This makes so much sense, it would be a huge loss for those educated (paid for by public funds) to just up and leave their home high and dry.

Canada also has an income tax so I do not know why there are complaints. I think maybe the anger comes from the fact that Doctors are “supposed” to make a shit-ton of money (only if you’re super senior) so when they don’t people get weird about it. I do not think my step dad is aware of the embargo. Anyway, I am glad Cuban doctors help those abroad and at home, they’re really amazing and I do not know why their movement is seen as “”extortion.”

That was my immediate thought too regarding the cab driver. Like, yeah, the embargo makes it so the country is poor so the people have to do extra like getting tips from tourists! This is done in so many other countries too.

Thank you so much for the resources, I do have a lot of questions so I appreciate this a lot. I know that what was said to me was propaganda but wanted to know more so I can better combat it.

If that’s the thing he’s complaining about that’s fucking crazy. It sounds like a typical income/travel tax which we get over here in Canada too!

It’s very frustrating because he understands that there’s a problem but blames the wrong people. I do not know how to go about deprogramming him, it’s tough because of age and temperament. He’s a good person but very misguided regarding politics.

I think my step dad’s mentality is that because unions demand wage increases and benefits, that means that companies are spending more on paying workers rather than paying for higher quality materials/products. He also complains about how expensive things are nowadays and attributes that to unions as well.

Oh yes, Canada has a terrible history regarding unions. The population used to be very unionized way back in the early 20th century but government crackdowns and propaganda had union building take a steep nosedive. It’s been like that forever and hasn’t really improved.

I don’t recall encountering any anti-union sentiment through school, I’ve only ever heard it from people around. I never grew up with the sentiment either due to my dad being union and seeing how strikes work on TV.

I think my step dad’s animosity must come from his family because my step grandpa has stated his disdain for the teacher’s and healthcare worker strikes that have happened recently and even years ago too.

Canadians (the settlers specifically) are just very weird and as bad as Americans but with a self righteous flavour.

Not at all! My bio dad and step dad get along very well! They don’t talk about work like that either so I don’t even think my step dad knows about my dad’s union.

Broke my heart seeing the news this morning. Such an inspiring comrade and amazing historian. He is now in the Great Lecture Hall in the Sky.

Is Harvard really that good?

I am glad I am not the only one who felt like God was setting them up for failure. The whole story is also a lot shorter than I remember, it feels like in Catholic school it was more impactful than it actually seems to be. It’s a cool story but also frustrating.

Lilith is a very interesting and mysterious figure to me so I will definitely look into her more, thank you for the guidance on where to look!

Oh wow, I am glad I clocked how strange the “our” was. I had no idea about any of this so thank you for sharing, if I remember I will bring it up to my professor to see what she has to say.

I always felt that the only way the US would change for the better is through war on US soil. I do not want that to happen but considering the history of that country, it’s the only language that is listened to. I probably sound terrible, but I just do not know how else to word this.

Okay so this is terrifying. I feel like we are nosediving into something incredibly big but I also do not want to sound paranoid. Is the US really willing to fight a war with Mexico? Right at the US border?

I watched the first episode last night and I’m already waiting in anticipation for the next one!

I should’ve been more specific about the second language requirement. I plan on going to a Canadian university near me as I don’t want to leave just yet (money is the main issue). The university I have chosen states that for a history masters you need to know the language of the country you are researching. So if my research topic is based around Russia then I need to demonstrate that I know enough Russian to read the sources; if my topic is Cuba then I need to show that I know a decent amount of Spanish. I believe only reading is the most important factor, not speaking.

For what it’s worth they did not say I had to be fluent, just proficient. I need to contact graduate studies to know the specifics because they didn’t say whether they’d train me during my masters or if I had to know the language beforehand. Either way it’s always good to get a head start.

If you are a student with a first language that is not English then you need to do a special test and share the scores with your application, but this doesn’t apply to me.

Including or excluding 1848?

Including, so nothing from 1849-onwards.

Yeah it’s pretty bad over here.

The student meant “English Canada”. He phrased it very weird as it’s more like English-majority rather than English-owned. So his example was Quebec stealing Anglo-Canadian land.

Regarding the money thing, I believe it was about typical government spending like pensions. Russia had to step in with stuff like that.