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I am sick and tired of hearing people bitch about how there is no culture in Halifax.
Honestly you look around and see people of all diffrent backrounds, shapes, sizes, colors etc. We are one of the proud provinces to celebrate “Pride week” and have numerous multicultural
events!
thus we have culture.
This article appears in Jul 24-30, 2008.
139 Comments
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No culture! Who are these idiots? We have some of the richest (and oldest) culture in the country.
there is not a lot of culture other than maritime culture that is actually accessible to the average folk.Take Greek festival, that was way the fuck out there. There is little to none in the downtown core. Ethnicities other than those that are Canadian black….. or gay, or what not really dont have a large enough population (ratio wise) compared to other provinces to sustain a festival or anything like that here in Halifax. This doesnt mean they dont have it, it just means you are hard pressed to find any. This also applies to cuisine. Other than chinese food, you are hard pressed to find at least 5 different joints that have specialty items from other countries within a 15 minute drive from your house.
Not sure what town you live in Homie, but I am in a 15-minute drive to Chinese (Although don’t think that counts), Lebanese, Korean, Japanese, Iranian, Italian, and Greek to name a few. Maybe if you live in the middle of Spryfield its hard to find different types of food. But even in Fairview/CP you can get good Japanese, Lebanese, and Mexican.The thing with Culture here, is you have to know where to look for it. If you REALLY wanted to find it you’d be able to.
since when are multiple ethno-palooza’s an indication of how culturally rich a community is? this city has a history, it has a relaxed vibe that means peopel can blend with each other without having to constantly brow beat or create their own little cultural enclaves (no china town in halifax).as for food? there are tons of options! the ethiopian place on Quinpool just closed, but you can get greek, middle eastern, indian, turkish, chinese, japanese, maritime, the list goes on and on, within the downtown core. but oh, apparently non of that matters if you don’t have an authentic thai place in a suburb?culture is accessible here to ‘the average folk’- there are lots of events, sure, but there are also just normal interaction with other cultures day to day.
The words “culture” and “diversity” are not synonymous. Whether a place has culture or not has nothing to do with multiculturalism.Culture is about having a strongly identifiable system of symbols, customs, practices, attitudes, etc. that identify the populace and place. In that sense, there is a very strong “Maritime culture”. Whether it’s a terribly healthy culture, I’ll leave to another debate. But it’s definitely there.Having said that, I live pretty far from downtown, but off the top of my head I have Greek, Lebanese, Thai, Indian, Italian, Japanese, Mexican, etc within a 15 minute drive. It’s no Yonge St., but it’s not like you can’t find anything “other than Chinese food.”
I think it’s a matter of perception- if you believe this area is culturally vacant, then that’s what you see. no, this is not a kay-rant ‘believe it and it shall be’, but if you walk around thinking there’s no culture, you’re going to miss teh subtle indications that there is.and if you need some sort of giant parade or event to point out different cultures to you, you’ve got bigger problems. some people just want to believe Halifax is a bad place to be, or a borin gplace to be. others don’t.
sorta my point bad guy, you have to look. Multiculturalism is something you have to find. Not saying it is a bad thing, i am just saying that the “maritime” culture is dominant. and you hit the nail on the head hedgy, you said if you are near downtown, or on quinpool. I didnt say it doesnt exist, but if you live in say…… dartmouth, or sackville, good luck on getting that shit delivered to your house.
I disagree, Homie. The Greek Orthodox church is not at all “way the fuck out there”. It’s about a 5-7 minute drive from the downtown core, and it’s on the bus route. Plus they had shuttles going to and from Halifax shopping centre. Also, the Lebanese Festival was a few weeks ago, at the Olympic Centre on Cunard (?) Street. There is a great Multicultural Festival every summer on the Dartmouth Waterfront, which is easily accessible by the ferry. I went to an Italian food and wine festival at the Cunard Centre a couple of months ago. The Italian Club on Agricola Street has events that are open to the public all the time. So I would say there’s plenty of culture right here in the city. If you’re looking for great ethnic food, l would suggest Anatolia Turkish Cuisine on Dresden Row. Definitely authentic. Ditto for Baan Thai. Mexico Lindo serves amazing authentic Mexican food. Curry Village is my favourite Indian food. Halifax has a ton of great Greek restaurants, but my favourite is Opa. Doraku on Dresden makes the best sushi in the city, in my opinion. Mezza on Quinpool has wonderful Mediterranean/Lebanese food. I haven’t tried Eat & Fit on Quinpool yet, but I’m told they have great Iranian food. So if you’re looking for a tasty ethnic meal, why not try one of those restaurants? I don’t know where you live, but if you’re on the penninsula, they’re all well within a 15 minute drive.
Fair enough Homie. Guess I missed that point.
“i am just saying that the “maritime” culture is dominant” Do you suppose that’s because we’re a port city with a rich seafaring history? It’s what the city was built on! What culture would you expect to be dominant?
I just don’t understand why a large town like Halifax with 93% of the population descended from the same northern atlantic island doesn’t have as many different kinds of restaurants as Toronto with it’s 5 million residents, 2.5 million of whom were born in another country. Someone please explain it to me.
I don’t understand Homie. You say the Greek Festival is too far away for you, but you think there should be tons of ethnic restaurants outside the city. So on one hand you’re bitching that the culture is too far away, and on the other you’re bitching that is too close. Which is it?
Jennie this is just another “bigger is better” post; no point is bothering to argue with it.
I don’t understand Homie. You say the Greek Festival is too far away for you, but you think there should be tons of ethnic restaurants outside the city. So on one hand you’re bitching that the culture is too far away, and on the other you’re bitching that is too close. Which is it?
i never said there should be places outside the city, i am saying they all locate to one area. THings like Greek festival were so far from downtown that the average joe isnt going to it. If you are in dartmouth per se, you arent getting much in the way of cultural food other than chinese or maritime food. Again, i am not saying it is bad, i am saying it just isnt that diverse.
go to BC, if you go to whister, burnaby, kelowna, you have more cultural diversity than here.
oh jennie, you can disagree all you want…. but if you live in sackville, or cole harbor, the greek fest is way the fuck out there. You keep mentioning the downtown core…. most of us live no where near that.
It seems to me that several thousand people attended Greek Fest. I guess they didn’t find it too far.
wow… several thousand. Man is that a lot. How much more would have attended if it was located within arms reach of downtown? Most cities have them sorta things in the core of the city. Other than the commons or grand parade, there isnt anything like that in the core for them things.Oh, there is thousands that attended. WHOOOOPEEE, there are hundreds of thousands that didnt. Lots of people have no clue this stuff goes on because IT ISNT in the downtown core.
yes, but homie, a lot of people do. and what’s more, a lot of people work there. and it’s centrally located. THAT’S why a lot of things happen in downtown cores- it’s sort of the point of having dowtown cores at all. I don’t know what sort of utopia you’re living in that you think you should have all sorts of stuff ‘delivered to your door’. You may have to put some effort, however small, into attneding things. There are buses, there are rides, there may have to be some pre-planning involved if you live outside the downtown core, but it is still possible for you to attend these events. seriously,. this sounds like another one of those ‘god I wish Halifax could be just a bit more like Toronto’ rants. sure, we may not have the huge immigrant population here who congregate in specialized neighborhoods…….you can’t wander into a china town, little india, little italy,w hatever in Halifax. BUT we do have a culture here that I, as one of the many transplants to this city, really value. I LIKE the maritime culture, and it would be a shame to see it replaced by anything else to satisfy peopel who want one more chinese restaurant.
wow alright I’m confused- you want events and services like restaurants outside the downtown core…but you also want them within the downtown core………..gosh I’m baffled…also for the love of god it’s THOSE not THEM. seriously.
Perhaps there’s a reason for that, Homie. As you’re well aware, HRM doesn’t exactly have a huge population. There’s a very good chance that there aren’t enough people in Lower Sackville who would regularly eat at an Iranian restaurant. Ditto for a Turkish place in Cole Harbour. So it stands to reason that restaurateurs would open up shop downtown where people from all over HRM gather to work, shop, play, etc.
In a city of only 350,000 or so, how many would you expect to go? I’d say “thousands” is a pretty good turnout. You seem to forget, but this is not Toronto.
i am not from toronto. i have no clue why you make referance to that? You see you are quick to argue why it is this way, or why it is that way, but like was stated earlier, why is irrelvant, it is just a fact that was stated. You are the one that is taking exception to this. No one said it was bad that it is like this.
hedgy, i never said i wanted shit anywhere. I never said that shit should be moved, i never said places should open up in other parts of the city. I fail to see where i ever said this.You people have a hard time accepting when something is told to you as you seem to think it is people asking for change. If i said it is hot out, would you argue and tell me that “it should be its summer, what do you think we should make it snow for you?”thing is, i was just pointing out that it is hot.
“I don’t know what sort of utopia you’re living in that you think you should have all sorts of stuff ‘delivered to your door'”im sorry, i said this where? Oh, wait, i didnt. You talk all that shit and i could give a fuck about it all. I just stated that it isnt as diverse as other places. Accept that. I have. I never asked shit to come cater to me.
I don’t know where you’re from Homie, nor do I care. It’s just that post after post you say that Halifax doen’t have this or that, that we’re missing something, etc. Maybe you’re not aware of it, but you constantly sound like you wish Halifax would be more like any random big city. I just used Toronto as an example.
“but if you live in say…… dartmouth, or sackville, good luck on getting that shit delivered to your house”Uh, Homie? Yeah you did.
then that is on you. I never once said i wish we had anything more or less. That is your interpretation and your own insecurities leading you to think that is what i want. Stating what we dont have doesnt mean that i am implying i wish we had it. I dont have a car, does that imply that i wish i had one?
actually jennie, that means that it wont be delivered to your house in cole harbor or sackville, does that mean that i think it should be delivered to your house in cole harbor or sackville?I just stated that it isnt likely that it will. Keep telling me things that i never said.
I think we’ve hijacked this enouigh with homie-fuckery.the point of this post was sahying that halifax does in fact have a culture. it does.is it as multicultural as other places? no. is it multicultural? yes. is there a stand alone maritime culture that simply doesn’t exist other places and is very attractive? yes and yes.should we be actively trying to develop and encourage cultural expression? sure. but do it with the demographics and spirit of the area in mind. thousands at an event is AMAZING- I go to a lot of fairs and festivals for owrk, and let me tell you, most people would kill for that sort of turnout. what’s more, remember, halifax has cultural expressions all year long- not just in summer, the festival season. it’s a good thing. we don’t have to constantly have parades and fairs and big hullabaloo three ring circus’ to experience culture here- you can do it with a pint at a pub or just alking down the street. I like that. why don’t you?
funny you said i hijacked it. I just pointed out fact. You want to call it something it isnt. Thousands at a greek fest would be better served in a centrally located spot. That is common sense. While thousands that specifically went out to the greekfest or other events of the sorts, arent going to have the walk up numbers that many events in the core would get, simply because foot traffic isnt there. That is common sense.
funny you said i hijacked it. I just pointed out fact. You want to call it something it isnt. Thousands at a greek fest would be better served in a centrally located spot. That is common sense. While thousands that specifically went out to the greekfest or other events of the sorts, arent going to have the walk up numbers that many events in the core would get, simply because foot traffic isnt there. That is common sense.
funny you said i hijacked it. I just pointed out fact. You want to call it something it isnt. Thousands at a greek fest would be better served in a centrally located spot. That is common sense. While thousands that specifically went out to the greekfest or other events of the sorts, arent going to have the walk up numbers that many events in the core would get, simply because foot traffic isnt there. That is common sense.
I said ‘we’ homie. ‘we’. as in we’re all giving into your trolly need for attention and going off track.ok listen: the greek fest was a PAID FOR event. you had to have tickets. therefore, people had to put in a certain amount of prior thought. it was also several days in length. and fairly large. tell me where you could have put that in the downtown core where it wouldn’t have pissed off a huge chunk of people on a nice afternoon? also, I really don’t think you would have gotten that much foot traffic, again because of the cost. people who wanted to go wanted to go. they knew about it in advance, it was well advertised, if I’m not mistaken there were even like buseso r shuttles or soemthing going out that way.
Shocking that the Greek community would want to hold their cultural festival at THIER CHURCH, isn’t it???
i was talking about culture… i stayed on track. It was your need to tell me how diverse it is.Paid for event or not, i could care less, my point is these things are better attended if a centrally located spot was available for them. This city is sorta lacking a spot for such an event, but the commons is a nice spot. My most recent hometown other than here, was london ontario. They have two parks within a five minute walk of downtown, victoria park and harris park. They host balloonfest (attended by over 100k) and sunfest (this year acheived 240k), while both are free, and have cities like toronto and windsor and the likes nearby, the attendance is much higher than “thousands” simply because of the accessability to the event. Like here, most busses hit downtown. From any direction, its one bus to get to the event. You can experience many cultures from around the globe at sunfest and it is so easy to get to.This city just doesnt have it. Again, i didnt say it was bad, nor was i saying they should be like there. Pointing out fact doesnt suggest change. Why do you take everything so personal?
there is more than one greek church in this city. Please do not act like this was a stroke of genius on their part. If they wanted to get the public more aware and involved, that location isnt the spot. That is common sense.
Here’s what I found out about your balloon festival, Homie:”In March 2008, Sundance Balloons announced that the 2008 edition of the event would not be held following several consecutive years of financial losses associated with the festival.”Granted, that doesn’t mean it isn’t well attended, but you would think an event attended by 100,000 people would be financially viable…
first, it’s persoanlly, not personal, and I don’t.secondly: yeah, sure you could ahve a big event on the commons. lots of space for that. BUT there are teams that rent that space, there are insurance and liability issues, and there’s the whole where-would-people=park clogging-busses general logistic issues witht hat. events held in downtown are far more complicated to organzie, and maybe the organizers of some events would rather focus on other aspects of it, then fight those battles. should there be more stuff going on downtown? sure, it’d be nice. but I see no problem having events outside the city, and I don’t see why you do.in the case of the greek fest, it made sense, as someone else pointed out, because that’s where their church is. it’s where their community is. and these events are first and foremost for members of those communities. and having events outside the city does not make halifax not as multicultural. that’s the gist of what your posts seem to be saying. at least we have the events at all.
I’m not acting like it was a stroke of genius. I’m just saying it makes perfect sense that they chose to hold their event at their church, which is a gorgeous structure in a beautiful setting.And where are the other Greek churches in the city? I’m pretty sure there’s only one.
i have lived here for 3 years, so balloonfest may have taken losses over the last few, it was a successful event for the better portion of the 90’s and 2000’s.what did your research show you about sunfest this year? Or how about any of the other 5 festivals that are held in victoria park.and no, a FREE festival put on in the park like balloonfest might not be finacially possible. So please stop trying to act like you know what the fuck you are talking about. The cost of fuel from them balloons is OUTRAGEOUS now. Hedgy: having an event where thousands turn out in a population of 350k might be success to you, but in terms of showing that pride to others, it really wouldnt appear that way. If you wandered in as a tourist, you wouldnt have any clue about greekfest. Hell, i am from here and didnt notice it till i saw pictures after it happened. “sure, it’d be nice. but I see no problem having events outside the city, and I don’t see why you do.”again, please point out where i said i had a problem with it?
I just asked my colleague who is on the organizing committee for Greek Fest, and she said this year’s attendance was just over 50,000 over the course of the three days. That’s a pretty good turnout in my books.
and it wouldnt have been better attended in a more centrally located spot? How many of those people were people that attended all three days?I love how you get all defensive about one fuckin thing. Its like you seem to think shit here is perfect and there is no way it could improve. I never suggested that it need to improve. I am just stating the obvious, that the greek festival could be better attended with better location, and that better advertising about events of the sort, would increase awareness. Do you think gay pride would have the same attendance if held in the same location as the greek fest? Use your fucken head.
well your harping on seems to indicate that you do have a problem with it.actually, I think if you were a tourist you’d know about those kind of events MORE than people who live here- it’s all over tourist webpages, there are lists of maritime festivals that many tourists check, etc etc. if you don’t know about it, that might just be you. there is only so much advertising groups can do- the greek fest was actively advertised in several mediums, it’s also a yearly event so chances are someone you know knew it was coming up etc.as far as attendance: damn right that’s a good turnout! LOTS of events all over the place are excited if they get a couple hundred people! several thousand is amazing! particularly in the summer, which is festival and vacation season- there are all sort of other things for people to do competing, so that is a great turnout. also, how many people want to go to a greek fest etc? these events, by their definition, cater to a segment of the population, not the whole thing. so several thousand people wanting to go and actually turning up is AWESOME.also, I’m going to point this out: a lot of these events? aren’t put on for the tourists or for peopel outside those cultures. it’s great if I as a non greek want to attend that festival; it’s wonderful if I as a non lebanese personw ant to go to the lebanese fest, whatever. but at their core, these events, at elast the best ones, are put on by and for the people with in those communities. it’s a celebration for them, and the best ones attract other people to learn and celebrate with them. it’s the tacky awful ones that are targeted at the tourist markets. so if they are targeted at those communities, it makes sense to hold them where those communities gather- ie around the greek church.
I don’t think the people that organize Greek Fest are disappointed enough with the numbers they get that they’ll consider holding their festival somewhere else. Greek Fest is a fundraiser for the Greek Orthodox church, so they hold it at the church. The church is not far, and if hundreds of thousands really wanted to attend, they would have.That said, I agree with the OP. Most of us who have grown up here might be a little tired of the tartan and bagpipes and lobsters, but we still appreciate its relative uniqueness. And I can get pastichio, fish and chips or sha’warma within a five minute walk of here. I ain’t complainin’.
no one said things here are perfect homie. but nor are they as pathetic as you seem to think they are.and no, you didn’t directly say that (this time around). but after reading your masses of posts, that’s the conclusion most people draw. it has more to do with the tone behind what you’re saying.
im not harping on it….it is you clowns that are defending it like what others are saying cant possibly be true. Like they cant possibly be right. Its your opinion or they are wrong. I love greek food, but like many, it is just too inconvienent to get to such an event. Sorta like that exhibition park. It is a nice venue and has great events, but is WAY outta the way. WHy is it hedgy that you and a few here seem to think that this city is impervious to be critisized? Can you not accept that people might want more here? That people that are here want things other ways? Not saying i do, cause i have no interest in changin what is here. I just accept that people call things like they see them.
nice recovery beav- bringing it all back on track like that.yeah sometimes the tartan and beer and lobster gets a bit old. but I have to say I missed that stuff when I was away; and I missed the history of this place, and the laid back atmosphere. it might not be as colourfully diverse as toronto or other cities, but there’s a subtle charm here underneath soem of the touristy kitsch, and I wish more people would take the time to look at that before they proclaim this a cultural wasteland
If you find it inconvient Homie, it just means you’re lazy. It was easy to get to, either by Metro Transit, or by the free shuttles going to and from Halifax Shopping Centre.
I never said this place couldn’t be critized- it’s just homie you seem to want to critize EVERYTHING.most people here have a couple of topics onw hich they’ll get steamed. you seem to hate EVERYTHING, and can be relied upon to swamp the board with critism after critism, then when someone disagrees, demand to know wher eyou said this or that, and then say that you were just pointing out facts,a nd you like it here, you don’t want it to change, even though you just spent 5 posts pointing out the different flaws or problems. but hey, it’s all cool, because you like it that way.
So next year, Jennie, your colleague should suggest they hold Greek Fest on the Commons, and cook enough food for hundreds of thousands of people. That way, they can lose a shitload of money preparing for something that won’t happen.
hedgy, if you bothered to read what i was saying, i like the culture that is here. I am not complaining. I understand why others do. That was my point from like the first post i made. I have no intention on leading change for “multiculturalism” or what not.its funny that jennie is tryin to jam her opinion down my throat like i care to agree with her, or suggest that i am wrong in some way. Its as though you want everyone to see it your way. Perhaps you should look at how others might see this place and you would understand the comments they make. Being here all your life means you have gained knowledge about things that are here. THings that many people have to look for, are in plain sight on other places.
Homie, that’s what EVERYONE on this board is doing. It’s not unique to me.I haven’t lived here all my life, yet I still seem to find all kinds of events/festivals/general fun and good times.
funny hedgy, i didnt critisize it. I didnt say shit was bad. And the beav, if greek fest was a paid enterance thing, i doubt with more people, they would lose money. Pointing out what something is, doesnt mean that it is pointing out a flaw. If greekfest wants to stay out there, that is there call. I dont give a shit. If greekfest wanted a higher walkup, the obvious is for it not to be out at hubbards.
The Greek Fest was the first big event I heard about when I moved here (I’ve gone every year since), and it’s only a 20 min. walk from the commons, plus it is located in a beautiful area with walking trails all along the water. Why would anyone complain? It’s perfect!
and jennie… that is what YOU did…. should everyone be like you? No, and the reason that people do complain, is because they arent like you and have your vast knowledge. You are uunwilling to accept that people accustomed to one thing, have an opinion about this place. I personally dont care what others from where ever think of this place. It makes no difference to me what others from out of town think of halifax. I accept it as my home.
3 hours and still going strong! This is like last week’s smoking thread.
“and jennie… that is what YOU did…. should everyone be like you?”What are you talking about??? The fact that I took the shuttle to Greek Fest? I guess if people wanted to go, in this particular instance they should be like me!
Buy a map Homie…..you don’t seem to have a clue geographically!
and like many people that i talked to… living in dartmouth, that was way too fuckin far. Things are going to be missed in this city because of things like demographics. I accept that. I understand that. I also see how many people could say shit. Much like how you typed a list of where all this multicultural shit is, i see how someone in cole harbor would be oblvious to this. The food places you mentioned are all in one spot. It happens. I dont care, i am not complaining. I can see how someone that wanted that shit, but lived in cole harbor might have a complaint. I wouldnt tell them they are wrong and they should shut up. funny, you didnt post shit about the sunfest, just a festival that loss money because it was free and couldnt generate the money in a day where costs are skyrocketing. Nice, when trying to discredit me, discredit the whole thing, not the portions you want to make yourself look like you made a point.
purcell’s cove is a 20 min walk from the commons? WOW…. you walk fast
What I said was if they prepared for hundreds of thousands of people, they’d lose money. Because hundreds of thousands of people would not go. Because we don’t have hundreds of thousands of people who would go. So it would be pointless for them to prepare for something that would not happen in this town for another… I don’t know… at least ten years. If they prepared for that, it would be a ridiculously wild expectation. NS Tattoo and Busker Fest advertises to hundreds of thousands, and are prepared to cater to them. Greek Fest volunteers put up posters, and their numbers usually exceed their expectations, which is great. I’m sure when they’re turning people away it’ll indicate that they need a bigger spot, more food and volunteers, whatever. At this point they are making what they need and then some. Digby Scallop Days would have way bigger numbers if they held it in downtown Halifax, too.
Like someone said earlier, things happen in downtown cores. That happens everywhere, but it’s particularly true in smaller, more removed cities, like Halifax. When people choose to live in areas like Cole Harbour, or Fall River, they have to accept that they’re not going to be able to access the amenities of the city – be it a restaurant or a festival – as easily as someone who choses to live right in the city. It’s a trade off – you get a bigger back yard and lower property tax, but you’re more removed from things that happen.
Try walking it sometime, it may even be less. Like I said, buy a map, Purcell’s Cove Rd. is not in hubbards, it’s at the rotary!
homie- pointing out a list of things people could complain about….sounds an awful lot like complaining.
bravo jennie- choose to live somewhere and you get a trade off of benefits and consequences.oh wait here comes the rant about how he can’t afford rents from twisted landlords downtown…….seriously the more I read homie the more I think he’s just lazy….he wants stuff right outside his door all the time in exactly the way he wants it when he wants it, and logic be damned. if I really wanted to attned a festival or event, I would make it happen- regardless of the logistics. it’s not an impossible feat to make it out to these places, in fact I often find it a littl eeasier than trying to negotiate crowds and traffic to get downtown sometimes. nothing is perfect, but sometimes the suggestions you have- for change, for moving events, for larger, bigger, better, faster- just aren’t feasible or even in the best interest of whatever you’re talking about.but wait, you’re not really talking about it, are you? you’re talking about problems others could have with something, just pointing out facts, becaues you like things here as they are, right?
Homie, that’s something that’s going to happen when you live in Cole Harbor – since it’s basically off the beaten trail so to speak. Same if you live in Fall River or Eastern Passage. Purcell’s Cove Road is a 5 – 10 minute drive OUT of the downtown core so it’s not a huge inconvenience for most people to attend. And since the majority of the population is around that area it would only make sense to have it at these locations instead of somewhere like Cole Harbor where people would be less likely to go. On that note – Halifax is a lot smaller than Toronto. But there are a lot of towns/cities very close to it. In fact Cole Harbor is probably not further than going from one end of Toronto to the other and people don’t complain about that. I really don’t understand your point I guess.
pointing out the list, is pointing out the list. Telling people that it SHOULD change or that it sucks is complaining. I am not doing that. And yes, i see i made a mistake hence the correction. I have walked the commons to the rotary, that alone is a 20 min walk for my slow paced self. Either way, with just a bus or two, it isnt the easiest thing to get to. Not to mention at least 3 busses from dartmouth.ANd the beav, i believe someone stated that it was a paid event, this greekfest….. they wouldnt lose shit as the cover charge would be revenue enough.
I would appreciate it if they would move Lake Banook over to Halifax for the summer so I could access the events and festivals more easily!
“seriously the more I read homie the more I think he’s just lazy….he wants stuff right outside his door all the time in exactly the way he wants it when he wants it”you are an idiot. I never said i wanted shit to move anywhere. I never once said that shit should be sent to my door. You are a moron.yourmom, you said it is a 5-10 minute DRIVE. that is correct, but for those that take that bus that heads up to that festival hourly, that is not the most convienient.
UM, homie? these events are usually trying to MAKE money. and things cost- having a larger event in a more downtown location has more expenditures in terms of security, permits, etc etc. just because someone has to pay 15 bucks for it doesn’t mean htat it’s going to be a cash cow- they’ve worked it out now that they’re going to break even, adn make some money, with things the way they are now. it would be extremly risky to take that chance that they would in fact get more people if they were downtown- I’d argue they probably wouldn’t. there are more things going on downtown, you’d get fewer people staying all day, etc etc if you had to compete with everything else. and yes, pointing out a litany of possible complaints IS complaining, unless you’re trying to pull off some sort of subtle irony I’m just not getting. it’s complaining without the guts to actually have an opinion, and that infuriates people and gets you flamed- have your opinion and stay by it, stop with this constant ‘oh but this isn’t me, I like this place for it’s backwardness’ schtick already!
yes lori, make a comparison of moving something that CANT be moved like a lake to a festival that can be moved.
And it’s not like things don’t ever happen outside penninsular Halifax. As I said before, the Multicultural Festival happens every year on the Dartmouth waterfront. There are lots of concerts at Alderny landing. Those should be easy enough for Homie and his friends in Dartmouth to get to. Bedford has Bedford Days every summer, Waveryly has Gold Rush Days. I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before Cole Harbour has Sidney Crosby days or something.
ok I’m not getting into this he-said-she-said stuff with you as you get way to much tingly pleasure out of that sort of thing…BUT you did say “but if you live in say…… dartmouth, or sackville, good luck on getting that shit delivered to your house.”and have spent several posts whining about how you and oh so many others would go to events if only it wasn’t a ‘gasp’ 20 minute walk or a long bus ride!build that into your fun- frankly the walk with pals or the time on the bus is part of the thing for me, and it works out just fine. not everything is going to be a 10 minute bus ride or a 5 minute walk, here or anywhere else- I hear that in the T-dot it can take aroudn 40 minutes to get some places. gasp.accept it- if you have a car yes, it’s sometimes faster. but then you have to park and deal with the fuckery that is street closures for festivals like this. if you don’t, it may take you longer to get places, but it is still physically possible. it’s not some mission impossible, no one’s being chased by a giant boulder or having to strap on a leather harness and swing from the ceiling to get you to these locations. you just have to put the effort in. the organizers put the effort into putting the event on- I’m sure it’s not too much to ask that you walk or take the bus.
“and yes, pointing out a litany of possible complaints IS complaining, unless you’re trying to pull off some sort of subtle irony I’m just not getting. it’s complaining without the guts to actually have an opinion, and that infuriates people and gets you flamed- have your opinion and stay by it, stop with this constant ‘oh but this isn’t me, I like this place for it’s backwardness’ schtick already!”was i one of them people that asked shit to change? Nope. I am just willing to listen to others complaints. I have no interest in telling them they are wrong and that we are this or we are that. That is the actions of you folks here. When people say this or that about here, meh, whatever, they can have an opinion for whatever reason. It is also likely they came up with that opinion based on the way they live. SO be it. You are all just arguing that they cant be right and how this place is this or that…… sorta funny actually.
“BUT you did say “but if you live in say…… dartmouth, or sackville, good luck on getting that shit delivered to your house.””i did say that. ANd if you lived in them places, it is unlikely that you will be able to get greek food delivered. That is a fact. I didnt suggest they should build shit to deliver to these people. In fact i would suggest that they go to quinpool to get what they are looking for. If someone said i cant get good ethipian food in cole harbor, i would inform them where they could. I dont see why you think i am suggesting shit should be moved to them.
and hedgy, get it out of your fuckin tiny brain that i am from tdot you retard.
jennie, I’m starting to dig your style on the coast :)there are TONS of events outsidet he city that are great fun, cheaper or free, and aren’t packed with a million people (frankly those giant events are way to claustrophobic- 50 thou at greek fest was a managable number. more than that and I think you’d loose people who didn’t wan tto put up with a packed hoopla).there’s been a strawberry social every year in Fall river for over 50 years. it’s well attended, they make money- should the united church move it to Halifax so they can get more people? there’s a fun fair every year put on in Noel by the fire department- should that be moved as well so they can make more cash? no. part of the charm of these events is getting people out of their normal sphere. I LIKE having to travel a bit to go to stuff- means I’ll actually make the effort to go as I have to plan, I can’t just say ‘oh yeah I guess I could go but I’m feeling sort of lazy so I won’t= I will have committed to a plan, got some firends, made a day of it, whatever, to go to this stuff.
hedgy, show me where i said that any festival SHOULD be moved? I never said that. I am saying why many would miss that it exists. Just like that strawberry festival, i have never heard of it. I never said it should move. I am stating why many would never attend or have never attended. Apparently this concept is tough for you all to accept.
Thanks Hedgy. The feeling’s mutual.Now if we could just find a way to move the Celtic Colours festival from Cape Breton to the Metro Centre…
wow name calling there homie- really the hallmark of the intelligent individual with valid opinions, right there.I never said you were from Toronto. I used it as an example, because people other than you have mentioned that in bigger cities things can be more accessible. Toronto is one of the biggest cities in this country, thus my example. Homie, you’re doing this loop the loop thing. we do listen to opinions here. then we debate them. we challenge them. we have a discussion. you are robbing us and yourself of this opportunity with your constant noncommittal backpeddling. ‘oh I’m just willing to listen to ideas and express them even though they aren’t mine, which you guys aren’t.’ no. this is a bitch board. it’s all about having your own opinons. occasioanlly playing devils advocate, but prefacing comments with that information! none of this throwing out ideas and facts and comments, then when people jump on you backpeddling. it’s cowardly. not to mention annoying.and finally- for the love of god it’s THOSE not THEM.
Do I need to reiterate why it would be greedy and stupid for a festival in a fairly small city to prepare to exceed their expected attendance by hundreds of thousands?So, I’m having a party, and I invite twenty people, but I expect a few hundred. So I spend money preparing for a few hundred people and only twenty show up. I have seriously wasted my money, knowing I don’t have a few hundred friends, but hoping they’d come anyway.
and you’re missing my point homie: people who organize these events, attend this events, are involved in any of these events, for the most part, don’t want or need more people to attend. Ones that have been going on for years are their own little microcosms, slowly growing as new people find out about them or drifiting off as they’re replaced by other things. if these events WANTED to make more money or gather more people or whatever, I’m sure they’d look into moving. but one of the things I LOVE about the culture out here is how laid back it is. people aren’t always in it for the growth or the cash, and are content with the tradition of how things ahve happened for years. and again- if you wanted to know about some of these events, it’s easy to find out. there are all sorts of websites, newspapers, radio ads, etc out there for them. they might not all get plastered on billboards and buses on Spring Garden rd, but it does exist. it might take a little effort on yoru part, that’s all. but for the people within these communtiites, who are the target audience, they know what’s going on. if you lived there, youw ould too. I’m sure you know of events in wherever the hell you live that I don’t know about because you live there. doesn’t mean I can’t find out about them. I’d just have to put some effort in, that’s all.
Fact is Homie, you chose to live in Dartmouth. It’s no one’s fault but your own that you can’t be bothered to get to stuff using the means provided. If you want easier access to events and restaurants, move closer. Otherwise, shut up and get on the bus.
oh but wait jennie, he’s not complaining- he’s just pointing out how some people could complain about htat, but he doesn’t want anything to change and isn’t complaining, no siree.he’s just more open to other opinions than we are and stating facts.we should be ashamed of our closed-minded selves, really. I think we all need to go perform 25 hail googles followed by an our-wikipedia in penance.
jennie —- show me where i said that i am complaining about where events are? If i miss them, i do. No big deal to me. I can see where others are coming from. hedgy, you dont listen to opinions, you are crucifying those that have other opinions. They say you have no culture, you tell them they are wrong. How can one be wrong on a subjective thing like this? Also, try using cities of similar size for comparision. I use london ontario as the population is comparitive. As for the last paragraph of your last post, the lack of the advertising on methods you stated are part of the reason that many dont know about things that go on in this city. the beav, i gave an example of sunfest in london ontario. Held in a public park, hosted 240k this year. No charge to get in, wasnt about money. I made a comparision of a city similar in size. Your analogy gets shot down when you look at apple blossom, that is attended by far more people that that little town has. It is about being prepared for what might come. So your referance is sorta skewered
you are correct hedgy, im not about to try to argue someone that we have culture this and that…. what the fuck for? If they want to find shit here, they will. Simple. You all appear ready to jump down people’s throats here if they even suggest they dont have culture. You guys do this EVERYtime someone says something negative or against the grain of your thoughts here.
If it’s no big deal to you, or not how you feel, why bother comment at all? The rest of us are on here expressing our own opinions, whether they support or contrast what someone else thinks. If you’re not going to do that, just point out what other people might think, why bother? Either express your own opinion, or don’t participate.
Homie, I have an opinion. I state said opinion. I wasn’t cruxifying, I was disagreeing- without garbaging up the post with incoherent blathering about how I acknoledge others rights to have opinions but I humbly beg to differ but it’s still totally valid for them to believe that and I really don’t want to stifle their right to express it because I’m open enought o look at others views. god even typing that’s exhausting!I listen to the opinion. I digest it. I either agree (often I won’t respond int hat case because why bother?) or I’ll disagree. and discuss. that’s the freaking point of a bitch board! and no, not always having the latest stats or the most demographically accurate comparisons does not invalidate an opinion. so someone used toronto- so what? the larger point they’re making still stands, and if you were so open to opinion as you claim youw ouldn’t go around name calling to make yourself heard. you also would understand that demanding people quote you chapter and verse exactly where something was said is NOT a rebuttal or an argument, and leads to nothing more than this- instead of a constructive interesting debate on culture, we have the homie show. staring homie. hosted by homie, cohosted by homie, and produced by homie for the viewing pleasure of homie.you appear to like it best when you can have the last word on a topic- and with your constant backpeddling, you believe you are able to do so by expressing ‘other’s’ opinions for them as you are so very very open to it and all, in contradiction to the rest of us. If someone else disagrees, they are iether a)wrong b)close minded c)statistically moot as they didn’t google the shit out of it or d)abusive to you. or best yet, all of the above.
“Take Greek festival, that was way the fuck out there.”Any reasonable person would infer from that statement that you are complaining that it’s too far for you to go.
my back peddling?i would think you not quoting where i said anything should change isnt back peddling. It is correcting your assumptions that i think anything should change. I like what is here, the slowness and not so progressive thinking of this society.
and jennie… and reasonable person would infer that it is far. Complaining is suggesting it should move. Complaining is wanting to know why. Complaining is saying that it isnt fair. I dont care that it is that far from me. Are you not getting that?
I guess I’m unreasonable then, beacause although you may not have used the exact words “I am oficially complaining that Greek Fest was too far from where I live” the tone of the statement “take Greek Fest for example, it was way the fuck out there” suggests that is indeed what you were doing.
Are you not getting that?
No, my lamb kebab is sort of skewered. Apple Blossom festival would also get a lot more people if it were held somewhere else. This is true. I can’t get there because I don’t have a car. If I wanted to go, I could go. I am not bitching about how hard it is for me to get to festivals and how much more money they’d make if these festivals were more readily accessible to everyone. I didn’t make it to Montreal Jazzfest because it was too far away. I walked my ass to Halifax Jazzfest and saw an international act that, in Europe, would have attracted thirty thousand people. Here, it attracted about two hundred, tops. The organizers would have been some disappointed, broke motherfuckers if they’d expected thirty thousand people for that one performance.I don’t give a shit if it’s a Dick Washing Festival at an adult video convention, they prepare for a little more than what they expect, but to prepare for a whole lot more than they expect would be fucking dumb as rocks.
that! right there! you have this noncommittal way, in which you use phrases like ‘I like this place with it’s not so progressive way’….um, how on earth is that supposed to be taken?and most normal people would assume from your initial barrage of factoids that yes, in fact, you were complaining. and when called onit, you didn’t clarify or recind said opinion- instead you said ‘oh it’s a valid opinion held by other people but not me, but it’s still valid and if you disagree well i guess you’re not as opne to others opinions as I am, seeing as how you only expressed your actual opinions in your posts while I, oh I, expressed opinons from some unnamed OTHER’.that is backpeddling. it’s cowardly an dit’s downright annoying. you’d get flamed a lot less if you stuck to your own opinions. but then again, you get off on the flaming. I bet you’re metaphorically touching yourself now in glee over all the attention you’ve garnered today. I bet your secret ‘troll’ is having a chuckle iwth you, while you cavort over stiring the misinformed pot here…..but you know, you love this board because it’s so closed minded, clique, and backwards, don’t you?well homester, you drive me nuts. you call me names, insult my intelligence, and in general stamp around like a belligerent walrus who’s just been anally fucked with something hard and sandpapery….but hey, that’s what I love about you, so I guess that’s a compliment, isn’t it?
that! right there! you have this noncommittal way, in which you use phrases like ‘I like this place with it’s not so progressive way’….um, how on earth is that supposed to be taken?”well, i would take it as this place isnt as progressive as others. I dont see where i suggest that is a bad thing.”Apple Blossom festival would also get a lot more people if it were held somewhere else. This is true. I can’t get there because I don’t have a car. If I wanted to go, I could go. I am not bitching about how hard it is for me to get to festivals and how much more money they’d make if these festivals were more readily accessible to everyone”I feel you, i wish i could have went. I can see how others might complain. I can see how they might wish there was trasnportation to the event. “I guess I’m unreasonable then, beacause although you may not have used the exact words “I am oficially complaining that Greek Fest was too far from where I live” the tone of the statement “take Greek Fest for example, it was way the fuck out there” suggests that is indeed what you were doing.”the tone? Come the fuck on. You are just looking to dispute anything i said. I have asked you to show where i have suggestd change? I have asked you to show me where i think it should be different. You are seeing what you want along with hedgy, because you are fixiated on being correct.
“that is backpeddling. it’s cowardly an dit’s downright annoying. you’d get flamed a lot less if you stuck to your own opinions. “yeah ok. hardly back peddling. just like how the OP is complaining that he is tired of people saying there is no culture, people that complain there is no culture are tired of how you jam it down the throats that there is. And dammit, they better get used to it and not suggest there isnt.
Hedgy….You rock!
Homie, as I asked before – why state what other people may or may not feel? Why not just stick to what you think? That’s what everyone else does.
I am pleased another bitch was posted from me i have some comments ->”No culture! Who are these idiots? We have some of the richest (and oldest) culture in the country.” Thank you i agree Broc”really dont have a large enough population (ratio wise) compared to other provinces to sustain a festival or anything like that here in Halifax” agreed BUT when we did have Greek Fest they had to put it out where the atlantic winter fair goes (cant think of the name sorry) because it is such a large property so more people could attend!” think it’s a matter of perception- if you believe this area is culturally vacant, then that’s what you see. no, this is not a kay-rant ‘believe it and it shall be’, but if you walk around thinking there’s no culture, you’re going to miss teh subtle indications that there is.”HEDGYHOG you could not be more right! 🙂
i have stated my opinions many many times. I have said what i feel It just gets tiring watching anyone that thinks one thing of this place get massacred by the regs here as to why what they think is wrong. Its like they dont take a second to see it as they might see it.
You’re wrong about that Homie. We who get along also disagree I guess you miss that part. If you remember, I (once or twice) agreed with you. *shakes head* I feel so silly.
this statement was a general one lori. I have recalled that we have agreed.
who are these people you’re so quick to defend homie?it’s you isn’t it?well come on, just say it and be done with it! and tone is a valid thing online. you write with a condesending flair, expect to get flamed by those who don’t like to be condescended too. but wait,t hat can’t be a valid point at all now can it as no one can quote you precisly being condescending, as hey, you’ve never said ‘I’m a condescending blowhard who hates everything but won’t admit it becuase I’m too scared to actually get flamed for my opinions as that way I can’t be self-righteous when I defend myself and this mysterious ‘other’ who is so constantly being attacked’.it gets tirign constantly being flamed doesn’t it? you’re the one with the obsession with being right, or more likely just the loudest biggest poster on the board, browbeating and drowning the rest of us in posts until we cede some sort of defeat and you can prance about on our internet-corpses. you just did it here and you have a trend: let’s call it the Homie Cycle shallw e?it begins with his reemergence. a little posty here, a little posty there, and then, ah only then, having gathered strength, will he launch into a thread, taking it over with his opiniona nd comments so many times it’s hard for people to keep up- instead of one or two general posts, each person who disagrees will get their own special reply…..dragging those who dare to swim in your murky cesspool down with you. at this point, the heat fromt he flames will get too much for you. you slink back to your usual defense- you’re defending some unseen lurker, who would love to post but ALAS is too afraid of the big bad regulars to do so. and ho wit’s all their fault that threads are hijacked, and that the city is so backwards…but that’s ok because you like it that way, and why can’t eveyrone just accept that as the compliment you surely mean it to be, as you have deign to bestow your benevolence on us all with your approval of our backwardness…..aren’t you lovely.now here comes the best part: you will squirm and dangle for a while, excersiing your rapidly growing persecution complex and making villans of anyone who dares to disagree with you,a s clearly you are the level headed, open expert on everything and thus disagree-ers are close minded retards (which you will no doubt say, but hey, we’re the mean ones, not you).then you will slink away, to lurk and strike another day.sound about right? I’mr eady for the fireworks.ps thanks lori 😉
disagree? I dont put down opinions for the most part, so whatever you are disagreeing with, is on you. now you have given me credit for being someone that hates everything, even though i have stated that i love it here and dont care if it changes or not. Look how long your posts are and you are getting winded trying to put words in my mouth. If we sat in a room and discussed this, i wouldnt be the slightest bit worked up.In this thread, you have accused me of wanting things at my convience, suggesting things should move, calling things i have said one thing, when i have said nothing of the sort. And who are “these people”? Anyone like the OP is talking about.
disagree? I dont put down opinions for the most part, so whatever you are disagreeing with, is on you. now you have given me credit for being someone that hates everything, even though i have stated that i love it here and dont care if it changes or not. Look how long your posts are and you are getting winded trying to put words in my mouth. If we sat in a room and discussed this, i wouldnt be the slightest bit worked up.In this thread, you have accused me of wanting things at my convience, suggesting things should move, calling things i have said one thing, when i have said nothing of the sort. And who are “these people”? Anyone like the OP is talking about.
here comes the best part of the homie-explosion people, pay attention. this is the scene where he tacks himself up on a big interent martyr cross.clearly I’m the mean one here- I didn’t call anyone and idiot or a retard, but hey, I am just so damn mean to him! why can’t we all just get along and listne to homie? why? WHY?and scene.
so you dont use actual words to describe me, but comments about me arent flattering or complimentary. I save myself the time of typing out an eloquent insult.
well excuse me for not bowing down in worship before I disagree with you.do you see anyone else here being complimented or flattered? no. but at the same time most people don’t just throw out grammtically-poor insults at one another…at least not ones that aren’t humourous.again, I ask: what do you want? how bout you map out for us the perfect homie approved bitch board, just so that we no longer hurt your oh-so-delicate sensibilities?
hedgy, i am not asking you to bow down, or accept any opinions, i dont really even see the point of what you are trying to achieve here. AS far as the typos and spelling, it happens. live with it, or ignore it, that is your choice. I am hardly changing shit i do or say because you have issues with it.
I only bring up the grammer because sometimes you are lucid and sometimes apparently them and those are interchangable- you care clearly able to type properly, so please do so.but that’s another debate entirely.I honestly don’t know what you are trying to achieve here, bringing back basically every thread you get involved in to a beef with the ‘regs’ and their close minded shennanigans. that’s why I asked you to tell us all what would please you- cause then maybe you can stop complaining about the regs.
i recall that i am the first to have posted in this thread as i am in many threads that i have posted in. for the most part, i havent replied to someone else in threads that is a regular unless i have something to say. This thread is an example
Dartmouth restaurants (although I’m not sure how many of them deliver to your door) – Japanese – Hamachi house ; Mexican – Neighbours Pub ; Chinese – countless number of places; Italian – Vines Pasta Grill; Vietnamese – Pho Hoang Minh; Irish – Jamiesons; Greek – Palladium; Lebanese – Kababji; and I don’t need to mention all the seafood places.
homie, you bring a lot of your little posty-explosions to the conclusion that the regulars are mean, catty, clique, and exclude others and other opinions.why? how would you change it?face it, you are basically a regular here now too.
People are stupid, one type of each place, hardly makes for mulitculturalism and most of the places you mentioned only deliver to certain areas.
I think Halifax has culture (white maritime culture), but if we’re talking about diversity (someone pointed out the distinction earlier on), that’s a different issue. I’m not so sure Halifax is doing its best to work towards a more diverse culture.And Hedgyhog, has anyone suggested that you stop commenting on other people’s ability with grammar? Your own comments are laden with grammatical errors and your grammar policing makes you look kind of stupid.
actually, mine are laden with typos. and I’ve only ever commented on that one thing of homie’s- the those vs them thing. it drives me nuts. it drives others nuts. and it’s a very basic, yet glaring, mistake, that’s easily corrected.
oh for fucksake, hedgehog, give it a rest… you’re monopolizing the site, except you got nothing interesting to bitch about.
techcafeJealous you never got a bitch about you in the coast tehe
actually, i got a few ms d’oh, and then some… but that’s not the point. hedgehog is an insufferable bore, that’s all i’m saying
I’m interested to see how the people who are saying there is no culture in Halifax actually understand the term “culture”.
as i posted way down the page, i think they are conflating “culture” with “multiculturalism”. i don’t think they really get it.
Exactly, they are not the same thing. We have a great cultural history starting at the beginning with the natives, continuing with the Acadians and Brits, and then with the Scottish and Irish immigrants. Of course, then we have a diverse combination of African, Greek, Italian, German, etc etc.. So the idea that we do not have a diverse culture is ridiculous and people who dispute this obviously are not very knowledgeable about this province’s history.
wow tech cafe, what’d I ever do to you?
LOL @ hedgy if someone says shit about you, you get all defensive, but you feel the need to atttack others. It was nice to see that someone doesnt coddle your lil ego. I take bets she accuses me of being tech or tech being a troll.
What about the arts culture? Unless I’m looking in the wrong places, it seems that lobster art and pictures of boats predominate this scene in general. And when it comes to writers, the stuff that is produced here is usually about local stories and not much else – it seems insular. I’m not sure that Halifax has progressive culture in this respect, but I could be way off mark.With regards to multiculturalism, Hedgyhog’s preoccupation with the grammar skill of the people who post here and there seems to represent a mentality that is scattered around these parts, ie: if you can’t grasp the rules of the English language, you’re going to drive the regulars nuts. What about those people who have English as a second language? Are they unworthy because they haven’t yet mastered the almighty colonial tongue? Is a criteria of Halifax culture prowess in the rules of English grammar? I’m tired of people who prattle on about grammar. It’s arrogant. Isn’t what the person is trying to say more important than how they structure their sentences? And again, I may be missing the point.
I think you’re partly right about the arts culture, but like all of us you’re probably more exposed to “tourist art” on the waterfront than to anything with more substance. There are a few galleries around town worth checking out, where you can actually see some pretty cool stuff is you make the time.As for obsession with grammar, I don’t think that has anything to do with Maritime culture and a limited immigrant population. Frankly,send language speakers are often better writers than the rest of us because the formal rules are so fresh for them.The grammar thing has more to do with the internet having made everyone’s literacy levels visible to everyone else, and those people who have high levels of literacy are simply amazed and appalled at what they see written in a public forum. It is very easy to forget that only about 50% of the population in Western countries has a really functional level of literacy. Therefore it can be pretty shocking to see what kind of barely readable garbage gets spewed inline.And to be sure, insulting one’s grammar is also a quick, easy and cheap way to insult someone to “score points” in a debate.
that’s it, I will never, ever make a joke about grammer, ever again.listen: yesterday got a little over the top, sure. but if you read back, basically every post directed at me included phrases like ‘retard’ or ‘idiot’. Meanwhile, I was trying to read what was being said and was having some clarity issues because of the very specific grammer-gripe (them vs those). My gripes where meant as sarcasm. I try to avoid the intense nit-picky aspect of grammer, because after all this is the internet and we all make mistakes, except when clarity becomes an issue, which it does when someone is talking about a group of people (them) and a group of objects (those) and mixing the two words interchangably.
yeah it’s grammar not grammerMUAHAHAHA couldn’t resist
“Other than chinese food, you are hard pressed to find at least 5 different joints that have specialty items from other countries within a 15 minute drive from your house…if you are near downtown, or on quinpool. I didnt say it doesnt exist, but if you live in say…… dartmouth, or sackville, good luck on getting that shit delivered to your house.”I just gave you seven places in Dartmouth that are something other than Chinese food, and within a 15 min drive or deliver. So suck it up. The whole idea of the HRM in that you’re never that long of a drive from the downtown core where you can have your choice of 3 different thai restaurants to choose from. And if you’re looking for culture, you don’t expect to have your food delivered to your house, you go out, and experience the culture in the restaurant, not while watching Big Brother in your underwear.
lol @jammie and People are stupid…you do have to go seeking out cultures that aren’t your own. that’s sort of the point. no one’s going to show up at your door with a mariachi band or a platefull of curry to escort you into their culture. part of the fun is exploring and ifn ding it for yourself.as far as arts go, this city has a lot of really good theatre going on, a lot of it independant and put on by small companies. King’s puts on dozens of plays each year, a lot of them student written, the busttop theatre almost always has something cool going down…it’s the same thing. you may have to look for it, but the non-touristy culture does exist. but that’s the thing about Canada too- it’s all a hodgepodge of different bits from different cultures smushed together, so trying to find an explosion of one or another, as some define multiculturalism, is harder to do.
“As for obsession with grammar, I don’t think that has anything to do with Maritime culture and a limited immigrant population.” – I’m going to disagree with you there. I’ve heard about discussions btw landed immigrants and maritimers regarding work opportunites to come to the conclusion that grammar, spelling, etc has much to do with acceptance into maritime white collar work culture. It’s almost like this: “If you don’t look like us, speak like us, write like us, and behave like us, you’re not one of us.” Maybe I’m cynical, but that’s one of my perceptions of maritime culture.And why do some of the people posting here focus on culture = range and availability of ethnic restaurants? Isn’t there more to culture than food?
I’m not saying that different food=culture, I’m just saying that you can live in Dartmouth and still have access to ethnic food, contrary to Homie’s belief.
Plonk, go read a few articles on Digg. The comments on 6 out of 10 articles there devolve into grammar battles. I’m not saying Maritimers aren’t xenophobic. I’m really not.Just that the grammar thing is not limited to the Maritimes.
As plonk and I have both commented, people do mix up the idea of “having culture” with the idea of “having a whole bunch of cultures”. That’s why the ethnic restaurant discussion gets treated like a red herring. But I knew you were only responding to Homie. (I live pretty far out in the burbs and I have numerous cuisines available to me as well.)
well, food is the most delectable part of culture….;) jokes jokes.as far as grammar/spelling etc: I think it’s more the perception that proper grammar and spelling (less so spelling as we have been on a downward slide for some time now as far as phonetic spelling vs actually proper language goes. I’m as guilty of that as anyone else) indicate intelligence or education.It’s not about everyone being homogenously white or anything like that; it’s the idea that if someone has poor grammer, then they aren’t as educated or as intelligent as someone who doesn’t interchange them and those, or any of another million small yet glaring errors (others can point them out) that just feel wrong in the mouth.I could care less if you get your apostrophe in the wrong place, if your subject and verb agreement is a little scewed, or any of the other small slips people make every single day, many of which are now becoming more acceptable (example: using that instead of which, or who instead of whom). But the big ones, those tend to colour perception of people, whether it’s valid or not. In fact I think immigrants may get a bit more slack cut for them on this front- if you have an accent, and it’s clear english is not your first language, people will let stuff slide. Also, it’s true; people who have to learn this twisted-cruller of a language seem less likely to make those glaring mistakes (them vs those).that was actually sort of the reason I commented on it to homie yesterday: buried in the bs he often has good points. he seems to have his shit together, even if he and I disagree pretty much all the time. BUT when his grammer is so poor I notice it, it pops me out of the flow of what he’s trying to say. now instead of focusing on his point, I’m focusing on that, the same way you would if someone had a giant booger hanging out of their nose. and how seriously I take his points is clouded by the, possibly mistaken, assumption that anyone who can switch them and those so glibly can’t be that educated. I’m not saying you need a degree to have an opinion AT ALL. but when you’re as obsessed with accuracy and facts as homie is, it does make it harder for me to accept the validity of what he’s saying.
whole point of what I was just trying to say was that what can be mistaken as racism, or xenophobia, or just a predominatly us-versus-them culture, is actually the assumption that proper grammer equals smart.