🚀 go-pugleaf

On Wed, 21 Oct 1998, Sirius wrote:

> I will answer you in English since you are new to Montréal and probably do
> not understand a word of French. I must say that you have a very good point
> and this is a question that I have asked myself.
> 
> What is the difference between a French and an English in Québec?
> 
> Well not much except the language, you must think. You are partially right.
> Basic people with low education level will adopt the American ''culture'',
> there is not doubt with that. However, educated people (most of them) will
> be more tuned towards France for the literature and the culture. These are a
> good part of the séparatistes and it is not what English understand from
> what I can see. They seem to think the opposite. Actually, the uneducated
> people, that are oriented towards USA, feel like they are loosers because
> they do not speak English and they wish they were Americans. These people
> are the ones who voted *NO* at the referendum. As a consequence, these are
> also the people that are the most suceptible to switch to *YES* by listening
> to stupid English like the ones we see on this newsgroup. Unfortunately,
> most uneducated French are not on the Internet, but there are plenty of
> other English whiner assholes everywhere doing a good job.
> 
> When you say that Montréal is as bourgeois as any other city in Canada, you
> are right if you stay and work downtown. The reason is that it is the
> business district and you will only find English and other immigrants there.
> If you want to see the real French, go to the live theater, go drink a
> coffee in a little café, go listen to a classic music concert, do not stick
> in the business district, you will not find any there.
> 
> Regarding Paris, be careful. This will not give you a good idea of France.
> Paris is, like almost any big city, populated with immigrants, not much real
> French there, but lots of tourists. Go to the ''Province'' instead.
> 
> Welcome to Montréal, you seem open-minded, unlike most of other English
> here. I am sure that if you stay here long enough you will try to speak
> French and you will not regret it. French is a beautiful and rich language.
> You will also find that if you have questions about the French language,
> everybody will be very pleased to answer you. Most of educated people love
> their language and are delighted to share it. What amazes me is that English
> here do not jump on the opportunity to learn French. Well I understand why,
> but believe me, the language is everything and you will not see the world
> exactly the same after you know French. English here are stubborn and do not
> learn French because they are lazy and for them it is a language of loosers,
> and they would not make any money out of it. They are wrong. Do not be like
> them.
> 
> Do not believe what you hear : there are smart, educated, open-minded French
> people.


	I appreciate your comments monsieur, primarily because it is the
`French culture' for which I moved to Montreal in the first place.  So
thank you for the advice.  However, you are wrong in thinking that I don't
speak a word of French.  My family immigrated to Canada from Avignon, but
i admit, having been born and raised on Vancouver Island doesn't really
help one's French much.  In any case, upon first impressions, the west
coast certainly seems to be a lot more of an open minded milieu than this
pervasive right-wing bourgeois mentality that dominates the east. Anyway,
I just want to make one or two points in response to your message.

	First of all, it seems beyond stupid that we have groups like
`Alliance Quebec' (and their french equivalent) bickering like mindless
children over shop signs!!  Are there no more important issues than
this??!?  There are many english people from all over the world who have
chosen to come to montreal because (we thought) it was french, and
therefore, living here would enrich our own cultural horizons.  But with
all these bourgeois simpletons imposing their own priorities on this
place, and forcing us to deal with their silly little issues, what you end
up with are feelings of animosity and antagonism between linguistic groups
while the real issues which seem to distinguish anglo from franco from
everyone else in quebec are, at root, cultural ones.  The simplistic focus
on language only seems to obscure deeper issues.   

	And secondly, PLEASE DON'T confuse the attitudes and actions of
Ontario with the rest of english Canada.  When you say `english' i get the
feeling you're referring to Ontario, and believe me, the rest of the
country has very, very little in common with that province.  I've often
wondered if Quebec separatism would even be an issue at all the Quebecois
didn't have such a belligerent provincial neighbour.  Trust me, its common
knowledge all across Canada that Ontario sucks.  B.C. is filled with
people who have personally "separated" from there, and I think Ontario
provides a very distorted example of what the rest of english Canada is
like.  Ontario is unique in having turned the "power trip" into everyday
normal behaviour, and I would bet that these are the english people who
can't be bothered with learning French and who look down on the language. 
Its all part of the Ontario power trip.

	Finally, I can understand that there are certain niches in
Montreal where people turn to France for their cultural inspiration rather
than to America but, can you name some places in the city where one could
go and meet people while soaking up this "francophilia?"  Like certain
cafe's, artist's hangouts, etc??  (More like knowledge any english
newcomer should know about the Montreal vibe.)  Thanx.

	Justin