Americanization of Canada
Former Canadian Prime Minister, Trudeau once compared living next to America to sleeping with an elephant. He said, “You can not help but be aware of its every movement. ” American culture influences not only Canadian culture but also the culture of every country in the world. Sneakers, blue jeans, burgers, and Hollywood blockbusters are only some of the many ways American culture impacts everybody.
One of the most telling signs of Americanization seems to be the spread of American burgers and cola to nearly every country on earth, crowning the United States as the king of pop culture. Since the start of the 21st century, the massive role that the United States plays in every aspect of Canadian life continues to grow more apparent. Canada and America are each others main allies because of their proximity in terms of culture, history and geography. Canada’s floundering identity is slowly diluting and digressing towards a more assertive American way of life.
By choosing to model their society and economy after America’s, the threat of Canada failing to create a distinctive heritage for itself becomes much more realistic and apparent. By defining America, their society, and economy one can see the threat of Canada losing its heritage is increasing. The Canadian and American relationship is much like the relationship of Siamese twins. They can not be separated without one of them dying and they can not be apart no matter how hard they try.
This makes it even more difficult for Canada to establish their own identity and purpose because America’s cultural influences are so profound and apparent in Canadian culture and way of life. No matter how hard they try, Canada’s culture will always be intertwined with America’s culture. The media is one major way that America has influenced Canada. Canada does not have a true identity and from an outsider of both countries, they will often confuse America and Canada.
