When culture is alien
Tonight the Global network carried the “Canadian Urban Music Awards”, from Toronto I assume. At least, the little video headers showed subway cars with destination plates for Downsview… that sounds sufficiently Queen City to me.
But, I felt that the program could have come from anywhere south of here. I’m Canadian, I live in a definite urban centre, I listen to many styles of music, I believe that awards are a reasonable way to recognize effort. I didn’t recognize the performances as part of my experience.
Break dancing, rap, bling-bling, pins and exhortations to “leave your guns at home”. A different world. Does a segment of Ontario believe it has been annexed by Buffalo or Detroit. The disease of geographic proximity. Pride in being from Jane and Finch, as one artist put it.
Icing on the cake; the show gave out no awards, in spite of the name. This is a very different world from mine. Not a condemnation, just an observation.
I for one am waiting for the ECMA in a few weeks time…
On other points, the cable company responded to our calling about erratic connectivity by sending a couple of young guys in a cabling truck. Subcontracted labour. They discussed gaming with my son, let the dog sniff their hands from the safety of her crate and replaced my aged modem with something new that belongs to the cable firm. No rental charge. Just an obligation to return it should I decide to return to the “Non-Information Age”. If that’s all it takes, I like the game plan.
