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> The perspective of Canada is useful here. Canada is culturally dominated by the US, with a 10x larger population only an hour’s drive from the majority of the

> The perspective of Canada is useful here. Canada is culturally dominated by the US, with a 10x larger population only an hour’s drive from the majority of the Canadian population. Canadians are generally supportive of some level of government protection for the fragile and tiny Canadian cultural industry (music, the press, TV, and film). Like with anything "cultural", this depends on who you ask. I'm Canadian I don't support any form of government interference in speech and "cultural" matters. I don't feel "dominated" by USA culture, and I live in a border city where it is common for people to live on one side and work on the other, where people have family on either side of the border etc. where our traditional media broadcast (tv and radio) are a mix of local and American. This is just my personal opinion, of course... but if our "cultural industries" are so fragile that they can't compete with other artists across the border, then that is their own fault and it indicates that haven't earned the right to my attention. I don't base my choice on what media to absorb on superficial criteria like the country of origin. Especially in the age of the Internet where my choices are literally global. The real cultural difference here, in my opinion, is constitutional. Such media regulations would likely be considered a violation of the First Amendment in the USA. The idea that we have regulatory bodies setting rules around what kinds of information we can be exposed and under what circumstances to is a violation of everything that I believe in and I will never vote for any politician that favours this sort of government overreach. So while you're not necessarily wrong in your generalization about the "perspective of Canada" (depending on which Canadians you speak of), as an individual Canadian I say "speak for yourself."

nfoz 3y ago
> I don't base my choice on what media to absorb on superficial criteria like the country of origin Other countries, including the USA, advertise and hype their own content. Your preferences are deeply influenced by the country of origin, because advertising works.
- JumpCrisscross 3y ago
  > Other countries, including the USA, advertise and hype their own content. Your preferences are deeply influenced by the country of origin, because advertising works This bill isn't blocking American advertising in Canada. It's just robbing Peter to pay Paul.
jtode 3y ago
Also Canadian. You seem to be saying "As long as I am entertained I don't care whether the entertainers are my peers, cultural or otherwise, or the serfs in some content factory in some lawless backwater." You definitely don't speak for us all, whatever the case.
- gspencley 3y ago
  > You definitely don't speak for us all, whatever the case. That was my point. No one can make broad generalizations about "the Canadian perspective." Like everyone, everywhere, we are all individuals. As such, those who speak of "the Canadian perspective" are not representing everyone in Canada. They can't. They certainly don't speak for me. > "As long as I am entertained I don't care whether the entertainers are my peers, cultural or otherwise Pretty much. Although I wouldn't use the words "serfs in some content factory." That choice of language speaks to an ideological bent that is VERY far removed from my own. But if I buy a music album that was recorded by a band based out of British Colombia, for example, they are no more "my peers" than if they were a K-Pop group based out of South Korea. Culturally? Culture is a matter of individual choices and preferences. One Canadian does not speak for another. So we're going in circles now.
  - RedCondor 3y ago
    [flagged]
- gerbilly 3y ago
  > You definitely don't speak for us all, whatever the case. Yeah OP doesn't speak for me either. While this might not be implemented in the best way, Canadian culture is a real thing, but only because we are active in trying to protect it. And it goes double for French Canadian culture! I don't want my province to become another Louisiana, i.e.: a once French speaking region that is now nearly 100% anglophone, but hey there's this great French influence! Also FB puts news orgs in a bind because in order to compete, they need to give their content away for free on Facebook. This has put the squeeze on an industry that was already bleeding money from all the ads moving online. Because we are a small news market, this has been especially damaging to our journalism industry. If we lose it then it will be foreigners telling us what the 'facts' are in our own country, no thanks.
mthoms 3y ago
>if our "cultural industries" are so fragile that they can't compete with other artists across the border, then that is their own fault and it indicates that haven't earned the right to my attention. It would be great if the cream would always rise to the top but that's just not how it works. The entertainment industry is marketing driven. More money means more marketing and being US based means more reach. Entertainment industry consolidation among massive US conglomerates becomes a self perpetuating cycle. Once they are big enough, those corporations start lobbying the government to make rules in their favour (ie copyright extension) that affect people globally. I'm not advocating full protectionism, or anything close to it, but lets be realistic. It's not a level playing field out there. >where our traditional media broadcast (tv and radio) are a mix of local and American I'm not sure if this is an argument for, or against. Those local TV and radio stations are huge beneficiaries of certain protectionist measures. And the fact you don't feel "dominated" by US culture could also be seen as a sign the existing measures are working. (I realize that Canadian media is also dominated by a few big corps, and that deserves its own discussion but the general idea of helping local cultural industries compete with US ones is sound IMHO)
soupbowl 3y ago
I am Canadian and I agree with OP.
ttul 3y ago
This is a fair comment. I ought to have clarified that I was indeed making a gross generalization. I share your perspective on the creative arts; I don’t care where it comes from, if it’s good.
storkhm 3y ago
IMO this is a bogus perspective. Any culture activity ultimately needs curation or you end up with shit. I am an American that grew up near the border and always listened to Canadian radio because it was so much more diverse musically. The only thing that could compete was local college radio because it was heavily subsidized by student tuition. Otherwise, you end up with the lowest common denominator of shit with culture competing in an open market. The alternative is great if you just want to watch super hero movies and listen to pop music all day.

nfoz 3y ago

> I don't base my choice on what media to absorb on superficial criteria like the country of origin Other countries, including the USA, advertise and hype their own content. Your preferences are deeply influenced by the country of origin, because advertising works.

JumpCrisscross 3y ago
> Other countries, including the USA, advertise and hype their own content. Your preferences are deeply influenced by the country of origin, because advertising works This bill isn't blocking American advertising in Canada. It's just robbing Peter to pay Paul.

jtode 3y ago

Also Canadian. You seem to be saying "As long as I am entertained I don't care whether the entertainers are my peers, cultural or otherwise, or the serfs in some content factory in some lawless backwater." You definitely don't speak for us all, whatever the case.

gspencley 3y ago
> You definitely don't speak for us all, whatever the case. That was my point. No one can make broad generalizations about "the Canadian perspective." Like everyone, everywhere, we are all individuals. As such, those who speak of "the Canadian perspective" are not representing everyone in Canada. They can't. They certainly don't speak for me. > "As long as I am entertained I don't care whether the entertainers are my peers, cultural or otherwise Pretty much. Although I wouldn't use the words "serfs in some content factory." That choice of language speaks to an ideological bent that is VERY far removed from my own. But if I buy a music album that was recorded by a band based out of British Colombia, for example, they are no more "my peers" than if they were a K-Pop group based out of South Korea. Culturally? Culture is a matter of individual choices and preferences. One Canadian does not speak for another. So we're going in circles now.
- RedCondor 3y ago
  [flagged]
gerbilly 3y ago
> You definitely don't speak for us all, whatever the case. Yeah OP doesn't speak for me either. While this might not be implemented in the best way, Canadian culture is a real thing, but only because we are active in trying to protect it. And it goes double for French Canadian culture! I don't want my province to become another Louisiana, i.e.: a once French speaking region that is now nearly 100% anglophone, but hey there's this great French influence! Also FB puts news orgs in a bind because in order to compete, they need to give their content away for free on Facebook. This has put the squeeze on an industry that was already bleeding money from all the ads moving online. Because we are a small news market, this has been especially damaging to our journalism industry. If we lose it then it will be foreigners telling us what the 'facts' are in our own country, no thanks.

mthoms 3y ago

>if our "cultural industries" are so fragile that they can't compete with other artists across the border, then that is their own fault and it indicates that haven't earned the right to my attention. It would be great if the cream would always rise to the top but that's just not how it works. The entertainment industry is marketing driven. More money means more marketing and being US based means more reach. Entertainment industry consolidation among massive US conglomerates becomes a self perpetuating cycle. Once they are big enough, those corporations start lobbying the government to make rules in their favour (ie copyright extension) that affect people globally. I'm not advocating full protectionism, or anything close to it, but lets be realistic. It's not a level playing field out there. >where our traditional media broadcast (tv and radio) are a mix of local and American I'm not sure if this is an argument for, or against. Those local TV and radio stations are huge beneficiaries of certain protectionist measures. And the fact you don't feel "dominated" by US culture could also be seen as a sign the existing measures are working. (I realize that Canadian media is also dominated by a few big corps, and that deserves its own discussion but the general idea of helping local cultural industries compete with US ones is sound IMHO)

soupbowl 3y ago

I am Canadian and I agree with OP.

ttul 3y ago

This is a fair comment. I ought to have clarified that I was indeed making a gross generalization. I share your perspective on the creative arts; I don’t care where it comes from, if it’s good.

storkhm 3y ago

IMO this is a bogus perspective. Any culture activity ultimately needs curation or you end up with shit. I am an American that grew up near the border and always listened to Canadian radio because it was so much more diverse musically. The only thing that could compete was local college radio because it was heavily subsidized by student tuition. Otherwise, you end up with the lowest common denominator of shit with culture competing in an open market. The alternative is great if you just want to watch super hero movies and listen to pop music all day.