False equivalencies being what they are, genocide and accountability have an obvious relevance to one another. Media, messaging and accountability have an obvious relevance to one another. In this instance, genocide and lighting up the CN Tower in Habs colours WITH A PRESS RELEASE SPECIFYING THE EXACT INTENT OF THE MESSAGE that corresponds with a historically antithetical cultural disposition to it, has nothing to do with one another.
What would have happened if it was a ROYGBIV display you ask? In Toronto!?!?!? What do you think would happen? It would be celebrated. It would be consistent with the city's culture. Mass riots you say? But not during parades, quizzically? Hmmm...False equivalency number, what? Deux?
Social skills when developed properly provide for disagreements of opinion without deforming the other person's actual position. Like equivocating our national identity with moral superiority to the US to further your fallacious argument.
The North Division is a product of f***ing Covid-19 protocols. But let's pretend, Toronto and Montreal have a fraternal relationship that completely ignores the history of hockey. Because you know, Bluelines -- you know, right? -- it's the middle ground of support for one another that has defined our fan bases' identity. Now that's interesting on a number of fronts, not the least of which one which pits the government of Ontario with the state of Texas or Virginia. Because the decaying corpse to the south opened to a greater degree with success and what our province has done should be regarded with words other than "better than".
Here's what the situation is in the event you misunderstood it's implication:
There seems to be a position in one of our national media outlets that absent the consent of Leafs fans, finds it's perfectly acceptable to define our participation, financial support and LOYALTY as something frivolous. And to do so by making a public spectacle using the city's most iconic symbol as it's stage in support of our club's Forever Rival. And to do so post-playoffs collapse, in possibly the worst playoffs performance in the club's history given the surefire composition of the team. And for good measure, SPOKE ON OUR BEHALF without consideration of our input.
It isn't just lights on a building. And you accuse me of manipulation? By all means, I'll oblige any argument you choose to offer to that end...happily.
In a division, as mentioned, defined by a descriptor that was formed in reaction to a pandemic which created an environment of compelled behaviour, this incidental INCON-f***ING-SIDERATE move is for some (I suspect), simply too much, too far-reaching to take.
There's no division between the gesture, how inconsiderate it was and how culturally deaf it was, writ large as a Leafs fan, a Torontonian and a Canadian.
I'm the kind of Canadian that likes hating the Habs because growing up a Leafs fan and having a tradition of doing so from people in living memory who also lived that way, is what we f***ing WANT. I imagine, I HOPE, there are Canadiens fans fainting from laughter at what their team accomplished against us. IT's...NORMAL.
I'm not demanding you conform to my cultural preference in wanting to be considered when represented. I'm certainly not going to get in the way of yours relativizing disjunct concepts like winning, losing, loyalty, disloyalty, integrity and dishonesty.
Canada isn't a monolith. Our identities can compete. Competition is healthy. There's a time and place to be Canadian and there's a time and a place to be a Torontonian.
And when it comes to the f***ing Stanley Cup playoffs, this Torontonian doesn't like being compelled by anyone telling him he's supporting the Montreal Canadiens during the same playoffs they embarrassed us in.
I'm not participating in this ridiculous public spectacle of punishment of losing.
As a Torontonian and a Leafs fan, I'm seething until next season when we can meet the Habs again and hopefully run Price out of town the way Detroit ran Roy to Colorado.
And how I could care less if that provides the appearance of maturity to people who consider masochism a virtue.
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