Question

1.Thomas Homer-Dixon’s essay (from What Is a Canadian? Forty-Three Thought-Provoking Responses) addresses the question “What is a Canadian?” Part of his answer is that “a Canadian is almost always unsure of what it means to be a Canadian.” This lack of identity may be typically Canadian, but it also prevents us from effectively and deliberately creating the kind of society we want. Canadians may be proud, and we certainly have much to be proud of. Yet according to Homer-Dixon, Canadians too easily accept second-place, and are too comfortable being average, or even mediocre. Do you agree with Homer-Dixon’s description of “a Canadian”? Give examples to support why you either agree or disagree with his description?

Answer 1

One of the most important things about Canada is that it follows a melting pot culture in which people from all the cultures come together to form a unique culture by accepting, agreeing, appreciating, acknowledging and adopting the best practices from each other. Since Canada welcomes many immigrants to stay and work, a melting pot culture helps the society stay peaceful compared to the USA which follows a mosaic culture in which the majority dominate others. This would mean that at the outset, Canadians seem not to have any identity of their own but if we look at it deeply, we would be able to understand the flexibility, openness and adoptability characteristics of the Canadian society. So, Canadians should be proud of their identity which others fail to appreciate but their attitudes and values are universal and not restricted to a particular race, religion or culture.

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