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Canada ranked as 2nd best country in the world. (www.cicnews.com)
submitted 3 years ago by to c/canada@lemmy.ca
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Despite what Canada's nation hating extreme right would have you believe.

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[–] 48 points 3 years ago* (15 children)

As a Canadian expat, these sorts of surveys are an embarrassment. Canada is not that great. It has some good things going for it, but "second best in the world" is a laughable statement.

  • The wealth disparity is terrible
  • Nearly every inhabited patch of land is a suburban hellscape.
  • The government is routinely dedicated to accomplishing as little as possible, especially on climate
  • The fossil fuel lobby is embarrassingly strong
  • The cost of living is extreme for many, with little effort to reign it in
  • The country suffers from an inferiority complex in relation to the US of all places.
  • The electoral system is broken

I mean, I love my country, but I've seen a lot of places that I'd rather live. The idea that we're 2nd best compared to even half of the countries I've visited in the last 10 years is just silly.

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  • [–] 16 points 3 years ago

    I can really relate to this. I lived outside of Canada for 25 years. I recently-ish moved back to Canada and am totally blown away by things here. Life isn't always amazing in any place you pick on the planet, but god damn, Canadians need to stop contemplating their collective belly button lint and focus on some of the massive issues that need attention.

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  • [–] 4 points 3 years ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (9 children)

    [deleted]

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  • [+] 23 points 3 years ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 child)
    [deleted]
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  • [–] 1 point 3 years ago*

    I've had similar experiences in several cities in the UK, Austria, Paris, Amsterdam and even a trip out to the nurburgring To be frank, the friendliest Europe experience I've had was Kosovo but that was on business vs personal with the rest of them so I'm not sure that didn't affect my experience in Kosovo.

    I agree completely with what you're saying. Living in a progressive state is a far different experience and we should avoid generalizations of countries without specific context and understanding.

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  • [–] 6 points 3 years ago

    Well she wasn't in the nordic countries at least, public transport can be subpar but is almost always servicable and gets you anywhere (we have on-demand minibuses for rural areas), the only part that could apply is being seen as rude because we don't greet every person within our field of view..

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  • [–] 3 points 3 years ago* (last edited 3 years ago)

    Sounds like your girlfriend did the typical North American thing of visiting "Europe" by hitting a bunch of major cities and sticking to the touristy centres.

    • The Netherlands is gorgeous, quiet, and safe, but if you don't wander further than one or two kilometres from Amsterdam Centraal, you'll never see that. Rent a bike and ride through Haarlem or Utrecht if you want a proper experience.
    • Brussels has some of the best food I've ever tasted, but you have to break away from the tourist traps first.
    • Athens is an exciting, "young" city with ancient treasures literally on display in the subway stations. You'll never see that if you just wander around the Parthenon. The food everywhere is great too, though the best spots are usually well outside the touristy areas.
    • Paris has some really exciting stuff happening with cycling right now, and the view from Momatre is amazeballs. Yes, the locals can be rude, but fuck it, take the train and get out of the city!

    Which brings me to the other important point: Europe is not just the (impressive) cities, but rather a continental patchwork of interconnected but distinct cultures. Have breakfast in a B&B in Arras before you trek out to see the Vimy memorial, then board a train and be in Nyon by dinnertime where you can sit on a clear blue lake and munch on baguette. Hop on the train again and you're in Torino, Venice, or Florence which is just gorgeous. I had the best pizza in my life there in a dodgy little place at 1am.

    Stay a few nights in Warsaw and take a stroll through the old city. Gobble some perogi in Krakow and then push yourself to visit Auschwitz. Then take the train across the now undefended border to Berlin where you can walk the path of the former wall, and the next night go for the best danishes in the world... in Denmark.

    Seriously, your girlfriend is out to lunch if that's her impression of "Europe". You two need to take another trip and rethink your priorities.

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  • [+] [S] -14 points 3 years ago (2 children)

    First world problems.

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