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Originally Posted by dleung
Lol, dunno if it's the language barrier that's coming off as extremely patronizing. Quebec's uniqueness is real; the uniqueness in western Canada is imagined... it does fit the overall tone of many posters here "Yes, yes, of course we're all special, but we are more special"
I'm totally unafraid to admit that Quebec is far more interesting culturally than any other place in Canada, but without being passive aggressive about it, and without using that fact to justify unfair economic policy.
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I understand both of your points of view. It can be hard to appreciate relatively recent boom towns when your frame of reference for urban life is an established city with a long enough history to create its own strong identity. It makes the other cities seem more interchangeable. It seems easier to move from Calgary to, say, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Regina, Minneapolis, etc.; than from Montreal to
anywhere else in the world. It feels like one would give up less moving from Calgary to Edmonton than they would moving from, say, St. John's to Saint John.
But on the other hand, I've seen hints of how attached Calgarians are to their city in particular. The instance that really stayed with me is a line in the song from a Calgary promotional video than Ayreonaut shared: "It's where I dream; it's where that dream has got some hope of coming true." That, to me, is a powerful attraction and something outsiders can sense about the city when they visit. The ambition and opportunity available in Calgary fascinate me.
I just hope everyone has a love affair with their city. It's so rewarding to feel a part of the bricks and mortar of where you live; to feel the city shaped your personality, interests, and ambitions. And, most importantly, to feel you couldn't have gotten that anywhere else; to feel grateful and lucky and an incredible sense of belonging. None of that is necessarily as reliant on old, established culture as we in the East tend to think.