 This year's Canada Day party in downtown Vancouver was a thinly disguised propaganda show on behalf of the Canadian Armed Forces. Tanya Fink photo. |
By Tanya Fink
The Canada Day party I just came from was a sham!
The last time I checked, our anthem sings "our home and native land"...not "bombs bursting in air".
Canada's military on display
Photos by Tanya Fink.
So I had to ask myself why an entire downtown block was dedicated to promoting the Canadian Armed Forces and war at this year's Canada Day festivities at Canada Place.
Following the crowd of Canada Day revellers, I all of a sudden found myself funnelled into a tented display that would put any propaganda machine to shame.
I was forced to watch children being taught how to load a bazooka among other weapons, girls cuddling up to soldiers for pictures, people lining up to try a firearm simulator, and men in camouflage sticking army tattoos on three-year-olds' arms and teenagers’ faces.
All this while bombarded with hundreds of pictures of war zones and wall-size murals telling me to be strong and proud of our military.
To top things off, it was the most crowded and visited exhibit of all.
Not only was this a brazen state-sponsored recruitment campaign but also an outright glorification of violence and war. I can't believe this was the biggest part of downtown's celebration.
As I exited under an arch made of two converging eight-foot guns, I wondered: Was it July 1st or the fourth of July? Since when is touting our country's military and supporting its occupations of other nations the mainstay of Canada Day celebrations?
I was hugely disappointed in what I experienced this Canada Day and embarrassed to have tourists witness this, too.
Instead of celebrating being Canadian, this year's festivities were more aimed at selling food, showcasing a new Olympic venue, and most tragically, promoting war.
Tanya Fink is a Vancouver resident.
Comment (14)
Comments
And the government, using government funds to fund a government department. Publicly? Nonsense. Of course, the funds SHOULD have come from a private corporation, making the event more acceptable to all.
Let us not forget the crises, atrocities, and disasters which our military have combated over their history, the good they have done, and the lives they have saved.
I won't enter into a discussion of which wars and conflicts are "good" or "bad". The discussion on Afghanistan alone could last days, with no definitive answer. That being said, the Canadian Armed Forces are an extension of ourselves, one which is respected by people around the world.
In any place that I have celebrated Canada Day, the military has always been a strong contingent of the festivities. And obviously, loved, supported and appreciated judging from the number of people who filled the tent that “covered the entire block”.
Give your head a shake and be happy you live in a country where we don’t require a military to be covering the entire block all the time, where you can trust the military and NOT be scared of them!
Perhaps you should read more about history and learn some facts!
It is very appropriate that the military exhibit was the largest and most visited (according to you). Hmmm, I wonder why that was? Could it be the majority of people actually understand and appreciate the sacrifices made by all who serve in the military? I think you are the one who is the embarassment.
The very fact that you can sue or not, comment or not, worship to whomever for whatever is due to what????
What we also need to be vigilant about is that the US military funds many popular movies and video games - think Top Gun, Iron Man and Call of Duty Black Ops (video game) in the effort to market the military in the hopes that our children will grow up and participate in the illegal wars that we as North Americans have participated in. It is not about "security" as they would have you believe it is about acquiring (stealing) resources from other countries at whatever cost to human life.