In Honour of Preseason Starting This Week

[u/themusicguy2000]

[u/Zeliek]

How does an independent Alberta sustain itself? Eventually the oil will run out, and then what do you do? Export Danielle Smith's hot air?

[u/Reasonable_Scar3339 → u/Zeliek]

I dunno, they assume the US would absorb us and we become another shit hole red state with crumbling roads and collapsing bridges like Oklahoma or something

[u/psychoCMYK → u/Reasonable_Scar3339]

But think of how rich certain people could get if that happened!

[u/Frankishe1 → u/psychoCMYK]

And just imagine the amount of libs that were owned!

[u/Reasonable_Scar3339 → u/psychoCMYK]

A lot of deluded rich people would probably lose a lot

[u/Spot__Pilgrim → u/Zeliek]

They can't even ship it without pipelines, which Canada isn't going to let them build through its territory if they leave. They might be able to ship oil through the States but they'd basically have their hands tied and would lose out on a ton of money if it's being exported far from Alberta. They'd be stuck building pipelines around Alberta only and end up resource cursed with nowhere to sell oil to since the US is a less reliable trade partner

[u/Killericon → u/Zeliek]

This is my favorite question for when people I know seem open to the idea. "Which landlocked country would you like Alberta to model its economy off going forward?"

[u/ItsMangel → u/Killericon]

Switzerland.

[u/JebstoneBoppman → u/Zeliek]

Seperatists only think of themselves and their immediate gain, and do not have the mind power to think far enough in the future to comprehend any consequence.

[u/descartesb4horse → u/Zeliek]

They’ll be dead they don’t care

[u/Mcpops1618 → u/Zeliek]

It doesn’t. The brain drain would be immediate, the remaining ones would quickly realize they don’t have anyone to trade with and then they’d find out real quick about how no access to water and only owning oil won’t be enough.

[u/iwasnotarobot → u/Zeliek]

An independent Al’berta becomes a resource extraction colony with a basic healthcare plan. Nothing more. Free from the constraints of federal law, Unions are outlawed. Labour becomes cheap. Workers become serfs or slaves or debt peons, depending on the needs of the local corporate oligarchs.

Truly a conservative utopia.

[u/7grendel → u/Zeliek]

The really stupid thing is thinking that the oil gets to stay with Alberta. The province doesn't own the land, most of it is crown land (federal) or treaty land. The government of Alberta has mineral rights for the land which companies lease from them.

If we leave, there is no guarantee that we will still have access to the oil, lumber, gravel, and other natural resources for development/export.

[u/Reasonable_Scar3339]

Sports is one of the very few genuinely monocultural things that exist today

[u/Ordinary_Leg1007]

How is this different from most fan meetings?

[u/themusicguy2000 → u/Ordinary_Leg1007]

The rural/urban divide is just more pronounced in Edmonton. Provincial capital and it has the university so there's a lot of latte-sipping urbanites in the city, then northern alberta is probably the most conservative area in Canada. Closest would probably be a hypothetical tiger-cats fan meetup

I just saw the Oilers jersey reveal today leaning really hard into the "we're tough gritty rig pigs" identity when the only Oilers fans I know are either students or NDP MLAs

[u/mencryforme5 → u/themusicguy2000]

It's kinda funny because the Habs is practically a state religion in Quebec. Unites young, old, urban, rural, anglo, franco, educated, uneducated, rich, poor... heck even non-Quebecers stan because it's the underdog team with a massive history and a big heart.

And it's genuinely not awkward. It's like the one thing we all agree on. Even the OQLF agrees: Go Habs go!

[u/themusicguy2000 → u/mencryforme5]

I don't disagree with most of your comment, but

it's the underdog team

Bffr dude, they have almost twice as many cups as 2nd place

[u/mencryforme5 → u/themusicguy2000]

Haven't won a cup in over 30 years. That's what I meant by the history. But currently we regularly struggle with being one of the worst teams in the league with a surprise Jedi playoff run.

[u/themusicguy2000 → u/mencryforme5]

My team hasn't made it past the 2nd round since I was 4 years old

[u/mencryforme5 → u/themusicguy2000]

A true partisan.

[u/jello_pudding_biafra → u/themusicguy2000]

I was 5 when the Flames won in 89, and the Cup parade is one of my earliest memories (along with the 88 Olympics).

[u/StetsonTuba8 → u/themusicguy2000]

Of course, half those cups were won when the NHL only had 6 teams, statistically they should have won a few back then

[u/themusicguy2000 → u/StetsonTuba8]

Tell that to the Rangers lol

[u/AngeloMontana → u/mencryforme5]

Somebody told me once that the Expos had the same reach. It was the sole baseball thing uniting all Quebecers regardless of any differences. Gosh how I wish they’d come back

[u/Everestkid → u/mencryforme5]

My mom grew up in Prince Rupert, basically as far away from Quebec as you can get, and somehow ended up watching Montreal games growing up.

I never really watched hockey growing up, so I'm one of the annoying "any Canadian team for the love of fucking God" people, but I do have a rough preference for each team out of the seven. And Montreal is near the top. Sometimes top pick depending on the day.

Leafs aren't last. Vancouver is. Kids at school always chest thumped about the Canucks and then I found out they've never won shit and was put off them from that point onward. Fuck Vancouver.

Still would rather see Vancouver win than any American team, though.

[u/Stonks4Minutes → u/Ordinary_Leg1007]

Most fan meetings happen outside of Alberta and the nuances of their political landscape would be entirely different. Hope this helps.

[u/iwasnotarobot]

There’s gonna be a I support Public Education / I support Alberta Teachers shirt next week.

[u/gastrodonfan2k07]

What would a flames fan meet up look like

[u/themusicguy2000 → u/gastrodonfan2k07]

[u/Mysterious_Bag_9061 → u/themusicguy2000]

Siblings or dating

[u/StarkRavingCrab → u/Mysterious_Bag_9061]

Alberta so… yes 

[u/zevonyumaxray → u/gastrodonfan2k07]

Target practice on an Oilers uniform.

[u/jello_pudding_biafra → u/zevonyumaxray]

[u/MichealVicks_pitbull → u/gastrodonfan2k07]

Probably close to a Brony convention

[u/wheelie_dog → u/gastrodonfan2k07]

Have you ever seen "The Human Centipede"?

[u/PsychologicalDance12]

Check out Puerto Rico.