Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Ok i'll let you guys revel in this one of a kind Boston only experience... I'm sorta doing an eye roll here but will leave it at that..
Why would you want to compete and replicate that elsewhere? The education elitism is a major negative. The "school dropping" that goes on and puts up barriers, especially in certain fields is very real.
Why would you want to compete and replicate that elsewhere? The education elitism is a major negative. The "school dropping" that goes on and puts up barriers, especially in certain fields is very real.
I don't find a type of education elitism in my work place and I kind of like it.. People just exchange ideas and if they are creative than it doesn't matter what your background is, it will be explored further. This isn't to say there isn't a competitive spirit of course - which is highly beneficial to a team as long as certain members don't think the are the team.. Regardless of their talent - these are the type that need to be cast off the island for a bit.
I don't find a type of education elitism in my work place and I kind of like it.. People just exchange ideas and if they are creative than it doesn't matter what your background is, it will be explored further. This isn't to say there isn't a competitive spirit of course - which is highly beneficial to a team as long as certain members don't think the are the team.. Regardless of their talent - these are the type that need to be cast off the island for a bit.
Yup and that was my point. It is a challenge people like Jonathan faced that he most likely would not have faced in Toronto. Thankfully he came out the other end stronger for it. But it can get pretty bad at times, heck its even pissing off the Chinese and spreading to China (“Bostonian” elitism in China irritates the country’s other college grads – Quartz)
I would have LOVED to have experienced Yorkville back then Bru.. Penny Farthing eh... I trust its no longer around...
Well; it was a hoot but lost flavour in a very short time span.
Perhaps googling "Rochdale College" would give you an insight into how things were VERY different then. What a place that was; they had their own security at the entrances to that high rise and once in, you sorta prayed your destination was on an upper floor because you'd get stoned the further up the staircases you went.
Used to joke with the 'henchers' that you'd already sampled the merchandise available on your way to your connection and liked the blend wafting from floor number 12 best.
Imagine a whole high-rise building immune from police raids but selling grass faster than a sod company.
Yup and that was my point. It is a challenge people like Jonathan faced that he most likely would not have faced in Toronto. Thankfully he came out the other end stronger for it. But it can get pretty bad at times, heck its even pissing off the Chinese and spreading to China (“Bostonian” elitism in China irritates the country’s other college grads – Quartz)
Well I definately think there would be a form of educational or even other aspects of elitism in some workplaces in any large city but to the extent of Boston, probably not.. As a city, there are few places I can say pound for pound have as many top rated and illustrious institutions of higher education. My former CEO was actually a MIT graduate.. The current one is Canadian educated but most of his work experience was in HK.. They both have their strengths and weaknesses of course. I suppose working in such an educationally 'elite' environment would have its benefits in a what won't kill you will make you stronger sort of way. Such labels are almost always a distraction. I've worked with a Bostonian tech company before - would I classify them as a tad arrogant, I must say a bit yes lol so you do have to engage with some assertion...
Interesting article btw. There is an interesting documentary on CBC about Bo Xilai and his rise and fall.. Quite the wife he has as well - maybe ex-wife now lol.
Well; it was a hoot but lost flavour in a very short time span.
Perhaps googling "Rochdale College" would give you an insight into how things were VERY different then. What a place that was; they had their own security at the entrances to that high rise and once in, you sorta prayed your destination was on an upper floor because you'd get stoned the further up the staircases you went.
Used to joke with the 'henchers' that you'd already sampled the merchandise available on your way to your connection and liked the blend wafting from floor number 12 best.
Imagine a whole high-rise building immune from police raids but selling grass faster than a sod company.
Wow interesting.. Honestly i've only read about it vaguely and a bit before my time - sorry Bru but yeah i've read that back in the 60's and 70's Yorkville was sort of like or was our equivalent to Haight Ashbury in S.F.. Its funny, now you know what is Yorkville and is almost the antithesis of that aka the "Mink Mile"
Really the hip parts of the city have moved west but I can't imagine them now equalling that magic and edgy time that was Yorkville when it was your stomping ground.. That can be said of the gay parts of the city as well.. Sure we've gained all these rights which are a good thing but I can't help but think we've just become too boring and well - generic...
I will google Rochdale College and see where it leads me on this cold and very Snowy Toronto February night..
Ok i'll let you guys revel in this one of a kind Boston only experience... I'm sorta doing an eye roll here but will leave it at that..
Early/middle stage private funding is a very niche industry, invented by Harvard alum and hence very Bostonian in it's roots. After NYC and London, Boston ranks third on planet earth. Working in this industry is very "Boston" as it is a mecca for this world, maybe think of it as going to Hollywood to do acting. The exact role I had doesn't even exist in Toronto because the industry is so tiny here in comparison. So it was a very unique experience. Edward and yourself discussed "education elitism" which is another unique experience here.
I've listed several things before that have also translated into very unique experiences that I never encountered much in Toronto but I don't have the time to do a dissertation on each. One can never fully understand a local culture until you live it. And you'll never fully "get it" by being a tourist (which doesn't mean you don't learn anything btw) because you don't get underneath the surface enough, it's just not possible.
And living in another North American city can provide platforms for both unique cultural experiences and entail many personal challenges too. It has for me. I know you won't fully appreciate what I'm saying but perhaps one day you will want to move somewhere else and try something different. Then you'll experience the excitement, struggles, challenges, and personal growth that come along with it. I think you can definitely do it (no one is saying you can't) but I also think you'll be a different person in the end too.
Last edited by johnathanc; 02-08-2015 at 09:43 AM..
I have the best answer to this question that encompasses everything:
Greener grass.
It is more basic than that in my opinion.
I lived in Canada and returned to the United States. Canada is a fine country for "old people". If you are young, creative, different, and willing to take risks Canada is really a poor choice. I think most young Canadians that leave recognize that. It is why they leave and never return. They almost, without exception, have fond memories about Canada.
Here was my eye opener about Canada. It is just a small portion of an article that talked about Canada. But I think you will get the drift.
Shortly after becoming an American citizen, I started my junior year at the University of California, Berkeley. At that time it was probably ground zero for the native anti-American movement. It was unbelievable to see American college students carrying the red flags of communism. To my parents, the hammer and sickle on the Soviet flag symbolized death and famine.
I was still unsure if I was an American, but I was quite sure that the solution to America's problems was not socialism. Canada started to become attractive.
Foresters always have a strong attraction to blank places on a map. Canada had a lot of blank places. Canada felt like the frontier country that America use to be. Friends who had moved to Canada to go to school all spoke well of the country.
Confused and unsure of America's future and my own, I decided to move to Canada to attend graduate school.
Canada, while appearing to be similar to the United States, is a very different country. The first clue was when I changed my greenback dollars to the multicolor Canadian bills. There on the front was a picture of her, the Queen of the Commonwealth. When I went to the post office, there she was again beaming down behind the postal clerks. I remember thinking, "Who elected her queen?"
I was thinking like an American.
In response to the kidnapping of government ministers, the Liberal government in Ottawa imposed press censorship throughout the country. I read the Vancouver Sun with big white spaces on the front page where articles had been pulled.
Nobody complained or demonstrated. It dawned on me the First Amendment did not apply north of the border.
I had a hard time adapting to Canadian society and even a harder time with Canadian higher education. As I walked into a seminar on forestry research, little did I know this presentation would change my life.
A graduate student spent 10 minutes talking about the historical differences between Canada and the United States. He pointed out that Canada was founded by a corporation - the Hudson's Bay Company. There was no revolution in Canada and its independence was at Britain's insistence, rather than Canada's. He joked that the reason Canadians have socialized medicine is it began as a corporate benefit. Like most businesses, the emphasis is on fitting in with the corporate culture. Creativity and individualism are not encouraged, but solid contributions to the existing state are.
This is why Canadian research is focused on practical application and also why scientific breakthroughs tend happen in the United States.
An individual will take more risks than groups or committees.
The United States was founded by revolution, brought on by the overriding principle of individual rights. People of this "new world" feared government would impinge on their rights as individuals. So the United States became a country where people felt pride in their government, but also kept guns to use against that same government if their individual rights were trampled. When people became fed up with their government, they headed for the frontier to live their lives as they saw fit.
During that brief lecture, I realized I was never going to fit in Canada. Being born in one country, raised in another culture, and educated in a third, you are always sure of being different. I needed to live in a country where individuals are valued and given the opportunity to make a difference.
Shortly after that lecture, I packed my truck, stuck Allman Brothers into the tape deck and left Canada playing "Southbound" at maximum volume.
There is room in North America for both countries. For years, I had a very poor opinion of Canada, but as I get older I am starting to recognize that people are different and Canada does suit a lot of people.
I am glad that they could find a country they were comfortable with living there. Canada's youth is also lucky that they can relatively easy move to the United States.
While I agree there is a certain lack of innovation in Canada, this is 2015 and it isn't as if there were no innovation.. Youth and any citizen in Canada don't need to look to outdated notions or generalizations as a way to quell their own creativity, entrepreneurial or innovative spirit within.. If you really want to get more 'basic' as you call it, it has more to do with the fact the U.S has about 10 or 11X the people than Canada and the economy to match and that all in a 1st world package..(Canada is a first world modern country btw - some in here seemingly seem to forget that). This is the most logical explanation for a rather small exodus.. Its the sentiment you are preaching though that is not helpful however, because it instills this notion that if you are creative, entrepreneurial or innovative there is no outlet for that in Canada. There is and there are so the generalizations on either side of the border really are tiring.. We are a more global world now anyway, if there is any group that would be keenly aware of that in 2015, it would be the youth and that is going to continue to be the case. I'm not going to go and research individuals or companies in Canada that are innovative, creative and who are are started out as entrepreneurs and startups - but newsflash they exist!!
Having said all that, I do think Canada does need to have a renewed spirit that is driven towards stronger innovation.. For far too long we have been resting on being resource rich and while this is a great thing, complimenting our small population with being resouce rich and improved innovation is a very strong recipe for a prosperous Canada.. In the coming decades you will also potentially see a shift towards Canada becoming in relative terms a more important economy due to global warming - it will very possibly be one of the few nations that will actually benefit as unfortunate as that may be given the circumstances.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
but yeah i've read that back in the 60's and 70's Yorkville was sort of like or was our equivalent to Haight Ashbury in S.F.. Its funny, now you know what is Yorkville and is almost the antithesis of that aka the "Mink Mile" 