Last Words

One key theme or idea that we discussed this term is that of Canadian identity-or lack thereof. Canada seems to be in this constant struggle to differentiate itself from the U.S. and attempts to create meaning through popular culture. However, much of the Canadian popular culture is arguably a replica of the American popular culture. Therefore, Canada struggles to stand out and create an individual identity but ends up stereotyping itself in the process. Perhaps this is why Canada is usually associated with the wilderness and nature or "the great outdoors"; why its known for hockey, beer and snow; why symbols of Canada are beavers, moose, geese, and Native images. These are the most used images and symbols of Canada-we have yet to achieve any others that would be less stereotypical. Another aspect of Canada is that we do no have large culture industries-as in film, television and music. We are associated with producing documentaries and having mainly indie record labels. Most everything we do is under the U.S. Essentially, our cultural products and texts are viewed as being lesser than that of America’s-lesser in quality, worth, and originality. Our lack of identity can be attributed to our proximity to the U.S. as well as the fact that the States are culturally aggressive. Canada’s continuous fight for distinction had become so prevalent that it is perhaps a defining characteristic itself.

Another key theme that was discussed in the course is that of the relationship between the media and the audience. The media has profound affects on viewers. There are several theories that attempt to explain just how people respond to the media as well as how the media functions and what its aims are. For example, the Magic Bullet theory or Hypodermic-needle theory argues that the media are so powerful that they inject their messages into the audience. There is also the Agenda Setting theory that states that the media sets the agenda for topics of discussion-that it doesn’t necessarily tell us what to think so much as what to think about. There is the Cultivation Effect-the notion that people begin to perceive their own reality based on what they see in the media. And there is Reception Analysis, which analyzes how people make meaning out of messages in the media. The theory argues that people make meaning out of messages based on current social and cultural circumstances as well as on their own personal experiences towards those circumstances. Furthermore, the concepts of hegemony and ideologies use the media as their way to carry their messages and maintain dominance in society or culture at large. The relationship between the media and the audience is important to understanding society and culture as a whole. Since the media can have such large effects and influence on us, it is important to understand exactly what is taking place and why, especially if we want to defy it. It is important in identifying what hidden messages are implied in the media and at work to influence our ways of thinking, viewing the world and to maintain the dominance of those in power.

Overall Canadian pop culture indeed seems to be a reflection of American popular culture, and while I understand the desire to establish our own identity, I don’t think it’s that big a deal if we have music, television, movies, books, magazines etc from other countries. Though it is a pain flipping through a magazine that only features clothing or products available in the U.S., or constantly hearing about places in other countries that contribute to our imagined view of them, or knowing that our industries are not as large as America’s, it’s not a bad thing, in my opinion, to like or even prefer other nations cultural products. It shows how accepting we are of difference, how we admire their work. After all, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. And who’s to say that other countries don’t prefer or like our culture, even if it is a mini-America? It certainly says something about us when we hear people say how much they love Canada and the way people are here. We’re known for being polite, friendly and welcoming individuals. That seems like a good enough identity to me.

Shania: A Life in Eight Albums

The documentary Shania: A Life in Eight Albums illustrates the journey Eilleen Edwards, better known as Shania Twain, embarked on towards her musical career. It tells the story of her life before she gained international success after working with British producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange, and conveniently ends after she receives the phone call that would change her life. This is perhaps done as an attempt to reverse the magnitude and effect the American presence has in every Canadian. It is believed that this American presence lies in us all and its prominence varies from person to person. It is perhaps stronger in those that pursue careers in the U.S., such as actors and musicians because they spend much of their time in America. By ending the documentary at a pivotal point in her life, the start of her major success, and thus neglecting to show the part of her life where she became popular and perhaps more influenced by U.S., the documentary works to counteract the presence of the American spirit. Furthermore, it works to uncover the Shania who may have been obscured as a result of her American and International success. The film does this by showing her always going back to her roots-she is shown outside in the Canadian wilderness a lot, and it is evident that she is comfortable and at home here. For instance, there is one scene where she is walking outside with her grandfather, discussing her music and she tells him, "It doesn’t feel like me." This juxtaposition illustrates her Canadianness in conflict with her Americanness. It demonstrates how Shania is fighting to keep her Canadian identity.
I think that because the documentary works to maintain Shania’s Canadian identity, the intended audience would be fellow Canadians. It shows them that she hasn’t lost herself in her success. On the other hand, it could also be seen as aimed towards Americans, to remind them that she is Canadian and that they cannot have claim over her even if she did gain success in America. I think that this film allows Canadians to connect with eachother without becoming "glitzy, sensationalized and commercialized" because it does not exhibit any of this. It is very unsensationalized, and again only shows the struggles that Shania went through, leaving out the part of her life where she achieved success which would be accompanied by glamour and commercialism. Canadians can connect with eachother because we are not usually associated with a glamourized world-but with wilderness and nature-hence why much of the film shows Shania at home in the wilderness. It is through this that Canadians relate to her as well as to eachother.

Digital Media and the Global Village in Canada

Through digital media we have the ability to connect with people from all over the world, whether friends or family or complete strangers. We can become involved with the lives of others from different countries, provinces, cities. As a result, it makes sense that it would be difficult to establish or maintain an individual identity when we are so involved with everyone else’s business. The tendency to lose ourselves in everyone else’s lives is apparent when we spend hours on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and the like. However, we can establish our own identity through the use of such digital media as well. Our Facebook or MySpace pages can reflect who we are (to an extent), what we like and where we are from. We can post pictures of Canada, we can be engaging in "Canadian" activities in these pictures, such as attending a hockey game, drinking beer, camping, seeing a Canadian concert. Through this we can establish our individual identity by expressing the things make us who we are. The ‘global village’ can keep us connected to other Canadians as well as to people from others areas of the world. The positive and negative implications can go both ways when it comes to digital media and the global village. The positive implications of this connectedness are as mentioned above-we can basically advertise our lives on the Internet for all to see, and those who see it get a sense of Canada. A negative implication could be that not always would this generate accurate ideas about Canada. Another positive would be that we can blog or Tweet about the activities we do in Canada, or about where we live, or about other Canadian things, like politics, health care, the economy. Basically our depictions of Canada are subjective. We present ourselves a certain way as Canadians and those who know us or read what we Blog or Tweet about, or look at our pictures, get their own sense of who we are as an individual for one, and for another as a Canadian, which in turn establishes a perceived Canadian identity. Another negative implication could be how assimilated we are to the U.S. Much of our media is U.S. related, much of our pop culture is saturated with American content and this can blur the lines between identities as it can be reflected in our individual blogs and pages (Facebook, MySpace). Thus, those viewing would think Canada and America are not that different, and there goes a Canadian identity.

Platinum and Canadian Music Industry

The implications of knowing or recognizing Canadian popular culture would be having a knowledge of the history of Canada and of knowing the Canadian symbols. If you grow in Canada, you’re going to be able to recognize popular culture texts that have Canadian content because you’ve lived it and been surrounded by it. If you travel elsewhere, you’re going to notice differences in the culture. When pop culture is reflected back to you in text form, you’re going to recognize it because its all around you. However, there are concerns that Canadian culture is not that different from American culture-that we’ve assimilated a lot from the States. As a result, our own culture, a more individual Canadian culture, might become lost in all the American content seen in TV, film, magazines and music. Platinum functions as metaphor for these concerns because it centers around a small recording label struggling to succeed next to bigger labels. The larger labels are more commercialized, more mainstream and have more American content because the US has a greater recording industry. Thus, a small Canadian label is likely to struggle, especially since it is not as mainstream and carries artists that are more individual. Also, the setting in Platinum, Montreal, is an urban setting. In urban cities, the risk for assimilation is greater because that is where major businesses and corporations are likely to reside. Cities serve as the major sites of production for pop culture, where everything is finalized and completed.

Research Paper Possibilities

Two artifacts I’m interested in pursuing for my research paper would be producing and recording music in Canada or Canadian record labels, or the punk rock movement of the 70's in Canada. I have a personal interest in these artifacts that I think would be very useful for reference in the future in terms of my career choices.

Issues that I could talk about regarding Canadian music labels could be about the success of them, the popularity, awareness or preference. I could discuss location and its importance, indie labels versus major labels, the pros and cons of those labels. I could talk about certain labels in particular, and the positives and negatives of producing and recording in Canada (money, marketing). Theories I could discuss in my analysis would be agenda setting and cultivation effects or how labels can act as a culture industry, producing culture and how this is received by consumers.

Issues I could talk about regarding the punk rock movement of the 70's could include its emergence in Canada, the political implications it had, the unacceptance of it and then its development as mainstream. Upon analysis I could again apply theories of media effects and agenda setting and cultivation effect-how punk was presented/represented in the media and how it was perceived. With this I might also apply audience reception theory

Olympics Closing Ceremony

I believe that in the Olympic closing ceremonies, the encoder wanted to code in this production the idea that Canadians can poke fun at themselves-that we have a sense of humour regarding the common stereotypes surrounding us. The entire spectacle seemed to be a mockery of all that is considered "Canadian." From speeches containing the word "eh" to another speech dedicated to our apparent tendency to always be polite and say "I’m sorry," to a huge assembly that included giant beavers and flying moose, lumberjacks, Mounties, hockey players, and maple leafs. To quote the announcer: "If anybody did a Vegas act of all the Canadian stereotypes, this would be it." All of these symbols, images and icons appeared with a fairly obvious mockery to it, it did not seem to be present to be taken seriously. The encoder took the common misconceptions about Canada and presented them in a manner to make fun in order to demonstrate that Canadians have a sense of humour. Some Canadians might decode this differently, thinking that it’s ridiculous to further our stereotypes like that. People from other countries might not decode it this way either, they may take it seriously that this is all that Canada is about-they may not grasp that the encoder meant for it to be taken lightly and thus view us as nothing more than canoe carrying lumberjacks who live in igloos and drink beer.

As for me, I think I am a negotiated reader. I partly agreed with the code in this production. I like that we can make fun of our own stereotypes and laugh about it because I know that we are not just what the stereotypes say we are. I can accept the text’s code but I can modify it according to my own personal interests, experiences and my overall position. I am Canadian, but I do not, for the most part, like beer. I’m not obsessed with hockey. I don’t live in an igloo or a log cabin in the mountains surrounded by moose and beavers. I believe that I’m polite because that is how I was raised and yes, I do say "eh." So I can laugh along with the majority at the Canadian stereotypes because I know that we are more than what they make us out to be. I just think that we should work harder at proving that to the rest of the world.

Dance Me Outside

Dance Me Outside (1995) brings to light the common issues that natives face, such as identity and their rights. For instance, a young native girl is murdered by a drunk white man, and he is sentenced to only 2 years in prison for manslaughter, not murder. The natives rightly feel that this speaks of the injustice they continue to experience. Some of them continue to fight the system by writing letters, attempting to be heard so that their rights may be recognized. Others feel that this does not make a difference, that nothing is going to change. This contributes to the ongoing feud between the whites and natives, and as a result, has some of them retaliating in violence and vandalism because they feel that this is going to make more of a statement than letters.
Cultural tensions are made evident when we see that the older sister has married a white man While the family is, for the most part, accepting of this, her mother is pushing for her to have a baby, enforcing the traditions of their culture. However, the man she is married to has a low sperm count, making it difficult to conceive. The daughter arranges to sleep with Gooch, her old boyfriend, in order to get pregnant without her husband knowing. She is willing to cheat in order to keep tradition alive and please her family. This could be seen as a way to prevent an increase in tension between the two cultures while simultaneously demonstrating the already existing tension. While this takes place, her brothers take her husband out under the guise of giving him a cultural experience. It seems they are playing up the stereotypes that surround the natives, and her husband demonstrates the ignorance often present in white people regarding native culture. This would be an example of how the only knowledge whites are given about natives comes from the mass produced artifacts that stereotype the culture rather than provide an authentic experience. Therefore, the issues of authenticity and misrepresentation are addressed.
In addition, the natives lives appear to be predictable, they don’t seem to have much promise for a life outside the reserve. As a result, they crave more. Silas and Frank want to go to college to become mechanics but find themselves struggling to get in, most likely because of a lack of a good education in the eyes of the dominant white structure. They struggle with their identity-trying to maintain their culture while at the same time trying to be recognized in the rest of the modernized world. This too is an issue made present throughout the movie.

"Believe" in Canada's Olympic Athletes

CTV wants "Canadians to embrace and fall in love with our Olympic heroes." You have to wonder, do they really want that or do they just want people to spend money in "support" of our athletes? In todays’ world, where everything seems to come down to money more often than not, you have to wonder. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to just simply believe that they really want us to embrace our athletes and be proud of them. When a statement like that comes from a TV network, who makes their profits off of advertising, you can’t help but be skeptical. Especially when the only way to really demonstrate that you are supportive is by spending money. It’s not acceptable to just say that you’re cheering them on. No, you have to go and by gum or McDonalds or sign up for a new credit card. And you also have to question where that money spent actually goes. It’s one thing if it does indeed go towards the athletes, but it’s another if it goes to the companies that advertise. More often than not it just seems like a load of crap.
The Believe commercials, while very well put together and inspiring, seem like a marketing ploy at the heart of it. Nonetheless, these commercials are probably successful in reaching out to Canadians because they feature hockey ("our"game), people wearing the maple leaf emblem and red and white, showing athletes working hard, struggling and pushing themselves, showing participants and audiences cheering when we win while a singer strongly sings lyrics about believing in yourself and others. The commercials play on people’s national pride and they do it successfully by displaying Canadian athletes performing, showing their talent and exerting their strength-all of which we are made to admire. In one commercial they even show a figure skater falling, but she picks herself back up. The skier is shown trying again to get more air when he takes off on the jump. The speed skater skates faster. We admire this perseverance as well. So basically, they can inspire us to be proud and embrace our athletes, to acknowledge out country but at the same time, gets us to show this support by spending money without thinking twice about it. And that’s precisely the point. That’s what makes it a successful advertisement.

Looking at Degrassi

Degrassi Juniour High and The Next Generation are both similar in content. They both deal with issues of identity and the challenges of growing up that viewers of the same age can relate to, thus addressing real life dilemmas. Also, the actors and actresses used are around the same age as the characters they are playing, which is important because then viewers who watch can relate more than if they characters are played by actors who are older. Young teens watching could then think that they need to look and act more mature or grown up, thus contributing to identity problems. On another note, DNG, deals with issues that typically come with age-sex, pregnancy, drug abuse etc., things that teens usually encounter in high school more so than in junior high.
The fact the DJH was publically funded with an underlying education mandate while DNG was on a private network could influence the content. DJH could contain content that the public (ie parents, teachers) wanted to educate the young audience about in order to help them growing up, to let them know they are not alone. They may have wanted to address real life issues for the purpose of educating teens through a medium that could successfully reach and influence them. It could also help shape identity because teens watching relate themselves to the characters and any similar problems they have. Since its publically funded, the content is more likely to contain what the people want the audience to see, and with an underlying education mandate its going to be content that does just that-educate. Thus, issues like family problems and self image would more likely be present in the show.
In the opening episode of DNG season 1, the characters are much younger looking. They don’t wear makeup and dress more like kids-basically they look more innocent. The issues being addressed are similar, for instance that of relationships and dating. In the opening episode of DNG episode 9, the characters look a little more older even though they are playing the same age as those that were in season 1. This is significant because it could influence the way teens watching view themselves and how they shape their identity based upon what they see. Also, the first season included problems that the adult characters were having as well as the young ones. The ninth season, at least in this episode, doesn’t and instead focuses on the issues of the teens. This is significant because viewers are more likely teens, so they want to see what they can relate to. They don’t necessarily relate to issues that adults may have as age plays a huge role in the problems that arise.

Canada: A People's History

The two segments that I watched of Canada: A People’s History were that of The Price of Friendship and A Continent of Nations. The Price of Friendship was about the alliance between the Algonquins and the Montagnais with the French, and their combined opposition to the Iroquois. A Continent of Nations was about Canada before European explorers came-how it was a continent of nations, as the title suggests. It was made up of many different native groups. I felt that the segments both play up Canada-giving it a more positive light than negative. In the Price of Friendship segment, Champlain, the French explorer, is described forging an alliance with native tribes that control the north of Lake Champlain (which straddles the U.S. and Canadian border) against the Iroquois tribe south of the lake. Put simply, it was North American tribes against one coming from the south. A Continent of Nations describes Canada before as peaceful and natural before it was sullied by explorers. The native North Americans were content with remaining on their land, but others were not. The Europeans ventured out in search of a new way to maintain profitable trade with Asia. The Europeans first heard of land to the west from the Vikings-who killed tribes they came across. In this segment, the innocence of the native Canadians is highlighted. I think this is done to sort of ignite feelings of nostalgia and pride in Canadians. Canada in its original natural state is focused on to reinforce a sense of purity, which can further relate to the stereotype of Canadians as nice and polite. Essentially, they are stories about Canadian history. As discussed in class, stories are not just for entertainment, they have power. They have the power to shape identity and influence the way we view the world (or country) in which we live. These segments work to create a collective memory of Canadian history so that Canadians can share a sense kinship with each other.

Candian Bacon

Horkheimer and Adorno’s theories would be appropriate to apply to Canadian Bacon since they focus on how beliefs and ideas are transmitted in culture. In the movie, myths about Canada are spread through the media in order to start a war against Canada. The U.S. government is at work creating myths and transmitting them through the media in their own interest, as they are the ones in positions of dominance. Horkheimer and Adorno also believed that the media dumbs people down-that they are unable to think for themselves as a result of constant exposure to messages in the media. In Canadian Bacon, America is led to believe that Canada is plotting an attack on the U.S. Boomer and Honey especially, are greatly affected by what they see on TV. It gets to them to the point where they are unable to step back and think for themselves whether what they are seeing on TV is true or not, and they just accept it and plan their own retaliation.

The cultivation effect can also be considered in relation to Horkheimer and Adorno’s theories. Individuals, in the case of Canadian Bacon, the Americans, conform to the ideologies of the government, demonstrating social organization and control exerted by the president and those working for him. The American audiences watching cultivate their own reality based on what they are seeing on TV. The propaganda created by the U.S. government allows for America to believe that Canada is secretly out to get them-this is the "reality" to Americans.

Semiotics can also be applied in analyzing Canadian Bacon. Cultural artifacts are used to reinforce myths about Canada. For example, maple syrup is shown pouring over a map of the U.S. to signify the spread of Canadian forces taking over U.S. territory. The meaning of maple syrup (the signifier) changes from being simply Canadian to mean dominance (the signified).
In applying these theories to Canadian Bacon, I am attempting to understand the inner workings of popular culture. Like theorists such as Horkheimer and Adorno, I am digging deeper to find meanings. The film uses stereotypical symbols of Canada which are used to construct a Canadian identity. Things like hockey, beer, the CN Tower, Mounties, "eh," and being nice are used humorously to reflect Canada.

Canadian TV and Film

So here we are with the introductory blog post. I didn't even know what a blog was really up until this point so bare with me on this first one. :) This one will discuss Canadian TV and Film I (or lack therof). But first, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Jess, I'm a popular culture major at Brock University and currently my major interest is music and the industry.

Now to officially begin, I think that Canadian popular cultural texts, in comparison to America, seems to be lacking a little. Our industries are not as strong, so that is why whenever a Candadian makes a name for him or herself in the film or music industry, we appreciate it all the more. Perhaps this is better in the long run. We express greater pride-it means so much more to us. Even if the musician, band, actor, movie or TV show is not all that great (ie. boring), as Canadians we are still proud and appreciative of even having some semblance of our own film and music industry. Perhaps our lack in those areas is made up for in our hockey. When someone says "Canada" you automatically think hockey, beer, maple syrup, kindness, maple leaf, moose, beaver, hunting, fishing, Tim Hortons, snow, mounie, and igloos for the more ignorant. Typically, our culture sums up to be about nature-a state of naturalness. This could account for why we lack in film and music-industries run on the basis of making money for the most part. Fishing and hunting and all things associated are clearly not based on money, but about enjoying those simple activities for what they are.

Now to turn to our TV and film 'industry.' Off the top of my head I can't think of any Canadian films I've watched. (Guilty). And as for TV, as far as I know I've only watched one Canadian TV show besidesone or two episodes of Degrassi, which I only watched because I went to high school with one of the actors. Kenny Versus Spenny is the other show I watched a couple times. Honestly, it is funny but I can only handle so much stupidity. I guess the only thing really 'Canadian' about it is that it is filmed in Toronto and it's documentary in style. Documentaries seem to be our go-to approach in film. Probably because they are cheap(er) to produce. Does the fact that there really is not anything that defines it as decidely Canadian say anything about our industry? Orour culture? Rather than say we are lacking in culture, I would argue that either the lack of things to discuss about Canadian TV and film is a testament to the strength of our industry or that the lack of "Canadian" symbols and signs could simply be a way to get away from stereotypes. We don't lack culture. But maybe we are too nice to be in those cut-throat industries.