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Joined 2 years ago
Cake day: June 17th, 2023
  • Cyborganism@lemmy.catoCanada@lemmy.ca•Opinion: It's time for a centralization movement in Canada
    1·
    14 hours ago

    And I also don’t agree with your defence of Quebec’s secularism laws. While I agree that state and religion should be separated, and yes that secularism laws should be in place, some policies that have been applied, such as the recent Bill 21, banning of hijabs and crosses in certain levels of professions, is nothing more than a gesture, to just show a facade of secularism without actually enforcing it, all while disrespecting the people practicing their religion, and essentially placing limitations on people’s cultures. Once again, we can’t preach multiculturalism while doing the exact opposite of it: erasing people of their cultural identity, even if it’s just in public. And if anything, such actions only push the influence that religions may have over civil and state affairs into the shadows, hiding behind suits and hair free of religious symbols on their bodies. I understand that Quebec’s is heavily influenced by the same secular principles practiced in France, but they seem to have a healthier take on secularism, allowing the Sikhs to continue wearing their turbans in all settings, for example. I can understand the fear of losing that balance and giving control back to religious institutions, but gestures that do not improve secularism are pointless, period, and they are much less when the side effects are similar to the very thing Quebec seems to fear happen to themselves: an erasure of their own identity.

    I understand that this is a pretty sensitive topic for Québécois, and I understand that I may not have the full historical context to properly understand the viewpoints and stances of Québécois, and perhaps I’m just too firmly rooted in the viewpoint of humanism, but I find it difficult to be persuaded that the recent policies that are essentially protectionist or, even, nationalist, are helpful for Quebec’s position in public discourse, especially when it comes to criticisms from the rest of Canada, or the other way around.

    Yeah, there is historical context. Public schools used to be run by the catholic church. When Québec finally decided to end this, there was a slow transition. Nuns still taught in schools, but it became forbidden for them to wear their religious clothing and any religious symbols. Prayers were stopped in class. Crucifixes and religious imagery were removed. It no longer had its place in public schools. So when they’re saying that teachers can’t wear religious symbols in class, it’s really a continuation of this. Why would some students have special accommodations for them to do prayers if that privilege was removed for everyone else? Why would some teachers have accommodations for them to wear religious clothing when this was banned for everyone else? If they want to practice their religion, they can do so on their own time, in their own places of worship. Nobody’s stopping them from practising their religion, they just can’t do it in a public school. Or they can open their own private religious schools if they want.

  • Cyborganism@lemmy.catoCanada@lemmy.ca•Not So 'Crappy' Any Longer?
    43·
    1 day ago

    LOL! Good point.

    Those that actually make good products that don’t fall apart in your hands on the first use I guess?

    In all seriousness though, when I wanted to buy a certain product (like those stick-on battery-powered lamps that you can put in attics and stuff for example) I would check CT and Amazon.

    • The CT product would have swollen batteries and acid damage, short circuits, burnt light bulbs, or even burnt LEDs, the casing would be cracked, right out of the package. And the worst part is that when you go to return to the store, they don’t reimburse you for a broken or damaged product. Nope. You can either exchange it for another broken item or they only give you a god damn reimbursement CT card that you can only spend in their stores.
    • Meanwhile, Amazon would have a ton of selections with customer reviews to back up the product so you know what to expect. The prices are also competitive, even with the delivery fees. And if the product is damaged or breaks, you get an instant reimbursement as soon as you send it back, free of charge.

    For the record, I cancelled my Amazon Prime subscription, and boycott Amazon. I don’t buy anything from them anymore unless I really can’t find an alternative somewhere else whether in stores or online at another Canadian location or straight from manufacturers. But, I also avoid CT as much as possible due to my extremely poor customer experience there. There’s always Rona/ Reno Depot, but they were bought by an American equity firm. Home Depot is also American. So I don’t have any other Canadian options.

    Canadian companies like Canadian Tire, Loblaws, Metro and other big chains have established themselves almost as monopolies in Canada. Yeah I want to encourage Canadian businesses, but they’re taking advantage of Canadians, and that doesn’t encourage me to buy from them. I try to find smaller providers, but it’s sometimes near impossible for certain types of products.

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