According to this poll at CBC, most do not think two months off were required to consider recalibrating the gender neutrality of the national anthem.
O Canada
Our home and native land
True patriot love
Thou Dustiness command
"Thou Dustiness" is doubtless responsible for the idea of a National Monument to the Victims of Communism in the throne speech in addition to the dust bunnies under my bed.
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Great minds, and all. The first thing I thought when I saw Clement's proposal was what little kids were going to make of "thou dost."
ReplyDeleteRemember what little kids used to make of "Wolfe, the donkless hero"?
LOL. Conservatives are funny.
PS: If you'd been listening to Walter Winchell on the radio in the early 1950s (as I was), you'd know what lives under beds. Those ARE commies, Alison! Not dust bunnies! Under your bed -- commies! And if you were reading the billygoats gruff at the same time, you could have thought they were trolls too.
ReplyDeleteI was thinking of commies and dust bunnies comingling under the bed. ;-)
ReplyDeleteAnd in the states, kids sing "My friends are leeches in a bag" instead of "I pledge allegience to the flag".
Am I the only one who remembers the lyrics changing on us in grade school? Like in 1980 or something? I remember teachers holding up poster boards with the new lyrics for us to sing.
ReplyDeleteNot that I can remember the old words.
I can't remember them either, Deanna, but I know you're right.
ReplyDeleteTo this day when we get to "From far and wide" I have the vague impression we're singing the wrong words but I can't remember what they were before.
Now that you mention it, I don't even know what version I recognize. I don't actually sing it ever.
ReplyDeleteAnd what is this crap about a Monument to the Victims of Communism?
O Canada, our home and native land
ReplyDeleteTrue patriot love in all thy sons command
With glowing hearts we see thee rise
The true north strong and free
And stand on guard, O Canada
We stand on guard for thee
O Canada, glorious and free
We stand on guard, we stand on guard for thee
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
I think that's it, from memory.
Thanks for backing me up! I've been going nuts reading comments that indicate that the anthem is sancrosanct and ne'er shouldst be edited - yet it has only been around in it's latest form for 30 years or so.
ReplyDeleteNot that I don't recognize that bringing the lyric change up as an issue is just the Conservatives blowing smoke in hopes we won't notice/remember the rest of the bullshit. Sorry Cons, much as I think better lyrics would be a good thing, it's only symbolic. Trashing equity legislation and funding - that shit was concrete. We haven't forgotten.
Yes, the current version is an improvement on the one with all the standing on guard, but it could be improved more. Still, I don't want the Conservatives to do it because they will screw it up.
ReplyDeleteBeijing : re National Monument to the Victims of Communism :
ReplyDeleteGeorge put one up in Washington DC a couple of years ago and Steve has actually publicly endorsed the idea several times previously, including in last year's throne speech, if memory serves. It's spearheaded by a group called "Tribute To Liberty" and they got permission to build it on national capital region land last September. There will be a design competition. The TTL board chair wrote on Western Standard's Shotgun blog two years ago that public funding will not be solicited.
Rick Salutin wrote something like - how about one to victims of capitalism; better yet, a National Monument to Victims.
ReplyDelete