Hey guys, have I been the only person (I'm an American btw) who's noticed there is this strange qualify of Canadian youth who tend to idolize the US? I have to say, it's pretty bizarre, they tell me how great they think the US is, when in fact it's nothing like they say it is. Not that I *hate* the US, but I don't know, it seems some people take for granted what they have (like your single payer health care).
Links:
[1] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/culture/canadian-youth-idolizing-us#comment-1020651
[2] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/culture/canadian-youth-idolizing-us#comment-1020690
[3] http://rabble.ca/print/babble/culture/canadian-youth-idolizing-us#comment-1034192
[4] http://rabble.ca/user
[5] http://rabble.ca/user/register
I think Canadian youth idolize the pop-culture US rather than the political US. This is not something that is unique to Canada. I have travel(l)ed overseas to Europe and noticed young people in tune with American pop-culture by idolizing American actors and musicians, They may wear American-style fashions. There are some local variations. However, the differences are sometimes minimal.
Lately, I have complained on my blogpost that CTV and the A-Channel, which want cable and satellite companies to pay for local carriage of their stations, provide very little local programming other than the suppertime and late evening news. I did look at my electonic TV guide and noticed that practically all Canadian over-the-air stations provide very little local coverage. CTV, A-Channel, Canwest Global, E! (Canada), Citytv, and even the CBC make practically no local programs that focuses on their local markets. Thee only exception may be the news. There are no local entertainment, arts, culture, or community focuses programs.
No wonder Canadian youth are idolizing US pop-culture. There is nothing locally Canadian to watch. I haven't mentioned radio or other electonic media, yet.
I find only the politically and socially "conservative" amongst Canadians worship everything American - which is to say, not really conservative in the traditional Canadian sense at all, but rather in the American radical and reactionary fashion.
I agree 100% with Skinny Dipper.
When youths grow up watching the glamourous and fantastical lives narrated in Sex and the City (located in NYC) or the Hills (located in LA), of course they're going to idolize those places instead of Canadian cities. All popular entertainment shows that are located in Canada (e.x. So You Think You Can Dance Canada, Canadian Idol, Canada's Next Top Model) are replicas of American shows and are, therefore, second-rate.
What's the most popular channel for teens to watch? Probably MTV Canada, right? Well, first of all, that's just a Canadian version of US's MTV. Second of all, almost all the shows there are located and focuses on the US. The Aftershow is an exception, but all that show does is discusses the events going on in the US and with American celebrities.
It's kind of a weird phenomenon, a goose vs. egg problem. I feel like the issue is now not only that there's very little quality Canadian entertainment media due to funding, etc., but youths automatically assume that Canadian shows are not as good as Ameican ones. Watching American shows is somehow "cooler." This results in less interest and funding in Canadian programming... and the cycle perpetuates.