Fesruary
      8,
      2005
     
    
   
   
    
     
      THE
      CADRE
      e
      15
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Steele
      Campbell
     
     
      Contributor
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Before
      I
      commence
      my
      latest
     
     
      assault
      on
      pop
      culture,
      allow
      me
      to
     
     
      preface
      this
      with
      one
      fact:
      Iam
      a
      huge
     
     
      fan
      of
      the
      Canadian
      Broadcasting
     
     
      Corporation.
      The
      CBC
      has,
      time
      and
     
     
      again,
      proven
      to
      have
      an
      excellent
     
     
      balance
      of
      fun,
      informational
      and—yuck
     
     
      —sports.
      I
      have
      grown
      up
      with
      the
      CBC
     
     
      and
      watched
      it
      flourish
      like
      a
      beautiful
     
     
      flower.
      Like
      a
      flower,
      however,
      it
      must
     
     
      also
      wilt,
      die,
      and
      eventually
      become
     
     
      worm
      food.
      At
      present
      I
      feel
      it
      has
      fallen
     
     
      into
      the
      latter
      category.
     
    

    
     
      Take
      for
      instance
      its
      latest
     
     
      production
      titled
      simply
      The
     
     
      Tournament.
      The
      show
      is
      supposed
      to
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      elucidate
      the
      obvious
      stupidity
      of
     
     
      parents
      involved
      in
      child
      hockey;
     
     
      instead
      it
      merely
      reflects
      a
      distinct
      lack
     
     
      of
      creativity.
      The
      logo
      is
      a
      distinct
      rip-
     
     
      off
      from
      HBO’s
      award-winning
      series
     
     
      The
      Sopranos,
      and
      yet
      there
      is
      no
     
     
      similarity
      between
      the
      two.
      Secondly
     
     
      the
      acting
      in
      the
      show
      is
      distinctly
      similar
     
     
      to
      a
      cardboard
      pizza
      box;
      the
      coach
     
     
      waffles
      between
      being
      perceived
      as
      a
     
     
      ladies
      man,
      to
      being
      gay.
      The
      storyline,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      while
      continuous
      throughout
      the
      show,
      |
     
    
   
   
    
     
      is
      disjointed
      and
      feels
      like
      it
      has
      been
     
     
      slapped
      together
      over
      a
      weekend
      of
     
     
      binging
      pizza
      and
      beer.
     
    

    
     
      The
      next
      show
      to
      come
      under
     
     
      the
      microscope
      is
      Mary
      Walsh’s
     
     
      Hatching,
      Matching
      and
      Dispatching.
     
     
      The
      plotline
      for
      this
      show
      is
      bizarre.
      The
     
     
      Fureys
      are
      a
      Newfoundland
      family
      who
     
     
      run
      the
      local
      ambulance
      service,
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      CBC:
      Crappy
      Broadcasting
      Corporation?
     
    
   
   
    
     
      funeral
      parlor,
      and
      wedding
      chapel,
      but
     
     
      holds
      some
      promise
      to
      be
      able
      to
      show
     
     
      true-to-life
      representations
      of
     
     
      Newfoundlanders
      in
      small
      out
      port
     
     
      towns.
      Instead,
      however,
      the
      audience
     
     
      is
      treated
      to
      30
      minutes
      of
      crass,
     
     
      lowbrow
      humour
      that
      borders
      on
      the
     
     
      obscene.
      Now,
      I
      have
      known
      several
     
     
      Newfies
      and
      don’t
      remember
      any
      one
     
     
      of
      them
      having
      their
      water
      break
      during
     
     
      their
      wedding,
      crying
      their
      heart
      out,
      all
     
     
      with
      their
      dead
      father
      presiding
      over
      the
     
     
      whole
      affair.
      This
      isn’t
      CBC’s
      only
      foray
     
     
      into
      removing
      stereotypes
      from
     
     
      Canadian
      society.
     
    

    
     
      One
      of
      the
      more
      established
      of
     
     
      CBC’s
      new
      shows
      is
      Ciao
      Bella.
      The
     
     
      story
      involves
      a
      young,
      unmarried,
     
     
      Italian
      woman
      named
      Elena
      who
      lives
     
     
      with
      her
      (extremely)
      Italian
      family
      in
     
     
      Montreal
      and
      tries
      to
      reconcile
      her
     
     
      culture
      with
      her
      personal
      life.
      The
     
     
      premise
      is
      exceptionally
      well
      thought
     
    
   
   
    
     
      -
      out
      for
      a
      CBC
      production
      this
      season
     
    
   
   
    
     
      —heck,
      I’d
      say
      this
      show
      has
      the
      basis
     
     
      for
      a
      movie!
      Oh,
      wait,
      that’s
      right
      it
      was
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      a
      movie.
      My
      Big
      Fat
      Greek
      Wedding
     
     
      is
      amovie
      about
      a
      young,
      unmarried,
     
     
      Grecian
      woman
      named
      Tula
      who
      lives
     
     
      with
      her
      (extremely)
      Greek
      family
      in
     
     
      Boston
      (actually
      Toronto)
      and
      tries
      to
     
     
      reconcile
      her
      culture
      with
      her
      personal
     
     
      life.
      Coincidence?
      I
      think
      not.
     
    

    
     
      And
      the
      perpetuating
      of
     
     
      stereotypical
      views
      hasn’t
      finished.
      Two
     
    
   
   
    
     
      of
      the
      CBC’s
      flagship
      comedies:
      This
     
     
      Hour
      Has
      22
      Minutes,
      and
      Royal
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Canadian
      Air
      Farce
      both
      have
      engaged
     
    
   
   
    
     
      in
      mocking
      different
      cultures.
      Nothing
     
     
      that
      would
      border
      on
      racist,
      but
      it
     
     
      certainly
      shows
      that
      the
      writers
      cannot
     
     
      come
      up
      with
      effectual
      comedy
      without
     
     
      resorting
      to
      Raj
      Binder
      or
      INN:
      The
     
     
      Iraqi
      News
      Network
      and
      their
      mad
     
     
      camel.
      Sure,
      the
      segment
      of
      Air
      Farce
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      with
      the
      guy
      saying
      “No
      Visa,
      or
      I
      kill
     
     
      you!”
      or
      Raj
      Binder
      sneaking
      into
      the
     
     
      Greats
      Hockey
      Picture
      was
      cute
      the
      first
     
     
      time,
      but
      need
      we
      drag
      it
      out
      with
      little
     
    
   
   
    
     
      to
      no
      new
      and
      fresh
      material?
     
    

    
     
      ‘The
      worst
      of
      these
      shows
     
     
      though,
      would
      have
      to
      be
      Making
      The
     
     
      Cut.
      With
      Canadians
      so
      entirely
     
     
      depressed
      about
      the
      lack
      of
      hockey
      in
     
     
      the
      country,
      CBC
      debased
      itself
      to
     
     
      creating
      a
      reality
      television
      series
      all
     
     
      about
      a
      group
      of
      individuals
      looking
      to
     
     
      Make
      The
      Cut,
      presumably
      to
      play
      in
     
     
      one
      of
      our
      hockey
      franchises.
      Well,
     
     
      looks
      like
      that
      honour
      will
      have
      to
      be
     
     
      put
      on
      hold.
     
    

    
     
      It
      would
      seem,
      at
      least
      at
     
     
      present,
      that
      the
      CBC
      is
      trying
      to
      do
     
     
      what
      many
      stations
      did
      long
      ago:
     
     
      become
      nothing
      more
      than
      a
      copycat
     
     
      franchise,
      pumping
      out
      cookie-cutter
     
     
      show
      after
      cookie-cutter
      show.
      When
     
     
      this
      occurs,
      not
      only
      do
      quality
      and
     
     
      originality
      go
      flying
      out
      the
      window,
      but
     
     
      also
      culture
      stagnates.
      We
      no
      longer
     
     
      make
      advances,
      because
      we
      are
      stuck
     
     
      in
      a
      perpetual
      loop
      of
      reality
      television,
     
     
      cultural
      stereotypes,
      and
      stories
      that
     
     
      seem
      package
      wrapped.
     
    
   
   
    
     
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      .
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      for
      further
     
     
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