What does it mean to be Canadian Is it worth it for the Chinese to Essay

What does it mean to be Canadian Is it worth it for the Chinese to come here and build Canadian Pacific Railway - Essay Example Although the people come from a diversified background, they identify themselves as being Canadians and having attributes which makes them proud to be associated with Canada. To a great extent, a key role is played by the television, media, and literature in promoting feelings of nationalism and unity within Canadians despite their varied backgrounds. In particular, emotions have been creatively used to have an overwhelming impact on its audiences in order to stimulate feelings of patriotism and loyalty towards Canada (Burke, 104-107). Canadians take pride in belonging to a country which has a fascinating social, cultural, and historical background and they have a positive attitude towards the country (Cohen, n.pag.). Its inhabitants may be different in appearance however all Canadians share similar values and encourage the expression of personal beliefs and thoughts on their identity as a Canadian. Marusya Bociurkiw in Feeling Canadian: Television, Nationalism and Affect examined th e part played by television in the construction and dissemination of feelings of nationalism among its inhabitants. Canada has often been described as being similar to the USA however American and Canadian sentiments as to what it means to be a Canadian differs greatly. It is also important to account for the considerable diversity present in the Canadian society. Burke analyzes how Bociurkiw has considered sensory and emotional aspects of television content and how a sense of national belonging is created through the television programs (104-107). Television provides a great way of connecting the public with the society through affective perceptions. A documentary film by Robert Cohen named Being Canadian is in the making which addresses the crucial question of what it means to be a Canadian (Cohen, n.pag.). The documentary is based on several interviews with Canadians while on a journey across Canada. This journey provided Cohen with a deep insight regarding the perception of peop le about being a Canadian. The responses make up the documentary and explain how positive people are about being a Canadian and the pride they take in belonging to this land. However, after generations of immigrants in Canada, it seems that the cultural value and the sense of Canadian identity is reducing among its dwellers. The creators of the documentary explore the Canadian territories and the invaluable assets which Canada is proud of. Along the way, several Canadians have been interviewed to describe the qualities, attributes, and values involved in being a Canadian and what it means to them. Diakiw in his essay considers the role of school in forming a feeling of Canadian identity as children try to assimilate the cultural values under Canadian settings (2). Although many immigrants have developed a sense of affiliation with the culture and identify themselves as Canadians, many are facing identity crisis as a result of mixed values and the multi-cultural nature of the country . Schools act as important educational centers for the dissemination of political and cultural views and because of a diversified community there is not single perspective of political or cultural view being communicated. Since schools are central curators of national outlook, it is necessary that schools are regulated in what they want to promote (Diakiw, 5). The Canadian government has promoted a multi-cultural policy and has developed easy procedures encouraging immigrants to migrate to