The political economy of economy? Hmm. Perhaps not yet.
The train is a microcosm though, as we’ve had a chance too happen across more of the passengers the longer we’ve been on board. The evening stop at Caporel was where we had more of a chance. A guitarist was playing in the dome car, and some of the passengers were participating, singing along with some of the old standards.
There’s a real broad mix on the train, from the Hutterite family (three generations, perhaps), to the indigenous couple on their way back from the Jays game. There’s the young guy playing Raw v Smackdown on his laptop, who’s taken the trip 10 times, to the Turkish girl, to the two friends travelling together. The older lady who got off the train at Parry Sound (quick stop there), to the people who just don’t like flying. There’s the French-speaking backpackers, and some German speakers too. There’s a lot of language being thrown around.
Not a bad way to get around.
But it is a look at the country in miniature, with a broad sample of the population. “Sample size” would be the title, I guess, but Microcosm came to me first.