The city collectively behaves this way. There are absolutely great and ambitious people, but city writ large has an inferiority complex. Look at the way leaders, organizations, and public figures talk. And look how people bend over backwards in justifying their reasons for staying. There's so much posturing. Folks routinely won't shut up about this "world-class" thing, which gets applied all over regardless of merit or content.

The Eglinton Crosstown artwork is "world class". The white elephant Scarborough subway? It's a world-class project. Don't forget about the Bloor bike lanes, which offer a world class shopping experience for residents and tourists alike. How about Toronto's perpetual underachiever of a waterfront? It's A World-Class Gathering Place for All. Don't worry though, one day it will have visionary world-class architecture. It's what a world-class city deserves.

Or maybe look to ArtworxTO, a world class public art exhibition. And Lanterra Developments, who with every new condo they build will commission new public art that will depict the vibrant, diverse and multicultural ethos that has made Toronto a world-class city.

I'm not saying any of this stuff sucks or that every single person thinks like this. I'm saying everything is way, way, way oversold. The public sphere is full of "fake it 'till you make it" sentiment like this and the reality is inevitably modest. They know their audience and this obsession with all things "world-class" is clearly trying to scratch a deep-seated itch.

Let's talk about how Toronto's finally a world class city. Or Seven ways to make Toronto a world-class city again. Or 8 Ways Toronto Proved It Is A World-Class City In 2016. Should Ontario Place be a spa or a world class park for all Ontarians? Don't forget that One of Toronto's airports was just ranked among the best in the world, and Toronto ranked one of the smartest cities in the world! These are all nothing one-offs, but they keep getting written.

The Beaverton has satirized it on multiple occasions: Toronto voted best city in the world by people who’ve never been anywhere else, New York Times ranks Toronto as #7 best tourist destination, #1 most likely to never shut up about it. There's a grain of truth to these jokes.