Okay. In this blog entry,
I've turned this diary entry bright red as a sign of solidarity for
my country and its anthem. But why would I do a post about the
Canadian National Anthem now when our independence day was several
months ago? Let's just say that a movement by a small group has me
seeing bright red. Find out why as I pen this latest installment of
the Thursday Diary.
October
10, 2013
I
am a Canadian. I have been my entire life. My blood bleeds Canadian
red. I know how to find Vancouver, Toronto, and Halifax on the map.
I know what Ontario's provincial flower is (it's the Trillium). I
can tell you Canada's birthdate (July 1, 1867). I can tell you all
about the deliciousness that is Canadian maple syrup, the poutine,
and Canadian pizza (basically just pizza with bacon bits, mushrooms,
and double cheese).
(I
sure wish that pizza place next door didn't close up. A slice of
Canadian pizza sure sounds delicious right about now.)
Yes,
it's good to be a Canadian. Although an opportunity might arise in
which I have to relocate to a different country (though I doubt it
will be in this lifetime), I'll always keep my Canadian citizenship.
I couldn't ever imagine not being a Canadian. I'm proud of my
Canadian background, and couldn't imagine being from any other
nation.
Even
our Canadian national anthem is such that almost everyone living in
this country feels a sense of pride. Here, I'll post a video of “O
Canada”, as well as the lyrics down below, just so you can sing
along. And, since Canada is a bilingual country, I'll post the
lyrics in both English and French. And just keep an eye on the
English lyrics though. We'll be talking about those a little bit
later.
O
Canada, our home and native land
True
patriot love in all thy sons command
With
glowing hearts we see thee rise
The
true north strong and free
From
far and wide, O Canada
We
stand on guard for thee
God
keep our land glorious and free
O
Canada we stand on guard for thee
O
Canada we stand on guard for thee
O
Canada, Terre de nos aieux
Ton
front est ceint de fleurons glorieux
Car
ton bras sait porter l'épée
Il
sait porter la croix
Ton
histoire est une épopée
Des
plus brillants exploix
Et
ta valeur, de foi trempée
Protégera
nos foyers et nos droits
Protégera
nos foyers et nos droits
Okay,
so you might be wondering why a certain portion of the English
language version of Canada's national anthem has been bolded,
italicized, and underlined. This was done on purpose because of
recent events that have many Canadians on edge.
You
see, there's something that you need to know about the national
anthem before I continue with this entry. The version that you're
seeing and hearing is the version that we've been used to for at
least a century. But it's not the original version. Believe it or
not, the song was actually composed by then Lieutenant Governor of
Quebec Theodore Robitaille in 1880, and was originally written in
French. The English version actually came sixteen years later in
1906, and where the Bold/Italic/Underline phrase appears, it
originally read “in all thou dost command”. In 1908, that line
was changed by Robert Stanley Weir to “all thy sons command”,
which remains today some one hundred and five years later.
Yet,
some people have criticized the phrase “all thy sons
command”, and have taken action over changing the lyrics to try and
make them “less exclusive” and more “inclusive”.
The
campaign is lead by several high-profile Canadian women including
Canadian author Margaret Atwood and former Prime Minister for all of
four months, Kim Campbell, among others. You see, their argument is
that the phrase “in all thy sons command” discriminates against
fifty per cent of the Canadian population, as the lyric suggests that
only men are represented. They want the lyrics changed so that they
include everybody. The proposed change? They want to lobby to have
the lyric changed from “in all thy sons command” to “in all of
us command”.
I
mean, it's not a new phenomenon to change the words of our national
anthem. Campaigns to reword the anthem have been set in place since
1990, and several groups have lobbied unsuccessfully to change parts
of the anthem for two decades.
I
mean, call me anti-feminist if you will (though I assure you all that
I am anything but), but I see nothing wrong with “O Canada” the
way that it is currently right now. It was how I and millions of
other Canadians were taught it. Why fix something that isn't broken?
I
mean, yes...the anthem was crafted in a different time where social
rules were absolutely different, but the message remains the same.
It's all about taking pride in our country and defending it from
anyone who tries to take away our freedom. And, just based on public
opinion from people I've spoken to about the subject and by watching
news coverage on this news story, it seems that other people feel the
same way.
I
mean, just try singing the national anthem if the new changes are put
into place. Where they replace “in all thy sons command” with
“in all of us command”. Does it not sound like the most awkward
phrasing ever? Even the original lyrics “in all thou dost command”
sounds a lot better than “in all of us command”. I mean, with
just the change of a few simple words, they've taken the stanzas of
“O Canada” and instead of them being strong and bold, they've now
made the song seem a bit...wimpy.
And
considering that the campaign to change the lyrics is being
championed by some of the most recognizable women in 20th
century Canadian history, I would think the last thing that they
wanted was to make our anthem “wimpy”.
And,
I mean, just look at it through the perspectives of other countries
in the world. Hypothetically speaking, what do you suppose might
happen if a group of American lobbyists wanted to change the words of
“The Star Spangled Banner” because they felt that the words
“rocket's red glare” was a symbol of war and violence and they
wanted to clean it up a bit? I bet I can name a hundred people who
would tell that group where to go! And, I don't blame them. “The
Star Spangled Banner” is one of the most iconic pieces of American
music. To change the words because someone was offended by some of
the words would be unthinkable.
Starting
up a group to actually replace “The Star Spangled Banner” with
Miley Cyrus' “Party In The U.S.A.” was also an unthinkable
action...though to be fair, I had heard that it was all in jest. At
least, I certainly hope so.
So
why mess with “O Canada”? Why mess with a good thing?
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