The Economist Gets a Proper Canadian Rebuke

Tuesday night on Twitter, the 35th Premier of British Columbia threw it back in The Economist's face. Relax Vancouver. I get called boring too. It means things work. Besides, can't argue with The Economist. They're experts on boring. — Christy Clark (@christyclarkbc) May 27, 2015 The reason for the tweet was a recent article in the magazine with the permalink /boring-cities and the affirmation that when author Gulliver used to do “livability” rankings of cities around the world, places like Vancouver always rose to the top: The report was aimed at firms who sent expatriate managers to far-flung places, to determine whether they needed to pay a hardship allowance. The trouble was, measuring things such as crime levels, transport efficiency and housing stock, meant that the most anodyne cities inevitably rose to the top. Vienna, Vancouver and Geneva always seemed to do well. Pleasant cities, yes, but mind-numbingly boring. What right-minded person would rank Vienna a better city than Rio, or Vancouver preferable to Paris? The author led off his piece by lamenting that the thrill factor of today's New York or London pales in comparison to that of several decades ago. However, at the end of the article, he confesses that it's the idea of that bygone edgy-city-appeal that is more romantic than any actual desire to live in a transvestite-over-here, potential-mugger-over-there kind of environment. Below, a couple of the latest Canuck reader comments to The Economist item: @Real_Economist: I lived in an around Vancouver for 26 years. When I was in my 20's, the birth of the Rave scene in Yaletown warehouses prior to becoming 400 square foot 'condos' fuelled all night dance parties that stand out as legendary. The Commodore Ballroom was a mecca for world class music in a small venue. Then I became a fitness freak and obviously you can't criticize Vancouver and environs on that account. Now in my 50's, I'm still loving the city for great ballet, plays, music, restaurants, parks, proximity to the world's most pristine places... Now, as in my 20's, I can only conclude that when media declares Vancouver a 'boring' or 'no-fun' city, I think to myself, "Too bad you didn't connect with somebody who really knows the city". Like we've always said among my group, If you think Vancouver's boring, you're boring. osljswi: I've lived in Vancouver all my life and it is the most overrated city in the world, with the most arrogant people. We want to be a world-class city but have no idea how! The city wants no cars downtown, Granville street is abysmal and our transit system is a joke. If you love BEAUTY, then Vancouver is not boring but if you love life and can tell the difference between the two, then it's a place you can swipe off your list. Everyone says that people want to move here, that's so true if you're of Asian descent.

Fishbowl

The Economist Gets a Proper Canadian Rebuke

British Columbia Premier Christy Clark takes to Twitter to reassure her Vancouver constituents.

Richard Horgan

About

Subscriptions

Events

Publications

WORK SMARTER - LEARN, GROW AND BE INSPIRED.

Subscribe today!

Richard Horgan