The Meaning of Whitby

Welcome to Whitby, Durham's Business Centre.
Population: 110000

-Road signs upon entering the town

"You'll be Surprised! Just thirty minutes east of Toronto, Whitby is the Heart of the Region of Durham and the centre of your leisure time enjoyment. Whether you're planning a trip or staying longer there is something for all ages. Experience the many attractions, festivals and year round events."

-http://www.town.whitby.on.ca/tourism/index.html

To bastardize a quote from Lord Durham, for whom Durham Region is named, suburbanites "are a people of no history or culture; they are doomed to extinction." I have already torn away at the horrors of suburbia, but the meaning of Whitby ties closely into how suburbia was first engineered.

Lord Durham was in Canada for all of five months, after which he issued a statement on the 1837 Rebellions about how to resolve differences in Upper and Lower Canada. In the quote above he was referring to the French in Lower Canada, but it applies quite fittingly to suburbanites. Durham's report resulted in the unification of the two colonies of Upper and Lower Canada into one legislature, which did not really solve the problem of irresponsible colonial administration in the face of a rising middle class.

Like the Durham Report, suburbia has not solved the problems of the middle class. It has made them ignorant, dispersed, and self-centred. But we have already discussed that. Whitby, Ontario, is the epitome of suburban thinking. It is the very lie, almost intangible but very real, of a middle class utopia. From the first houses, to the streets, to the shopping centres, each square centimetre of Whitby was planned around the suburban ideal. Let's take a tour!

Downtown: Downtown Whitby is an oxymoron. It is composed of two blocks containing everything from a strip club to medical offices. Don't blink, you might miss it. Admittedly there are some older buildings, relics from an earlier age. But maybe that would bring downtown Whitby to a grand total of 6 blocks, including housing.

The Old Commercial District: Along Highway 2 (Dundas St.) from Downtown, you come across what might constitute a commercial disctrict. Tall signs with lights tower over the road, telling you to eat at Subway, Pizza Hut, and Licks. If you're not in the mood for fattening fast food, try the other mainstay of Whitby: car dealerships. There are at least 3 on this strip alone. From here we can go south along Thickson past where Wal Mart used to be. There's the Whitby Mall. Yah, it's dead inside since Wal Mart left. But the non-Wal Mart McDonalds is still there! To the right is one of our many strip malls. Like most other strip malls in Whitby, there's a grocery store. This on is called A&P.

The 401: Thickson Road will take you to Highway 401, Canada's biggest, baddest, busiest highway. Built in the 1950's and 1960's, the 401 has become the suburban superhighway to Toronto. All towns that annex it have easy driving access to the Big City. Thus they don't have to live near where they work. They can just drive for an hour west. Don't bother with the 401 early in the morning, or in the late afternoon however, there's too much traffic. Try Highway 2. Nope, that's backed up too. It seems all east-west roadways are blocked up at these times. Pubic Transit? What's that?

The New Commercial Districts: At the bottom of Thickson Road is one of the monster store complexies. Future Shop, Best Buy, Sears, and some other stores. They are all bigger than any other commercial building in Whitby, save Wal Mart. That includes the Whitby Mall. In fact, its probably better you don't see these buildings, they block out the sun and the parking lot is just hectic. Back up Thickson, north-like, and there's more to be seen! Houses, more houses, some houses, a gas station, and look! More houses. Isn't it nice that all those houses look the same so you don't have to stop and admire the architecture? I mean, uninspired, cookie-cutter design is what you people like, right? Ok turn left (west) on Taunton. Well, there's a new subdivision going up. And to your right is another subdivision, recently built. Past the mammoth school known as Sinclair SS used to warehouse suburban children, and there we are. A giant Canadian Tire, followed by Wal Mart. Isn't that just exciting. There are some other stores in this complex too, just as big as the buildings down on Victoria St. The Wal Mart is a mammoth of 'architecture', encompassing a box-like space capable of holding a football feild, RMS Titanic, and Rita McNeill all under one roof! The parking lot can accomodate (pi x the melting point of boron + Q) vehicles, and no public transit or compact cars will get in your way! Yet still, finding a parking spot is near impossible.

Brooklin: Let's go up Garden St. from Wal Mart, north again. Past the farms and into the tiny hamlet that thinks its separate from Whitby, which would actually make it a better place to live. About 10 years ago yet another subdivision went in, claiming some architectual relation to a Victorian community. I don't think vinyl siding was available to original Victorian communities. Yet here it is, the entire subdivision, that looks exactly like every other sibdivision, with vinyl siding. You might say Whitby went on a binge and vomited all over the poor old hamlet of Brooklin. Since then, Whitby has had a series of stomach parasites, tapeworm, and a good old glass of metamucil (keeps you regular!); the aftermaths of each can be found in Brooklin.

Back south to Whitby proper. Were we not just here? We're going in circles. Everything looks the same, with no distinguishing landmarks. No, sorry there are not any cultural institutions. No, we don't have any entertainment. Nightlife? Nope, the town shuts down at 8 pm.

Ok, so that's the tour. Were you surprised? I doubt it. Why does Whitby have a tourism board, or even a tourism website? Perhaps it's an inside joke. I have lived in Whitby from age 13 to 17, and since then coming back periodically to see the family and find work (university towns are terrible job markets for students). Having lived in the City of Kingston from age 4 to 13 and then 17 to 21, I have found, in my most hallowed, educated, scientific opinion, that cities are infinitely better than suburbia. I had the chance to get out, experience alternative ways of living. I'll never go back.

So what does Whitby mean? Whitby is the product of Highway 401, which is a product of the middle class desire to suburbanize; or both. But without the 401, all of a sudden Whitby has nothing to offer. There isn't really any reason at all for tourists to visit. It would not be easy either, with a joke of a train station and no port on the lake. I'd rather go to Ajax (next door, to the west) which at least has Camp X. Without the 401 commuting to Toronto loses its appeal entirely, and people would move to somewhere closer to the jobs. The meaning of Whitby is that it is the expression of late 20th century middle class hopes and dreams for a safe, quiet place to raise a family. The reality of Whitby is that it is a hideous wasteland of big box stores, broad roads, and mass produced houses. If you have read my discussions on THE HORRORS OF SUBURBIA and THE NORTH AMERICAN LIFESTYLE, you will find that Whitby is the epitome of all the vices, evils, and ills I have listed.

Whitby is populated by the standard suburbanite lot, doomed to sloth and ignorance. They are largely jerks, uneducated, unkempt, and do not see past their own noses. This is partially because Whitby is predominantly middle age, middle class, and white. It's funny, because the name "Whitby" originates from a Danish word meaning "white town". Sure, Whitby is not known for crime. That's because everyone in it is a spoiled brat. As for business centre of Durham, well, I guess that means Whitby is the centre for minimum wage service jobs. Is it a nice place to live? No, it's a desolate wasteland of houses, houses, and more houses. And a few strip malls, complimented by the ultimate expression of suburban consumerism, the big box store. Whitby offers nothing for intellectual or visual stimulation. It may appear alive on the outside, but inside there is no community, no integration. It is nothing but an empty shell of dismay. By persuing the middle class dream of home ownership, distinct property lots, and quiet neighbourhoods to raise children, suburbanites have isolated themselves and created artificial communities that are neither living nor breathing.

Whitby is that hope which turned into a false dream, a dead end. Whitby has no history and no culture, and it is doomed to extinction.

What does Whitby mean to the young generation who were and are imprisoned there? I will sum it up with our beloved nickname for the town: SHITBY.