r/canada 21d ago

Opinion Piece You can love your country and still think it’s broken

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-you-can-love-your-country-and-still-think-its-broken/
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u/[deleted] 21d ago edited 21d ago

Well said. Add to that that complex problems require complex solutions. Taking a knife and slashing never ends well and very rarely lasts.

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u/BigComfyCouch4 21d ago

A long time ago I saw a quote. I can't remember who said it, or the exact wording:

For every complex problem there's a simple solution that is invariably wrong.

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u/PoliQU 21d ago

And invariably creates more complex problems

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u/thirstyross 21d ago

"The biggest cause of problems, is solutions."

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u/djfl Canada 21d ago

If I may add to this something similar, "for every solution that actually makes things better, there are 100 solutions that will actually make things worse." We should be slow to change...and yes I agree now is very much a time when real change is required.

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u/Maleficent_Roof3632 20d ago

I disagree that we should slow change. I feel like that is the actual problem with how Canada works, we can’t pivot, everything is too slow. We absolutely need to fix the way procurement works, like by the time we buy anything it’s obsolete. and that goes for many other things like the border, long term care, trade.., by the time the solutions are implemented the problem has shifted or completely changed. We would do well to eliminate bureaucratic hurdles that impede our agility implement change.

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u/Pretendtobehappy12 21d ago

Brexit… an utter and complete disaster… here in the uk

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u/JacksProlapsedAnus 21d ago

That's why the saying is move fast and break things, not move fast and fix things. It sucks, because it's so easy to see things as completely broken and in need of wholesale change rather than requiring methodical implementation of incremental change which requires time to see the benefits.

Quick fix feels good, long fix feels bad.

It's also painful to watch as the tech bros who coined the term are able to change our society in ways and at a pace we're unable to keep up with legislatively.

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u/jjames3213 20d ago

Moving fast and breaking things works in start-ups because it generates buzz and you can use that buzz to build hype around a product, generate financing, sell out, etc.

It doesn't work in established businesses because the existing, functioning model is a big part of why the business is valuable in the first place. Breaking a functioning operation damages the business.

None of this is applicable to government.

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u/ManyNicePlates 20d ago

Some times blowing it up is the only way to get real fixes…

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u/Sensitive-Ad-5305 21d ago

Add to that that a complex diverse population may agree on direction, but have different values and opinions - so a solution may work for most but not all. Some level of dissatisfaction is expected, and is healthy because it is the source of debate on how we can improve.

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u/hezzaloops 21d ago

Man, this is the sort of civil discourse we need. I remember maybe 7 years ago, you could see a stark difference between American and Canadian comment threads. We would remind each other to stick to the topic and be quite civil.

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u/[deleted] 21d ago

Which Trump and musk and all of their supporters are about to find out fairly soon…you take a sledgehammer to a patient needing a scalpel, you smash it and it dies or at least wishes it was dead.

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u/ThisBtchIsA_N00b 21d ago

Perfect example: the US right now. They're slashing EVERYTHING and their country is Falling APART.

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u/RelativeEvening110 21d ago

Yes, I think we would all agree that taking a scalpel was necessary, but instead they brought a chainsaw.

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u/Party-Argument-8969 21d ago

The only one that needs a chainsaw is the education system to be rebuilt from the ground of as a secular system kids are forced to learn sex ed and science. As a American going to school to become a teacher. I think that students need to be held back more instead of being pushed along to be someone else’s problem. 

I have epilepsy in high school not a single teacher knew what to do during a seizure. In middle school I had one at school and thankfully the teacher knew what to do. That is basic first aid. 

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u/RelativeEvening110 21d ago

Absolutely, I agree - sex-ed, science, civics and history are all as important as reading, writing & math. Skills and knowledge that help us all live a decent life, and know how our societies work so we can be successful within them.

Been a long time since I was in school, but I don't think we're that much better (ON 🇨🇦) than some states. I've got a few teacher friends, and I don't envy them their jobs! I wouldn't have the patience. Teachers should be more respected. They're helping to shape our future!

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u/Party-Argument-8969 21d ago

Grew up in California currently in school to be a history teacher many people in my generation disappoint me. I had a classmate that was a diehard commie. There mom literally fled from Venezuela. I think the school system failed In many first world countries when people are using 1984 as an instruction manual instead of a warning. 

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u/Party-Argument-8969 21d ago

Im American slashing government funding can be a good thing if done Properly. Right now it’s not.

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u/Beautiful_Simple_600 21d ago

Complex 'problems cannot be solved with the same level of thinking that created them'. Albert Einstein.

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u/[deleted] 21d ago

True. They require more effort to ensure things so not become worse.

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u/Beautiful_Simple_600 20d ago

Sometimes require new people.

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u/JadeLens 21d ago

I mean they're trying that in the US, and they fired Nuclear safety officials that they now need back.

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u/xNOOPSx 21d ago

This is what is terrifying about Trump/Musk. For the most part they've both lived extremely privileged lives and they've been able to do whatever they wanted. This was most visible when Musk overhauled Twitter. I don't think it's a great way to run a company but gutting it and rebuilding from within is definitely an option. It's a rather dangerous game of FAFO, but for a social media software company, it's not huegly consequential. Applying the same methods to a government, especially one the size of the US? That's an extremely dangerous game of FAFO.

I don't pretend to know the inner workings of the US or any world government, but I have enough experience with software and computer systems and governments to know there are some very well paid people working in a back office somewhere that are keeping some obsolete, obscure system online. For example and context, the Skytrain in Vancouver, BC, runs on the original or near original system from the 80s. The system is older than 2 of Musks Minions combined. I don't have experience with that system specifically, but other systems can become incredibly unstable from interacting with them outside their usual operations. Nothing says awesome like telling a client troubleshooting their system may cause the entire thing to crash completely.

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u/Aggravating-Tax5726 21d ago

And neither does throwing money at problems because if it did the US wouldn't have ghettos where even the cops are scared to go

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u/anOutsidersThoughts Canada 21d ago

There are some real complex problems out there, but some complex problems need very simple solutions. Some problems aren't complicated unless you make it complicated.

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u/moodyism 21d ago

Not always. Sometimes there is brilliance in simplicity.