Booster Gold a Canadian? How can that be? Canadian-native Boosterphile CDN tells us in today's entry in the "Booster Gold International" files:

The DCnU character of Booster does seem to resemble Canada as a whole. He wants to be big, he wants to be flashy, he wants to be one of the big guys. Canada's always been like this. We've always wanted to be big and noticed, we've always tried to play with the big boys, but we've always been over shadowed by the bigger guys, like America, Russia, China, England (say, Hal, Bruce, Clark, Diana as a comic comparison from Booster's perspective). Despite our wanting to be taken seriously, we're often shut out and just pushed to the side, much like Booster with dealing with the big leagues. But despite this, when we do make ourselves noticed, people take notice. With Canada, when we've been called on to help, we have, and we've been praised. WW1 was when we became known as our own country (despite having independence for nearly 50 years) and in WW2, we were often called on when the Germans needed kicked out of an area the Brits or French couldn't take. And yet we still are considered children on the world stage. This is just like Booster, no matter what he does, is still not seen as a true hero.

Now, on a cultural sense, yes America and Canada are the same, but we're also shier and don't like being the centre of attention. We are reserved, calm and polite. On a cultural sense, Booster is seen as the stereotypical American. (From what comes next, I mean no offence lol) Canadians see American's as people who have the best intentions at heart...but don't go about their means properly. They're loud, obnoxious, rash, hasty and at times, annoying. Americans love being the centre of attention, they love having the focus on them and they'll gladly take on people they don't need to just to prove they can kick their asses. But, to Canadians, they aren't all bad. They're our best friends and we know we can depend on them. We know if we're ever in need, they'll be there. If we ever take a bullet to the head, America will be the first to jump in on our defence.

That all said, from a Canadians perspective, Booster Gold can be seen as a blond Guy Gardner. The perfect American. He's everything we seen an American as. That's how we view you's and that's what Booster portrays.

However, if Booster Gold found himself in Canada, I doubt he'd feel an sort of culture shock. We are America Lite, basically. I believe the only thing he would truly notice was instead of the cultures mixing like they do in America, our immigrants keep their culture strong and we are seen as a mosaic. We let the cultures do what they want. Hell, we even love football up here. We have the CFL, which, let's be honest, takes more skill then the NFL (cheeky comment/joke). The only thing Michael may need to brush up on if he ever comes up here is how to play hockey.

Thanks for that Canadian point of view CDN. In future posts, we'll look at Booster Gold from German and Swiss viewpoints. If you are from another country and wish to share what Booster Gold would mean to your culture, drop me an email at webmaster at Boosterrific.com.

Comments (10) | Add a Comment | Tags: canada cdn guest posts

I've always viewed Booster Gold as a uniquely American character. He is an American football player who chases his dream of celebrity and wealth by stealing and lying, believing that his intentions are justification enough for his boorish behavior. That's an unflattering description, but many both inside and outside the United States might suggest that it is a true mirror of modern American culture.

Following DC's recent declaration that Booster Gold is no longer American, I began to wonder if the character of Booster Gold could even be translated into foreign cultures. Could Michael Jon Carter be a hero anywhere outside the USA? Would other cultures respect him or despise him?

To investigate these questions, I've asked international citizens to provide a little perspective on how their culture might view Booster Gold. In future posts, I'll run their essays.

Booster-philes from Canada, Germany, and Switzerland are already working on explaining how Booster Gold relates to their cultural mores and philosophies. If you are living in a country other than the USA, and you would be interested in sharing how Booster Gold may relate to your culture, please send me an email at webmaster at Boosterrific.com. Together, let's truly take Booster Gold international.

Comments (3) | Add a Comment | Tags: citizenship