Toronto: Real World-Class Cities Don't Act Like Hicksville

The Toronto Sun ^ | February 15, 2004 | Connie Woodcock

[quidnunc]

Wake up, Toronto, and give your head a shake. He's gone. Time to deal with the hangover.

And what an embarrassing hangover it is, too. Conan O'Brien has gone back to New York, or wherever it is he's from. And Torontonians must wake up from the "celebrity stupor" they've been in the last couple of weeks.

It was humiliating. It was annoying. And it was so completely, utterly, typically Canadian.

Let's admit it, Toronto is still a bush league town, never more so than when some New York TV guy deigns to pay it a little attention. You'd have thought, from the way people behaved, we were witnessing the second coming of Christ last week, or at least the Pope. But no, it was just Toronto rolling out a big welcome for a talk-show host. And not even the biggest talk show host. A second-stringer yet — a man Canadians were paying to admire us.

It was the kind of welcome usually seen only in isolated Arctic villages during a visit from the Queen.

I guess we Canadians have learned nothing since last summer when we prostrated ourselves before the Rolling Stones, for crying out loud, a bunch of creaky rockers in their 60s.

It's a funny thing, but when I hear the word "Conan," I automatically think, "the Barbarian." Or Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of Sherlock Holmes. I do not think of some tall, geeky looking guy with weird hair from New York.

Apparently, though, thousands upon thousands do, many of them seated in newsrooms all over Canada. It was bad enough O'Brien's arrival in Toronto was treated as front page, above-the-fold news. It was worse to see the way the local yokels fell all over themselves getting down to the Elgin Theatre.

-snip-

[foreverfree]

bump

[SandRat]

Give 'em a break. The Liberals in Canada have so eviscerated the military that they can have no military heroes and for the rest of the commonwealth the liberals are working to turn every province into a socialist dictatorship of the proletariat - and we know what that means - everyone is equally poor but the MPs and only if they are liberal.

So let them enjoy Conan O'Brien it may be the last bit of joy they get.

[RightWingAtheist]

Is she any relation to George Woodcock.

[Servant of the 9]

Kanukistan Ping

So9

[Arkinsaw]

They did fine by inviting a talk show to come. It was a good idea to overcome some of the SARS legacy. It didn't make them look like hicks at all. It made them look pretty media savvy and confident.

What made them look like a bunch of losers is their gasping reversion to political correctness and second-guessing of themselves when the comedian made fun of...gasp...the main Canadian sacred cow.

By gasping and moaning and getting bent out of shape it made Toronto, and Canada, appear like weak, shifty, politically correct, humorless, dull, nincompoops. Conan didn't do that, liberal politicians did.

[Steely Tom]

It's a funny thing, but when I hear the word "Conan," I automatically think, "the Barbarian."

Interesting. The first thing I think of when I hear the word Conan is a proper name: Olivia d'Abo.

Just goes to show: there's no accounting for taste.

(steely)

[NZerFromHK]

Adding insults to the injury, for most Australians Toronto isn't even in the Sydney league. Although Australia is similar to Canada as a regional power, Aussies regard Toronto as like Melbourne (a major Australian city nonetheless, but no international city like Sydney).

[headsonpikes]

I call Toronto 'Edmonton-on-the-Lake'.

[bc2]

That's not true. Toronto truly is an international city. I travel there several times a year and always enjoy the wonderful culture.

Both Toronto and Australia's problem is not getting over their admiration for the English monarchy. Truly sad to see a people worship such a morally bankrupt and ancient form of government.

[CaptainK]

It's a funny thing, but when I hear the word "Conan," I automatically think, "the Barbarian."

It's a funny thing, but when I hear the word "Woodcock," I automatically think....." Fill in your own cheap shot

[fuzlim]

...The Liberals in Canada have so eviscerated the military...


The Canadian military budget is roughly double what the Iraqi military budget was in 2002 (this ratio hasn't changed much over the years).

What I don't understand is how Iraq got to be a world threat on about $4 billion a year, while Canada is a total wimp on $7.5 billion a year.

Maybe when the US is finished with Saddam the Canadian government could bring him in as a consultant.

[NZerFromHK]

I have been to Toronto many times as well (the most recent was 4 months ago) and I think it is a major city. I have also been to Sydney (inevitable given that it is just a hop from here in Auckland) and having compared with both cities I agree with the majority of Australians that Toronto is no Sydney - Sydney is a league above it in terms of how cosmopolitan it is. (That doesn't mean it isn't a fine city in its own right. My favourite Australian city is Melbourne, although it is liberal in political leanings.)

BTW, most Australians are for abolishing the monarchy. The only problem is to figure out how the office of the President is organized and elected. They couldn't agree on this and so they still have constitutional monarchy for the time being.

[NorthOf45]

It's called "Too Many Generals" ... our military is top heavy. Also, for a "wimp" of a military, the US forces hold us in pretty high regard.