New England fundamentalism
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
New England fundamentalism is a term coined by noted anti-New England activist and scholar John Troxler of Connecticut. This term is defined as those primarily in the Boston, MA area which includes the city of Boston, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Maine. They share a common belief that a region known as New England is not only bound by their rules, but revolves around the city of Boston and any state historically attached to New England must remain a part of present-day New England identity. This belief system supposes a common culture, history, and an alleged "New England Metro area" that centers around the city of Boston.
New England fundamentalists assume that all states that became a part of what was once called New England must remain that way in this modern era. They assume that if you are culturally tied to and geographically connected to another region, let's say New York City, that you MUST be a part of New England - even you you have nothing in common with the region. These peoples are hypocrites and have an attitude similar to the British colonists who took the land and called it New England, ONLY to counter the Dutch who arrived at an earlier time. One could argue that this obsession of "New Englanders" to force other states in the United States to have allegiance to Boston and New England at any cost is a way for the city of Boston to have a greater influence in the US. It may also be a way for them to show an example of having a larger TV market.
[edit] Defining New England
The Wiki article introduction for New England is as follows:
"New England is a region of the United States located in the northeastern corner of the country. It consists of the states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
The region was inhabited by indigenous peoples when English Pilgrims, fleeing religious persecution in Europe, arrived nearly four hundred years ago, at the beginning of the 17th century. In the 18th century, New England was one of the first North American British colonies to demonstrate ambitions of independence from the British Crown, although it would later oppose the War of 1812 between the United States and Britain. In the 19th century, it played a prominent role in the movement to abolish slavery in the United States, became a source of some of the first examples of American literature and philosophy, the first region to organize free public education, and showed the first signs of the effects of the Industrial Revolution in North America.[2]
A person from New England is referred to as a New Englander. Together, the Mid-Atlantic and New England regions are referred to as the Northeastern region of the United States. New England is also a part of the greater U.S.-Canada Atlantic Northeast region."
By reading that alone, you would assume that New England comprises all of the mentioned US states without diversion, but this is an unrealistic and simplistic definition of New England.
Boston is one with New England
The current definition of New England that comes into the minds of most people are as follows: Boston, Massachusetts, Maine, Rhode Island and possibly Vermont. One state, Connecticut rarely comes to mind except in the minds of those outside of the northeastern US. One also thinks of stereotypical things such as lobster, white houses, coastlines, green land, wealth and a host of other things typically tied to the city of Boston and surround states. Boston, this city seems to be the stand-out for New England. Maybe it's because it is the only and last major city after New York City and before Canada? Maybe it is the only New England city that is widely know and has professional sports team for every major sport. The Boston Celtics are amongst sports most famous teams and is known for having the most NBA titles or any franchise. It should be noted that Boston is a city and no other city in the United States, save for Washington D.C. claims or assumes to be the capital of a region or any state other than its own.
A New England Culture
New Englanders claim to have a common culture. To an extent - they do. This culture comes into effect when speaking of the state nearest the city of Boston. Those states would be: Maine, New Hampshire and Rhode Island. These states DO revolve around Boston and are in fast driving distance. Aside from proximity, these states also share a dialect similar to the recognized "Boston accent." This language is notably absent in the States of Vermont and especially Connecticut. This is due to the fact that Boston is not near these two states and has absolutely no cultural, financial or geographical relation to Connecticut, but to a minor degree in Vermont. Vermont is indeed in the Boston "sphere of influence" as far as its sports teams go while CT is drawn to New York City and is in the New York City area for the obvious reasons of geography. It is at this point, that New Englanders disagree on. They assume and expect CT to be in harmony with New England in the same way that ME, RI, NH and MA are. When they do not see this, they resort to a process of "New Englandization." This process attempts to force New England/Boston culture on CT in order to remove it from New York and bring it into their territory.
[edit] The Methods of New England Imperialism
There are many methods used to form a sort of "New England imperialism." That is, assuming and forcing states or cities to be a part of this New England ideal. The methods used to reinforce their thoughts include the subjection or radio, TV, print media, the importing of New Englanders into neighboring states, Boston sports teams operating as "New England" teams, speaking of New England as owned territory separate from the United States, stores operating in some states and selling New England centered products and the constant reinforcement of a New England ideal through various businesses with blatant store signs that emphasize the words New England. These smaller stores usually have the words "New England" in very large letters, often eclipsing the actual name of the store.
