Every movie that I saw had the same general plot. The heroine or (less often) hero ends up, temporarily, in a small town. The car broke down while on a trip or perhaps it was a case of attending a funeral in the old home town. Whatever the reason, the central figures are “movers and shakers” in a big city somewhere, itching to get back to the civilized world.
The Lure of the Simple Life
But two things happen, in every Hallmark Christmas movie. The restless visitors who couldn’t wait to leave meet a fellow (or a gal) who tugs at their heartstrings. In addition, and perhaps even more significant, they start to enjoy the less hectic, laidback, personally connected lifestyle and to wonder about the fast paced world they had found so appealing. Spoiler alert – but no big surprise – in every one of these Christmas movies the visitors forsake the city permanently and settle down in the small town to enjoy a new love, health, happiness, and a civilized life style.
Cities Dominate, or Do They?
Given the reality of the modern world, is Hallmark just indulging in nostalgic yearnings for the “good old days” when neighbours chatted across the back fence rather than having 2000 “friends” on Facebook? After all, study upon study emphasizes that cities and city regions are the key to a country’s competitiveness in the global economy. Cities have the critical mass, the concentration of knowledge workers, the innovative entrepreneurial approaches that are essential to a country’s survival. For generations, people have flocked to the cities – for jobs, for culture, for great restaurants, live theatre, and “the good life.” Cities are also the magnet for immigrants and have become increasingly cosmopolitan. As noted in the Local Government in Canada text (co-authored by a chap named Tindal), the result is an increasing polarization between urban areas that exhibit social diversity and rapid growth and the rest of the country with its socially homogeneous, aging population and low or no growth.
In spite of this distinct settlement pattern, small and rural areas have recently flexed their political muscles as a tide of right wing ideology manifests itself. Voters in major cities found themselves on the losing side in two major recent votes. The first was the decision to have Britain leave the European Common Union, the so-called Brexit vote. The other was the election of Donald Trump as the new U.S. President (although in this instance it was the Electoral College, not the popular vote, which brought Trump victory).
What are we to make of these contradictions? Are we seeing life imitate art? Is this the last gasp of the small and rural areas before they give way to the increasing population dominance of the cities? The answer will be found in political developments over the next few years and, perhaps, in next winter’s batch of Christmas movies on the Hallmark Channel.