The Canadian Magazine Dispute Thesis

Canada as a nation has been striving to characterize itself as more ?Canadian? for decades. This has included numerous struggles and events such as protests, bans, and the creation of the Massey Commission, to encourage national development in the arts, and support major companies like the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) and National Film Board (NFB). However, this has not been an easy task for the Canadian government, as major influences from below the border (the United States) have been captivating the Canadian audiences by large. American media has had a momentous revolutionizing effect on Canada, even through efforts made to define Canada with its own cultural identity.

Canada’s media industries have played a huge role in the Canadian culture. The Canadian culture has integrated with other countries forming a successful globalization. Many countries including the United States have contributed to the success in Canada’s media industries. The success of globalization between all of the countries was predicted by Marshall McLuhan and ever since his prediction, the world can be depicted as a global village. The global village can be viewed as a tool, a tool that is bringing the world together, despite the different languages, locations, and diverse cultures. With new technologies being developed more often, the communication skills between different countries are very successful. Canada’s diversity in their media and policies has established a global village with people around the world, allowing them to relate to the Canadian culture.

Due the the geographic reason, Canadian culture is often seen as similar to the United States. For instance, language, political beliefs, food, religion and social well-being. I agree that most part of the American popular culture is being adopted by most Canadians because of the powerful media such as movies, films and books are produced by the American. Massey-Leveque, who is a chancellor of the University of Toronto, argued that “ Canada is cultural dependent in its ‘uncritical use of American education philosophy”(as cited in Gasher, M., Skinner, D., & Lorimer,R., 2012,p.196). Hollywood, one of the biggest and most famous film corporations in the world, is devastating part of the Canadian culture. The reason is that by multi-billion

For example, most magazines focus on American celebrities and American trends. People’s magazine is very popular, with 3 527 541 copies paid and verified. It’s an American magazine that talks about celebrity gossip. Reader’s Digest is also quite popular, with 4 288 529 copies paid and verified. It’s a general interest family based magazine.1 There is also Twist, a magazine popular among teens. It teaches them about all the different beauty and fashion trends that are currently popular.2 However, these magazines almost never touch upon what’s happening in Canada, as people assume that what’s going on in the USA must also be happening in Canada. While that’s not completely true, events happening in the USA will likely affect Canada in one way or another. Pierre Elliotte Trudeau even stated, “Living next to the United States in some way like sleeping with an elephant. No matter how friendly and even tempered the beast: one is affected by every twitch and grunt.”3 Finally, Canada covers a lot of what’s happening in the USA but the states don’t do the same with Canada. As Canadian author Margaret Atwood said, “The boarder separating the two countries is like a one-way mirror through which Canadians can see the United States but Americans can’t see

Canada and the United States are noted for their alternative attitudes toward authority and law. While the United States is more self-centered, who values independence and achievements of one’s self, Canada depends on

The freedom and right to be able to freely express thoughts, opinions, and concerns are critical in the efficiency and fluency of American and Canadian democracy. With such a large and vast nation, there is bound to be a parallel in size of diverse thinking and perspective. In order to properly and directly voice these opinions,there needs to be a type of media to do so with. In her 1854 editorial, Mary Ann Shadd Cary goes on to discuss the importance of one particular form of media; the newspaper. Cary is able to explain that need for expression of opinion through media, the need for “colored canadians” to specifically have their own paper, and that need to inform misinformed citizens on Canada’s issues through her own style of diction to

Having lived in Canada when I was 8 before the US-Canada magazine dispute occurred, I found myself thoroughly engrossed in Canadian culture. It seemed a perfect culture, built to protect domestic interests and despite the potential division between countries, created a safe environment where people were unafraid to leave doors unlocked, due to almost no crime. The peaceful and respectful nature of most Canadians isn’t just a fluke, the country was designed this way, and one of the primary influencers of this strategy is the media. Watching the news in Canada, the focus is positive, the message is positive, there is no forced fear of sense of doom as we see here in the US. Life is about being sustainable, not so much a struggle to the top of the food chain, but working together, instead of separating and segregating groups. That is except the region of French Quebec; however, Quebec is like a whole new country in itself.

Media sources in current culture are construed as important as they communicate the dominant ideology promoted by the bourgeois which the lower-class public should adhere to as the correct social norm (Kress, 1988). The medium which these ideologies are shown in are important, as different medium are used by different cultures. This essay will focus on comparing print with online media through analysing the Guardian and the Australian from August 31st. This will be done by looking at the types of news shown in each, the constraints and advantages of each medium, advertising, the concept of ownership, and the way the media convinces the public of their ideologies through hegemony.

In the article “Advancing the Canadian Ideal” by Hugh Segal, he argues how Canadian history mirrors it’s Canadian ideal, but in order to defend this our challenge is to adapt to our policies (Segal 170). He further describes the way we move forward as a society, is to determine what the canadian ideal is allowing us to sustain it (168). In this essay I will argue that Segal makes a good argument because through my evaluation and assessments of his premises, it supports his main idea and his main allegation. Canada is a country full of history discovered by the Europeans, and civilized by the Aboriginals (Segal 169). A country known for its fur trade, lumber and minerals, and the greatest national debate over the Trans Canada pipeline

Cultural issues are complicated ones to solve. Sometimes it is even tough to express opinions about them. It is an area where one has had to establish one's bona fides before weighing in. The audience has to be assured that the commentator loves Canada more or at least as much as the next person and is willing to stop at nothing to protect our culture. Trade consultants wanting to mine the cultural field are well advised to have a Can-lit or artistic icon as an immediate family member. Otherwise, they need not even bother hanging up a shingle.

Ever since the 1950’s more of the American culture has been known to influence Canadian ways of living through the media.

The article written by Lisa Lowe refers to globalization as it relates to the United States. This article touched on the transitions which occurred. The shifts from culture in neighborhoods due to migrants arriving. This article also referred to the critiques of globalization. It’s important to know who is against or for this process. As it provides perspective to those who want understand motives behind the negative stance.

If Canada wants to protect their national identity, they must all embrace each other’s cultures, instead of creating multiple broadcasts that preach one view or culture. Without state governed media, the dominance of US products in Canada would diminish its identity as a nation, fail to serve the public interest and create less profits causing more advertising and less content in the media. Government regulated media proves to be more favourable and beneficial than policies based off of self-regulated solutions when addressing Canada’s media industries and cultural

Q.1: To what extent do you think the U.S.-Canadian magazine dispute was motivated by genuine desires to protect Canadian culture?

Vogue was born in the United States in 1892 and was founded by Arthur Baldwin Turnure. In 1909, when Baldwin died, Conde Nast Publications, Inc. (created in 1908, based in New York City and which publishes other magazines such as Vanity Fair, Glamour, GQ, W, The New Yorker or Architectural Digest) purchased the famous magazine and Vogue joined Conde Nast Publications, Inc. Precisely, this was the first American publication that managed to captivate Europe given that it was first published in Britain in 1916 and in France in 1924. Conde Nast Publications, Inc. also has independent headquarters in the countries where it works. Among these countries are those languages on which this analysis and is based (Spanish, German and English). Thereupon, these are “local editions of an international publication” that are “published independently in different languages, always adapting the content of that publication to the interests of the local market instead of translating the original edition”, although sometimes there is a translation labour” (O’Hagan, 2002: 11). Specifically, this is an important aspect which will be examined and evaluated since the Spanish, German and English editions of this well-known magazine are often localized and not necessarily translated, as this author mentions, adapting the content of that publication to the context and milieu of the reader of the magazine.