In May 2015, the National
Post (one of three national pa-
pers located in Canada) ran an
article entitled Experts Agree:
Canada Is a Real Country. On
the other hand, an ongoing
argument at debate.org address-
es the question, “If you die in
Canada, do you die in real life?”
Currently, 79 percent of re-
spondents say “no.”
At first glance, the cultural
touchpoints covered in this
book — hobos, beavers, hip
hop, weirdos, and mascots —
may seem scattershot. But upon
closer consideration, these are
no less random than a book that
examines maple leaves, hockey,
canoes, totem poles, and polar
bears. This second collection of
topics likely hangs more close-
ly together in your mind as a
reflection of Canada. But why?
Consider this: if Canada’s true
cultural physiognomies made
perfect sense to the common
observer, few would debate its
existence.
This book invites you to
look past our past and see that
Canada is no longer solely the
icons in which we once saw our-
selves. Fragments of Canada can
be represented by lighthouses,
totem poles, and inukshuks, but
Canada is at its realest in the
minutia of our shared memories
and culture.
This book offers a Petri
dish of our culture for your
inspection and reflection. It
examines the factors behind the
twenty-first-century monolithic
myth of Canada, a nation that
is wise, silly, and real — even if
only in your imagination.
Is Canada even real? Let’s find
out.
— JC Villamere (rhymes with
“spill-a-beer”)