Truth: Is There More to Being Canadian Than Geography?

There is probably no more famous commercial in Canadian history than the Molson, "I Am Canadian" ad. As a patriotic symbol it is up there with "O Canada". But, in 2005 Molson merged with Coors. Merging with an American company makes Molson somewhat less Canadian but that is not the end of the story. You have to be careful with your brand and what it represents, especially when stepping into the realm of politics and Coors, it would seem, is little more than a money gathering operation for U.S. extreme right wing politics.

The Coors family has funded, amoung other things, the Adolph Coors Foundation and in turn, either separately or through the Castle Rock Foundation, the Independent Women's Fourum, the Young America's Foundation, and the Free Congress Foundation among others.

These groups have obviously strongly supported right wing Candidates in the US but have also gotten involved in a number of issues from funding the Nicaraguan "Contras" in the 1980s to opposing a woman's right to choose, opposing labour rights and equal rights for gays. The full list would make this post far too long but if you're interested I would urge you to read:

• the Dark Side of Coors Light


• the Times Remembers Joseph Coors, "Right Wing Nut"


• Media Transparency on the Free Congress Foundation


• Media Transparency on the Castle Rock Foundation

Just to get you started. I don't know about any of you, but I used to not buy Molson because I didn't like it very much. If you're buying it though out of some kind of patriotism you might want to think again. Buying Molson or Coors is now a political act. It makes a statement about what you believe in and puts money into the pocket of some of the most extreme right wing groups in North America. Just a little something to think about the next time you see an ad for Molson.

---

This is part of the ongoing Truth campaign in response to Advertising Standards Canada who say:

""Fact is, truth is an essential part of any successful ad campaign. Smart advertisers have known this for years. That's why the advertising industry created the Canadian Code of Advertising Standards. For more than 40 years, the Code has set the standards for acceptable advertising in Canada. It helps ensure that the ads you see and hear are truthful, fair and accurate. Check it out for yourself. Becausethe more you know about advertising, the more you get out of it."

and who..it appears paid a visit to the site recently (from Washington, D.C. no less)!

For Those Who Like to Rank Things

Some recap/top/best of lists for 2007

From TV, eh? a recap of the Year in TV

From VoCA (View on Canadian Art) the Best of 2007

From Quill and Quire the Year in Quillblog

The Top 10 Albums as chosen by Young Galaxy.

The Top Albums Volcanoless in Canada.

The Best Music As chosen by Tegan.

From the CBC the Year in Books

From CBC Radio 3's R3-30 Podcast 2007's Top 10

From Chromewaves the Class of 2007

From Herohill the Top 10 LPs of 2007

From A Good Beer Blog the best of 2007

From Danielle Takacs the Top 10 News Stories of 2007.

Breaking Links: Friday, November 30

Bookninja on the American TV writers strike:

"I just want TV back on so more of the people I dislike will stay in at night at leave the coffee shops and pubs empty for me."

Exclaim! has an interview with Hidden Camera Joel Gibb:

"People don’t like Bavarians in Berlin, which is why I kind of liked wearing the lederhosen. "

Spacing has a good summary of the tragic developments in Queen West.

"Despite the best intentions of the city, I’m afraid I have a feeling of impending doom about all of this. The attempts to retain spaces for artists and affordable housing are honest and well intentioned. The result, however, will necessarily be the replacement of a vibrant, incidental place which harboured a vibrant culture, with a designed, manufactured place which will be home to a designed, manufactured culture."

VoCA's Top 5 are up

"Every *SECOND FRIDAY* VoCA will introduce our 'TOP FIVE' - five Canadian artists whose exceptionally well-made, well-conceived and original work we've recently featured, and recommend to art collectors."

Natalia Yanchak on Morrisey, NME and Cultural identity.

"Dear NME: Have you been to Quebec lately (Pop Montreal doesn’t count)? Have you heard about Bill 101, which since the late 70’s has sought to empower a forced French identity and culture on anyone who wants to live here? "

According to Fox, long known for their objectivity, Canadian beer drinkers are a threat to the planet thanks Radio 3

"The problem is that the beer fridges are mostly decades-old machines that began their second careers as beverage dispensers when Canadians upgraded to more energy-efficient models to store whatever Canadians eat besides doughnuts and poutine."

Radio 3 has a Tour Diary from the Barmitzvah Brothers

"...Brother Jenny Mitchell will cut your hair for free in exchange for a story. So far she's got 100 stories ..."

The RCMP has seized a computerat the CBC's offices in Winnipeg, though why it was seized remains a mystery.

""We did have an interest in a computer at that location, which is why we went there," Karpish said. She said the CBC is not being investigated by the RCMP. She would not say whether an employee is being investigated."