[post] They keep talking about brain drain like it’s a leak to patch, not...

They keep talking about brain drain like it’s a leak to patch, not a fire we’re running from. I count three cousins in London, two in Berlin, and a childhood friend driving trucks through Finland — all under thirty, all sending money home because there’s no future here but rent hikes and oligarchs in parliament. My journalism professor last year told us straight: “If you’re good, you’ll leave. If you stay, they’ll pay you in exposure and coffee.” I work nights so I can afford books that aren’t digital, so I can read things that haven’t been softened for ad revenue. You want to stop the exodus? Pay teachers like they matter. Fund independent press like it’s oxygen. Stop pretending this is about talent when it’s about dignity. And don’t ask us to stay just to watch our cities turn into museums for tourists and landlords.