Silly Little Country

Polley, Nails, Bastiat

This is no new thing but today's Toronto Star delivered yet another round of depressing perspectives.
Note the picture in which the nail manufacturing worker is complaining that local stores are selling only foreign nails, and hardly any nails manufactured in Canada. (apologies if this link does not work as it did not just now for me - in any case it was a very sympathetic article reporting how numerous Canadian filmmakers and actors were troubled that most theatres in Toronto were playing mostly, almost entirely, foreign, i.e. pretty much US, films - this link works today) - OK it is not nails. But if it were why would there be a difference? Would it be a scandal? Would we agree with those who felt the same about our exports overseas?
It is not as if I do not try to watch Canadian movies. It is rarely a satisfying experience (the exceptions being almost all Quebec films).
What I find odd is that articles like this Star article elevate to some sort of serious cause sheer special interest pleading for other people's money to be channeled to the pleaders, regardless of the clearly expressed wishes of the public, when they surely would not make the same case for nail manufacturing. Hmmm, there is a sorry trend now in the textile industry so maybe, horrifyingly, I might be wrong about how silly the world can be.
I yearn for the clarity of Bastiat. (For Star readers and writers, let me warn you that Bastiat could be sarcastic.)

posted by Alan Adamson @ 5:56 PM