What's wrong with Canada?
Mar 19th 2009, 2:50 am
#454
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 14,227
Re: What's wrong with Canada?
Consumer goods are priced to maximize the sellers profit objectives. Costs, including taxes, have little influence on the selling price.
Edited to add: The thought process is not "this costs x to make, lets try to sell it at x + 20%". Rather it is "the punters will pay y for this if we market it this way. Can we make it for y less 30% or better? Yes! Go for it".
Edited to add: The thought process is not "this costs x to make, lets try to sell it at x + 20%". Rather it is "the punters will pay y for this if we market it this way. Can we make it for y less 30% or better? Yes! Go for it".
Mar 19th 2009, 11:51 am
#455
Assimilated Pauper
Joined: Mar 2005
Location: Ontario
Posts: 40,022
Re: What's wrong with Canada?
Competition is only lacking in goods where there's direct government quota and/or price control, such as agricultural products, or ones where the demand is small, such as fashion related goods. The latter is a function of having a small and diverse population, there just aren't that many people in Canada who can tell which clothes are fashionable in Paris or London and those who can are spread all over Montreal, making distribution expensive. Same with cheese, saris, sports cars, ska records, not enough people in one place want these things so they're expensive to obtain; I expect the same would be true if we were literally 500 miles up the Limpopo.
Mar 19th 2009, 2:18 pm
#456
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Oct 2008
Location: Perth
Posts: 6,781
Re: What's wrong with Canada?
It is. However there is real ethnic tension there, just as in Sydney. One of my boyfriends was constantly on guard in his suburb, which was predominantly lebonese (he wasn't). Being abused as a whore for wearing western style clothing by groups of men in cars in parts of Melbourne. And then there's the dinky-di aussies and their regular use of 'wog' 'abbo' etc. which doesn't help.
Yep, overall, it's way more in your face in Melbourne than here. Never ever been abused here for dressing like a western woman. And in your face use of racial slurs as part of normal conversation - I don't here that here.
My favourite (sarc) was the engineer and manager of a large project who said that abbos had interbred with apes on their way to australia. yes, really. in public. in front of all the staff.
I temped a lot around Melbourne and I came across attitudes like that regularly.
Yep, overall, it's way more in your face in Melbourne than here. Never ever been abused here for dressing like a western woman. And in your face use of racial slurs as part of normal conversation - I don't here that here.
My favourite (sarc) was the engineer and manager of a large project who said that abbos had interbred with apes on their way to australia. yes, really. in public. in front of all the staff.
I temped a lot around Melbourne and I came across attitudes like that regularly.
My understanding is that Canada is the most diverse nation in the world and Australia follows a close second.
Australia is one of the most politically correct nations on earth(stiflingly so)hence am surprised the comments you say was made by that manager to his staff...these sentiments maybe felt by some....and i expect quite a few ,but rarely expressed in public.
Australia i would suggest as improved leaps and bounds with ethnic acceptance.(among general population)
Worst critique i can think about Melbourne is perhaps a slight arrogance with regards to people there thinking they live in the best city (perhaps the world)and express a little too loud that they are more sophisticated than others in that country.
It is often said Canadians are ..nice..people Perhaps a little more reserved than Americans and Australians but have an equal degree of patriosim.
Problems would appear at least from the outside as similar...over priced housing medical system under strain ,education issues,violent crime(seems bad in Van)cost of living.Except there of course you have a very cold winter
to put up with it..must be difficult for the elderly there?
Hope you continue to enjoy Canada..wonder if you will stay there or return to NZ??
Mar 19th 2009, 2:25 pm
#457
Assimilated Pauper
Joined: Mar 2005
Location: Ontario
Posts: 40,022
Re: What's wrong with Canada?
One example was that we often saw people beating their children in public, a raised hand brings the cops here. Another was that my OH ceased to be a person, if she bought something the shopkeeper or tram driver would give me the change. I was twice congratulated on her tits.
This was all great fun but if you think public displays of racism and sexism are stiffled in Australia you certainly aint ready for Canada.
Mar 19th 2009, 2:48 pm
#458
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 9,606
Re: What's wrong with Canada?
Eh? During our visit we were hugely amused by the things people could do and say there. Things that would be out of the question in Canada.
One example was that we often saw people beating their children in public, a raised hand brings the cops here. Another was that my OH ceased to be a person, if she bought something the shopkeeper or tram driver would give me the change. I was twice congratulated on her tits.
This was all great fun but if you think public displays of racism and sexism are stiffled in Australia you certainly aint ready for Canada.
One example was that we often saw people beating their children in public, a raised hand brings the cops here. Another was that my OH ceased to be a person, if she bought something the shopkeeper or tram driver would give me the change. I was twice congratulated on her tits.
This was all great fun but if you think public displays of racism and sexism are stiffled in Australia you certainly aint ready for Canada.
Mar 19th 2009, 3:10 pm
#459
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Oct 2008
Location: Perth
Posts: 6,781
Re: What's wrong with Canada?
Eh? During our visit we were hugely amused by the things people could do and say there. Things that would be out of the question in Canada.
One example was that we often saw people beating their children in public, a raised hand brings the cops here. Another was that my OH ceased to be a person, if she bought something the shopkeeper or tram driver would give me the change. I was twice congratulated on her tits.
This was all great fun but if you think public displays of racism and sexism are stiffled in Australia you certainly aint ready for Canada.
One example was that we often saw people beating their children in public, a raised hand brings the cops here. Another was that my OH ceased to be a person, if she bought something the shopkeeper or tram driver would give me the change. I was twice congratulated on her tits.
This was all great fun but if you think public displays of racism and sexism are stiffled in Australia you certainly aint ready for Canada.
Contary to a lot of expectations of it being so laid back which is, i think a little over done..lot of neurotic people around and there is an edge of (usually repressed aggression )
Wonder where your OH experienced such sexist behavior??Aussie men can be a little,shall we say awkward around women,perhaps this is partly shyness?
But i would have thought those attitudes would have discarded long ago.
Looks like there still red neck ockers around(usually in the country)
Is Canada really so different??
Mar 19th 2009, 4:35 pm
#461
Binned by Muderators
Joined: Jul 2007
Location: White Rock BC
Posts: 11,685
These days people congratulate me on my tits, which is even more disconcerting.
