Poor, old CBC

As is normal in our country, the poor, old CBC is being castigated right, left and centre for its new National news format. All the usual naysayers are out in force. With all the usual naysayer arguments. Why do I have to pay for...? Leftwing bias....Liberal mouthpiece....blah, blah, blah.

Sadly, the problems of the CBC have nothing to do with any of this. Or set graphics. Or colours. Or people sitting or standing. Or even demographics.

No. They are fundamentally to do with the poor, old CBC's mandate. And that has to do with Canada itself.

Unfortunately for the poor, old CBC, there is no Canada left to interpret. No Canadians to explain to each other. It's all an empty illusion. All of it. Whatever was Canada has disappeared. Evaporated. Long gone. Gone. Gone. Gone. The CBC is not even a voice in the wilderness. It is an echo in a vacuum in a bathroom in a bus station.

There ain't no there there.

Folks, there is no longer any Canada for the CBC to interpret. And therein lies the problem. That is why the CBC seems so irrelevent. It is out there on a shaky limb, all by itself in the world, trying to explain one lot of Americans to another; struggling to mediate between the expatriot leftwing Americans, who love the idea of the CBC and work there in great numbers, and resident would-be Americans, who hate the CBC and all it stands for. Blue State vs Red State stuff. Impenetrable American inside baseball stuff. Leaving the rest of us wandering around in the washroom, wondering where the voices are coming from.

Much of our public discours has become this -- various brands of Americans feuding with each other at the cottage that is Canada. Like upstate N.Y. Mohawks warring with United Empire Loyalists in Desoronto. Wannabe Republican Harper tilting at New England Liberal Ignatieff. Simpson versus Wente. C.D. Howe versus Jane Jacobs versus Richard Florida versus Tom Flanagan.

The CBC is trying valliantly to interpret Canadians to Canadians, but it can only fail. There are no Canadians left. Only ex-pat and would-be Americans grinding their tired, old axes in the safety of this vacuous piece of real estate.

Poor, old CBC.