HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1993-06-09, Page 5Arthur Black
THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 9, 1993. PAGE 5.
Modern life
designed to
drive us nuts
I've come to the conclusion that a great
deal of modern life is specifically designed
to drive us nuts.
Traffic light signals, for instance. Have
you ever noticed how it is virtually
impossible to hit a consecutive string of'
green lights when you're trying to drive
across town? Doesn't matter what chauffeur
technique you use — mash the gas pedal
through the floor mat and you'll end up
squealing to a stop at the next intersection.
Put along in low gear with the emergency
brake on and you'll still hit a succession of
reds.
Does this make any sense? Wouldn't you
think the whole purpose of regulating traffic
would be to keep a relatively constant flow
of vehicles going in all directions with a
minimum of stops and starts? Of course.
They're just trying to render us gaga.
The Income Tax guide — there's another
sadistic modern creation designed to render
us eligible for admission to The Happy
Haven Rest Home for the Cerebrally
Overburdened. Revenue Canada has come
up with 72 pages of single-spaced
instructions that no one this side of a
Buddhist monk with a CPA certificate could
possibly fathom.
The decline of
big business
It was once the conventional wisdom that
the giant international businesses would be
best suited to ride out any recession since,
with plants in many parts of the world, they
would not be subjected to the same
economic pressures that befell those
companies located only in one country.
Firms such as IBM were considered to have
solidity akin to the rock of Gibraltar;
furthermore it appeared to give the huge
Japanese concerns yet another chance to
increase their markets since, it was argued,
nobody could really compete with them once
they had put their mind to global expansion.
This seems to be a decade in which most
of the above mentioned conventional
wisdom falls flat on its face. If anybody is in
real trouble, outside of governments of
course, it is the giant corporate sector,
including the Japanese. IBM has recently
announced a loss, the size of which makes
even the company's own executives blanch.
General Motors, the largest car manufac-
turing company in the world, is in about the
worst shape of anybody in its field. Few
Japanese car producers are making any
profits this year. Philips, the largest firm in
Holland, is no better off while household
words such as Procter and Gamble and
Unilever are wondering what hit them. Well,
what did?
It is commonplace to hear the large unions
complain about the horrors of free trade but I
would not blame the large companies if they
started doing the same thing. The reduction
of trade barriers has given the smaller
companies the opportunity to market their
goods in any area once reserved for only the
largest concerns and smaller frequently
means more flexible. In short, these small
Seventy-two pages of impermeable
fiscobabble when all they're really trying to
say is "This is a stickup". Makes my eyes
roll and my tongue loll just thinking about it.
Postal codes — there's another feature of
modem day life that can drive you squirrely
if you dwell on it too long. I'm so antique I
can remember a time before postal codes. A
time when you could pick up a quill, address
an envelope to, say, "Joe Blow, 123 First
Avenue, Anywhere, Canada", slap a 10 cent
stamp on it, pop it in the mailbox and it
would actually be delivered — usually the
next day! Even on Saturdays!
I once lived in a place in northwestern
Ontario called Kaministiquia, Ontario. One
day the mailman delivered a parcel
addressed to "A. Black, Kam, Ont." It had
been mailed from Arizona that same week.
Nowadays you not only have to take out a
mortgage to pay for the postage, you also
have to include the postal code.
Which might not make me froth at the
mouth if the postal codes made any sense at
all. Imagine, for instance, if the postal code
for my office in Toronto was TOR ONT — or
even just contained a familiar "T" or "0". I
think my feeble brain could probably handle
that.
Instead, the code is MSW 1E6.
And Kaministiquia? You'd think the postal
code would at least include the letters "K" or
"M", would you not?
Forget it. The postal code for my Kam
compadres is POT 1X0.
companies have been able to tailor their
products to specific markets much better
than the giant behemoths. Thus the XYZ
Widget Co. of Last Chance Gulch, Erehwon,
may be able to outhustle its huge
competitors to get business throughout the
world.
Even if they do not, the fact that they have
chosen to become what are called "niche"
producers stands them in good stead in
world markets. A niche producer is one who
concentrates on only one segment of a
market, one that would not be of interest to
an IBM. A case in point is Canadair, owned
by Bombardier of Montreal, who has
concentrated on small corporate jet aircraft
as well as commercial passenger jets of the
same size. This is apparently of little interest
to such giants as Boeing or Airbus but, with
a world market there is a much greater
demand than if you were just producing for a
specific area. However, at the point where
the market overlaps the smaller company is
likely to take market share away from
Boeing, since it is in a better position to turn
out a product that the customer wants.
With the arrival of relatively inexpensive
sophisticated computers, the small
companies are able to achieve economies of
scale much more quickly than they ever
could before. In the 1970s and 1980s, these
economies of scale were the domain of IBM
or Philips but not any more. In this respect it
is worth noting that IBM is trying to
downsize its various divisions so that they
will be able to respond in the same manner
as the small competitors to which they
previously paid scant attention.
All this adds up to an understanding of
why large companies are hurriedly trying to
get rid of layers of management in areas
where the jobs were considered to be little
short of sacrosanct. They are scrambling to
become "lean and mean" just like the little
companies already have.
And it's not just postal codification. Ever
perused the paper tags that airport ticket
agents attach to your luggage? You will see
memorable nuggets of consonants such as
YYZ and YLW.
YYZ stands for Pearson International.
YLW is Kelowna, B.C.
Most of the codes for airports in Canada
make not the slightest connection with the
name of the place. Most of them aren't even
pronounceable. Flights into and out of St.
John's, Nfld. are coded YYT. For Windsor,
it's YOG.
Other nations take a less bizarre approach.
Kennedy Airport in New York? That's JFK.
Le Bourget Airport in France is designated
FPB — which sounds confusing until you
unravel the Gallic logic: "F" for France, "P"
for Paris, "B" for Bourget.
In Argentina, most of the airport codes
begin with, surprise, surprise, the letter "A".
In Brazil, they begin with "B"; in Japan it's
"J" and in Sweden it's "S".
Even Turkey, for heaven's sake, has the
letter "T" at the beginning of all its baggage
tags.
But in canada all the airport codes begin
with the letter "Y".
Don't ask me "Y".
Flying onto Boston? Look for BOS on
your tags. Los Angeles? They'll read LAX.
Saskatoon?
Watch for YXE.
It's enough to make your average Canuck
a tad P.O.D.
In the long run consumers should benefit
as a greater number of companies produce
goods in search of willing markets. At the
same time, however, it means a higher level
of competition all round as firms search out
these global markets and try to respond to
them. If the current recession in Canada and
elsewhere has appeared to many to be more
severe than previous ones, it is simply that
this competition is already underway and
there is not one country that is winning.
Each of us has winners and losers. If
Canadians are going to maintain their
standard of living, we have to make sure that
there are more winners than losers.
Letters to the editor
Continued from page 4
increased trade between the two countries by
a relatively small amount. Even investment
flow changed little.
From all the opposition to the MAFIA
there is one thing rather clear. It will also
have little effect on our economy. Only if we
don't join might we suffer. Any jobs to go to
Mexico are there already, for nothing stops a
manufacturer from going there now.
The lesson from the Washington report is
that we should not accept any rhetoric at
face value. Continual repeating doesn't make
things true.
Adrian Vos.
THE EDITOR,
As a resident of the country I enjoy a walk
everyday with my daughter and my two
dogs.
But, I have a problem? Recently garbage
has been thrown out from passing cars in the
form of beer cans, potato chip bags, and pop
cans. Everyday I walk and everyday new
garbage appears on the roadside.
I think it is totally disgusting that people
would spoil the countryside with garbage
and I would appreciate the people doing this
to think again and keep our countryside
beautiful.
Next time you have garbage take it home
and put it in a garbage can.
Sharon Brown.
The
short
of it
I By Bonnie Gropp
Music and
memories
I had the time of my life. Aside from my
wedding day and the birth of my children the
most memorable moment of my life
occurred this past weekend, though I'm sure
a few of you will read this and think I lead a
pretty sheltered life, if this is as good as it
gets.
Perhaps, I should ofler some background
to provide a better understanding.
It was almost 30 years ago, yet the
memory is as vivid as a Lake Huron sunset.
My family and I were gathered around the
television after Sunday dinner. My teenage
brother was filling us in on the special guests
scheduled to appear on the variety show that
evening, while I snuggled as close to the
screen as I possibly could to catch what he
promised would be a piece of history.
Like a typical nine-year-old I really didn't
need to know what was happening; I was
excited because someone else was. I
fidgetted impatiently for the moment when I
would find out what it was all about. Finally,
Ed Sullivan introduced The Beatles and I
was spellbound. The camera panned their
faces in close-up and as it rested briefly on
Paul McCartney, I remember sighing, "Oh,
Mommy, he's cute."
Thus began a long tale of unrequited love
as for three decades I have worshipped from
afar.
That came to an end on Sunday evening,
however, when I along with five others
travelled to Exhibition Stadium to see him.
(Well, okay it was still from afar, but I was
in the same general vicinity as him!)
Anyway, I know I'm supposed to be a
mature woman now with giddy girlhood
notions behind me, but seeing McCartney
almost up close, was a fantasy fulfilled. It
was a picture perfect evening with the lights
of Toronto peeking in between the stadium
stands. The temperatures were comfortable
with a gentle breeze blowing off the lake.
Even the odd glistening star was visible
through the smog. Sitting in this idyllic
atmosphere, listening to songs that were so
much a part of my life, was an enchanting
experience, even for a grown-up whose head
was forced out of the clouds quite a few
years ago.
Throughout the evening, the audience,
which was comprised primarily of other
once idealistic baby boomers, was part of a
nostalgic magical mystery tour. It impressed
me then what an impact music can have on
us as each song unlocked its own significant
memory in me.
All the stories, songs and words of
wisdom tell us to live for today. Living in
the past is not a good thing on a regular
basis, especially if you are looking back
longingly, but our memories are a big part of
who we are so a brief visit once in a while
can't be all bad.
I used to resent the fact that I didn't get to
see the early McCartney. However, it
dawned on me the other night that this was
even better. Not only did I see one of my
favourite musicians perform an entire career,
but I rekindled some of the energy and
carefree attitude of adolescence for a time.
(Mind you, after just four hours sleep that
night, the feeling had dissipated by
Monday!)
It was nice, though to treat myself to an
evening of good company, ambiance and
music, one I can add to that warehouse of
memories.
And by the way — he's still cute!
International Scene