Canadian Culture and the Influence of Neil Youngs Music - Assignment Example

Study of Canadian Culture- And the influence of Neil Young’s music Study of Canadian Culture and the influence of Neil Young’s music 1. Introduction The culture of a nation is said to be the expression of the character of that nation. The Canadian government publication Statistics Canada, 1995 has this excerpt quoted by the Fraser Institute publication on Culture and National Identity (1). “Culture of a nation is shaped and molded by the background of its people, their languages and beliefs. It includes the many ways that its people express themselves in words, movement, music and images. It reveals itself in the ways people choose to spend their time, the music they listen to, the books they read and the films they watch, the sports they encourage and the historical sites and natural environments they protect. These factors shape how a nation sees itself and how it establishes its identity”. In this paper, we first try and understand how Canadian culture is shaped by the background of its people, in particular the impact of the large scale immigration into Canada of people from diverse ethnic backgrounds. We then analyze the influence of Neil Young on Canadian culture. He is one of Canada’s most loved music icons and a crusader for the protection of the environment. His popularity in Canada should give us some insights into the study of Canadian culture. ___________________________________________________________________ (1) The Fraser Institute. “Culture and National Identity”. Though he has lived in California for over 50 years, he retains his Canadian citizenship and has been a passionate campaigner for the rights of the First Peoples of Canada and for conserving the environment, especially in the northern territories. An understanding of the reasons for the popularity of Neil Young’s music in Canada would give us some insights into Canadian culture. 2. Understanding Canadian culture 2.1 Canada as a nation of immigrants One of the challenges in defining Canadian culture is that this is a nation of immigrants. Kate Miller-Wilson, in an article on the website Love-to-Know traces some of the landmarks of Canadian immigration History as outlined below (2): The Englishman John Cabot sailed to Canada in 1497 and claimed the country for England. The French were quick to follow and by 1608 had established a large settlement which later became Quebec city. In the 1800s the British and French governments actively encouraged immigration into Canada fearing an invasion from the United States. In the 1840s the Irish potato famine drove hundreds of thousands of Irish immigrants to Canada. The world wars of the first half of the 1900s caused millions of Europeans to seek refuge in Canada. ___________________________________________________________________ (2) Kate Miller-Wilson. “Canadian immigration History”. In the 1970s, Canada removed restrictions on immigration from Asia and Africa, which led to a major population influx initially from China and southern Asia and later from the Arab countries and Africa. This policy of liberal immigration continues even today which has led to 20.6% of the Canadian people being foreign born as shown by the 2011 census data (3). In a 1998 article in the Social Contract Journal, Mark Wiegerski has written that Canada’s identity is crisscrossed with lines of fracture. The original Canadian nation consists of two distinct cultures, English Canada ad French Canada. The lingering guilt over the historical treatment of the aboriginal population called the First People, led to the appointment of a Royal Commission to study aboriginal issues in 1991. Their 1996 report recommended virtual sovereignty for about 100 aboriginal “nations” and the giving of $ 2 billion a year by the Federal Government for 20 years as aid to the aboriginal people. The recent non-white immigrants into Canada form a “visible minority” in many of the larger Canadian cities who claim the right to “absolute cultural self-determination”. These non-white immigrants treat the white immigrants (Ukrainians, Portuguese, Italians and other Europeans) as part of the “oppressive majority” (4). ___________________________________________________________________ (3) Statistics Canada – “Immigration and Ethnocultural diversity in Canada”. (4) Mark Wegeirski. “Immigration and National Identity in Canada”. Canadian culture is therefore in a constant state of evolution and modification as these immigrants adapt into the society and the society itself adjusts its behavior and beliefs as these immigrants merge into it. 2.2 The influence of the US on Canadian culture In addition to the impact of large scale immigration, Canadian culture is influenced by the overbearing proximity to the United States. The US has 10 times Canada’s population and the two countries share a common British colonial heritage. As discussed in Class 5, as far back as 1951, the Massey Commission report expressed the fear that Canadian Arts, Letters and Sciences would be swamped by US influence and make it impossible for Canada to develop a distinct expression (Canadian Studies 2210, Class 5). In the decades after 1951, the two countries have become even closer. They share the world’s longest non-militarized border and there is the free movement of some 400,000 people and 8,000 trucks each day across the borders. Nationals of one country are free to live and work in the other country. In some US publications, Canada is sometimes referred to as the 51st state of the US, reinforcing the inherent fears of the Massey Commission report. Even serious observers advocate that it makes perfect economic sense for the US with its capital, manpower, technology and military strength and Canada with its vast natural resources to “merge”, as each has what the other needs (5). ___________________________________________________________________ (5) Diane Francis – “Why Canada and the US should merge, Eh?”, The Wall Street Journal. Besides economics, Canadians are also concerned about the cultural domination by the US. An article published in The Economist magazine in September 1998 titled “Culture Wars” has some compelling numbers (6). The article says that 96% of the films shown on Canadian screens are foreign, mainly American, three-quarters of the music on Canadian radio is not Canadian, four in five magazines sold on newsstands and six in every ten books are foreign, mainly American. The article says that in June 1998, the Canadian government convened a meeting of 19 countries in Ottawa including Mexico, Britain and Brazil (but excluding the US) with the objective of keeping cultural goods outside free trade treaties. The United Nations has subsequently endorsed the concept of excluding cultural goods from free-trade treaties. This fear of US domination of Canadian culture is also reflected in the requirement for Canadian content for music broadcast on Canadian radio. The Canadian Radio- television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) in a 2002 policy requires that each licensed radio station in Canada must ensure that at least 35% of the popular music they broadcast is Canadian content. In January 1993, CRTC defined Canadian content to say that the content should meet at least two of the following criteria: (7) The music must be composed by a Canadian The lyrics must be written by a Canadian __________________________________________________________________ (6) The Economist. “Culture Wars”. (7) CRTC. “Changes to content requirements for Canadian Music on radio”. The performing artist must be a Canadian The music must be recorded or performed wholly in Canada This Canadian content requirement has certainly contributed to the popularity of Canadians musicians like Neil Young. 3. The profile of Neil Young Neil Young was born on November 12, 1945 in Toronto and grew up in Winnipeg. He formed his first band when he was in junior high school and developed his characteristic singing style with an accompanying melodic guitar. By the mid-1960s, he was performing at Winnipeg cafés and recorded his first song with a Rock Band. In 1966 he moved with his friend, bass player Bruce Palmer, to Los Angeles and co-founded the band Buffalo Springfield. Their first album “For What It’s Worth” became a best-seller which effectively launched Neil Young’s music career (8). In addition to music, Neil Young has many other facets to his life. Two of his children were afflicted with cerebral palsy and Neil Young himself and a daughter had epilepsy. Based on these experiences Neil Young and his then wife co-founded a school in San Francisco for children with communication disabilities (8). Neil Young developed some special train controllers for building a 700 foot model train track for his children, that was later commercialized by a company he founded. ___________________________________________________________________ (8) Neil Young Biography. Biography.com Young also became heavily involved with environmental issues and several of his popular songs are related to environmental issues. These include “Be the rain” and “Who’s gonna stand up and save the Earth”. The latter song has been called his environmental anthem. Neil Young has lived and worked in the US for most of his adult life, but the fact that he has retained his Canadian citizenship ensured that his music was played on Canadian radio and television stations pursuant to the Canadian content regulations. This has helped grow his popularity in Canada. 4. Neil Young’s environmental activism The lyrics of the song “Who’s gonna stand up and save the Earth” are shown in the Annexure (9). He published this song on his website alongside information on a documentary he has produced named “Under the Influence” which argues that large corporations have “purchased our politicians” and are “writing laws that poison our planet and dismantle our democratic process” (10). The song focuses on the environmental concerns relating to over-exploitation of natural resources and against the building of dams and oil pipelines. The reference to “fracking” in the song suggests that the message is directed at the US where shale oil production uses this process. ___________________________________________________________________ (9) Lyricsmode. “Who’s gonna stand up and save the Earth?” (10) Evan Minsker. “Neil Young shares environmental activism anthem “Who’s gonna stand up?”. The song, however, has found resonance in Canada. As discussed in Class 6, Canadians consider the country as a wilderness space (Canadian Studies 2210, Class 6). The Northern Territories are seen by most Canadians as one of the defining features of the nation and they can relate to Neil Young’s concerns about the degradation being caused by the exploitation of the region’s oil and other natural resources. These resources are being exploited not for Canadian use but for consumption in the US. Neil Young himself has been very vocal against the oil sands industry saying that the Fort McMurray area in Alberta resembles the Japanese city Hiroshima after the atom bomb. He has also campaigned against the TransCanada Keystone XL Oil Pipeline calling it “scabs on our lives” (11). Neil Young’s campaign produced a response from the Canadian Prime Minister’s office, which said, in part, “Even the lifestyle of a rock star relies, to some degree, on the resources developed by thousands of hardworking Canadians every day. Tar sands offer the prospect of significant economic development for the aboriginal people and the government promises to ensure that oil companies abide by rigorous environmental laws set by independent, scientific and expert panels” (12). Surely, the Canadian Prime Minister’s office would not have taken Neil Young so seriously, except for the fear that his views would influence large sections of the Canadian people. ___________________________________________________________________ (11) Camille Bains – “Scabs on our Lives – Neil Young slams oil sands pipeline plans – again”. (12) Sean Michaels. “Neil Young: Canada’s conservative Government exploits Alberta tar sands”. It is also ironic that an icon that has been built up by Government policies relating to Canadian content in broadcasting has now become a vocal critic of the government’s economic policies in relation to the exploitation of natural resources. 5. Summary and conclusions The definition of Canadian culture is difficult due to the continuing large scale immigration into Canada from people of diverse ethnic backgrounds. It would take many years, perhaps as much as 100 years, for these immigrants to get assimilated fully into Canadian society. The additional problem Canada faces is the overwhelming presence of the United States. The Canadian government has sought to encourage the creation of a separate Canadian culture by seeking to enforce Canadian content in broadcasting. This has thrown up an icon such as Neil Young who has lived and worked for over 50 years in the US. His environmental activism is now in conflict with the government’s own economic policies in relation to exploitation of natural resources from the Northern Territories. With the Internet providing instant access to any content from any part of the world, governments will no longer be able to control access to published material, music, films or art. Each citizen would make his own choice and perhaps this would lead to the evolution of a global culture that would prevail over national or regional culture. References: Bains, Camile. “Scabs on our lives – Neil Young slams oil sands pipeline plans – again”, The Financial Post, November 10, 2014. Accessed on Februray 2, 2015 at CRTC. “Changes to the Content Requirements for Canadian Music on Radio”, Canadian Radio- television and Telecommunications Commission, Public Notice CRTC 1993-5, January 29, 1993. Accessed on Feb 2, 2015 at Francis, Diane. “Why Canada and the US should merge, Eh?”, The Wall Street Journal, December 6, 2013. Accessed on Feb 2, 2015 at Miller-Wilson, Kate. “Canadian Immigration History”. Accessed on Feb 2, 2015 at Neil Young Biography. Biography.com. Accessed on February 1, 2015 at Statistics Canada. “Immigration and Ethnocultural Diversity in Canada”, National Household Survey 2011. Accessed on Feb 2, 2015 at The Economist . “Culture Wars”, The Economist, September 12- 18, 1998. Accessed on Feb 2, 2015 at The Fraser Institute. “Culture and National Identity”, 1999. Accessed on Feb 2, 2015 at . Lyricsmode. “Whos’s gonna stand up and save the earth”, Accessed on Feb 2, 2015 at Michaels, Sean. “Neil Young: Canada’s Conservative government exploit Alberta tar sands”, The Guardian, January 14, 2014. Accessed on Feb 2, 2015 at Minsker, Evan. “Neil Young shares Environmental Activism anthem Who’s gonna stand up?”, Pitchfork, September 9, 2014. Accessed on Feb 2, 2015 at Wegierski, Mark. “Immigration and National Identity in Canada”, The Social Contract Journal, Summer 1998. Accessed on Feb 2, 2015 at Annexure The lyrics of the song “Who’s gonna stand up and save the Earth” are as below : Protect the wild, tomorrow’s child Protect the land from the greed of man Take down the dams, stand up to oil Protect the plants and renew the soil Who’s gonna stand up and save the Earth? Who’s gonna say that she’s had enough? Who’s gonna stand up to the big machine? Whos’ gonna stand up and save the Earth? This all starts with you and me Damn the dams,save the rivers Starve the takers and feed the givers Build a dream, save the world We’re the people know as earth Who’s gonna stand up and save the Earth? Ban fossil fuel, draw the line Before we build, one more pipeline Ban fracking now, save the waters And build a life for our sons and daughters Who’s gonna stand up and save the Earth? Who’s gonna stand up? Who’s gonna stand up? Who’s gonna stand up? Read More