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the eye
Joined: 29 Jan 2004
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 Posted: Mon Mar 22, 2004 11:17 am Post subject: And you think Koreans are rude??? |
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I have looked forward to being back home all year. After spending an eternity in Krapea, becoming more and more despondent, I have to state that being back home aint at all like my fantasy had promised.
Some things i noticed....
1. I can't stand shopping in Krapean department stores...the salesgirls giggling as you approach; or trying to pawn you off on other salesgirls, following you around like robots; holding up garments for your approval. Its so annoying.
Just came home from a dept. store in Toronto. I spent 5 minutes trying to find help. Then, the salesperson refused to help because it was not 'their' section. In the end thought I would have to run my purchase through the checkout by myself. There wasn't a soul in sight. I swear i heard crickets.
At the grocery store, trying to buy a 10liter water bottle and return an empty for my deposit. The process proved to be too confusing to the cashier who complained how the company wanted to make things difficult for her.
2. Koreans are so pushy and rude!
Went to a Leafs game on the weekend. The guy next to me is ordering food from his seat. (you get a menu in your seat cushion...and the food is delivered to you) The guy next to me was treating this poor server like a pee-on. Absolutley no respect, tact, or manners. And then no tip or even a thank you on delivery.
The peice of work behind me was doing nothng but filling his young son's head with the most vile and hateful information I have ever heard. His son asked why there were no people sitting in the platinum seats at a sold out game. The father explained that they were all rich 'assholes' who were down below in their box area eating caviar. 'They are all jerks" he said "they shouldn't be here". His son then asked if there might be a fight brewing in the game at one point. His father assured him not to worry, there will be plenty and they would get their money's worth.
The kid began to get a little anxious and the manner in which he had been continuously kicking the back of my seat was getting more and more violent as the game wore on. I couldn't take any more, so i finally turned around and asked diplomatically for him to cut it out. The 10year old bugger looked at me like i had the plague....his father caught on and gave me a spiteful glance as well. No words to me or his little bastard, just a blank stare. Needless to say, the kicking started up again minutes later. These were $120 seats...not general admission.
3. On the bus the other day. People would not sit next to me. Imagine that! Almost every seat was taken, and no one would sit next to me! Uh..wait..that's the same as in Krapea. Anyway, one girl requested her stop and stood at the door. The bus driver didn't stop. She belches "F.u.c.k.! Are you gonna stop or what?!"
4. Leaving a movie theater last night. I thought I would be trampled. Fingers poking my back, trying to shove me along. And clumsy feet stepping on the back of mine. Some buggers had their cellphones on in there as well.....the nerve!!! Oh yeah, that happens in Krapea, too.
5. Koreans are so image conscious! They all dress in the same boring uniforms and carry fake Luis Vuitton bags.
Well, i tell you....here, its like a contest to see who can look the grubbiest. 80% of the people I see are substantially overweight, clad in mismatched oversized sweats and untied sneakers. It's as if only few take any pride in their appearance at all...the ones that do try, seem to shamelessly flaunt it.
6. Krapea is so overcrowded and spacially irrational.
Funny, I went to a Walmart store on the outskirts of town, and its in one of those areas in the suburbs that is loaded with outlet-superstore behemoths....You know, Office Depot, Superpet, Home Depot.... What a strange feeling to be in the middle of an endless expanse of assphalt in all directions. It was like an vast, dry ocean bed surrounded by high cliffs of consumerism at its worst. I thought Walmart catered to lower income groups...yet the bus didn't go near this place. Now, i have really become aware of all the wasted space out here. Its ridiculous. Downtown? Corporate playground...pretty darn expensive!
Some more things I'm fretting about here at home...
-15% sales tax rate, 55% incme tax rate
-soaring insurance rates, after a record profit in the billions for the insurance industry
-an economy that is being flushed down the toilet
There is more, but who has the time?? |
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Derrek
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Mon Mar 22, 2004 1:59 pm Post subject: |
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You're in Canada.
And you expect it to be wonderful? |
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the eye
Joined: 29 Jan 2004
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| Posted: Mon Mar 22, 2004 2:08 pm Post subject: |
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ahem.... uh, very funny....
actually, I lived in New York state for a year...it was far worse than Ontario. |
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dutchman
Joined: 23 Jan 2003
Location: My backyard
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| Posted: Mon Mar 22, 2004 2:21 pm Post subject: |
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| Welcome to Crapanada. |
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Mr. Pink
Joined: 21 Oct 2003
Location: China
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| Posted: Mon Mar 22, 2004 2:53 pm Post subject: |
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| Derrek wrote: |
You're in Canada.
And you expect it to be wonderful? |
Well at least in Canada you don't have to worry as much about gun violence as down south of the border.
Canada might suck, but so does just about anywhere these days.
That's why you gotta make the best out of the situation you are in. |
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lush72
Joined: 18 Aug 2003
Location: I am Penalty Kick!
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| Posted: Mon Mar 22, 2004 3:09 pm Post subject: Re: And you think Koreans are rude??? |
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| the eye wrote: |
-15% sales tax rate, 55% incme tax rate
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55%?!?!?
Heh, heh- I never heard -Krapea,Krapean, before. That made me laugh.
Canadians, do you all share (not regional) in this WHOPPING 55% income tax? Seriously, at that level of taxation I would just give up. |
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mindmetoo
Joined: 02 Feb 2004
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| Posted: Mon Mar 22, 2004 3:54 pm Post subject: Re: And you think Koreans are rude??? |
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| Quote: |
| Canadians, do you all share (not regional) in this WHOPPING 55% income tax? Seriously, at that level of taxation I would just give up. |
55% is a little high. Unless he went home from a teaching job to a job as CEO of GM Canada. If you're earning between 30-60K a year your take home is more in the 65-70%. Every dollar you earn above 30K and below 60K is taxed at a rate of 36%. The provinces then look at what tax you paid to the federal government and then make you pay a % of that tax to the provincial government (basically a tax on the tax you pay to the fed). Ontario, I believe, is in the 50% range. So someone making $50K a year would pay $7360 to the federal government. Then the ontario government would say "okay 50% of $7K is..." and then after writing a check to the fed for $7K you'd then sent the ontario government a check for 3.5K.
So on $50K of income you'd pay a total of about 13.5K in total tax. Add in other deductions for pension plan and unemployment insurance (which are not very big... not big compared to american social security) and you're probably looking at a take home pay of about 70% on a 50K income.
I've not paid tax in Canada since the year 2000, mind you, and Ontario might no longer have this tax on tax system. They might have switched to an american fed/state system. You file a return for the IRS and then you file a return for the state.
But given Ontario has been cutting taxes over the last 4 years, I'm sure it hasn't gotten worse.
In sum, most Canadian take home pays are highly similar in terms of a percentage to American take home pays in major urban states like NY, IL, MA, CA...
The saving grace is Canada doesn't have cities that levy their own income tax.
A good post by the original author aside from that one misstatement. (The picture does change a bit when you look at the total tax paid in terms of hidden taxes/sales tax/Canadian style VAT etc. and the average Canadian, at the end of the day, probably does pay 55% of his/her income in all kinds of taxes�� but again that wouldn't be too different from the American experience.) |
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g-ese
Joined: 21 Feb 2004
Location: Busan
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| Posted: Mon Mar 22, 2004 4:10 pm Post subject: |
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| I thought Canada was one of those last bastions of politeness on Earth!! I am always getting crap from other expats about how rude Americans are, how uneducated they are, etc. Ironically, I get crap about being American while I'm overseas (thanks Bush) and in America I get crap about being Latin. Then I get crap from the Latin American community because apparently I'm not in touch with my roots (???). I can't win. I guess my point is, try to find the place where you are happiest and live there. There are some things I hate about living in Korea, but overall, I'm content here. I like my job and my apartment (not a one room, tg). There are things I hate about living in the US too, and some things I miss. But I am not ready to go back, thank you. |
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Mr. Pink
Joined: 21 Oct 2003
Location: China
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| Posted: Mon Mar 22, 2004 4:21 pm Post subject: |
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| g-ese wrote: |
| I thought Canada was one of those last bastions of politeness on Earth!! I am always getting crap from other expats about how rude Americans are, how uneducated they are, etc. Ironically, I get crap about being American while I'm overseas (thanks Bush) and in America I get crap about being Latin. Then I get crap from the Latin American community because apparently I'm not in touch with my roots (???). I can't win. I guess my point is, try to find the place where you are happiest and live there. There are some things I hate about living in Korea, but overall, I'm content here. I like my job and my apartment (not a one room, tg). There are things I hate about living in the US too, and some things I miss. But I am not ready to go back, thank you. |
Canadians by and large are polite. The problem is he is talking about Toronto. In the past 15yrs I have noticed people getting ruder and ruder. I bet my parents could say the same for the past 30yrs. When I was a kid people in Toronto were a lot more polite than they are now.
Toronto seems to have a chip on its' shoulder. People think they are better than other Canadians and other people in the same city. It is basically falling into the "big city trap" where there are so many people, you just don't take notice of people much.
Kind of sad really, as I grew up in Toronto. I am positive I will never live within the GTA again, which is sad, as I loved the city when I was growing up.
If you want to meet some REALLY polite folks, the people I met on the praries and in Alberta were some of the politest people I have met in my life.
I should also point out I met a LOT of polite people in America too. Small town USA has a lot of traditional values and politeness is one of them. |
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The Man known as The Man
Joined: 29 Mar 2003
Location: 3 cheers for Ted Haggard oh yeah!
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| Posted: Mon Mar 22, 2004 4:34 pm Post subject: |
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| Mr. Pink wrote: |
| Derrek wrote: |
You're in Canada.
And you expect it to be wonderful? |
Well at least in Canada you don't have to worry as much about gun violence as down south of the border.
Canada might suck, but so does just about anywhere these days.
That's why you gotta make the best out of the situation you are in. |
Obviously you haven't read The Toronto Star as of late.
Toronto is scary right now |
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Juggertha
Joined: 27 May 2003
Location: Anyang, Korea
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| Posted: Mon Mar 22, 2004 4:35 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
If you want to meet some REALLY polite folks, the people I met on the praries and in Alberta were some of the politest people I have met in my life.
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thanks PINK!! hehe
on a side note TAXES are way high in Canada. I know its income dependant. But when you include ALL the taxes... how much are you really left with??
when you include tax on gas.. how high is it really?
when you include tax on utilities... how much is that?
when you incluse taxes on insurance... what does it really come to without??
then there taxes you see, income, GST, PST, ect...
honestly i remember reading that Canadains pay upwards of 70% of their income towards one tax or another.. I wouldnt doubt it. |
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the eye
Joined: 29 Jan 2004
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| Posted: Mon Mar 22, 2004 4:46 pm Post subject: |
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The Man known as The Man wrote:
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Obviously you haven't read The Toronto Star as of late.
Toronto is scary right now
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Coincidentally....I was just watching CNN at dinner....Toronto was just rated to be the safest big city in the world. I didn't catch what agency ws resposible for that rating though. |
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Down from Above
Joined: 27 Apr 2003
Location: Naju
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| Posted: Mon Mar 22, 2004 4:56 pm Post subject: |
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A thread like this really is roll call for the board's anti-Canadian trolls:
| dutchman, pathological Canada hater wrote: |
| Welcome to Crapanada. |
| Derrek, troll extrordinaire wrote: |
You're in Canada.
And you expect it to be wonderful? |
Where the hell is Joe Thanks? You're late, man! |
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The Man known as The Man
Joined: 29 Mar 2003
Location: 3 cheers for Ted Haggard oh yeah!
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| Posted: Mon Mar 22, 2004 5:34 pm Post subject: |
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Canada is not a real country.
HTH |
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howie2424
Joined: 09 Jan 2003
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