Close Reading

I grew up in India and moved to Canada despite having family in the U.S. because I did not want to go through the shit show that is American immigration. That said, with the housing situation and generally how expensive things are in Canada, after 15 years, despite being a tech. worker, I decided to leave the country. I moved to Japan and despite the shrinking economy and demographic woes, I feel quite relieved to be out of the unsustainable shit show that is Canadian housing. Not to mention the weather, the absence of any dynamism in society or its culture, plus many other factors. It's been over a year now since I'm out and I frankly don't see myself going back unless there is a sustained correction in housing prices.\n\nFurthermore, I think immigrants don't understand how exploitative the Canadian economy can be towards newcomers. The problem with living in Canada vs. the U.S. is not comparable really at the level of immigration. Canadian immigration is easier but the problems of living in a smaller, less economically and culturally dynamic, more expensive, colder country never go away despite you having quickly received the opportunity to settle.

Not having our own Silicon Valley isn't necessarily a bad thing. Silicon Valley has unfortunately grown its own culture bubble with some really bad traits. One example is the fake-it-till-you-make-it that spawns the likes of Theranos and Nikola. Another is dedicating resources to solving increasingly insignificant first world problems. If you see a startup and find yourself wondering just who on Earth actually needs the product or service it is offering, the answer is people in Silicon Valley with high six figure salaries.

8:15 there’s a reason for this. It’s a melting pot in America. Bringing all these different cultures together… but if too many from one country show up, they’ll make a community too large that they don’t need to melt with the population. There are Chinatowns and Little Italys and whole Mexican communities, but ultimately everyone has to interact with everyone else. Allowing 300,000 Indians to get green cards every year and only 1,000 Norwegians would lead to the Norwegians merging well with the country, while the Indians would all move to one or two cities and make entire sections of the cities like small versions of their own country. Which is the last thing we want. Once an immigrant community gets enough power to be a voting block, things are scary, but once it has enough power that they start getting their own representatives and passing laws for the rest of us? Laws the look like laws they had back in their own countries… that led them to run from their countries in the first place? It’s a concern. We want people to adapt to the USA and not try to adapt the USA to them. Over time, the US does change due to the growing voting blocs. But that’s after generations of those immigrant populations getting larger, and their children being born and raised in the country they’ve adapted to. When I see a protest of Muslim immigrants burning pride flags, or Chinese and Spanish-speaking Hispanic immigrants who never bothered to learn English, I see problems with our immigration system. But the kids of the Arab immigrants will be more tolerant, and the Hispanic kids will have grown up in American schools. Most Chinese-American kids might speak some Chinese at home with their parents, but they’re worse at it, and their first language is English. It takes second Generation immigrants to really start meshing with America. But if entire school districts are all Indian, and every store, restaurant, and business in a whole town is Indian, then those kids won’t adapt to America. They won’t get bits of their home culture from their time at home and with their neighbors, while also getting bits of American culture from their classmates and other people around them. Nope. They’ll only be exposed to the first Generation who completely took over the area- IF, we allowed for unfettered immigration from the largest countries. It’s a fact that immigrant communities like to stick together. But if not enough people are in that community that you need to reach out to others around you, it helps expose you to the rest of America… Anyway! There are a ton of shows that indirectly show this phenomena. Fresh Off the Boat. The Sopranos. Even Brooklyn 99. We see as traditional and hard-to-adapt parents have to deal with kids in the next generation who are more American, don’t follow the same customs and traditions as their parents, and overall just left more of their old culture behind. No one is asking that immigrants abandon their cultural ties, but if you come to America, there are things that people need to change and accept if they’re going to live here.

Some things to factor in - 1). American immigrants become citizens. This isn't true for almost any of these other countries. 2). American immigrants are disproportionately low skill. This is true in plenty of these countries. 3). American immigrants disproportionately come from the same cultural sphere, which makes their size more intimidating. 4). A second generation immigrant is not considered an immigrant. These countries just began allowing mass immigration. Americans have been allowing mass immigration all of our history. Including second generation immigrants, you have an immigrant population closer to 35% of the US population, true or false? And more than half of them have the right to vote, to fundamentally alter our nation. \nThere's also no way Americans believe that more than half of the country are immigrants. Almost all immigrants in the US live in a few specific regions. Most Americans see very few immigrants throughout the year. Perhaps, it was offset by the number of Americans surveyed who do live in those specific regions. Surveys tend to prioritize diversity and weigh the opinions of particular groups differently. If they tended to call urban area codes more often, and weighed the votes in proportion to size of the population that each group makes up, then the people saying 50% in say New York or Washington state, which represent many different groups will offset the people saying 5% in Kansas, which are all getting grouped into the older, Whiter cohorts. Most Americans under 18 are non-White. \nOnly 15% of Americans under 18 should be non-White, if America were an ethnically stable nation. Thus, 38% of Americans are recent (post 1970s) immigrants.

There are some exceptionally beautiful areas of the US. The coastlines of California and Florida are dreamy. The Grand Canyon is unbelievable. Many different beautiful states. There are also nice people, and amazing cultural spots. Lots of great things to see. But alas, healthcare, the prevalence of guns, and a very scary political atmosphere make it quite unappealing. Many parts of the southern US will also be unpleasant to live in as the climate warms.

As a Canadian, I and many of my fellows tend to see the US in several major issues, mostly concerning:\n\n- great innovative spirit and tech (pro)\n- crazy/insane gun access (BIG con)\n- school shootings (child safety - BIG)\n- Precarious healthcare access (BIG)\n- employer culture that thrives by abusing employees (BIG)\n- child labour to prop up a cheap-price economy (BIG)\n- women's rights (BIG)\n- political extremism, lobbies, and anti-democratic governance (the Electoral College is garbage, and the lobbyist-pandering and jerrymandering is nightmare fuel).\n\nI am sure most Americans are decent people, but their country seems to run so poorly, indifferent to their wellbeing, and itd economy is built on the suffering and abuse of the most vulnerable and desperate (wage theft, unethicalemployment practices, little real social support when things go wrong).

With your gun culture, politics and health care system in no way would I ever move to the US. There are way to many mass shootings happening all over the US and I can't see your gun culture ever changing to lower and make it safer to live in most parts of the US. Our Canadian political system may not be perfect but it's WAY Better then the US, how in HELL can Donald ever be allowed to run again for President after what he has done and have people still support him ??? \nJust a little over 20 years ago I met and became good friends with a young woman while we were playing an MMORPG. We spent most of our free time playing different RPGs over the years together. Around 9 years ago she came down with some kind of a illness and thank goodness she had healthcare through her job. The thing is though the system couldn't/wouldn't identify what was causing her decline in health. She went through all kinds of tests but became sicker and sicker in years to come. She died in October of 2021 but before she died we both wondered if the health care system was just milking her insurance and not really taking proper care of her. BTW she lived in SLC Utah. Going back to your gun culture though she felt safe living in SLC the mall she went too had a mass shooting and she also carried a pistol in her purse. ( she had a permit ) I have never known any woman in Canada who felt that she needed to carry a gun in her purse for safety.

You being shocked that gun violence in schools is this much of a sticking point for Canadians, but consider in Canada we don't have:\n- Metal detectors in schools\n- Armed school guards\n- Active shooter drills\n- Even the discussion of gun training for teachers\n\nI can understand we humans can get used to anything and don't see it anymore. But any of those things in a major culture shock for people outside the US.

First, I want to thank you for making this video. The health of a country, or the health of an individual which are clearly linked, is dependent on our ability to see ourselves and each other, and make necessary changes to improve in the areas that we lack personally, and as communities in our beautiful country of Canada and other countries as well. Well, it’s a work in progress. I appreciate how you’ve inspired us to speak about things that aren’t necessarily spoken about. At least not where I live and have lived in Canada. Thank you so much for that opportunity. It doesn’t matter about my opinion. What matters is sharing our own thoughts, feelings, and experiences because they aren’t debatable. \n\nWe are in violation of Multiple Human Rights violations against Inuit , Indigenous and Métis people by the United Nations. Most have no water to drink—not even boiled water and bottled water is available sometimes when it’s brought to reservations . Children don’t have the same access to books. So many thousands of bodies of children taken to residential schools from their parents arms and community for over 160 years yet the deep wounds aren’t given compassion by most people anymore and systemic abuse actively impacts them and therefore all of Us . We are all one whether we see people as other’ or not. We’re humans. \n They’re not seen in media unless it’s a bad story yet we’re only now teaching one mandatory class by non indigenous people. Solution: elders teach their grandchildren languages that weren’t erased by genocide and environmental /spiritual cultural practices and lifestyles before they’re gone by paying first people elders and streaming it into all Canadian classrooms so the children can see a future where they’re valued and all Canadian kids can get a full education and learn accurate history. Making canoes, baskets, sacred ceremonies, food growing (that they taught to pilgrims so they’d survive here), etc. No, I’m not indigenous. I’m an immigrant like all but the first people. They’ve an amazing culture that’s been all but lost . When we don’t see ourselves represented in any media, any careers, and start our lives in extended poverty based on our race, and all that was taken still today, it’s no wonder the teen suicide rate for indigenous youth is more than double / triple all non - indigenous youth. The numbers are growing. \nI live in Care due to my physical disabilities . An international nursing student worked for me providing personal care like showers, meal prep etc and over that year, she said she wouldn’t have moved here specifically because of a few things I’ve mentioned. She told me Canada was sold to people in her country of origin as a ‘multicultural’ safe haven without extreme racism still prevalent today and within our history. \n\nI’m ashamed of Canadian government promises for over 100 years that aren’t fulfilled. All children deserve healthy drinking Water and an education. Period. Especially, the ambassadors of this amazing land that they see as themselves without separation. That’s accurate. We will have nothing to stand upon if we don’t protect the earth. It will go on without us. \n\nI see many things in the comments I’ve seen or experienced, unfortunately. This is a beautiful country for so many reasons. It’s important that from such abundance we listen to your video, look at ourselves honestly and i feel, be the change we want to see in the world like Gandhi said.\n\nMuch love and healing from an All inclusive advocate. All life matters.

What's going on black peoples? Are we that slow you know and? I'm tired of seeing these brothers and sisters coming on YouTube warning us about white peoples and different regions of the glow like you should know already cause I. Don't study all f****** history and I'd like to play dumb and forget like this. S*** still doesn't occur till this date. So who's the j****** and who's the fool? It's a good thing that you warned us but every black man and every f****** black woman in child should already know that man she already knows this. S*** you young m************ are really are not in touch with your culture. Your heritage or your past and then at the same time your parents is awesome BS and don't tell you about this s*** I don't warn you. That's why I say man black people's man get your s*** together and stop f****** around out here when it comes to these racism s***

Even tho I don’t think this is correct, U.S people luckily finds themselves on a good position to see this just as people making a tantrum to enter the U.S, proudly I say I’m Mexican American and I’ve lived in Mexico and Brasil as well, non of those Latin American countries I lived is as bad as Venezuela and even like that I’ve seen some very messed up shit, they are countries with a huge culture and beautiful but on the lowest levels it’s a pretty dark place to be…so for the USA people here that is heavily throwing shit, be some kind of human try to understand at least , I get it, I don’t think this is the way neither, but they are not just people trying to invade to take over or whatever, I even saw a comment saying that they should shoot those Venezuelans, the world is a pretty messed up thing now, and luckily or unluckily we don’t really know a shit about it, they are DESPERATE it seem like they were violent and most probably some of them tried to get violent but most of them is just desperate people trying to have it better in their only and one only lives..worst yet, if you have a kid, imagine how worried would you feel for not being able to provide your kid with a good life… see the people in the front for example, they were people begging and crying, is being desperate for having something better, and this is a really biiiiiiig subject with a lot of issues, wrongs, misunderstanding… you don’t know how bad is going in Venezuela, not even me, but I can imagine it cuz I know how bad some people have it in Mexico, and they don’t know how them illegally getting into the US is going to affect the US, I try to get all points so I don’t think this is correct, this kind of events shouldn’t be happening, but I also understand, just to put it in perspective, I’ve talked with some people from Venezuela and they’ve told me some crazy stuff, quick example. McDonalds something most American people know …for one person only it can be around 15 - 20 bucks, in Venezuela, and I think minimum wage rn is around 6.15 bucks and if it’s good it can be around 20 - 30 A MONTH, now apply this formula to EVERYTHING, housing, bills, expenses and I think things in Venezuela for a little bit better not that long ago,so it was worst than what I just told you, imagine you finish college you have somehow of a decent life and for things you don’t understand and no one advise you of, next week your job, money is not even half of the value it had last week, imagine if it was you and your family, your kids…I don’t have kids but I know my mom would’ve done anything for trying and give me not even a luxurious life, but a kinda decent life, and I know most of people would’ve done the same, and not only for your kids, also your mom, dad, sisters, brothers and even YOURSELF…again, I’m not saying this is correct or it’s not I’m just saying at the end our surrounding make us do whatever we are doing….I get you not being okay with this, but try to be comprensible and not go straight into hate for this people. \n\nUnfortunately I wouldn’t imagine anything to solve this problem and I hope something better comes for the entire world right now …but I just doubt it…

Land of the Free and a home of the Brave. A sanctuary country right? We the people? Human beings are trying to enter into a free country. What's the problem? They are not dogs and cats who need paper work like licensing or A.K.C. Registration. When are we gonna get it right? I'm a black man in America. Yet I know Love lives matter. It's about the blood of Jesus. Sure let's do things decent and in order but I'm tired of seeing our people on this planet struggle to walk on free land. Let's continue to respect our Native American brothers and Sisters too. We have a history as mankind we must not go backwards. We gotta call on Jesus to help us find the correct way to do this people. Come on. We gotta humble ourselves and pray for specific problem resolution regarding immigration, freedoms, love and respect, cultural awareness, differences urgencies, priorities and authorities. IM TEARIN UP GUYS. ? I AM GOING TO GOD IN PRAYER. MY NAME IS JOSHUA. WILL ANY ONE TOUCH AND AGREE WITH ME? PLEASE DO. WE NEED SOME ANSWERS FROM GOD. A THUMBS UP WILL MOTIVATE ME AND INCLUDE YOUR HEARTS AND MINDS WITH MINE. OUR PRAYERS, OUR PRAYERS, OUR PRAYERS. I BELIEVE HE WILL HEAR US CORPORATELY. I HAD A VISITATION FROM AN ANGEL AND I DO KNOW THAT GOD IS WITH ME WHEREVER I GO. SOME THINGS ARE ONLY SPIRITUALLY DISCERNED. I'M NOT AFRAID ANYMORE. TOUCH AND AGREE WITH ME IN JESUS NAME, THAT THE WILL OF GOD BE DONE ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN. AMEN??????

Id love to see how these men react if we went to the middle east if we harrassed and persecuted their people for things we disagree with in OUR country? No matter that its their cultural birthground and they have every right to hold whatever belief thats stood for thousands of years with them, if they can harass our people for their life choices we should be able to fucking abolish their precious little cube and holy buildings if they think they can become missionaries and turn entire neighbourhoods into muslim ethnostates

In defense of Preach, I lived in the states for most of my life on the east coast. Been through the entire thing multiple times, lived in various areas and recently I moved to cali for 6 months before finally heading overseas to Japan. From my personal experience and even talks with other men who have been to even just only the east and west coast who live in the states; east coast women tend to be “rougher” than west coast women. The femininity thing is one angle sure, I think the New York style of talk is it’s own unique angle. But simply from a look’s perspective you are FAR MORE LIKELY to find attractive women on the west coast then on the east. I think a major contribution to this is the diet unfortunately. The diet on the east coast, the daily selections and just general culture around not eating clean really lends itself here. Many more overweight women on the east coast then the west. Overseas both coasts get blown out the water imho. Again largely due to what I suspect are better eating habits. Also what women wear around here tends to show better. America is really heavy on the yoga pants, buns in hair, etc. I rarely see that around here and if I do….. it’s an American women.

The unfortunate thing is, a lot of people can't talk about simple truths. And if you try to, you will be called a racist, because facts and statistics are racist apparently. But if you look at the crime statistics database, something like 90% of violent crime is committed by black and Hispanic men between the age of 18 to 45. If you removed that demographic from America, America would be like some future Utopian world where all we knew was peace. So those demographics need to be allowed to be talked about if we want to be able to find solutions and solve those problems. And no, giving reparations would never solve stop those crimes. It's a cultural things that's kept around by bad parenting, poor education, and their surroundings. Sweden is a perfect example where they had nearly 0 crime until they started letting in black refugees from all over. Grape, robbery, and assaults all went up by not 20, 30, 40, 50%. Not even 100%. Those crimes went up by like 400% or more. Women who had lived there their whole lives now had to walk the streets in fear. White men had to now be worried about getting assaulted or stabbed by immigrants who were hitting on his girlfriend in clubs. Or watch what he said back to a refugee who mouthed off to him trying to start shit. They are completely disrespectful and unappreciative of being allowed to live there and be given government assistance. This is how people become prejudice. They SEE how other cultures act and treat them, and they don't want anything to do with them because they simply fear for our safety.

I came from a 3rd world country in the Middle East. I thought Canada is a developed and first-world country like European countries, the US, Japan, South Korea, Australia, News Land, and Singapore with the western standard, and also I thought is one of the best. The first time 2018 I arrived in Vancouver, I was shocked. I saw a lot of homelessness, trash, crime, ugly urbanism, and rusty houses in downtown and east Vancouver. I saw, homeless people, pooping and peeing everywhere and it's so common. nobody cares. I was shocked again. I endured for 3 years but every day going worst. late in 2022I decided to move to the east coast because I thought that place has a stronger culture. I chose Montreal. I had heard it is the capital of art and civilization in Canada. it was absolutely wrong. Canada is Canada. I was shocked again, again, and again. the wave of homelessness, graffiti, vandalism, bad smell, terrible infrastructure especially roads in or out of the city, and above all, you can see trash everywhere. plastic bags, tissues, water bottles, and disposable cups. You cannot see any street or park or public place without these. This is impossible. surprisingly nobody cares. neither the people nor the government!!!!!!! please, don't be fooled by the advertisement about a good Canada. please, be careful. most of the things about a good Canada are deception. comparing Canada to other developed countries is wrong because Canada is only a developing country with a lot of serious problems. maybe a 2nd world country.

I came from a 3rd world country in the Middle East. I thought Canada is a developed and first-world country like European countries, the US, Japan, South Korea, Australia, News Land, and Singapore with the western standard, and also I thought is one of the best. The first time 2018 I arrived in Vancouver, I was shocked. I saw a lot of homelessness, trash, crime, ugly urbanism, and rusty houses in downtown and east Vancouver. I saw, homeless people, pooping and peeing everywhere and it's so common. nobody cares. I was shocked again. I endured for 3 years but every day going worst. late in 2022I decided to move to the east coast because I thought that place has a stronger culture. I chose Montreal. I had heard it is the capital of art and civilization in Canada. it was absolutely wrong. Canada is Canada. I was shocked again, again, and again. the wave of homelessness, graffiti, vandalism, bad smell, terrible infrastructure especially roads in or out of the city, and above all, you can see trash everywhere. plastic bags, tissues, water bottles, and disposable cups. You cannot see any street or park or public place without these. This is impossible. surprisingly nobody cares. neither the people nor the government!!!!!!! please, don't be fooled by the advertisement about a good Canada. please, be careful. most of the things about a good Canada are deception. comparing Canada to other developed countries is wrong because Canada is only a developing country with a lot of serious problems. maybe a 2nd world country.

I randomly looked at videos from downtown Manchester and Concord in New Hampshire - Philadelphia - Detroit - Chicago - New York - Baltimore - Denver - Atlanta - Nashville, and Knoxville in the United States, Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, and London in the UK, Paris, Marseille, Lyon, and Toulouse in France, Frankfurt, and Hamburg in Germany, Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane in Australia, Tokyo, Yokohama, and Osaka in Japan, Busan, Seoul, and Incheon in South Korea, Toronto - Quebec - Montreal - Winnipeg - Calgary - Vancouver - Victoria - Ottawa and Thunder Bay in Canada. we should be fair. The bitter truth must be accepted. Without any exaggeration. Completely impartial. I have to say that I didn't see a single piece of garbage in any of the other country's videos to convince myself. Without exaggeration, in all Canadian cities, you will find a piece of trash or garbage on the ground less than every hundred meters. It must have an important reason. I do not know. But this is a bitter truth. You can try. This country should be brought closer to its exaggerated claim. Certainly, some Asian countries such as Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and even Malaysia are much cleaner compared to Canada. Of course, we should not forget that Canada claims to be one of the 10 cleanest countries in the world. And cities like Vancouver and Toronto claim to be one of the 5 cleanest cities in the world. I am 50 years old and from a country in the 3rd world in the Middle East called Iran (with the most dictatorial regime in the world) and have traveled to 26 countries. Canada is far from its claims. At this time I live in Saint-Sauveur with my family. I work 5 hours a week as a volunteer person to clean the sides of roads, streets, national parks, and public places in the city. I lived in Vancouver for 4 years, this city is a disaster. when you drive or walk on East Hastings, Victoria Drive, Commercial Drive, West Georgia, Broadway, Main Street, Granville, and most places downtown, you never believe this city is in Canada. they're worst than some places in Africa or the 3rd world countries in Asia. I love this country and try my best to help. I came for peace. I thought Canada is a developed and first-world country like European countries, the US, Japan, South Korea, Australia, News Land, and Singapore with the western standard, and also I thought is one of the best. The first time 2018 I arrived in Vancouver, I was shocked. I saw a lot of homelessness, trash, crime, ugly urbanism, and rusty houses in downtown and east Vancouver. I saw, homeless people, pooping and peeing everywhere and it's so common. nobody cares. I was shocked again. I endured for 3 years but every day going worst. late in 2022I decided to move to the east coast because I thought that place has a stronger culture. I chose Montreal. I had heard it is the capital of art and civilization in Canada. it was absolutely wrong. Canada is Canada. I was shocked again, again, and again. the wave of homelessness, graffiti, vandalism, bad smell, terrible infrastructure especially roads in or out of the city, and above all, you can see trash everywhere. plastic bags, tissues, water bottles, and disposable cups. You cannot see any street or park or public place without these. This is impossible. surprisingly nobody cares. neither the people nor the government!!!!!!! please, don't be fooled by the advertisement about a good Canada. please, be careful. most of the things about a good Canada are deception.

I’ve been living in Canada for 5 years now and I can surely say that Canada is loosing it’s beauty. It’s high time government filters the immigrants it’s taking in the country and it needs to focus more on quality rather than quantity ?\nI love Canada and I feel bad seeing it shaping itself in an ugly way. \nI came from India 5 years ago and I can say this was the best decision but at the same time I feel Canada needs to implement this things to new immigrants coming in:\n\n1) Blend in the local culture and enjoy it the way it is and not try to bring the same chaos and stupidity from back home country.\n\n2) More stricter laws against violators (rowdy immigrants)\n\n3) Once they land they should be given an etiquette lesson and good briefing about Canada whichever airport they are on.\n\n\n4) Better speak English at all times so that everyone can understand everything with clarity.\n(P.S: please don’t consider this racist as Canada has people from all round the world)\n\n5) Cultural festivals need to be celebrated in own space keeping in mind the privacy of others and be courteous to others making sure they’re not bothered.\n\n\n6) Not trying to force others to believe your way or follow certain religion etc and be respectful of others. \n\n\n7) Stop complaining and ranting about things they can’t control and not pollute the environment by being careless. \n\n\nI see a lot of my fellow people making mess of things his beautiful country and hence i hope Canada implements the above points so we can have a better and happy society. \n\nCanada is a land of opportunities and yes it has got some flaws in the system but that’s not what we can control. Hence live and love it the way it is?? \nWe need to be thankful we get clean water here, no floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions etc.\n\n\nThank you Canada ?? ??

If he is khalistani.... No comment. We see them as terrorists. If normal Sikh, then they should not carry that knife openly. That thing must not be revealed. We all know it's part of tradition but you never show it openly in public especially in non indian area. They have the right to assume, and investigate because of cultural differences. Peace. Rot in hell if khalistani.

Canada, country of homeless and trash. I'm so sorry for Canada. Most things about a good Canada are not true, Including clean cities - beaches, and forests. It's a big lie. The first time I arrived in Vancouver in 2018, I was shocked. As soon as I left the airport door, I saw tissue, disposable glasses, and other garbage left in the city. The further I went, the more I saw them. Before I moved to Canada, I lived in Georgia, Armenia, Turkey, Serbia, The United States, and for a short time in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Netherland, Germany, and England, but I have never seen the amount of garbage that people leave in different Canadian cities. Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and Quebec are no less than Vancouver. Canadian and Canada Governments don't care about this tragedy. I think everything that says about Canada as a clean and powerful culture is not true. You don't need to travel to Canada to see this. Just watch some videos about walking in downtown Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and Quebec. You will find the truth. Impossible for you to walk in a Canadian city and you don't see the dark side of that. Everywhere you will see garbage. You will never see this in Europe, Australia, the United States, Japan, and Korea. This amount of waste is not even seen in Malaysian, Indonesian, or Thailand cities. It is impossible for you to use public transport and not see a lot of garbage at stations or on the route. You will be surprised to find a lot of garbage even in the woods - by the rivers and on the beaches in Canada. I wish the Canadians woke up and had no enmity with their country.

Canada has no culture of its own. People from all around the world gathered here to escape wars, political issues, or for economic reasons from their home country. When honeymoon period is over (around 5 years) they start realizing that leaving behind their own people, culture, festivals, food, etc was not a good idea. Life in Canada (maybe in United States too) is very monotonous and robotic. Years and years go by\nand people are doing same thing over and over. Weather is very unpredictable to plan out anything in advanced. Due to bad weather entire country is designed to be indoors. People leave their wooden houses in cars to work in buildings with no open windows. Unless you leave in core downtown you won't see people on road as everybody is either in their vehicles, in their house, or slaving away at work. To all people who are looking to relocate to Canada: If you are doing well in your home country then do not leave. Life in western countries look good from far but when you live here it's different. Loneliness and depression will be your biggest enemy. Stay in your home country around your own culture and people.

I hope you don't underestimate Europe's existing problems when i went to London 4 years ago i was shocked that it wasnt the place i imagined it to be no need to explain im sure you understand what i mean. Im an Asian immigrant, but i wasnt expecting that i couldnt even see a caucasian in London mostly arabs, blacks, indians, some asians i do not hate it but im just confused i worked in the middle east for 10 yrs and i was hearing arabic speaking everywhere, also asian language its like im in Vancouver or Surrey area. I thjnk its not an isolated problem probably your new to that place thats why you do not see the problems yet but i hope you made the right decision. All the best. The tax is really quite high but the Canadain government though with some flaws is still better than most countries believe me i have lived in Asia, middle east and been to places and met all kinds of people. One thing that seperates Canadian from most other nationalities despite the different ethnicities and races Canadians are generally nice and less violent and id rather have my kids grow up here than any part of the world. Oh yeah you should have tried luving in other provincea each one has a different experience ? i have lived in BC and Saskatchewan it was like living in another continent different culture and different environment but still most great people ?

Everyone's opinion will be different. I am black American. What u see now doesn't mean it's always been that way. When I was growing up in the suburbs of long Island, everyone was outside every chance they got. We kids made up games, jumped rope played in the parks went to the beach concerts etc. The adults, if lived in apartments including housing, sat outside and interacted. Neighbors in houses had block parties, new neighbor welcoming, and so on. One of the reasons at least in my community was that a lot of folks were from the south. Everyone spoke, knew each other in their villages. As time went on and more foreign born moved in things changed mainly because of difference in culture then in some places crime is bad. There's no one shoe fits all. It's different all over this big country.

Canada is what you make of it. You can arrive rich and end up poor and you can arrive poor and end up rich. In between that, you can have a great life that balances your needs. I’ve seen immigrants succeed simply because they see the opportunity in front of them . They worked hard in their own counties to stay just above the poverty line ,but when they apply that same effort here it pays off ten times greater. I feel that compared to a lot of immigrants, natural born Canadians come across as spoiled and a little lazy…we are. We haven’t had to struggle the same way someone from a poorer country might have. I’ve talked to people who’ve worked ten to twelve hours a day just to stay afloat. If you did that here you could make plenty of money to live and have some left over. As far as owning a house goes,yes it’s expensive . I feel that homeownership in any country is relatively expensive. Here is a tip; use that soaring home prices to your advantage. Houses are expensive but you can make a lot of money buying and selling. I recommend putting together a buyers group and share the house for a few years, then sell at a profit, buy a bigger house or two smaller houses.try to buy the worst house in the best neighbourhood and fix it up slowly . That house could double in value in five or six years in the Toronto market. This is nothing new of course ,the people from India and China seem to do this a lot here ,it drives up prices and profits. On the downside to this ,you are now part of the problem. As the housing prices are driven up the non wealthy can no longer afford to own a house . They are at the mercy of high rents with no rewards of ownership. They are caught in a cycle of hard work and (relative)poverty. This could also be you if you can’t keep up the house payments and are forced to rent.\nHow well you speak English is important but your native language is also useful here because Canada is half immigrants . As a Canadian that speaks only english (Irish descent)I have to say to all newcomers that I’m very impressed that you have learned a new language and that you may even speak more than two! Don’t be embarrassed about your abilities . I find that in my experience , Canadians do not look down on people just because they don’t know English. In fact ,I’ve known people that have lived here for decades and still know very little English. They are comfortable in their communities and they function just fine. Learn as much English as suits your needs and be proud of any gains you make.\nOutside of Toronto are other cities that you might consider when looking at southern Ontario.From my experience,most are generally the same, just not as big . There are large immigrant communities in London Ontario, Hamilton and just outside of Toronto where housing is just a little bit less expensive but the commute to work is probably longer. This is just my opinion but in the small towns there are less people of colour , (which is what people of no colour call everyone else . I wonder if I’m called a person of no colour in some other culture ? LoL ). That might make it harder for you to feel integrated ,if that’s what you want. I’m not saying that people from other cultures can’t make it in a small town , I’m just saying that it’s definitely not Toronto . Here, people of any nationality can feel like they have a place where they can belong . It seems that no matter where you are from ,there is a community already here that’s set up restaurants and stores and clothing shops and newcomer support systems. And if your from Portugal or China or India or Africa or the Middle East, there are large groups of your kin here that have established roots for generations and you probably know this already.\nToronto means meeting place and that becomes evident quickly. I was born here and it’s one of the things I love the most about my city. I’m not going to say that there isn’t systemic racism here ,the people of no colour still kind of keep the top position , but as we become a minority in a decade or so ,I hope that will shift to a broader spectrum. It’s certainly happening already. One good thing is that the police department tries to hire people of colour so that racialism may play a smaller role. We’re getting used to seeing our politicians more and more reflect their constituents.\nI have to talk about the weather. Because I’m from here I’m used to the extremes of minus thirty and plus thirty . Eventually you get used to it (somewhat). Dressing in the right clothes is important. Summer is easy , but winter is different. It’s trying to kill you. Spend the most that you can afford on winter cloths . If you can afford a quality parka you should get one. The hood can be drawn around the face and stay out of the wind.\nIf not ,think of layers with a outer layer that blocks the wind. We have things called long Johns that are basically full length thick cotton or nylon pants that go on under your pants and a pair of extra thick socks. Buy your boots to fit your thick socks. Try to get the best boots you can afford ,it’s something that you might spend a little extra for but never regret.\nAll in all we are a fairly organized and peaceful society. Most people are friendly and will give you a chance . We have a good social safety net here and you don’t have to be homeless or starving if you don’t want to. There are people and organizations set up to help ,that truly try to get people back on their feet. It’s a good investment that pays off in ways that matter for the quality of life in a big city. I’m not putting my American neighbours down when I say they do things differently. They have their ways ,we have ours. This is just something that we do because we’re trying to learn how to help those that society has discarded or can’t find their place. Sure we have one or two areas where the homeless have pitched tents and we have some resources for them if they want. Unfortunately The mayor recently forced a small camp to move from a very visible place to more scattered locations. There were social workers involved as well as protesters trying to protect them. I didn’t like that happening and I want to see even more resources dedicated to them ,but on the other hand ,we are trying to avoid something like what happens on the streets when it’s just ignored. When I see YouTube videos of the streets of Philadelphia I’m extremely saddened. I thank the lucky stars that I was born in Toronto Canada.\nFor all it’s pollution and expense and crowds ,I think it’s a great place to do almost anything your heart desires . For every ugly building there is a beautiful park ,for every honked horn there is a birds call , for every cold and dark day there is beautiful sunny one around the corner.

I know Canada is not perfect and I find you’re a bit hard on the red maple leaf... just because you don’t find the same things as your native country. It’s like\nfrench people coming from France, going to Quebec province an complaining about the food, the weather etc... well we’re not France, sorry to say! But I can\ntry to understand your situation; it’s probably inevitable that the comparison between your country and Canada would show up eventually. I see regularly \nimmigrants moving here and it’s true that it’s not easy. (Some people will have to be cab drivers because they can’t find work in their field). But you have\nopportunities if you work hard. I have the example of a Russian truck driver who move here with his family (wife, two kids). The man started by working for\na general transport company, then was able to buy his own truck. Now he’s able to work with whoever he wants. So I think every experience is different.\nOne other thing I noticed is that for families coming here it will always be easier for kids (even teens) to adapt quicker then their parents. I live in the east\n(the maritimes) and there is not very large cities. Some immigrants that come here will stay for a while but then they would move to a larger city (like\nToronto) because that city must have the most ethnic diversity in Canada. For cultural differences true that Canadians are like Americans in the «none»\nfashion trending. It’s a different mentality then Europe because over there fashion is a statement; you are judge on your appearance. Here, not as much.\nIt shows you don’t like winter and if you don’t your not a real Canadian! :-) Don’t generalize, a lot of people here like winter. And for taxes I don’t have a clear\nexplanation other then we have a huge empty country that needs roads, infrastructures, etc. and someone has to pay for it! (fun fact, all the population\nof Canada could fit in a country like Poland... it shows how empty it is here). Finally, and I heard this many times, maybe the people or the part of the\ngovernment to blame is Immigration Canada. Maybe they give to much of an idealistic image of Canada! I truly hope that all will be fine for you here.\nDon’t forget that you can make a change to the society; if you don’t like it, you can make it better! Cheers! (Sorry for this long message)

What I have noticed all my life living in Canada is Caucasians don't like hearing the truth about anything where they are feel they are being made to look like the villain, but the objective is not to make anyone feel like they're on trial but to start acknowledging that this is going on regardless of if you've ever experienced/seen it or not. The reason Caucasians don't see it is because of what they call White Privilege. Caucasians will never have to deal with the subtleties of racism that minorities face everyday because they will never be treated that way even in other countries they visit or live. Many Caucasians aren't aware that stereotyping is racism as you will notice them say the weirdest things and make really weird assumptions like calling a Korean woman Chinese or mistaking a Hindu or Sikh for someone Islamic, which you should never do. Cultural insensitivity happens here because many Caucasians don't care much to learn about another culture and because of this there's it's creating even more issues. The race problem is Canada is huge and people are trying to say that it isn't but in the coming years more and more evidence is going to come out to the point where it will be irrefutable and there will either be a reform or civil war.

To me, a democratic society is an equal and just society for each and every citizen. Freedom is where every citizen has all their civil rights in that democratic society. This means we should be valued and treated equally under every circumstance.\n\nI'm a Canadian and I can see we are not doing that by over-policing black and indigenous communities, by denying indigenous communities the ability to participate in Canadian society with their own culture in tact and by our biases about people with other ethnicities, like Asians and East and West Indians.\n\nWe may not be bad as the US, but we are still doing these things. It needs to be addressed and rectified if we ever want to be a truly self-aware, equal and just democratic society for every citizen.\n\nRegardless of the political party we support, I can't fathom why every citizen would not want an equal and just democratic society for themselves and their fellow citizens, as it improves everyone's lives.

when I see a goup of ten people, and I have experience with nine of them totally destroying an apartment or stealing, I'm going to assume it is a cultural thing and the tenth person will likely behave same

And mostly people in the comments are talking about immigrants so your problems about immigrants syrian or etc , not about muslims ? why do you attack to islam please come and visit Turkey. Arabs and most of us muslims but our cultures are definetly different. You just see some muslims and think everything about islam, you don't think about cultural things.

Call me whatever, but India has been dealing with this for a very long time, probably since 1980s. I dont hate islam but I dont love it either. Let's just say that I wouldnt buy a house in Muslim neighborhood. It has been a nuisance to India since a long time, every time we screamed in UN for help. We got shut down until the problem reached world wide. People say it started happening since Iraq and syrian war which is slightly incorrect. This problem has been there since ages prior to war, It just manifested on a high level recently. There are so many examples...This religion feeling which later turns into violence starts with your own house, your upbringing and your own values. If a kid is used to seeing his mom being suppressed then when he grows up, dont expect much from him. Now every community has this issue but in Muslim community it is engraved in you the moment you open your eyes on planet earth. You cannot defend the argument when someone says Women are suppressed in mulsim culture. The most hurtful thing happening is in UK. A country which gave you food, shelter, respect, a better life. You are trying to impose your values on it? As a matter of fact, good muslims should come out openly and boycott these terrorist who are trying to create chaos if they really want to show good intentions but you wont see any (for obvious reasons). They often cry about they being a victim but what about other people?? If all good muslim come out and boycott bad muslims then that would be a thing to appreciate and notice. In last you cant clap with one hand! Remember that.

Muslims do not will not and do not want to assimilate, respect or uphold our western traditions, values, rules or laws...they need to go back to their home where they can live with the same sick mind set class of people. I have always said, as I too have been very involved with Muslims as my ex husband was Muslim, Muslims have no neighbors, they have no love or compassion, they cannot do not and will not be a respector of any Christian beliefs or values of any kind, Why do they want to live in our free countries when they despise freedom. They are not here for freedom, they hate freedom of every kind. it is very clear from the Qu'ran, that I have read. They hate our culture, they despise our free speech, they despise Christian's they despise our dress (apparel) they despise any form of woman's rights. When I lived in Egypt it was extremely rare to see a woman ride a horse, drive a car, ride a bike or go swimming, or even jogging. I was a rare exception because I was American and did all of the above, however none of my female friends could or would do any of the things that I just mentioned. Ask yourself, why the hell are they coming to our home lands?!?!

This might be similar, but a little different. I've been language profiled before, just for speaking my mother tongue. I'm bilingual, english is a second language to me but welsh is my first and primary language. There's a notion that that some languages are redundant, not even worth speaking or learning. \n\nSometimes being different is a good thing, but why do people mock us for being ourselves?\n\nIt's not how a person looks that counts it's the who they are as an individual that counts. \n\nQ: Get rid of the label that you pin on someone, what else do you have left?\n A: a human being, who has more in common with us than we thought. Believe it or not people are interesting. Diversity in life, cultural backgrounds & experience makes life fun! So, let's see if were able to help others in a good way, not a problematic negative one.\n\n(sorry if this turned into a rant)\n\nNadoleg Llawen a Blwyddyn Newydd Dda!\n\nMerry Christmas and a Happy New Year!