[hongy]

Hey so my partner and I are doing a project on issues affecting citizens of vancouver. I would love to get responses from all age groups, but please no comments such as too many fobs/chiners, etc unless you have something to back up that point--mainlanders increasing prices of homes etc. Also if any of you guys have ever read 1984 we are basically trying to tie ideas from that book into issues of today such as doublespeak/doublethink, etc.

Please and thank you for any help revscene is able to provide.

PS. I'm sorry if my post is kind of weird, ESL right here hahaha.

[PornMaster]

:troll: Partner?
http://www.onlinedatingguide.ca/images/gsr4.jpg

[flagella]

^u live up to your name

[PiuYi]

^wtf man spoiler that shit

[VooDood]

a mod needs to make that his DP lol.

[hongy]

if you can't tell it's obviously for school therefore a classmate or my partner in the project...

[Fafine]

what kind of issues?
the stupid bike lanes downtown?
shitty drivers in richmond?
surrey jacks around town?
lbs at metrotown?

[anl27]

homelessness
public transportation/translink
first nations equity
teenage drug use

[Purely]

environmental issues
-air pollution
-deforestation
-ocean (fish-salmon depletion)

-unemployment
-minimum wages
-crime rates

[Mr.HappySilp]

lower the tax!

[Jegz]

-c lais
-c lais
-c lais

[white_guilt]

According to RS: McDonald's.

[Jgresch]

I don't really see a direct link between the Orwell's ideas to problems in vancouver.....

[hongy]

I don't see a link either but that is our project. I appreciate the ideas guys. More would be helpful.
Posted via RS Mobile (http://www.revscene.net/forums/announcement.php?a=228)

[Jgresch]

Maybe the sense of big brother with people tracking what we do through our cell phones, where we shop through our banking stuff, who we hangout with through facebook.

[jack3d]

gas bro

[CP.AR]

people who think of Canada as a "Holiday" so they can leech on our benefits
http://www.bclocalnews.com/richmond_southdelta/richmondreview/opinion/letters/118685289.html

This sparked a lot of controversy in the Richmond locale, with a whackload of letters speaking against this guy

http://www.bclocalnews.com/richmond_southdelta/richmondreview/opinion/letters/

[dinamix]

Ed hardy
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[SkinnyPupp]

^wtf man spoiler that shit
Too late, you're gay now

[BoredAtWork]

people who think of Canada as a "Holiday" so they can leech on our benefits
http://www.bclocalnews.com/richmond_southdelta/richmondreview/opinion/letters/118685289.html

This sparked a lot of controversy in the Richmond locale, with a whackload of letters speaking against this guy

http://www.bclocalnews.com/richmond_southdelta/richmondreview/opinion/letters/

Some good reading there.

I am not siding with Mr. Lin by any means, but I would argue against to all those feedback that "Rich Chinese" who treat Canada as a vacation home and leech off the country's benefits. These people definitely do exist. But I would argue, How did they get into the country in the first place?

If not for the greed of our local systems and government who wanted these high income high spending people to become "investment immigrants", there wouldn't have a large sum of these people. Now that they swamp in masses here to do exactly what we intended (buy buy buy, spend spend spend, so that we can tax the balls off them), we criticized them driving up the housing market to unacceptable levels, and buying up all the land. and generally making living hard for all the rest of us. etc etc.

You guys sure that its the Chinese thats to be blamed?


Its like you want to make the biggest and sickest high school party, so you invited everyone to join even gangsters and strangers, and have a free flow bar. At the end of the night you complain your house is trashed by unknown people. WTF?

[white_guilt]

Some good reading there.

I am not siding with Mr. Lin by any means, but I would argue against to all those feedback that "Rich Chinese" who treat Canada as a vacation home and leech off the country's benefits. These people definitely do exist. But I would argue, How did they get into the country in the first place?

If not for the greed of our local systems and government who wanted these high income high spending people to become "investment immigrants", there wouldn't have a large sum of these people. Now that they swamp in masses here to do exactly what we intended (buy buy buy, spend spend spend, so that we can tax the balls off them), we criticized them driving up the housing market to unacceptable levels, and buying up all the land. and generally making living hard for all the rest of us. etc etc.

You guys sure that its the Chinese thats to be blamed?


Its like you want to make the biggest and sickest high school party, so you invited everyone to join even gangsters and strangers, and have a free flow bar. At the end of the night you complain your house is trashed by unknown people. WTF?

Actually , it's more like you throw the biggest and sickest high school party and you expect everyone to show a bit of respect for your property and extend some courtesy to you by learning your name upon arriving, introducing themselves and sharing some of their booze/weed with everyone else and generally having a good time. What you don't expect are a single group of people coming into this biggest and sickest high school party, ignoring everyone else, bee-lining straight for the food table, grabbing handfuls of food and pouring liters of booze, keep to themselves the whole night, throw up on your couch and leave without speaking a word to anyone else.

[goo3]

I don't really see a direct link between the Orwell's ideas to problems in vancouver.....

Unless you post on RS. Those bastards hear everything you say. Yeah, you heard me, bastards. Fuck you.

:blueguy:

[El Bastardo]

Bike lanes. We don't have enough bike lanes. We should have a bike lane on the Trans Canada. You know all of that work they're doing on the Port Mann bridge? They need to bike lane up that shit.

Also, I was walking through the lobby of the post office downtown. I noticed that there are absolutely NO bike lanes in there. I think we should address that.


And the Skytrain. We need to talk about the Skytrain.
Why don't we have bike lanes on the Skytrain tracks? I think the Skytrain tracks are wide enough to allow for bike lanes. The skytrain can pull off to the side and go slower to allow for bike lanes.


And what about my shower? Theres not enough bike lanes in my fucking SHOWER. But put them in after you put bike lanes in the bike lanes. BIKE LANES!

[Vansterdam]

downtown eastside

[Culverin]

- transportation infrastructure.
- city planning / sustainability

[illicitstylz]

DTES.

[Greenstoner]

lower the taxi fare and lower the beer price

[Eastwood]

Issues affecting Islanders - fare increase of BC Ferries. It's so hard to come over to the mainland now. I remember being a kid and coming to Vancouver a couple times a summer. With prices well over $100 return ticket the trips are becoming less and less frequent.

[tool001]

Issues affecting Islanders - fare increase of BC Ferries. It's so hard to come over to the mainland now. I remember being a kid and coming to Vancouver a couple times a summer. With prices well over $100 return ticket the trips are becoming less and less frequent.

lol dont lower, make a bike lane on the water to victoria

[bing]

people who think of Canada as a "Holiday" so they can leech on our benefits
http://www.bclocalnews.com/richmond_southdelta/richmondreview/opinion/letters/118685289.html

This sparked a lot of controversy in the Richmond locale, with a whackload of letters speaking against this guy

http://www.bclocalnews.com/richmond_southdelta/richmondreview/opinion/letters/

I like the fact Ray is straight up. I already knew this was the case for some people, but this is going to stir some good debate.

call it what you want, but just cause you're living here doesn't mean its free medicare, education - they are eligible to pay the rate the government sets. In fact, the government is very welcoming of them, we need them to support our economy.

Our borders have never been freely open to anyone. There are a number of historical facts in Canada that can attest to this (i.e. Chinese railway workers).
Chinese can immigrate as either

1)skilled worker class
2)business/investor class (minimum 400k)

In fact, you can safely say that the government uses them as much as they use our services. If you feel resentment, direct it to your government.

The only thing I can agree with is that he should have made it more clear that his views signified those of "ex-pat Chinese" and not so much local Chinese. It is quite clear most of the angry replies are from Chinese who come from blue collar families.

In fact, I would argue that lazy people on our welfare system, homeless people, DTES residents that use up all our emergency services are the real leeches. If you're gonna bitch, start here. Funny how these immigrants are better for our country than some of our own citizens.

[Sid Vicious]

people who think of Canada as a "Holiday" so they can leech on our benefits
http://www.bclocalnews.com/richmond_southdelta/richmondreview/opinion/letters/118685289.html


wow...whata fucking parasite. this is the cancer that is killing richmond

[Jsunu]

wow...whata fucking parasite. this is the cancer that is killing richmond

How can they be considered a cancer if they are investing/spending money here and paying taxes (i am aware of those who don't but they are a minority).

To be honest, the only real problem they are causing in Richmond (and a GVR) is the fact that they are not attempting to adopt any sort of Canadian culture (while substituting their own) and they are inflating the housing market.

The real parasites are those people who leech off the system because they can, individuals who collect welfare/EI despite the fact they are physically able to work yet still maintain all the benefits alloted to a honest tax payer.

[TheKingdom2000]

lower the tax!

You do know that BC has one of the lowest taxes in Canada right?

[nabs]

permanent bike lanes in downtown is a waste of money and space...

[Mananetwork]

I don't mind the bike lanes because it cuts down on congestion but the tunnel between false creek and downtown is just stupid!!

http://www.timescolonist.com/opinion/letters/Ollie+Some+foibles+amusing+share/2724109/Vancouver+considers+underwater+bike+tunnel+from+do wntown+False+Creek/4544116/story.html

[bing]

How can they be considered a cancer if they are investing/spending money here and paying taxes (i am aware of those who don't but they are a minority).

To be honest, the only real problem they are causing in Richmond (and a GVR) is the fact that they are not attempting to adopt any sort of Canadian culture (while substituting their own) and they are inflating the housing market.

The real parasites are those people who leech off the system because they can, individuals who collect welfare/EI despite the fact they are physically able to work yet still maintain all the benefits alloted to a honest tax payer.

^agreed

As for the housing issue, we can't go around preaching neoliberalism (FYI China is emulating Western economic model) and not expect other people to buy up property here, that would be so hypocritical. This is just the effect of an economic system based on supply/demand. Go visit New York City, it's even more expensive to buy property.

I would argue that because of the inflated house values, many people are now rich on paper, and if they cash out, well they just secured a nice retirement fund for themselves. Money they never would have had.

[Klobbersaurus]

You do know that BC has one of the lowest taxes in Canada right?

lowest taxes in canada but highest gas prices, lowest min wage, highest cost of living

[jasonturbo]

I would have to say the biggest problem here is the cost of housing, it's simply retarded.

Next in line is HWY 1 from North Van to Abby... should be minimum 3 lanes the entire way.

[Jgresch]

How do any of these things relate to the book 1984?

[El Bastardo]

I don't mind the bike lanes because it cuts down on congestion but the tunnel between false creek and downtown is just stupid!!

http://www.timescolonist.com/opinion/letters/Ollie+Some+foibles+amusing+share/2724109/Vancouver+considers+underwater+bike+tunnel+from+do wntown+False+Creek/4544116/story.html



I love you. Don't ever change

[Tapioca]

^agreed

As for the housing issue, we can't go around preaching neoliberalism (FYI China is emulating Western economic model) and not expect other people to buy up property here, that would be so hypocritical. This is just the effect of an economic system based on supply/demand. Go visit New York City, it's even more expensive to buy property.

New York City has higher wages to support a more expensive housing market, while Vancouver does not. Many people argue that off-shore investors should pay higher taxes than permanent residents/citizens because they do nothing else to contribute to the economy here. I am told that other cities tax off-shore investors.

lowest taxes in canada but highest gas prices, lowest min wage, highest cost of living

- The minimum wage issue is getting fixed (though of course, there are plenty of arguments against the idea.)
- There's nothing the government can do about gas prices. The oil companies charge what the market will bear and until people do something about it, they can continue to charge the prices we pay.
- If you exclude housing and gas, the cost of living in Vancouver isn't that bad. Food in Vancouver is actually quite cheap (if you keep dining out to a minimum) and most of all, it's fresh. Hydro is relatively cheap as well.

[cressydrift]

Your project should really be ' Why Vancouver is the best city in the world!'.

The biggest problem in Vancouver are all the people that complain. Seriously, Vancouver is one the best cities in the world, if not the best. The downtown east side is NOTHING compared to parts of Asia, Middle East, Africa and South America. Most people living in the eastside are there by choice due to drug use (Not all, but most).

It just hit me while I was thinking about this. The one problem with Vancouver, is that its residents don't enjoy what it has to offer enough. Nature. We have the wealth of the world in trees, fresh water lakes, rivers, trees, coastlines and mountains. Most people spend there entire life in the cities and suburbs complaining about all the daily bull shit when they can drive an hour in any direction (relative) and be surrounded by nothing but nature.

Who gives a fuck about bike lanes. I would rather have bike lanes than IEDS. I would rather have rising house prices then a bubble burst. I would rather have free health care to none. I like being able to drink fresh water and know my food isn't going to give me the shits... How about I like having food and water.

[quasi]

I don't mind the bike lanes because it cuts down on congestion but the tunnel between false creek and downtown is just stupid!!

http://www.timescolonist.com/opinion/letters/Ollie+Some+foibles+amusing+share/2724109/Vancouver+considers+underwater+bike+tunnel+from+do wntown+False+Creek/4544116/story.html

Wait till Critical mass fills the tunnel, block off both ends and puncture that pitch so it fill up. The world is all the sudden a better place.

[Drow]

Inflated real estate market, shootings, lack of things to do other than downtown
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[lowda9]

The roads!! they are so shitty especially nanaimo st. I dont think there is enough funding for the roads and traffic system here as traffic is so bad especially highway 1. The stop lights are not synchronized either. Its green, red, green, red, you never get a straight shot. In the states, most of the time I'm able to go through more than 1 stop light before stopping.

[EuterVanWasser]

- The minimum wage issue is getting fixed (though of course, there are plenty of arguments against the idea.)

My problem with minimum wage getting 'fixed' is it's hurting a lot of family with children in day care, etc. Hard to keep on top of your bills with our housing costs in Vancouver, and minimum wage going up by like 25% in the next year will result in a direct increase in childcare costs.

I know it's a limited lens to look at that issue through, but it's chafing my hide right now - I've got two kids 5 and under and this is a major issue to me.

[BNR32_Coupe]

Housing costs

[Matlock]

Housing costs
+1
I'm not sure how or when a young blue collar worker such as myself will be able to afford to purchase my own home in the future with these prices.
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[jack3d]

Pretty sure the tunnel thing is a April fools joke

[Datsun]

I dont see any connections yet with 1984, but here's a cool illustration that might give you some ideas?

http://shaneberry.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/2009-05-Amusing-Ourselves-to-Death.png

[Jgresch]

I haven't read Huxley, but I've read Orwell and Postman. OP, there are a couple things in that comic I'm sure you could relate to Vancouver, such as censorship, for example the public broadcaster CBC is owned by the government.

[bing]

New York City has higher wages to support a more expensive housing market, while Vancouver does not. Many people argue that off-shore investors should pay higher taxes than permanent residents/citizens because they do nothing else to contribute to the economy here. I am told that other cities tax off-shore investors.


- The minimum wage issue is getting fixed (though of course, there are plenty of arguments against the idea.)
- There's nothing the government can do about gas prices. The oil companies charge what the market will bear and until people do something about it, they can continue to charge the prices we pay.
- If you exclude housing and gas, the cost of living in Vancouver isn't that bad. Food in Vancouver is actually quite cheap (if you keep dining out to a minimum) and most of all, it's fresh. Hydro is relatively cheap as well.

Yes I am aware the incomes are higher, but the condos in that city are millions++ dollar range. My cousin rents a small studio apartment and it costs him 2400/month. You could get a house in the suburbs out in long island for 600-700k but it'll still take 45min travel time from DT kinda like living as far as surrey. Still pricey even out there IMO and living standards are higher overall.

[tofu1413]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0C7AYsfB_dM

even hitler was pissed.

[Rich Sandor]

Taxes and Gas prices. It's too much. How do I know it's too much? I got RICH PEOPLE complaining about it. You know gas prices are too fucking high when even RICH PEOPLE complain about it. It's actually starting to cripple the economy. Gas goes up, transport costs go up, commodities prices go up. People pay more taxes, spend less money, businesses make less money, layoff workers or cut back hours, and then theres even less money to go around. The fucking carbon tax needs to go. It hasn't reduced pollution, it's just made people poorer and stuck them at home instead of going out and spending money.

[Mananetwork]

I love you. Don't ever change

Damn it.. just realized it was an April fools joke ahhaah

[rsx]

Put these DTES drug users in a camp and make them do manual labour, dig trenches, etc. They're costing the city a lot of money just to babysit these clowns.

Tougher penalties on crime, if a suspect is found guilty, his/her assets should be seized and added to the city's treasury - oh yeah, cut off one of their hands and tattoo their crime somewhere on the body.

[SchoolGlue]

gang violence+whalley+clockwork orange-ultraviolence= milko plus+???+profit?

[SFUguy]

salmon farm industry

its infected with sea lice

[blkgsr]

Put these DTES drug users in a camp and make them do manual labour, dig trenches, etc. They're costing the city a lot of money just to babysit these clowns.

Tougher penalties on crime, if a suspect is found guilty, his/her assets should be seized and added to the city's treasury - oh yeah, cut off one of their hands and tattoo their crime somewhere on the body.

should be the same thing with criminals....why the fuck do they just get to sit there and do nothing all day, make the guy work

[Death2Theft]

The gas prices wont be high enough until I start seeing a reduction of escalades and similar faux baller suvs on the road.
Taxes and Gas prices. It's too much. How do I know it's too much? I got RICH PEOPLE complaining about it. You know gas prices are too fucking high when even RICH PEOPLE complain about it. It's actually starting to cripple the economy. Gas goes up, transport costs go up, commodities prices go up. People pay more taxes, spend less money, businesses make less money, layoff workers or cut back hours, and then theres even less money to go around. The fucking carbon tax needs to go. It hasn't reduced pollution, it's just made people poorer and stuck them at home instead of going out and spending money.

[Klobbersaurus]

- There's nothing the government can do about gas prices. The oil companies charge what the market will bear and until people do something about it, they can continue to charge the prices we pay.


do you look at the pie chart when you pump gas? i think about half the price of gas is taxes and we get taxed on top of the taxes and dont forget the carbon tax that is also kicking in the next couple months

[EuterVanWasser]

do you look at the pie chart when you pump gas? i think about half the price of gas is taxes and we get taxed on top of the taxes and dont forget the carbon tax that is also kicking in the next couple months

Reminds me of this:

http://642blog.ca/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/gas_prices-300x300.jpg

[Tapioca]

do you look at the pie chart when you pump gas? i think about half the price of gas is taxes and we get taxed on top of the taxes and dont forget the carbon tax that is also kicking in the next couple months

The amount of tax you're paying today is roughly the same, percentage wise, as what you paid 10 years ago. The carbon tax is 7 cents on a litre. Say on average you fill up your tank 52 times a year. Your tank is 70L. That amounts to an extra 300 dollars a year. Yes, it's a decent chunk of money, but it's not back-breaking.

Look at it this way: you put back some in one cookie jar, but you have to take from another. If the government were to lower gas taxes, they would have to create revenue from another source. Alcohol, tobacco, property taxes, income taxes? Who knows?

[Cman333]

Problems:

-HST
-Income Tax
-Luxury Tax
-Carbon Tax
-Alcohol Tax
-Economy in general
-Overall cost of living
-Cost of property
-Insurance (ICBC)
-Transportation/Traffic
-Homelessness
-0.05 alcohol limit
-Canada line not open late enough


Cost of living is high, we get taxed insanely on everything from our own income to everything we buy. The gov't keeps subtly adding taxes. On top of that our property costs way too much, then you get jacked on mortgages and taxes on your property.

Just imagine your normal person, taking out a student loan, living on their own, working parttime, building their career from the ground up with no assistance from wealthy family.

[tegz]

ICBC monopolizes insurance and they fuck us up the ass with their high prices and unfair rules, fuck them.

Excessive speeding laws resulting in impound, seriously a money grab. Every time your vehicle gets impounded for a month, the "storage fees" are just under 2K, this makes no sense.

Clubbing scene is boring, people stay in cliques and bitches think everytime you start up a convo your only intention is to take them home and act all defensive unless ya got some mad game or hit up what is considered a "slut" by others. Seriously if you've partied in the states or asia or europe, you know what I mean.

[cressydrift]

ICBC monopolizes insurance and they fuck us up the ass with their high prices and unfair rules, fuck them.

Excessive speeding laws resulting in impound, seriously a money grab. Every time your vehicle gets impounded for a month, the "storage fees" are just under 2K, this makes no sense.

Clubbing scene is boring, people stay in cliques and bitches think everytime you start up a convo your only intention is to take them home and act all defensive unless ya got some mad game or hit up what is considered a "slut" by others. Seriously if you've partied in the states or asia or europe, you know what I mean.

Move somewhere else then?

[rsx]

ICBC monopolizes insurance and they fuck us up the ass with their high prices and unfair rules, fuck them.

Excessive speeding laws resulting in impound, seriously a money grab. Every time your vehicle gets impounded for a month, the "storage fees" are just under 2K, this makes no sense.

Clubbing scene is boring, people stay in cliques and bitches think everytime you start up a convo your only intention is to take them home and act all defensive unless ya got some mad game or hit up what is considered a "slut" by others. Seriously if you've partied in the states or asia or europe, you know what I mean.

Don't talk to Vancouver Special girls then, there are a lot of friendly ones out there, I think you just dig the heavy make-up, fake lashes and slutty clothing ahhaa

[tegz]

Move somewhere else then?

Really? that's what I get for posting my negative opinions of Vancouver on a thread that asks for them?

Sorry, but were you offended by my post? Cuz I can spend all day listing the stuff I do like about this city :)

[boogabooga]

Government.

We need someone who really gives a shit about homelessness, laws, drugs, violence..etc All these leaders talk about it to get voted in and do nothing to make change.

[Death2Theft]

How long would it take to get out there in rush hour vs vancouver rush hour?
Yes I am aware the incomes are higher, but the condos in that city are millions++ dollar range. My cousin rents a small studio apartment and it costs him 2400/month. You could get a house in the suburbs out in long island for 600-700k but it'll still take 45min travel time from DT kinda like living as far as surrey. Still pricey even out there IMO and living standards are higher overall.

[Tapioca]

"High taxes", commuting times, decaying infrastructure, crime, etc. are challenges that all cities in North America face.

I would say that challenges unique to Vancouver are:
- The downtown eastside
- Real estate

Let's be honest: what goes on in the DTES has little effect on our daily lives. I would say that housing affects most of us in some way or another. There are still regions in Canada where you can afford to buy a home and raise a family on a modest salary: places like Regina, Winnipeg, or Red Deer. But, there are always trade-offs you have to make.
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[dachinesedude]

the dam taxes, all forms of it, be it income, comsumer, business, etc etc

it may be the single reason why i consider leaving vancouver

[cressydrift]

Really? that's what I get for posting my negative opinions of Vancouver on a thread that asks for them?

Sorry, but were you offended by my post? Cuz I can spend all day listing the stuff I do like about this city :)

I wasn't offended, just merely stating that if you have that much beef with Van-City then maybe its not for you.

[Tapioca]

Basically, Hong Kong is the best place on earth.

- low taxes
- capitalism abounds
- relatively clean and safe
- some of the best public transportation the world
- rule of law

I know some of my peers from high school went back and are raising families there. If you're functional in Mandarin and have ambition, I don't see why you wouldn't go there.
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[Minata]

^ I don't agree with your statement above...

Hong Kong is also one of the most unaffordable places to live.

http://www.news1130.com/news/local/article/173723--vancouver-is-world-s-third-most-unaffordable-place-to-live

Air quality and living quality cannot compare with Vancouver.

Obviously, Hong Kong is a much better place to live in if you enjoy a bustling city... and even though I at one point in my life wanted to live in Hong Kong, that is definitely not the case anymore after visiting a few times. Just my 2 cents.

[Tapioca]

^ I was a little over the top in that I said tha HK is the best place on earth. But, after hearing the common complaints about Vancouver (high taxes, costs of living, no jobs, no fun, etc.), Hong Kong seemed to be the perfect antidote.

Even I complain about the city at times, but I still put up with the crap and make sacrifices to live here because I know that we have it pretty good.
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[dark0821]

Basically, Hong Kong is the best place on earth.

- low taxes
- capitalism abounds
- relatively clean and safe
- some of the best public transportation the world
- rule of law

I know some of my peers from high school went back and are raising families there. If you're functional in Mandarin and have ambition, I don't see why you wouldn't go there.
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and if you spoke mandarin in HK, wouldnt you be consider an outsider? i mean i know you can get by in HK with mando, since everyone speaks it, but their native language is still cantonese...

[SkinnyPupp]

The only people who speak mandarin in everyday HK are in the tourism industry, or sales catering to tourists, or are workers from mainland.

I love it here, but I would never raise a kid here.

[tegz]

I had no trouble getting around in HK only speaking english

[shawn79]

The only people who speak mandarin in everyday HK are in the tourism industry, or sales catering to tourists, or are workers from mainland.

I love it here, but I would never raise a kid here.

do they treat u better because ur a white guy in hk?

[bing]

^ I was a little over the top in that I said tha HK is the best place on earth. But, after hearing the common complaints about Vancouver (high taxes, costs of living, no jobs, no fun, etc.), Hong Kong seemed to be the perfect antidote.

Even I complain about the city at times, but I still put up with the crap and make sacrifices to live here because I know that we have it pretty good.
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HK people work very hard and longer hours, six days a week. You're lucky if you get sunday off. Don't know how many North Americans can handle not having weekends or even willing to work hard for that matter. As for housing, the million dollar house you can buy here, you only get flat there in a middle class area.

Not too sure about the tax rate, but I think it is better than ours. Their government also has good money management skills and I think they have had surpluses

[SkinnyPupp]

I had no trouble getting around in HK only speaking english
Wouldn't recommend that unless you want to be stuck in one area the whole time.
do they treat u better because ur a white guy in hk?

who?

[shawn79]

hong kong people, chinese people, asians, etc

[Psykopathik]

"all my real live chinese people, fro dere hand up!"