I see the opposition parties have finally taken issue with the government for their heavy promotion of the War of 1812 during Olympic television coverage. They are a little late coming to the table on this issue as the initial discussion on Twitter took place back on July 27. The opposition parties are only two weeks behind the ball.
The opposition has gone so far as to accuse the government of "militaristic jingoism." A nice catch phrase to garner media coverage, but, I don't think they have gone that far. The opposition does have a point though on the appropriateness of the ads during the Olympics and the size of the ad buy.
To be fair, the ads are well done, professionally made and are designed to get Canadians interested in this often forgotten conflict. As a bit of a military history buff, I am quite happy to see the government using this year to highlight events around that war, while at the same time reminding Canadians of how we came together in the face of adversity. The ad in question also highlights our First Nation allies who are long overdue the recognition they deserve for the pivotal role the played in that war. The question then is not the ad itself; the real issue is whether or not the Olympics are an appropriate venue for this type of saturation advertising?
I think most people will agree that other than the War of 1812 ads which celebrate an armed conflict (with the implied loss of life and destruction that accompanies a war), the rest of the ads by various sponsors really do celebrate the Olympic spirit. Some are just plain fun to watch, I especially like the Rona screwdriver ad for example.
That really is the key to this discussion. The Olympics celebrate nations coming together peacefully to compete against each other. Whether friend or foe, we can compete on equal terms on the sports fields and not the battlefields. We can celebrate not only our own athletes, but those of other countries including the United Sates. We celebrate winners and even the losers. Look at the support some of the injured athletes received both from fellow competitors and the crowd when they staggered across the finish line. And what about the celebration for those female athletes who attended the games and represented their country for the first time in Olympic competition? Shouldn't we be using our Olympic ad money to celebrate that spirit and sportsmanship instead of one promoting the armed clash between nations?
As mentioned, this discussion started some weeks ago. I found it amusing that back on July 27, after a couple of exchanges on Twitter with another blogger on the appropriateness of these ads I received an email from someone who works in the PMO. Appropriately using his Gmail account and not his government one, he reminded me that "The War of 1812 is also about 200 years of peace between Canada and the U.S." Interesting point, but nowhere does that come across in the ads.
I assume that is a PMO-approved talk point, as it really does sound like something they would put out when they are criticized. But to be factual, we have not been at peace for 200 years. The War started 200 years ago and it ended with signing of the Treaty of Ghent on December 24, 1814. However, the last battle is normally considered to have been the battle of New Orleans which was fought on January 8, 1815 -- although there were two others as well. We have a few years to go before celebrating 200 years of peace.
We have so much we could have celebrated that would have reflected the Olympic spirit. A simple ad highlighting the accomplishments of former Canadian Olympic greats would have not only been more appropriate, but would have reminded modern day Canadians of some of our sporting history and successes.
Follow Keith Beardsley on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Atory01
| 1 | United States | 46 | 29 | 29 |
| 2 | China | 38 | 27 | 23 |
| 3 | Russia | 24 | 26 | 32 |
| 4 | Great Britain | 29 | 17 | 19 |
| 5 | Germany | 11 | 19 | 14 |
| 13 | Canada | 1 | 5 | 12 |
So, are you sure you are against Conservatives? Are you maybe against Americans? Are you foreign?
I see that as a GOOD thing. In the spirit of fair competition and the ideal of common humanity I say we brign bac kthe old Greek rule; no war when the olymics are on.
People are a lot smarter than you give them credit for, the major problem of many on the left.
And I say this as lefty voter, way too much elitism on this side.
reminding canadians how we came together -------?????----
as a history student i know this war happened 1812 ---------canada became a country/ subject territory in 1867 ---55 years later and an independent country in the trudeau era.
Er, that's something we're usually told about Vimy Ridge, that we didn't have that sense of being Canadian UNTIL WORLD WAR I. A whole century later. Other REAL histories, not Tory scrip, often comment how British our loyalties and our identities were into the late 19th Century and beyond. What the War of 1812 did, if anything, was affirm British loyalties, and prove that the French and natives didn't want to be part of the Republic and were loyal to the CROWN, not to an amorphous notion of "Canada". You're just repeating the hype, and it's a LIE.
The other Tory lie is that it ushered in peace between the two countries, despite ongoing American aggression towards us, economic as well as territorial, right into the present era; if you don't know about the Oregon Dispute, the San Juans War, the 80 year long Alaska Boundary Dispute, the Bering Sea Crisis, the Aroostook War and more, then "it's a little shocking you're so ignorant of our history".
"Squadron Leader Rex" your military training is showing by your repetition of the government's li(n)e.
You think things just happen, with no precedent or consequence?
What kind of history are you learning?
Had we lost this war, we would have been part of the USA just like the Mexicans who lost Texas.
This is the reality.
Sqn Leader Rex above me also has some amazingly well thought out points
Remembering your history is NEVER a waste.
Do you think Memorial Day is a waste of tax dollars too?
To see my tax dollars spent on such a frivolous ad campaign is painful. If the war of 1812 is important....teach it in school. As a mature adult - I object to my tax dollars being spent to teach me something I already know.
I thought this was a Conservative government.....this type of wasteful spending is showing their true stripes!