Canada

At the risk of looking like a simpleton, isn't Alberta separatism basically just a US psyop to colonize oil rich land by gaslighting Albertans into voting to leave Canada and ultimately join the US?

I've been treated fairly so far here when I mention I'm from Alberta.

People referring to Alberta as a whole I think the majority are cognisant that there's not 100% maple MAGA living here. It just doesn't need to be said every time for the sake of efficiency.

I suspect those dumb enough to write off everyone like that to be in the minority and they're most certainly clowns.

Ontario elected Doug Ford twice. That doesn't mean I hate everyone in Ontario.

Quebec copied our embarrassing malicious decision to charge for covid vaccine shots. I don't hate everyone in Quebec.

I'm a middle-aged hard-left Albertan, and I don't exactly know where to stand on this point.

On the one hand, I've been fighting against the UCP (and fucking Klein before that) for my entire life. I've marched with my gay friends in the '80s, stood against racists and transphobes on the streets of Calgary, demanded meaningful responses from my conservative MP/MLA/Councillor, tried to affect elections with information, and more - and I'm not fucking done yet! Better yet, there are MILLIONS of us in this province!

At the same time, I look at the US and think "OK, you tried and weren't successful. Time to quarantine the entire fucking country until it grows up."

So do I apply the same logic to my own province?

Look, we don't deserve the support of the rest of Canada after an almost unbroken streak of shithead conservatives, but neither does Ontario or Saskatchewan or Nova Scotia. What we NEED is for people to remember the rest of us fighting, and to help us so we can help N.S. and fight against fascists EVERYWHERE!

I'm not looking for sympathy, I'm looking for someone to have my back so I can have theirs.

We're better together. As a progressive nation. As a world leader. As a line in the sand against fascists.

What do you mean by "this place"? I see more hate towards anyone conservative leaning than I do towards Alberta. I say this as a Liberal at heart too.

The AB gov't effectively just told Albertans that they have no rights, just privileges subject to the UCP's whims by using the not withstanding clause twice. Where's the pushback beyond talk? Smith is trying to normalize its use, and contribute to stripping our rights federally, straight from the playbook down south. Poilievre literally just said he'd use it.

We're in an uncertain time and suffering at the whims of an American madman, and AB has sided with him. I think it's safe to say YOU haven't, and honestly most Albertans haven't, but your gov't has.

We live in a democracy, and like it or not, we're defined by our gov'ts. The majority may not have voted for Danielle Smith's UCP, but the majority absolutely did not vote to stop it.

Ya gotta understand, you live in the most American province in a time when America just started a trade war with us and threatened annexation.

For fuck's sake you guys are up for a referendum next year to separate which could lead to the destruction of both AB and Canada. Honestly, I think there's a good chance it'll pass simply due to voter apathy. We're in a threatened country, and even within our country, Alberta is threatening it.

Alberta has made it clear, maybe not you or yours, but Alberta has made it clear it doesn't want Canada. I lived in AB for over a decade, and it's full of good people. But good people mean nothing when they do nothing.

So you're hating on all of us because one person generalized? Curious.

I’m at the same time terribly sorry that you get so much flack for things you’re not responsible for. But you also you’re the one responsible for growing a patience bone and understanding that this is just how stereotypes work, and almost literally everyone in this world carries a few of these on their backs. Hope you can use this experience to empathize with how other communities struggle with their own stereotypes, and incorporate that in your activism.

But the contrary seems to be happening, you seem to be missing the opportunity to self reflect. You’re not respectfully asking for respect, so you won’t get much. I understand you might have some emotions running high right now, but then again you don’t seem to be giving others any leeway either.

Don't have much to add but sorry people were dicks to you and Albertans as a whole.

Left, Right, I think everyone is just so used to demonizing those with whom we disagree that folks lose sight that nowhere is a monolith and even the most Conservative province still has a huge number of Progressives (and vice versa.)

Thanks for pointing it out though. I definitely will casually drop a "fucking Alberta" when Smith starts shit and forget how that sounds to the million(s?) who don't support her.

I AM an Albertan, and I have a hate boner for Albertans. The hate is 100% brought on by ourselves, and 100% deserved. The absolute manure that spills out of our legislature on a daily basis is embarrassing, and what is even more embarrassing is that a majority of Albertans keep voting for it, over and over. Don't want the world to see you as inbred Maple MAGA hillbillies? Maybe quit acting like inbred Maple MAGA hillbillies then. Simple as.

Not the government, not UCP voters, but Albertans.

Sorry, I lived too many years in Alberta to distinguish between how Alberta treats the rest of Canada, and how Albertans treat the rest of Canada. Y'all got a cultural problem out there, and I was subjected to it for the better part of a decade.

I’m in an Albertan union. WTF is taking so long with this general strike? Our union voted in favour, I don’t know the percentage, and a friend of mine told me their union voted 93% in favour of it.

Québec: "Première fois?"

I think when most people say "Albertans" or "people from Alberta" (etc.) they mean "the democratic majority of people from Alberta", or "the stereotype of the right-wing Albertan". It's easier than saying "the majority of Albertans... " or "the stereotypical truck-nutting coal-rolling Albertan..."

I'm not saying it's right, but people do it all the time. Let me rephrase: many people have done it and it often happens. Even you said "people here have a hate bone for Albertans" because some percentage of people upvoted a post saying Albertans are pussies and a further (smaller) percentage downvoted your response.

I guess my advice would be to accept that they're "on your side" and not attacking you personally. But I know that's not easy. I have my own things I am (or was) a part of that get "hated" as a whole, so I know what it feels like to read those comments. (aka, not all programmers use AI to write their code, and even for ones that do, they don't necessarily want to.) And I can't say I've ever gotten past it - sometimes it's easier than others. But, I hope what I'm saying might help you.

Also, in general on upvote/downvote forums, I find it very easy to get a few downvotes for saying anything. Responding to explain why they're wrong to say that and that you're "one of the good ones" will always, always, get a bunch of downvotes. It doesn't matter what you're talking about.

Edmonton's cool. Calgary's aight. But I'll tell you that it's Smith and the UCP who are the ones that pretend they represent the opinion of all Albertans instead of the oil coal and gas lobby. And sure, many people don't agree with the fact that she's taking big government steps to prevent free-market renewables from taking hold or allow the tech industry to prosper and to use the support of a neighbouring city to put mining residue into other people's water. But the fact that this is happening under the Alberta populace's watch reflects poorly on them.

So anyway. Nothing against you personally, but if you want a better name for your home province than Texas-north, then you have to collectively earn it. Sign that petition thing (done), organize around a general strike (in preparation) and topple the UCP government (in election or via recall petitions).

I think that a big part of the problem is that many of the people who publicly identify as Albertans are loud mouthed, unnecessarily huge transsexual pick up truck driving, toxicly masculine, "alpha male", racist, separatist, "mah rights" spewing sovereign citizen, anti-vax tantrumist maple MAGAts.

I love the rest of you but fuck those guys.

It's like the old joke about lawyers: it's just 90% who make the other 10% look bad.

It's worth remembering that dividing the country and making us hate each other inherently leads to polarization, which inherently leads to completely unaligned parties succeeding each other which leads to wild amounts of waste and inefficiency from government as it swings back and forth between extremely different agendas.

There is a reason that our geopolitical enemies spend billions on campaigns to try and create division and hate. It truly does weaken us as a country.

I think a lot more people here are more sympathetic for Albertans than we’re given credit for. We all watched the run-up to the Battle River-Crowfoot federal by-election, and can clearly see there are lots of people that care for their neighbours and are working hard to break the mould.

Everybody loves a scapegoat.