Red and White with Pride all Over: The Olympics, the Creation of National Unity and the Media

Since the conclusion of the 2010 winter Olympics, there has been a lot of national and international media coverage devoted to Canada’s sense of nationalism expressed during the Vancouver Olympic Games. Headlines such as Canada's golden Games leave critics red-faced (CanWest news service, March 1, 2010) and It was Canada at its Best (Boston Globe, March 2nd, 2010) describe Canada as a country that, although polite, is no longer the quiet Country living in the shadow of its American neighbours. Rather, Canada is a country that is loud and proud and is not afraid to show it.

Some reports even suggest that these Olympics have started a new chapter in Canadian history by creating a more united country; a sense of nationalism that has been lacking for several generations. For instance, according to an Ipsos-Reid poll conducted on March 4th, 2010, more than 80% of Canadians in general, and nearly two-thirds of Quebecers, are willing to call themselves Canadian nationalists. This is a sharp rise from an identical poll conducted last March where only 48% of Quebecers and 72% of Canadians surveyed would categorize themselves as Canadian nationalists (Mark Iype, Canadian unity in 'sweet spot' , CanWest News Service, March 8th, 2010).

Why the sudden rise in Canadian Nationalism? Could it be attributed to the Winter Olympics?


According to Andrew Cohen, president of the Historica-Dominion Institute, the rise in Quebecers’ sense of Canadian nationalism could be attributed to the success of French Canadian Olympians and their pride in representing the red maple leaf. For non-Quebecers, the rise in national pride may be due to the afterglow of the country's record medal haul and the gold-medal victory in the men's Olympic hockey final. (Mark Iype, Canadian unity in 'sweet spot' , CanWest News Service, March 8th, 2010)

Whether or not these Olympics are the cause of this new sense of national unity or whether this sense of national unity will last is debatable. For example Jack Jedwab, executive director of the Montreal-based Association for Canadian Studies, suggests that these Olympics may have evoked national pride for our athletes but will be short lived and will eventually take its place alongside Montreal 1976 and Calgary 1988 as a mere footnote in Canadian history books. Jedwab states:

I think Vancouver itself and British Columbia more widely will benefit from the exposure they’ve received, but whether that will create some sort of long-term, pan-Canadian feeling — or feelings about Canada abroad — I don’t think so. 

 (Rand Boswell, Historic Olympics a nation-building milestone for Canada: experts, Ottawa Citizen, February 28th, 2010) 

Where as Deborah Morrison, president of Canada’s National History Society and the publisher of its flagship magazine The Beaver, argues that

The Vancouver Games are going to be one of those turning points that redefines how Canadians see themselves… I think we’re all ready to take more pride in ourselves and to celebrate what we’ve achieved… We know we’ve got a strong economy, strong communities, and are ready for the next great national enterprise — be it economic, environmental, social or cultural. These Games have provided that final dose of international affirmation that gives us renewed confidence in our own potential. 

(Rand Boswell, Historic Olympics a nation-building milestone for Canada: experts, Ottawa Citizen, February 28th, 2010) 

Regardless of which side of the argument one situates, these critics forget to mention one important contributing factor to Canada’s growing sense of National unity – the media. As previously argued in an earlier post, Vanoc under the “Media Mircoscope”, these winter Olympics were the most media connected Olympics in history. Mobile technology and social media networks such as Twitter, FaceBook, YouTube and blogs allowed Canadians from coast to coast, and across the globe, to connect with one another over the common interest of international sport and international success. This included the opportunity to connect with the athletes themselves, with those who were lucky enough to attend the games, and even with Canadian Forces personel serving in Afghanistan.

This allowed everyone and anyone to connect to whomever they wanted, when they wanted and thus had the power to create this incredible sense of National unity. Whether or not this sense of unity lasts, these Olympics are a great example of how media, if used properly, can create a sense of unity that was previously was not possible.

At the concluding moments of these Olympics games, more than 80% of Canadians put aside their political, racial, and language differences to bask in the success of these Games. Without coming across as idealistic, just imagine what could be accomplished in these moments of National Unity – at the amount of progress that could be achieved – when there is such a powerful connection with one another and to our Country.

 If we could continue to build upon this sense of National Unity perhaps more Canadian citizens would take a more active interest in Canadian democracy – a democracy where it is normal for a dismal percentage of the population cast their ballots during a Federal election.

Social media, digital technology and the Internet provide the opportunity to connect. It is this type of connection that makes it possible to create an incredible sense of unity. Therefore, if we can minimize cyberbullying, sexting, media addiction and the other negative aspects of the media, and teach how the media can unite rather than disconnect, we can continue to build upon this sense of National Unity and use it to strengthen Canadian society. Just imagine what could be accomplished.