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Comment by HorizonXP | Hacker News Reader

I don’t think the “woke-mind-virus” superlative is conducive to the type of conversation we should be having but otherwise I fully agree.

Canada does nothing to promote home-grown economic prosperity. What is the value in adding those taxes and fees on a $10 part? Do we honestly believe that type of protectionism is going to create a bunch of jobs domestically?

Our GDP has grown mostly due to real estate. I work in tech and run a software-based business that does very well. But every time I look to secure new clients, I always look south. I haven’t been employed by Canadians in over 10 years.

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> every time I look to secure new clients, I always look south. I haven’t been employed by Canadians in over 10 years.

When I had a small software consultancy in Toronto (10 years back), we also primarily looked for US clients.

We had a running joke in the office that went something like..

Canadian client: here are my vague business requirements, tell me exactly what this will cost before we start.

US client: here's exactly how much money I have, let's work together to figure out how I can make the most of it.

There's such a conservative and risk-averse mentality in Canadian business, and it leads to a lack of trust and innovation.

One thing is definitely clear: Canada's federal government is sorely lacking in people who understand small business.

A business in my family was ineligible for COVID aid for the longest time because the business was too new to be paying people salaries. For some reason they decided the government drew an arbitrary line and said that businesses must have employees on salary to matter.

I can understand wanting to limit elegibility to legitimate endeavours, but it's not like the business was some kind of side-hustle being run out of the trunk of somebody's car.

> Do we honestly believe that type of protectionism is going to create a bunch of jobs domestically

It's somewhat ironic saying this in response to someone who because of the high price (he thought) he was going to have to pay he took his business to someone local.

It is, except that’s the short-sighted fallacy of this too.

He had $60. His options were: A) pay someone local to make it B) buy from abroad and save $50 to spend on other items to increase economic prosperity

Either way he gets his part. But without the inflated costs, he could have had more “stuff” and created other jobs.

We don’t employ switchboard operators anymore and our lives are definitely better. To me, protectionism would be like keeping operators employed even in the face of modern switch technology.

I disagree, I think those types of things need to be said and in more places than they currently are. It’s the only way to build momentum to achieve change. Sure, it might be uncomfortable but that’s a part of growth.

"Woke" was originally shorthand for "woke up to the fact that socioeconomics is not a level playing field", usually w.r.t. race but intersecting with gender and class.

Would you care to elaborate on how this is a mind virus, or responsible for the fees in the post?

Can't imagine you'll get a reply. The term, as with virtually all modern political terminology, quickly lost all meaning and just became a synonym for anything vaguely progressive.

I will always enjoy the irony of attaching "mind virus" to concepts with seemingly zero understanding or consideration. What could possibly be a better demonstration of a "mind virus?"

To me, it’s like making a clear, well-supported, and coherent argument, but nonchalantly adding curse words. It adds nothing, except alienating those who might otherwise have listened.

It’s harder to do, but I’d rather get to the future with everyone in tow, not just those that think or agree with me.

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