Nationalism Without Walls: The Unbearable Lightness of Being Canadian

Together these values made them great and an attraction to people all over the world. Now these societies they are slowly being eroded by other modern principles like the emphasis on rights and less to responsibility, hyper-individualism, excessive cultural differentiation, loss of a sense of history, globalism, multiculturalism and many others. Gwyn believes that are undermining the very values that made theses societies great.

Within the context of Canada Gwyn sees the emphasis on rights as a problem. He argues that too many people are focusing on their rights and less on the responsibilities of citizenship. The other is the increasing disposition for immigrants entering theses societies to emphasize their cultural or ethnic differences while choosing not to abide by any values of the society that they are entering. What Gwyn sees is a tendency for such a society to become increasingly a collection of individuals and less of a community striving toward a common good. He rightly points out that the loss of civility, tolerance, and marked indifference are the first signs of such a shift. He argues that Canada has more at stake than any of the other two countries should this progression continue.