Wednesday, September 28, 2005 -- 9:34 PM

A Few Thoughts (On College)

I'm a college student now, and I think I'm entitled to a little bit of bitching. This isn't only a rant about college, though, a little bit is about the Canadian psyche. See, I'm enrolled in a Canadian Studies course, actually two of them, taught by the same professor. She's a nice person, very organized, deliberate, calm, professional, and a major hardass. But what really shocked me was that when the issue of Quebec sovereignty came up, not one hand lifted when she asked for reasons why Quebec separation would possibly be a positive thing. The class kept the entire focus on why it is good that Quebec is a part of Canada ("I would just hate the idea of them leaving, I have friends there") and why it would be bad if it left ("there's so much history there"). To some degree it did seem like she was baiting the hook, daring us to lift a finger in tearing down this great nation, but it made me realize Western alienation on a whole new level. Not only does she and other eastern intellectuals expect the West to accept and embrace the duality of our culture, she also expects us to finance it. And I'm just not cool with that.