The Handmaid's Tale

[Swank]

Atwood wrote a book on the history of popular science fiction culture-- listening to her talk about it was like watching Canadian maple syrup running down a tree.
I don't know how she would be an authority on that subject based on her work up to the time.
I was curious to know if she would comment on the Weinstein scandal given this book especially since it was being revealed as her tv show was on air but she gave a very wishy washy "I don't want to rock the boat" kind of answer.

The book was written at a time when there was a lot of agitprop coming out of Canada aimed at the US.

There was a tv show in Canada where they would ask US politicians silly questions about Canada--like "should Canada get rid of the national igloo?" and a US politician would say "no I don't think you should."
So for Canadians, I guess you were supposed to be amused that the US is so ignorant of Canada but it seems to me that it is a double-edged sword because it also reveals how little an impression Canada makes on the world. Most Americans don't think of Canada because they have others things to do and Canada doesn't do much that resonates on the world (oh I forgot about the space shuttle arm that Canada made. They used to talk about that all the time--Canada's big achievement!).
Canadians probably don't think much about mocking the US now given the situation here. People in glass igloos...

Your fries have gravy. Why wouldn't you have a national igloo?

 

[KGeo777]

Your fries have gravy. Why wouldn't you have a national igloo?

Not all fries have gravy!
In Quebec they use mayonnaise.

Yuck
Ketchup for me

We don't have a national igloo-igloos aren't found outside of the arctic-so the joke was that this American politician was so ignorant that he thought there was one or would say anything to pander.

 

[Swank]

Not all fries have gravy!
In Quebec they use mayonnaise.

Yuck
Ketchup for me

We don't have a national igloo-igloos aren't found outside of the arctic-so the joke was that this American politician was so ignorant that he thought there was one or would say anything to pander.

Igloos are found wherever you build them.

What do you think of our Corn Palace?

 

[KGeo777]

What do you think of our Corn Palace?

I definitely think you should give it back to the crows.

 

[Swank]

I definitely think you should give it back to the crows.

If the US has a Corn Palace, is it really so inconceivable that Canada has a national igloo?

 

[KGeo777]

If the US has a Corn Palace, is it really so inconceivable that Canada has a national igloo?

Only because Canada is so boring--thus Canadians would supposedly be amused that someone would believe the country is more interesting than it really is--then again it was the CBC and the very first broadcast had the titles upside down. Canada's politicians thought tv would be a fad--when they learned Canadians were watching US shows they hurriedly started a station.

Oh yeah, we have a lot to laugh at outside the country.

 

[Justin Swanton]

Interesting. I've always felt there's something featureless about Canada, though it's a popular destination for people here in South Africa who plan to emigrate. It's seen as a capitalist paradise where you can buy things and everything works. Pretty much like Australia.

 

[The Judge]

Guys, let's stick to the thread topic. If you want to chat about the relative merits of Canada and the US, or anywhere else, go do it in a PM conversation.

 

[Justin Swanton]

Sorry....

 

[Swank]

I haven't read or watched Handmaid's Tale because it doesn't sound entertaining to read.

 

[Toby Frost]

Fair enough. It's not hard work writing-wise, but it's not much fun and it's somewhat stream of consciousness. There's very little SF in it, either. More angering than enjoyable, to be honest.

 

[Swank]

Fair enough. It's not hard work writing-wise, but it's not much fun and it's somewhat stream of consciousness. There's very little SF in it, either. More angering than fun, to be honest.

Yeah. I can watch the news for that.

 

[Toby Frost]

Ah, the fun sport of spotting bits of old dystopian novels in modern news stories. Yay.

 

[Justin Swanton]

Don't worry chaps. The Gardener's Tale will be a zinger.

 

[Pyan]

Don't worry chaps. The Gardener's Tale will be a zinger.

You might need to work on the title...

The Gardener's Tale - Catherine McGreevy

Love or freedom? That’s the choice Tom West must make. A young gardener on a vast English estate in 1800, he has been taught all his life that “Them as sticks their heads out gets ‘em lopped off.” But when he unwittingly attracts the unwelcome attentions of the master’s daughter, her father's retribution is swift to follow. Tom flees to America to secure his freedom and find land of his own, but his plans are complicated by the high-spirited American girl who helped him escape the gallows. Can he find both love and freedom?

 

[Justin Swanton]

Dammit. Ok, The Plumber's Tale?

 

[BAYLOR]

The Sewage Farm Attendant's Tale He lives in dystopia world of tomorrow and human waste management is his calling . But, he became too outspoken and this cause his whole life to turn to sh*t before his very eyes.

 

[KGeo777]

Interesting. I've always felt there's something featureless about Canada.. Pretty much like Australia.

I hate to leave your observation hanging but let me use Atwood to answer it because she is often cited as Canada's most prominent author (god help us) so at least it is on topic more or less because she said Canada as a territorial presence was dominated by "survival" while the UK was dominated by "the island" mentality and the US was "the frontier." I don't know what the hell she is talking about. Survival? Canada has a lot of wild space.
The difference culturally between Canada and Australia beyond weather considerations is that we are next door to the US so outside of Quebec, English Canada is dominated by US cultural imports-not the case with Australia(maybe New Zealand would be analogous to Canada). There's very little out of Canada that Canadians really watch. Ironically, the creator of Doctor Who came from Canada I believe. The story of a time traveling alien who is the salvation of the UK is kind of a Superman story--the benevolent alien.

 

[hitmouse]

I hate to leave your observation hanging but let me use Atwood to answer it because she is often cited as Canada's most prominent author (god help us)

By whom, and what does “ most prominent” actually mean in this setting?

There are stacks of notable Canadian authors, even if they do not all have a successful Netflix series based on their novels.

 

[Justin Swanton]

I feel moderatorial intervention hovering nearby, so I'll just mention that I liked 30 Days of Night and I think Barrow is a cool place (in every sense of the word). Oh, wait, Barrow's in Alaska hence in the US. Oh well....

Re the OP's original point, it's probably impossible to discuss it. "Patriarchy" axes that one.