We love hockey, all Canadians do. But we REALLY love it. In Newfoundland you may no longer be born into a political party but you certainly are born into an NHL franchise. A well kept secret, however, is our love for Don Cherry. While the mainstream, mainland fan has become more and more disenfranchised with the Hockey Night in Canada star the traditional Newfoundland fan still has held a generally positive view of the often opinionated xenophobe. We have appreciated his support of the hard nose player as we often view ourselves as the rough and tumble type as well. We have also been the benefactor of kind words from him. He has seen in the Newfoundland image an underdog who follows the unwritten rules of honour. For this we have supported him when many others have not. This all changed when he made a tongue in cheek joke about the seal hunt and those who enjoy its product.

Regardless of what he meant or whether he meant it all, the lesson to be learned from it is prevalent throughout the entire seal hunt argument – we will not be judged and demonized by a people ‘outside’ of our culture who do not in many ways understand it. Lets be honest, most modern Newfoundlanders do not eat seal meat. They definitely don’t rely on it for sustenance. So why will we attack anyone who opposes it? Why would we set the social networks ablaze with disgust for a man who we have supported through many other incidences of offence? The reason is the other offenses didn’t attack what we see as part of the Newfoundland self image.

We should not desist from this passion, but instead we should nurture it further. The pride expressed through the large monetary investments in recent years in seal skin clothing should only be the beginning. Lets not just spend our money to defy the ‘mainland’ disdain for something they do not understand like the seal hunt but lets extend it further. We as a people have come to the realization that a lot of the mainstream propaganda does not take our point of view into account. The opinions you see built into nationally programming do not reflect us -it reflects our Canadian cousins. When we sit here, on the Rock, and hear people speak of the seal hunt and we know in our minds and hearts that they don’t have a clue what they are talking about we should then become suspect of many other emotional appeals made by these groups. The seeds of Newfie pride are planted in all of us but it is now time to focus that growth.

We as proud Newfoundlanders have tools at our disposal which have been shown in the support of the seal hunt. We have our spending power first and foremost. We consume goods and services everyday. Go to an Icecaps game, the Avalon Mall or any other place where Newfoundlanders gather and look at the number of seal skin boots, coats, gloves etc. It is literally everywhere and none of those items are cheap. The person sporting it had to put serious purchasing power on the line to show what is as much a political statement as a fashion one. We also have our entrepreneurial spirit. Newfoundlanders have historically been full of entrepreneurs as many industries here were entrepreneurial by nature. We didn’t have opportunities so we made them. The same has been evident in the fight for the seal hunt. How have we responded to a political environment that makes this industry dangerous to the bottom line? We innovated a long list of ways to not only create jobs and wealth but also to support a part of what we deem to be important to our self image. Finally, we have political power. The same isolation that has bred the immense culture here also allows us to move to the beat of our own drummer. While we may not always love our elected officials, we will back them against Federal representatives more times than not. This ability to unite against outside forces means that if we apply our pride more stringently and appropriately we can produce a powerful political voice that is in harmony with our beliefs. We can move mountains as long we focus and nurture our Newfie pride!

The same pride that has been uniformly evident in talks of the seal hunt needs to spread to many other areas for the modern Newfoundlander. Not to diminish the seal hunt issue, but we as a people have many other, more poignant definers of our self image that are being trampled by outside forces who understand as little about the area they trample as they do about the seal hunt. The guttural reaction to celebrities telling us about clubbing seals is an indication of where and how we need to respond to many other ideas being buried under the rubble of consumption. Lets not seal our faith as a people united in our past but rather breathe new life into it as a people who stand united in our future!

#IAMNEWFOUNDLAND

#IAMNEWFOUNDLAND: Defining The Self Image of the Modern Newfoundlander is a weekly blog, with a new article every Wednesday, that focuses on the modern Newfoundland experience and how we interpret it into the greater tapestry of our Self Image as a people and a culture. Visit our blog on our website (www.iamnewfoundland.com), Facebook or Twitter (@IAmNewfoundland)

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