This is an editorial I wrote a few years ago when I worked for Andy, McMaster's arts magazine. Things have a strange way of working out.
I have lost a lot of friends in the past four years. No, I have not just become boring, or started devoting all my time to a boy, or work, or school. Instead, I have lost my friends to something cooler than I ever could be—Toronto. In order to better understand my plight, it must be noted that I have lived in Hamilton (well, Ancaster if you really must know) for all my life. If you were born at McMaster Medical, and now are ultmimately studying here, chances are you have grown a bit of an attachment to this city. For me, while I had the chance to go to university anywhere else, something about this place kept me here. Although I knew I had to get out of the small bubble of Ancaster as much as I could, I could not help but love downtown Hamilton. Going to McMaster has brought me closer to the parts of the city I love most, and I don’t regret this decision one bit. It was this choice of staying in Hamilton which made me grow closer and closer to my surroundings, not to mention all the hidden gems I have discovered along the way. With this in mind, my choice to go to McMaster only seemed natural.
So where does the problem come in? If staying in Hamilton is what I wanted, then why do I feel like I am more alone than ever? The answer is less than one hour away, and the fact is, Toronto has become a metaphorical vacuum for kids trying to escape the horrors of Hamilton, Burlington, and Oakville’s suburbia. The is vacuum has sucked up 75% of my friends and counting, and the worst part is, Toronto isn’t a vacuum with a bag you can empty out, revealing your long lost friends merely covered in dust; it is a central vac, where people get sucked into a black abyss and are unlikely to be seen again. Maybe it’s because most people get rid of their cars before moving to the city, it seems inevitable that as soon as a friend says they are moving downtown, you will likely seem them once a month, with a steady decrease to about once year.
While some do this before college, others wait until they get their degrees, and then abandon the city that housed them, educated them, and entertained them for four or more years. It seems like the youth of Hamilton have a love em’ and leave em’ mentality when it comes to this city, and I can do nothing but watch as my friends slip through the cracks of my hands like sand.
Although I may be saddened when people leave, when looking at this scenario a little more objectively, it becomes clear that moving to Toronto does more than just leave your family and friends a little bit more lonely. Specifically, the amount of educated young adults who leave Hamilton are doing next to nothing for our city’s dwindling job market. I mean, it’s not a really complicated concept: Kid goes school, kid gets diploma, and kid jumps on the GO train, wide-eyed, with dreams of owning one of those Lakeshore Lofts one day. Sadly, this leaves Hamilton with one less able person who can contribute to our economy. Before you know it, the numbers start piling up, and King Street East becomes a symbol of Hamilton’s failing entrepreneurialship.
The whole thing is mildly depressing, as I already know that more than half of the people I like on this campus are just going to be leaving in a year or so to pursue “bigger" things in Toronto. In the end, I am left with a question. Do I leave Hamilton and start a life of greater opportunities? Or do I stay in this place due to my own stubborness and try to prove a point about how great this city is. Hamilton has so much character and culture in a Springsteen, blue collar blues kind of way, but it’s difficult to hold your ground when you are constantly in the shadow of a bigger, more popular brother.
I guess the question I want to know is should you jump off a ship while it is sinking? Or ride it down to the bottom of the sea?
