Quote:
Originally Posted by Gerrard
And for the record Toronto does have its own culture, the culture you probably know as "Canadian" culture originates precisely from this region. We just haven't fetishized it, the way many regions in this country do to their own in situ cultures.
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I used to think this about the two main cultural outliers in Canada: Quebec and Newfoundland. That it was all a bit of a fetishized show. And then I moved to Quebec, and I have also researched Newfoundland culture as well a bit more of the years.
There is nothing "fetishist" about these places' culture. People don't fetishize it - they live it. It's in their bones.
They don't read what they read, listen to what they listen to, eat what they eat, talk the way they talk, sing what they sing, dress the way they dress, think the way think... simply to prove a point. To emphasize some kind of Freudian narcissism of small differences.
It's just the way they are.
If sometimes they do get a bit reactionary about it, it's usually precisely in reaction to attacks:
"Newfoundland culture is all about laziness and seems about being uneducated and uncouth".
"What's with this French bullshit in Quebec? This is Canada. Go back to France buddy!"
Compared to other parts of Canada (and the GTA and southern Ontario), there is much less of an insecure "culture cringe" in Quebec and Newfoundland, by which people have an inner suspicion that anything local is going to be less worthy than something produced Stateside or in the UK (usually Stateside let's be honest). It was odd how for example in so many circles it was seen as tacky to watch Canadian movies or TV shows, except for the news and Hockey Night in Canada.