THE CONVERSATION
Tech, Please
Readers got downright giddy in response to our giant tech package, about how Toronto has become a magnet for investment capital and talent. They loved learning about Tanmay Bakshi (the 13-year-old tech guru) and Ross the robot (the city’s quickest legal mind) and the Hyperloop (a futuristic 700-kilometre-per-hour mode of transportation). If there was any grumbling, it was about labelling Toronto “The New Silicon Valley.”
“No @ torontolife we are not the new Silicon Valley or Silicon anything. Stop this nonsense. Trying to be them is not #HowWeCanWin big!”
—@JaretManuel, Twitter
“Oh silly @ torontolife, have you not heard of @citywaterloo?”
—@Sean_ Hertel, Twitter
“I read through your feature on Toronto’s tech scene with great interest. It is indeed an exciting time in Toronto for tech innovation. The critical mass of innovators and companies no doubt means Torontonians will be at the forefront of global tech innovation. But your headline calling it ‘ The New Silicon Valley’ is the height of Canadian provincialism. Why must we be the ‘next’ anything? There are things in Toronto that don’t exist in the Bay Area—a thriving financial services community, less economic disparity, a more welcoming immigration system. Can we be a bit less Canadian please?”
—Tim Wilbur, Toronto
“‘ The New Silicon Valley’? A bit of a stretch, but looking forward to reading how Toronto is pushing forward.”
—@erinechan, Twitter
THOT Police
Reaction to “The Untold Story of the Canadian Kardashians” was almost unanimously unsympathetic. Jyoti and Kiran Matharoo, the so- called “sextortion sisters” who were accused of blackmailing billionaires in Nigeria, seem to generate intense vitriol from, well, pretty much everyone, everywhere:
“Please stop giving them publicity and maybe they’ll go away or to jail. Either one is fine with me.”
—Judy Ann, Facebook “Being a rich foreigner while flaunting your wealth never goes over well. Especially if the country you’re being extravagant in isn’t wealthy.” —Kinoblau, Reddit
“Just because they’re idiots who had sugar daddies and got screwed over does not mean they can’t be targets of some level of bigotry. I’m not saying that’s what happened for sure, but if their story, as per the article, is true then bigotry may have played a role in their ordeal.”
—tinkthank, Reddit
“These two don’t really compare to the Kardashians. The Kardashians are the gold standard of Instagram models. They changed the game and continue to do so. They’re what half the Instagram models try to be. They made all the right moves. These are like the Walmart brand.”
—forthekulcha, Reddit
“I want to feel bad for the sisters; however, their actions and infamy make it so difficult. Society has failed in the sense that being a vapid, outlandish, sexualized object for b/millionaires is seen as successful, and is desired by many. ”
—PsnAccountgotBanned, Reddit