Paging EllenFor some reason we’re all proud of Ellen Page, even though 99.9 percent of all Haligonians have done exactly nothing to advance her acting career. We may as well be proud of the fog, or of gravity, which we also have nothing to do with. Still, Page is likable enough and Juno is a passable light-hearted comedy. (Except, where did they hide all of Minneapolis’s black people? It’s 2008. Can’t black people be in the movies?) But after Page appeared on the David Letterman show, forgivable small-town boosterism morphed into excruciatingly painful provincialism, as CBC Information Morning hosts Don Connolly and Elizabeth Logan pestered everyone and their brother—including premier Rodney MacDonald—to draw up “top ten” lists of why Letterman should visit Nova Scotia. The lists themselves have now become international news.This need for outside validation is embarrassing. It does, however, explain much of the local political scene: Hosting the Commonwealth Games would “put Halifax on the map,” a mega-concert on the Common is just the thing to show off Halifax as “a world class city.” And on and on.But here’s the thing: Actual grown up cities don’t need to be told they’re grown up.
This article appears in Jan 17-23, 2008.
Is there something terribly wrong with being proud of a Haligonian who is experiencing a great deal of international praise for work she has done in her chosen profession? God forbid we band together to support one of our own. For some reason, I fail to recognize the correlation between a multi-million dollar Commonwealth Games bid and a self-deprecating You Tube video of the premier pitching Nova Scotia to a talk show host. But I have to admit Tim, I guess you’re right. When you think about it, ‘grown up’ cities never promote themselves.