Is there even such a thing as a Canadian Nation?