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So what both of you are saying is that if you are fine with being just average and living an average life than Canada is the right place. But if you wanna be a big shot and invent the next Microsoft then America is the right place. Right?
Then maybe I didn't phrase it quite right. When I talk to middle class, educated, professional Canadians, if the topic of moving to the States is ever raised, many talk about having to deal with serious violent crime in their immediate neighbourhood, or being ignorant about the wider world, or being obese, or being jingoistic, or not having healthcare, as if all of these things were totally inevitable, unavoidable aspects of life in the US.
Oh yes than you are absolutely right - that is WAY overblown... Its the same trash talk about Detroit.. While no I would not want to live in the city centre or even areas immediately around it, the majority of those in Metro Detroit - probably the most maligned place in the U.S still by and large do very very well.. This is the case with so many U.S cities.. You have these pockets where things are just brutal but outside those pockets the majority of the middle class and the smaller upper class are living just as well as we are..
So what both of you are saying is that if you are fine with being just average and living an average life than Canada is the right place. But if you wanna be a big shot and invent the next Microsoft then America is the right place. Right?
Things often do appear to be that way. I don't think fusion2 and I invented any new theories on here tonight.
Yeah I think a good question we should ask ourselves is are we giving our high flyers enough stimulation and opportunity to keep them here for their most productive years.
The short answer is no I don't think we are.. This isn't to say there aren't great opportunities for most but I don't think we're doing enough for everyone and especially those who are driven to succeed at the highest levels.. There's no easy answer but really, the competition is very tough - we are talking about the most technologically and economically the most powerful country in history.. On the flip - if we did do 'more' would that come at a cost to those 'less' driven.. I don't know the answer to that..
Oh yes than you are absolutely right - that is WAY overblown... Its the same trash talk about Detroit.. While no I would not want to live in the city centre or even areas immediately around it, the majority of those in Metro Detroit - probably the most maligned place in the U.S still by and large do very very well.. This is the case with so many U.S cities.. You have these pockets where things are just brutal but outside those pockets the majority of the middle class and the smaller upper class are living just as well as we are..
There is also the factor of what kind of society you want to live in, even if the not-so-good aspects of your society don't usually affect you personally this is a consideration for many people.
Obviously there are millions of Americans who share your views and mine (making assumptions here that we think fairly similarly) on what constitutes a just society, but unfortunately for them, for a variety of reasons in the U.S. they don't have their way as often as we do in Canada.
The short answer is no I don't think we are.. This isn't to say there aren't great opportunities for most but I don't think we're doing enough for everyone and especially those who are driven to succeed at the highest levels.. There's no easy answer but really, the competition is very tough - we are talking about the most technologically and economically the most powerful country in history.. On the flip - if we did do 'more' would that come at a cost to those 'less' driven.. I don't know the answer to that..
Yup. Every single country in the world loses a chunk of its best and brightest to the US. We just happen to be right next door.
There is also the factor of what kind of society you want to live in, even if the not-so-good aspects of your society don't usually affect you personally this is a consideration for many people.
Obviously there are millions of Americans who share your views and mine (making assumptions here that we think fairly similarly) on what constitutes a just society, but unfortunately for them, for a variety of reasons in the U.S. they don't have their way as often as we do in Canada.
This is one of the things that I actually care about too, as much as some people try to down play it. I'm clearly aware that the bad reputation that America has in terms of the stereotype: fat people, guns, school shootings, bombing other countries, it all has no affect on me at all. But in terms of just choosing to live in a country without such reputation and only has a reputation of being peaceful and civil is worth a lot for me. Not a whole lot, but a big part.
This is one of the things that I actually care about too, as much as some people try to down play it. I'm clearly aware that the bad reputation that America has in terms of the stereotype: fat people, guns, school shootings, bombing other countries, it all has no affect on me at all. But in terms of just choosing to live in a country without such reputation and only has a reputation of being peaceful and civil is worth a lot for me. Not a whole lot, but a big part.
So what both of you are saying is that if you are fine with being just average and living an average life than Canada is the right place. But if you wanna be a big shot and invent the next Microsoft then America is the right place. Right?
I think that's a bit simplistic... I could make a heck of a bigger splash in my workplace if I was driven enough to do so... With that said, its just not that important to me and I've just decided that i'm comfortable with my above average job/income making sort of big waves instead of tsunami's... I'm kinda lazy and spend too much time on C/D lol... So for me anyway, I think I'd have a similar level of success in the U.S as I do in Canada. Overall though, yes i do think if you are super driven than there are just more opportunities to make really good money and make a bigger splash in the U.S than in Canada when it comes to the world of work..
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