Personal Essay: Defining Canadian Culture

I would define Canadian culture as multicultural. Canada is a nation of

various cultures blended together to form something unique and couldn’t be

measured. I feel that every time different countries come to Canada it’s like we adopt

the differences and intergrade them into our society and then it becoming normal to

us. For example if you go to school and hear unusual music or see different clothes

that person wouldn’t be ostracized because were most likely already familiar to it.

Raymond Williams was a novelist and critic, his work made the field for cultural

studies. Raymond once said, “ Culture is one of the two or three most complicated

words in the English language.” I also feel that Canadians are now peaceful people
and are taught to have respect for differences plus cultures and try to have equality for everyone. Canada doesn’t really seem to have culture set in stone, we don’t have

Canadian food besides poutine and maple syrup but you can go out and get food from

every part of the world.
In addition I truly believe that Tim Horton’s is apart of

Canadian culture, once you get off the plane from whatever country you were

from, within 6 months you have a favorite thing at Timmy’s and therefore it belongs with our culture.

Compared to other cultures Canada absolutely has more freedom then any

other country, in my opinion. I think Canada has freedom of speech, mind and

religion, compared to other countries, you can state your own beliefs or not having

beliefs, there isn’t a national belief were everyone has to think the same. In

Jamaica the number one use of land is churches, so there are more churches then there

is homes were people live. So you can have countries were a big part of culture is

religion and its not like that in Canada. You can have an opinion and say it without

being in fear of any judgments.

Something else that makes our culture different is when you become a

Canadian citizen you are considered Canadian hyphenated with your other country

and they don’t do that everywhere. in other places you would be that new country
and

not you’re previous. Lastly I know for a fact that Canadians are way more nice and

polite then other countries like America towards guest and each other. However not

saying that everyone is kind in Canada and cruel in America, we just have a common

cortices instilled in us that we use daily.

To conclude, I feel that Canadian behavior is to be nice and get along with

different country and therefore get made fun of and considered weak. If you look at

the Olympics for example other countries are all about winning and getting gold, but

for Canadians it was good job, maybe next time, holy cow you won bronze.

Canadians are definitely considered the nice guys to the world.

Honestly, you cannot determine behaviors, attitudes and values with Canadian

besides being nice, having equality and freedom, which isn’t really culture. Since you

have multiple cultures mixed into one, there isn’t anything for sure that can be

Canadian. Canada is unknown in the aspect of having an absolute culture. The reason

being is Canada does not have culture, Canada has cultures.