What are Canadian traits and
values in our blended society?

> Examining our stereotypes

Cazzy Lewchuk
Opinions Editor

 

Cae has an unclear national
identity. Our shared loves are
not for values, but for material
things—maple syrup, Tim Horton’s
coffee, and hockey, eh?
In an era of social justice, it
is time to evaluate what really
matters to Canadians. What do we
really value besides our brands?
What is “the Canadian way”? What
does the Canadian identity mean
to oneself, and to the world?
Canadians may be smug and
seemingly united in their perceived
progressiveness, but the country
remains fraught with the same problems
that plague most societies. On social

and economic issues, Canadians are
generally divided, with more support
for conservative values in rural areas
and a liberal leaning in major cities.
Canada may be accepting more refugees
than our neighbouring country
currently, but distrust and opposition
to refugees continues to be popular
among many citizens. We may have an
international image of tolerance after
electing Justin Trudeau, but Canadian
opinions will forever be divided no
matter who the prime minister is.

We may be known for our politeness
and saying “sorry,” but how much
of that is just a stereotype? Many
Americans are some of the nicest people
you'll ever meet. Many Canadians are
incredibly rude. Canadians can be
just as intolerant, mean, and corrupt
as citizens in any other country. On

the other hand, we can also be just as
peaceful, progressive, and patriotic.
There is often a self-deprecating guilt
at being too conscious of ourselves, but
perhaps Canadians should embrace how
great we are. Our current global role and
image is a very positive one. Canadians
are respected almost universally
internationally and we are praised for
our peacekeeping and tolerance. It’s
something more to be proud of than jokes
about our cold weather and how we like
to apologize. We are currently shining
even brighter in light of our neighbour’s
sudden and shocking new president.
Perhaps Canada’s ultimate identity
will be uncovered in its role on the world
stage in the next five years. The current
US political climate is unpredictable
and unlike anything ever seen before.
International tensions, sovereignty,

Beyoncé's ‘Lemonade’ should
have won Album of the Year

> Even Adele said so

Carlos Bilan
Staff Writer

 

he 58th annual Grammy Awards

took place on February 12, and
once again for the Album of the
Year category, Beyoncé lost.

In 2013, when Beyoncé Knowles’
self-titled album lost against Beck’s
Morning Phase, many were shocked as the
Beyoncé album created a huge impact in
the music scene for its massive opening
week sales (despite being released out of
the blue), for putting feminism in pop
culture, for being a visual album, and
for having a fresh sound. Many people
on social media said that Beyoncé lost
because the “Grammy’s are not about
sales.” Fast-forward to 2016, when
Beyoncé’s Lemonade was released and
received widespread acclaim while
also being commercially successful.
Despite this, history repeated itself
and Lemonade did not win Album of
the Year. Now, people on social media
who support this decision are saying
that she lost because “Lemonade sold
less.” Wait, hold on a second—how
come this year, it is now about sales?

Well, here is something to think
about. A now-deleted tweet by Solange
Knowles: “There have only been two black
winners in the last 20 years for Album
of the Year. There have been over 200
black artists who have performed.” If you
broaden the statistics, only 10 black artists
have won the award out of the 58 years
in the Grammys. That is disturbingly
low, and you might think that in the
past decade, the Grammy Awards would
have become more progressive. In fact,
it probably even made things worse
when it introduced the award for Best
Urban Contemporary Album. You might
think that would make it inclusive but
in fact, since its creation, it has managed

to single out artistically-innovative
albums released by black artists on a
predominantly white tableau. It can

be argued that this gives the Grammys
justification in giving the cross-genre
highly coveted Album of the Year award
to white artists, which is evident when
looking at the pattern in recent years.
Black artists seem to only be winning in
the genres of Urban and Rap/Hip Hop,
then ultimately snubbed in cross-genre
categories like Album of the Year, Song
of the Year, and Record of the Year.

Solo singer-songwriter Sufjan
Stevens also implied through a post on
his website that there is a race problem:
“Q: WTF is Urban Contemporary?

A: It’s where the white man puts the
incomparable pregnant black woman
because he is so threatened by her
talent, power, persuasion and potential.”
Annie Clark, known artistically as St.
Vincent, echoed the same sentiment
through a tweet in agreement.

Adele, the recipient of the Album of
the Year award repeatedly emphasised
throughout the night of the award show
that she thinks that Beyoncé should have
won. In this case, her speech would not
even really be considered an “acceptance
speech” since she said that she “could
not possibly accept [the award]” because
Lemonade was “so monumental, well
thought-out, beautiful, and soul-baring.”
Moreover, it was a surprise when Adele
used her white privilege for good when
she highlighted how Lemonade was an
empowering album for black people
during her speech. During the backstage
session, Adele told the reporters: “My
Album of the Year is Lemonade. [...] For
her to make such relevant music for
that long of a period, | felt the need—it
was her time to win. What the fuck
does she have to do to win Album of
the Year? It was another side of her.

 

Obviously, the visual is very new, and
the Grammys are very traditional,
but this year I thought would be the
year they would go with the tide.”
When even the winner of the
award herself recognizes there seems
to be a mistake in the decision and
acknowledges that she expected the
Grammys to be more progressive, then
you know that there is a problem. |
respect Adele and I think 21 was an

and the migrant crisis all provoke
a significant response. We are a G7
country and vying for a spot on the UN
Security Council. We may soon find
a bigger economic role as American
isolationism begins to take hold. Our
reactions to global tensions, refugees,
and our role in an uncertain era may
ultimately be what brings us together.
Canadian society’s internal conflicts,
most notably systemic oppression, will
take a long time to fully dismantle. We
may never be as progressive as some
European countries, or as economically
successful. We may never fully accept
different lifestyles or completely
extinguish the intolerances that have
plagued societies everywhere for
thousands of years. But we can certainly
aim to become better by becoming
united, and I like to think that we will.

Image via www.etonline.com

incredible album that deserved all the

recognition that year. However, 25 was
just a rehash of 21, and there was not
really anything ground-breaking about it.
Lemonade pushed the envelope in music
through its brilliant narrative (stages

of grief) relating to her personal life,

its multitude of genres, and its artistic
innovation. By definition, Lemonade

is really THE Album of the Year.