I live in Western Canada, and, like most Canadians, live near the US border. I must admit, I've described my Canadian identity to foreigners as a 'negative space' of the United States. "For the most part," I've said, "we are what they aren't."
But I've often doubted that as a valid description...Being Canadian is more than that, but how to describe it? We can laugh at ourselves more, we wouldn't really care if our Prime Minister got a blowjob from an intern, and we have better beer.
Here's a blog that answers part of it for me: Atheist Exposed. [Go back to the beginning, and read from there...don't skip anything. It's powerful stuff.] I can't imagine living in a place (in this case, Texas) where coming out as an atheist after 30 years in the spiritual closet is akin to coming out as a Lesbian 20 years ago in Vancouver (or today, in Korea).
I want to point at this brave woman (and she is brave, if the reactions of those around her are to be believed) and say "There! This is the difference between Canada and the United States...or at least one state." Fellow Canadians -- do we have anything comparable?
Lori
Sunday Links
53 minutes ago
1 comment:
Yes, living in Texas as an atheist is challenging. Not when you initially meet someone or go about your day but people will ask "what church do you go to?". The answer you give will start the gossip and a fair percentage will be cold to you from that point on. I could relate to the lady in Arizona who is marginalized for not being Christian. Many Texans wear Christianity membership as a badge of honor. I've gotten much thicker skin and learned to ignore their views after thousands of discussions in chat rooms. You hear every stereotype and learn some people are too quick to judge. Oh well is my new motto.
Post a Comment