Creating Canadian Idols
Continued from last week...
Last week I began by thinking about the Dixie Chicks and their documentary, Shut Up and Sing. I ended by noting that the Chicks challenged the nearly blind loyalty that some Americans give to their president and the military. This week I want to ask if Canadians could ever have such strong faith in our leaders and armed services.
The American military helps create the blind loyalty, I mentioned last week, by generating iconic images of the organization. A friend who once visited Arlington National Cemetery returned saying, “They (Americans) worship that stuff (the war dead).” And current recruiting commercials for the Marines depict soldiers as mythical gods.
When persons and institutions are turned into idols, one takes a great risk in speaking against them. Could anything comparable happen in Canada?
It is true that we don't seem to idolize our nearest equivalent to the American President. And our military at the moment is too modest to become an object of blind religious devotion.
However, it sometimes becomes easy to turn ordinary human beings, soldiers for example, into heroes that are larger than life. Former Prime Minister Jean Chretien once called Canadians heading off the to Middle East “heroes” before they had fired a single shot in combat. Our ceremonies for departing soldiers, such as the recent ones in Gagetown, NB, are becoming more elaborate. The national war memorial on Ottawa has the aura of a national religious icon.
Could Canadians ever develop the kind of nearly blind loyalty to their leaders and their military that we see among some people in the United States? Maybe not this year. But if the world becomes more politically dangerous, and we feel the need for more muscular leadership and a stronger military, could that kind of loyalty become more expected -- bringing with it all the dangers we see in our American friends?
The Christian Bible, especially in the sections Exodus and Colossians, tells a story about God that rejects turning human creations into idols. Where that story shapes our identity, it is less likely that political and military powers will be worshiped. For that reason alone, it is worth our serious attention in times when blind faith in leaders and armies can become all too tempting.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
Last week I began by thinking about the Dixie Chicks and their documentary, Shut Up and Sing. I ended by noting that the Chicks challenged the nearly blind loyalty that some Americans give to their president and the military. This week I want to ask if Canadians could ever have such strong faith in our leaders and armed services.
The American military helps create the blind loyalty, I mentioned last week, by generating iconic images of the organization. A friend who once visited Arlington National Cemetery returned saying, “They (Americans) worship that stuff (the war dead).” And current recruiting commercials for the Marines depict soldiers as mythical gods.
When persons and institutions are turned into idols, one takes a great risk in speaking against them. Could anything comparable happen in Canada?
It is true that we don't seem to idolize our nearest equivalent to the American President. And our military at the moment is too modest to become an object of blind religious devotion.
However, it sometimes becomes easy to turn ordinary human beings, soldiers for example, into heroes that are larger than life. Former Prime Minister Jean Chretien once called Canadians heading off the to Middle East “heroes” before they had fired a single shot in combat. Our ceremonies for departing soldiers, such as the recent ones in Gagetown, NB, are becoming more elaborate. The national war memorial on Ottawa has the aura of a national religious icon.
Could Canadians ever develop the kind of nearly blind loyalty to their leaders and their military that we see among some people in the United States? Maybe not this year. But if the world becomes more politically dangerous, and we feel the need for more muscular leadership and a stronger military, could that kind of loyalty become more expected -- bringing with it all the dangers we see in our American friends?
The Christian Bible, especially in the sections Exodus and Colossians, tells a story about God that rejects turning human creations into idols. Where that story shapes our identity, it is less likely that political and military powers will be worshiped. For that reason alone, it is worth our serious attention in times when blind faith in leaders and armies can become all too tempting.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
