Letters to the editor - May 21/2015

[scryer]

http://www.thecoast.ca/halifax/lette...nt?oid=4663807

Given that everything has a pinch of subjectivity to it; is this really the state of affairs that's going on? Reading through the comments and the original post... it's all pretty shocking from an "outsider's" point of view. Is there legitimacy to it?

[fenwick16]

Originally Posted by scryer

http://www.thecoast.ca/halifax/lette...nt?oid=4663807

Given that everything has a pinch of subjectivity to it; is this really the state of affairs that's going on? Reading through the comments and the original post... it's all pretty shocking from an "outsider's" point of view. Is there legitimacy to it?

Considering the language that the writer is using, Nova Scotia is better off without him. He is also out of touch with reality, considering the layoffs taking place in Alberta in the oil industry with low oil prices.

I get angry every time I read anything in The Coast. A legitimate media source wouldn't publish such a profanity laced rant from someone who seem to be totally self-absorbed.

[jslath]

Originally Posted by scryer

http://www.thecoast.ca/halifax/lette...nt?oid=4663807

Given that everything has a pinch of subjectivity to it; is this really the state of affairs that's going on? Reading through the comments and the original post... it's all pretty shocking from an "outsider's" point of view. Is there legitimacy to it?

I don't buy it- ignoring the language used, he seems like someone who expects the government to do everything for him. I've lived in Halifax, Ottawa, Toronto and now Sydney, NS. Oddly enough, my pay is higher in Sydney and cost of living is lowest compared to the other cities I lived.

[someone123]

It's clearly a silly rant, but there are a couple of common confused ideas in it.

The first is the idea that, if everything were right in the world, people born in NS would never have to move and would always have high or competitive salaries in every industry. I'm not sure this is true of anywhere on the planet, really, or at least anywhere in North America. It's also often a positive thing for people to move away for a while or permanently. People should get out and see the world for their own benefit, and NS needs more residents who have a wider perspective. People move away from Alberta, Toronto, New York, or wherever else too.

The second incorrect idea is that you're highly desirable as a worker and/or entitled to a high salary if you complete any post-secondary whatsoever. That was true in about 1920, when many people didn't even graduate high school. It is no longer true today. It's great that he's got part of an online correspondence arts degree from CBU, but that does not qualify him as a "steal of a human". I have met a lot of people lately who seem to have unrealistic expectations that they can take any degree they want and sail into a great career. We can argue over whether or not that's how things ought to be, but it's not how they are, and it's not how the economy is moving. Unfortunately, a lot of parents are also pushing their kids to get any degree possible even if it means taking on lots of debt. It is a recipe for disaster.

[Jstaleness]

Originally Posted by scryer

http://www.thecoast.ca/halifax/lette...nt?oid=4663807

Given that everything has a pinch of subjectivity to it; is this really the state of affairs that's going on? Reading through the comments and the original post... it's all pretty shocking from an "outsider's" point of view. Is there legitimacy to it?

I see others disagree with his views or statements. As a man in my 30's I admit the language would discredit this for many but I agree with about 90% of what was said. It's bad here in NS and me and my wife are also looking to move out of this province and do better elsewhere. Our government and citizens for the most part seem to have the...."Ahhh well, Someone else will do it attitude."

My wife and I both work full time, raise 4 kids together and buy local whenever we can. I take my kids out to pick up litter and we volunteer when we can. We do what WE can but don't see the favor returned by local or provincial governments.

[curnhalio]

He's an unquotable that's for sure. I think it's cute that he thinks all his hard work will be rewarded somewhere else. Even cuter still, he thinks it will be an immediate reward.

The grass is greener on the other side, because it's been painted.

[Drybrain]

Originally Posted by Jstaleness

It's bad here in NS and me and my wife are also looking to move out of this province and do better elsewhere. Our government and citizens for the most part seem to have the...."Ahhh well, Someone else will do it" attitude.

Allow me to be disagreeable and simply state that no, it's not bad here--but Nova Scotians have this outrageous grass-is-greener complex and imagine that life will be easier and better if they move away. To where is almost immaterial; the constant assumption is that to live here is to persevere in the face of hard times and hard luck. There's a cultural expectation of moving away for "a better life," even among young, white-collar Haligonians, as if were Cape Breton coal miners in the 30s. It's this enormously self-defeating insistence on our own inability to stack up, and boy has this writer internalized it.

That's all bullshit. Most parts of rural Nova Scotia aren't doing very well, but they're facing similar difficulties as one-note rural economies all over. And Halifax has some of the highest incomes and fastest job growth in the country, in a diversified urban economy. I've lived in Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto, and Vancouver. Finding employment, making friends, finding good housing has all been as easy here as anywhere, and easier than in some.

Whenever anyone writes something like this, the comment threads fill up with expats congratulating each other on leaving. And with people declaring anything they don't like--the most recent provincial budget being the most common right now--as evidence of the province's terrible state and hostility to the young (as if provincial governments in other provinces are especially youth-focused.) The bizarre loathing for the place is actually the only thing that makes me wonder if I should stay--will this internalized self-hate ever go away? Or will this sad-bastard culture of discontent persist? It is hard to feel energized about a place when the culture is so insistently and irrationally depressive.

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by Drybrain

Allow me to be disagreeable and simply state that no, it's not bad here--but Nova Scotia have this outrageous grass-is-greener complex and imagine that life will be easier and better if they move away. To where is almost immaterial; the constant assumption is that to live here is to persevere in the face of hard times and hard luck. There's a cultural expectation of moving away for "a better life," even among young, white-collar Haligonians, as if were Cape Breton coal miners in the 30s. It's this enormously self-defeating insistence on our own inability to stack up, and boy has this writer internalized it.

That's all bullshit. Most parts of rural Nova Scotia aren't doing very well, but they're facing similar difficulties as one-note rural economies all over. And Halifax has some of the highest incomes and fastest job growth in the country, in a diversified urban economy. I've lived in Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto, and Vancouver. Finding employment, making friends, finding good housing has all been as easy here as anywhere, and easier than in some.

It's not perfect, and depending upon your industry, you may well find more options elsewhere, but Nova Scotians have to stop bleating on about how hard it is here. It's not especially hard to live in Nova Scotia. Nova Scotians sure think it is, though. And that all by itself is part of our out- migration problem.

I think part of the problem is that we have universities that churn out graduates in degree programs that have very limited options for employment in NS. So, for example, you get a degree as a dietician. How many of those are actually employed here? Not all that many because we are a small province. The same is true for any number of other specialties, hence the attitude. Perhaps we need to look at our universities and tailor what they offer to the workforce we need.

The other thing is that people say we do not pay well here. There may be some truth to that, but it is offset of course by the cost of living in other locations. But the culture of defeat seems endemic here.

[Drybrain]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

I think part of the problem is that we have universities that churn out graduates in degree programs that have very limited options for employment in NS. So, for example, you get a degree as a dietician. How many of those are actually employed here? Not all that many because we are a small province. The same is true for any number of other specialties, hence the attitude. Perhaps we need to look at our universities and tailor what they offer to the workforce we need.

The other thing is that people say we do not pay well here. There may be some truth to that, but it is offset of course by the cost of living in other locations. But the culture of defeat seems endemic here.

I wholeheartedly agree on the latter point, much as I'd prefer not to.

As far as universities, it's true that we turn out far more grads than we have opportunities for, often in very niche fields. But of course we have far more university enrollment than our population warrants, because the province has become something of a post-secondary destination. So I'm less bothered by that, though yes, there are far too many people who seem to think that the very common difficulty young people have getting a foothold in the job market--especially with a liberal-arts education--is somehow a particularly local problem.

[OldDartmouthMark]

I wholeheartedly agree that if anybody is that unhappy with where they live, such as the writer of that letter, then they should move away and experience life in other places. Either they will get a dose of reality and realize that maybe life wasn't so bad in NS, or they will have a wonderful new life where they will be happy. A win-win for everybody.

Either way, the job market will be better for those back here who want to be here, those who have the imagination and drive to make a career for themselves vs waiting for one to fall in your lap. And the western provinces will get one more discontented maritimer looking for that deep-green grass.

All the related hand-wringing is somewhat inane, IMHO. I think NS is a great place to live with a bright future and those with the intelligence to recognize this will reap its benefits.