We're going to have to wait until Boomers age out to get any form of common sense government. They've absolutely been the most damaging generation and will leave a wake of destruction for future generations to recover (or not) from.
In this case, it strikes me as a bad idea because there are advantages to having people - both parents and children - mix across income-levels. It fosters empathy, increases cultural knowledge, broadens social networks.
My impression is that the pickup truck as status symbol began with a Back to the Future product placement. You may recall that the character Marty lusts after a 1985 Toyota SR5 Xtra Cab.
I saw the movie in the theater and, at the time, found it strange that anyone would have a work vehicle as a dream car.
they were mowing down civilian and military leadership
Which 'civilians' were targets? Are we thinking of the employees of state television or Evin prison? It's unlikely the average Iranian shed tears over them.
For perspective, the Iranian protesters themselves have been burning down state television buildings this week, not to mention mosques, police stations, and other centers that the regime uses to control the people.
Nobody is talking seriously about sending foreign troops to rescue the protesters, but some strikes to take out regime targets would be welcome.
In 50 years, if the roles are reversed — if Iran has transitioned to liberal democracy; if the US has continued down the path of authoritarianism; if Americans are rising up to regain their freedom — then, yes, hopefully Iran will return the favor, and lend a hand.
Thank you. I nearly posted the exact same link when I submitted this video, because the interview sugarcoats that. I decided against it because I like what I have seen of Reza Pahlavi so far, and didn't want to suggest otherwise.
I honestly can't see a difference in housing sizes between Canada and the United States -- we've got the same McMansion sprawl all over the place here -- so strikes me this person's mother is just like every other human, and bad at statistics and handling their own biases.
The US does have a higher rate of wealth inequality than Oz and here in Canuckistan tho.
Yes, that's why I found 'house size' a strange complaint. The three countries in question have comparable square footage - the largest-sized houses in the world.
The inequality is what she’s reacting to. Most people in my extended family are professionals or business owners. That class has a lot more money in the US. Top 1% in Canada is $315,000 while in the U.S. that’s outside the top 3%.
Yes, it's absolutely the case that people in our profession and adjacent do a lot better in the US than here.
And the situation for working class Canadians isn't great either right now -- housing prices have skyrocketed. Tariffs from economic warfare are destroying the labour market. There are many aspects about our situation that are inferior.
But guess what -- that has fuck-all to do with how we perceive the relative value of our country or the pride or love we have for our homeland and love.
No, the majority of Canadians don't see the US as the world's best country because the wealthiest there make more money than the wealthiest here.
I worked at Google in Waterloo for 10 years. At any point I could have packed up and moved to the Valley and transferred to Mountain View. I had jobs before that that could have taken me to the US on transfer, as well. I chose not to. Why?
During part of that time, after Trump was first elected, I saw lots of expat Canadians who had been working for Google in the US return and transfer back to our office. They came back and earned less, and the choice of projects in our office was slimmer. But they chose to. Why?
Love of country, of culture, of family, of nature, of the land, nostalgia, familiarity. What came up often when I spoke to people coming back was a strong distaste for the idea of bringing their children up in the American education system with its extreme degrees of inequality, status seeking, elitism around "Ivy League" and ranking of schools right from kindergarten. Values on the whole unfamiliar to the same degree among Canadians.
Expats in particular, and immigrants who primarily migrated for economic reasons... yes, I'd naturally expect them not to understand this POV. I even meet plenty of new (often temporary) Canadians using Canada as a convenient springboard before their "final" migration choice which is the US. Not sure I like that, but that's their choice.
My father is also an immigrant, from Germany. He came here for the nature / wilderness. He's intensely critical of the politics and economics here and where he lives in Alberta, and there's many things in those respects he prefers about Germany. But he has love of land, and Canada is his homeland, because of the peace and love he finds in the rivers, the forests, the muskeg.
I love my people and country I imagine in the same way or similar way Greenlanders love theirs. The size of the McMansions has no bearing on it. Canadians by and large don't walk around proclaiming theirs the best country in the world. We are not interested in our superiority. But we will defend our home, same as any other.
The original point stands -- to talk about "greatest country on earth" and then act baffled or smug about why others wouldn't want to join it -- is nothing but schoolyard bully logic. Like picking on the weird or weak kid in the playground, and then proclaiming that as a moral virtue. This Greenland stuff, and the rhetoric heard about Canada this past year as well, has exposed the very darkest underbelly of the US. One we have seen here many times over 200 years, but many Americans seem blind to.
I know some that did move to the US for economic reasons only that have moved back to Canada because of the way the US has changed during their time there.
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