Somewhere there is a place between boring and sappy. That is the place that the Tories call "Our Country" in an new campaign video. Watch it and then come back for a few questions...
There. Are you comfortable? Now...
- Odd images: Trees, mountains, Vancouver, barren snowy scene, grain field with man, lake, beach, flag before rocky cliff, Henderson 72, Calgary Olympic flame, WWII soldiers marching... Harper walking in a hallway... Toronto traffic, round bales in field by mountains, shore, 1964 8mm footage of lady, happy girl before Montreal skyline, 8mm girl skating, nodding older lady, couple hug looking at trees, people on ice flow with coast guard ship and jets overhead... Harper walking in a hallway in Parliament, Harper shaking hands at rally, Toronto skyline, northern lights, happy clapping couple, flaggy rally... Harper at UN... flag, Harper at rally.
- The images are really odd when you watch with the sound down. Landscapes devoid of people in groups greater than two other than at government events. Sterile views. Urban scenes without crowds. No one at work. And that couple staring at a small forest. That is the weirdest clip. Who are they? Why are they staring at those trees.
- Let's try it with the sound up: "Canada is and always has been our country" - this is simply not true. It was France's, Britain's and hundreds of First Nations'. Why the "...and always has been..."? Not to mention the fact that "we" came from all over the world to get here. My part of the "we" sure weren't here.
- "...and we want Canada to be a True North that is as strong and as free as it can be in every way that matters." Again, the gratuitous thrown in - "...in every way that matters." How can you be strong and free in ways that don't matter? What matters?
- "The best country in the world" - Chretien's line. And offensive to the other best country candidates not to mention unfounded as a superlative. Might as well say the tallest country in the world.
- "That's why we're here, that's why we strive, that's why we serve": Who is the "we" now? We are not now Canadians but Tories and supporters, right? Not all serve, right?
- Worst line coming: "Canada must reflect the true character of the Canadian people...:" What the hell does this mean? It does. It must. It's not like it reflect the character of Finns or Peruvians.
- "...honourable in our dealings, faithful to our commitments..." There's that couple looking at the small forest. Freaky.
- "...loyal to our friends, by turns a courageous warrior and a compassionate neighbour..." Not bad but is that all? No clever inventors, arty artists, sweaty hard rock miners, struggling deep sea crab fishermen fighting the elements? No, we are loyal, courageous and compassionate. Dudley. Do. Right.
- "...it is our purpose that Canada must be great...." Why? Have we ever been great? Great being better than most. Why do we need to compare and, really, aren't we great now? Aren't we already great if we are, see above, the best country in the world?
- "...it must be great for all Canadians, it must be a country of hope, and an example to the world...:" Fine and it is but sometimes a poor example as the UN footage reminds us all.
- ...and only when it is all these things when Canada is all that it can be only then can we say that our work is done...." What then? We sell up to Botswana? When is a country's work done?
Who buys this stuff and takes it to heart? Generic, bland statements over screens out of a beer commercial in which only small groups of people are seen if they even appear. The nation on a slightly boring Tuesday off hanging out with itself while everyone else is working or at school.. Custom made stock footage. And that weird couple looking at the trees. Someone's cousin made this.
Comments
Matthew Gregory - April 5, 2011 9:59 PM
Sappy can sometimes work - as long as it uses genuine emotion to pull on your heartstrings.
This video looks as though it is designed only to perform a heartstring-tugging algorithm on the bionic droid heart of Harper himself.
It is not designed for humans.
Or Liberals.
David Janes - April 6, 2011 8:23 AM
DYN someone used the phrase "un-Canadian" recently?
Alan - April 6, 2011 8:30 AM
Remember who decided it was appropriate. And it's been used in an election.
Alan - April 6, 2011 8:32 AM
I'd be more upset if I were a goon and was called a goon.
Alan - April 6, 2011 8:46 AM
Note Mr. Taylor's Facebook comment:
"Note to my CPC friends: The "Our Country" ad has been "shared" on 641 different Facebook walls as of this status update. The average Facebook user has 130 friends meaning a total of 83,330 potential impressions via Facebook. This in just 12 hours. Further consider word-of-mouth recommendation from actual real-life connections (Facebook's strength) is the highest value impression."
Even if it's made fun of?
David Janes - April 6, 2011 10:47 AM
I think it's awesome that Ignatieff is declaring things unCanadian™. I can't comment on the goodness (or unCanadian™ess of it), but I think Canada is kinda awesome for just living your life.
David Janes - April 6, 2011 10:48 AM
Three comments in a row is a soft sign of mental illness BTW. That's why I always stop at two!
Pok - April 6, 2011 10:53 AM
Yawn. Irrelevant candidates talking about what their plans are when the yare in charge of an irrelevant federal government.
I don't really care what perk they promise to chuck my way. I really want to know how they are going to fix a broken federal system. Otherwise bring on the city state!
Alan - April 6, 2011 11:52 AM
Helpful background, David, it's all helpful background.
CITY STATES NOW!!!
Alan - April 6, 2011 1:52 PM
I don't see this as a total plagerism issue but there is plenty of overlap.
http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Harper+copy+American+presidential+hopefuls+Liberals/4568839/story.html
Matthew Fletcher - April 6, 2011 1:56 PM
"Landscapes devoid of people in groups greater than two other than at government events. Sterile views. Urban scenes without crowds. No one at work. And that couple staring at a small forest."
This is essentially the image of Canada created by the Group of Seven. This image hasn't changed in a hundred years. Canada is a wilderness - if we produce anything (gold, wheat) it is a result of that wilderness; if we are good at anything (hockey, soldiering), it is a result of that wilderness. It is Canada through the lens of Group of Seven, Susana Moodie and the Laurentian Thesis. It is the Canada that Mackenzie King described as having "too much geography and not enough history."
In that sense it is good as an impressionistic appeal to certain conservatives.
Jay Currie - April 6, 2011 10:28 PM
Where, oh where, are the Canada Geese?
"The Land is Strong".
I'm with you on the City States Now front. But not the whole of Victoria, Just Oak Bay. Customs just down the street. 15,000 good souls and a curtain of thickest tweed to keep the riff-raff in their place.
Peter O'Donnell - April 6, 2011 10:41 PM
"This has always been our country" is a swipe at Michael Ignatieff, for whom Canada has not always been home.
The rest of the montage is designed to attract voters looking for a strongman who will guarantee them a predictable future.
This is the shape of politics all around the world, the only thing Canadian in it would be our flag and landscape (which is quite a bit, especially the landscape, I've never really been that wild about having the Liberal logo as our flag, but apparently Harper has taken to it).
Jay Currie earlier was probably making a reference to the 1968 Liberal motto, "the land is strong." That was about the same sort of thing presented at a similar time of national triumphalism. I don't think we'll see Harper doing an athletic swan dive into a pool or sweeping giddy maidens off their feet (unless John Baird counts).
Alan - April 7, 2011 9:09 AM
Putin-esque? Putty-esque perhaps. And that landscape? Could be Norway or Russia, too. There is a big difference between exceptionalism and being in the northern club.
Ben (The Tiger) - April 7, 2011 9:48 AM
"The Land is Strong" was Trudeau's re-elect campaign in '72.
Nearly lost him the land -- he lost the Battle of Ontario, and was just barely bailed out by Quebec...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_federal_election,_1972
Alan - April 7, 2011 10:05 AM
Sad country that leaves your principles and mottos to political parties.
Ben (The Tiger) - April 7, 2011 10:47 AM
Well, also the thing is that it isn't quite clear when Canada became a country, per se...
Pok - April 7, 2011 11:01 AM
Makes me want to move to Canada - oh wait, I live here and it's not really like that. Beware the nationalistic fervour of veterans, mountains and hockey - it leads to only one end: bad coffee and lunatic commentators between periods.
Pok - April 7, 2011 11:05 AM
I guess that is two ends but if you dig a bit I am sure they are really one.
Ben (The Tiger) - April 7, 2011 2:41 PM
Bah, you pinkos put that in your pipe and smoke it!
Alan - April 7, 2011 5:09 PM
The state won't issue us pipes anymore. Only cigarettes of wood chips rolled in the pages of text books.
TRex - April 7, 2011 6:02 PM
Needs moar flags.
Ben (The Tiger) - April 7, 2011 9:04 PM
You have my condolences.
I'm willing to vote with the smokers...
Alan - April 7, 2011 9:51 PM
Parti Quebecois?
Pok - April 7, 2011 10:48 PM
"Je me souviens" or as otherwise known, "Canada's smoking section".
Ben (The Tiger) - April 8, 2011 11:01 PM
I'd vote for them if they promised actually to leave this time.
Can you imagine the fiscal room that would give the rest of the country? We could pay off our debt and become Switzerland!
The Writ - April 9, 2011 11:04 AM
What is interesting is how vacuous and platitudinous the writing is. "Canada is and always has been our country"?! Really? But beyond that, it is difficult to stomach the hypocrisy of the statements about standing by our values, standing up for the rights of all Canadians, and so forth. This government has abandoned so many of the values that used to be considered core to Canada's identity - on the environment, on human rights, on being an honest broker in foreign policy... the list goes on. We have a post today on the betrayal of the rights of New Canadians here: http://bit.ly/hiOpEq.
The Writ - April 9, 2011 11:05 AM
What is interesting is how vacuous and platitudinous the writing is. "Canada is and always has been our country"?! Really? But beyond that, it is difficult to stomach the hypocrisy of the statements about standing by our values, standing up for the rights of all Canadians, and so forth. This government has abandoned so many of the values that used to be considered core to Canada's identity - on the environment, on human rights, on being an honest broker in foreign policy... the list goes on. We have a post today on the betrayal of the rights of New Canadians here: http://bit.ly/hiOpEq.