In today’s Maisonneuve Mediascout:

MediaScout can’t help look at the events of the past week through the prism of Canada’s near-obsession with understanding and building its sense of identity. Simply put, stories of sacrifice are the backbone of any national myth. Lives lost in the defense of values held dear bring nations together like nothing else – just look to the US, where amid bitter divisions over the war in Iraq, no Democrat would question the value of US soldiers’ sacrifice. Canada, however, doesn’t fight a war every couple of years. And when we do stand on guard for thee, we take every possible precaution to keep our men and women out of the line of fire. That’s fine, we’re not a warring people, but it does mean less death-less sacrifice, when those are the stories that define a nation’s sense of purpose. And so, when four young Mounties are taken from us so brutally, we feel it; because we are reminded of what sacrifice means; and we get to know the fallen; and we come to realize just how brave they were in simply doing their job.

Reminds me of the way Robert Thurman summarized western civilization as militaristic. Like the story that Canadian identity was born during World War I, because the joe from Alberta was in the muck with the fellow from Quebec. What’s really behind that story is people got to hang out with one another from all over the country. Kind of like these party conventions that are in the news.

I’d prefer a national myth that focuses on dialogue, rather than fucking heroic-death sacrifice bullshit.

I’d prefer that we don’t build an identity around violence. Sure, have your big national funeral and media coverage. But I have to say that I care less about this than I did about Trudeau’s funeral. I felt like I was living through something then, I could understand the line-ups to see him lie in state. This RCMP thing isn’t something I can relate too as easily.