🚀 go-pugleaf

jsavard@ecn.ab.ca wrote:
> 
> Michele (Michele@me.com) wrote:
> quoting another post:
> 
> : > That's true.  No one should be forced to learn another language. For
> : > most Anglos French is a waist of time because all the French speak
> : > English, =
> 
> : That is a very prejudiced comment to make. Why should all the people in
> : Quebec be EXPECTED to speak english? It's okay for people who speak
> : english not to speak french so why cant it be the other way around. At
> : least the french make the effort to speak english which is more than i
> : can say for most other canadians. =
> 
> Well, it isn't true that all the French in Quebec speak English.

I never said that all the french in quebec speak english.

> 
> However, enough of them do - they do so because they have chosen to learn >English for a personal economic advantage. For access to the money held by all those English Canadians and all those Americans who speak English. Not because they have been forced to, or expected to.
The English have not been under the compulsion to make such an effort:
and it is a big effort, so it is not a thing to be surprised at that
they have not.
> 
> People don't voluntarily make huge sacrifices of their time and effort so that other people who are slightly disadvantaged can enjoy full equality: we have the government to force people to do such things. Prejudice has nothing to do with it; English speakers decline to learn French not because they think French is a poor language, or people of French origin are stupid or something, but because it is work that doesn't bring a profit.

I think you missed the whole point of what I was trying to say, it looks
like you missed alot of my post as well. I really don't care who speaks
what language or why. I was responding to someone who was obviously
prejudiced against french people and had a wrong understanding of
things. you're right in saying that english people don't learn french
b/c it doesnt bring a profit for them. it's a good point but it has
nothing to do with what i was trying to get across in my old post.
> 
> 
> Or do you genuinely think that, after so much abuse and bigotry from
> English Canada, still, because the goodness of their hearts is so great, French Canadians are learning to speak English as a gesture of goodwill, as a duty for keeping the country together, and then they turn around and vote Yes in the referendums? 

i have no idea where this is coming from..i made no reference to any of
this.. i think you've gotten me mixed up with another post.
> 
> Whether someone is English or French, even a kind and generous person must spend most of his time on the selfish pursuit of earning a living for himself and his family. The French have been in the unfortunate situation of needing to include, in many cases, learning English as part of this important task.
> 
> I don't deny that this is something they have a right to be annoyed about.
> But it is a situation that results from the disparity in numbers, not from active bigotry or government discrimination.

John - you've made some great and valid points but in refering to MY
post i have no idea what the hell you are talking about. no where did i
mention gov't discrimination or anytyhing along those lines, i was
simply refering to a post that upset me b/c the sender was very wrong in
his assumptions about french people. thanks for your view point.

michele
>