🚀 go-pugleaf

On Thu, 22 Oct 1998 17:30:54 -0400, "MCMorin" <mcmorin@total.net>
wrote:

>Ariane Lantz wrote in message ...
>
>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.
>
>
>==== If you know a little bit of French it will be easy for you to make some
>friends and to have some cultural activities.
>
>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??!?

Of course there are. That's not the point. A few english, even much
smaller in size would satisfy us and surely not do anyone on the other
side any harm. At least, one would think so. 

>==== I agree with you, we should not have to do that, but with the situation
>of French in America, we do not have the choice... If all English would do
>their homework and learn French, there would not be any law on the
>language...

No choice ? What crap. Furthermore...most english know french...
its the total lack of respect that we're shown plus having it rammed
down our throats that piss us off !

>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.
>
>==== Go say that to the English here : they will kill you. They do not
>understand that.

You just don't seem to get it do you. And when was the last time an
english killed over something like that ??? I think you've got it
exactly backward...its far more likely the other way around, as its
been so in the past...and you know that !


>  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.

The focus on language comes from the separatist dog, who uses it to
incite the under-educated masses to its own ends.



>==== Well, you are right here, try to learn more about history, and you will
>see that French people in America were treated like shit, and I am polite...

Good point...learn about history...learn about lord Dorchester and how
he insisted that the french of quebec be allowed to keep their
language and culture after France's defeat in the new world. And
another good historical point you may want to look up...how many acts
of separation succeed without some form of civil war. READ some
history..

>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.

Ontario sucks....I'll buy that

>==== I lived in Western Canada for a couple of years, what I saw there is
>basically the same attitude that you are taking about the Ontarians.
>
>==== One final word, do not take my advices to seriously, because like
>somebody said in another post, I am not in the class of educated,
>open-minded and smart French people. Well, I guess I am illiterate, stuborn
>and stupid. To bad for me. Thanks to the genius that wrote that. It is nice
>to know more about myself.
>
>==== Once again, welcome to Montr�al and keep up posted of your progress and
>your experiences here, it is interesting.

Ditto

 Rick
http://rickkins.home.ml.org
mailto:rickkins@repairman.com
 " Time is a companion on our journey,
   reminding us to cherish every moment,
   for it will never pass again. "
       ( Jean-Luc Picard )