Dear Readers,
I want to take a moment to discuss the new threaded Comments Section, which when sprung upon me and you without warning by BLOGGER, seemed like a great addition.
Perhaps it is, but to be honest, I'm having a hard time getting used to it.
I've tried to help by installing a 'Recent comment list' in the right margin of the Blog and I hope it helps until we all get used to the new system, which I'm sure we will.
The first effect of the change is that we're likely to see more comments as readers reply individually to each comment instead of making batch replies.
So be it.
I am unable to change threaded comments, even if I wanted to, the option not afforded to EDITORS by the ubiquitous BLOGGER.
At any rate, I'm glad to report that this week our blog saw over 15,000 page views, a new record. I will always refer to NDOA as 'our' blog, because reader comments are as, or more important than my contribution.
Fridays post received over 160 comments and over 12,000 words in response.
I'm very pleased that I've provided a forum for discussions that are sorely lacking by the politically correct English media.
As for TROLLS.
Bless you all, you're part of the debate.
I won't restrict access, as I've said before. I will not become a censurer, unless you cross a line.
Please try to be droll or sarcastic in your denunciations. I do so enjoy a witty or sarcastic put down, even directed at myself!
I would also ask Trolls to adopt a screen name, it won't kill you or affect your anonymity. It will allow others reply directly.
As for comments that are suppressed, I'll repeat my policy;
Anything overtly racist or insulting, without any redeeming value will be axed.
Mindless quotes from public personalities- Karl Marx, Pierre Falardeau, Rene Levesque et als, meant to be 'in your face' insults, won't be tolerated.
Thank you all for your contributions!
“Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth.” -Oscar Wilde.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Friday, January 13, 2012
French Versus English Volume 43
Hilarious language video goes viral
On
Wednesday I wrote that the demonstration in front of the Bell Centre by
French language militants, protesting the hiring of a unilingual
anglophone as coach of the Montreal Canadiens, would probably result in
many free agents striking Montreal from the list of possibilities.
There is however another negative development, which I could not have predicted.
It's a hilarious video, a send up of demonstrators that is all the rage on YouTube.
When I first posted the video, there were less than 400 clicks, but since then, it has gone viral.
At the time of writing this post, there have been over 70,000 views.
Now I know that humor transcends the language barrier with great difficulty and many Francophones, even bilingual ones will have trouble 'getting' the video.
Trust me when I say that the video is extremely insulting and portrays the demonstrators as hopelessly sad ideologues.
The seriousness of those interviewed belied the fact that they were being mocked rather shamefully by Abdul, who is admittedly quite the deadpan comedian.
What kind of impact will the video have?
Regulator worried about companies avoiding public stock offerings in Quebec
The AMF, Quebec's regulatory agency for stock markets, brokers, etc. has publicly noted that some companies having their headquarters outside Quebec avoid making a public offering in the province, because of Bill 101.
"As stipulated by the law, companies are required to write their prospectus in French. The prospectus is a document to be published by any company planning to raise funds on financial markets.
According to the AMF, nearly 54% of companies avoid public offerings in Quebec due to language requirements imposed on them.
To justify their decision not to raise funds from Québec investors, the businesses claimed it is a question of costs related to the translation of texts.
"Companies are saying, 'We'll go somewhere else to raise money and we will exclude Quebec from our efforts.' So it's a situation, in fact, that is a concern to us and something on which we will have to consider, "said Sylvain Théberge, spokesman for the AMF. Link{Fr}
Quebec workplaces least diversive
"...Seventy-three per cent of Canadians describe their workplace or school as diverse, compared to 70 per cent of Americans, 68 per cent of Britons and 67 per cent of French respondents.
Sixty per cent of Quebecers work in a multicultural environment, the lowest proportion of any province.
Fewer Quebecers work and study in multicultural environments because most of the province’s immigrants are concentrated in Montreal, and because the city attracts fewer immigrants than Toronto or Vancouver, Jedwab said. Also, Quebec has a lower proportion of cultural minorities in government jobs than other provinces, he said.Fifty-seven per cent of francophones in Canada describe their workplace as diverse, compared to 74 per cent of anglophones and 83 per cent of people who speak a language other than English or French.." Link
Does Premier Charest want a Francophone coach for the future NHL team in Quebec?
The headline in La Presse announced that the Premier of Quebec wants a francophone as a coach of the future Quebec city franchise;
"Charest favorable à un entraîneur francophone pour les Nordiques" Link{Fr}
but the headline in English media said something a little different;
Over the course of the Cunneyworth debate of late, most of the language militants who complained publicly over the issue, made sure to use the term 'unilingual anglophone' when describing the issue. But every now and then they forget the word 'unlingual and complained about an 'anglophone' as coach of the team. Freudian Slip?
I think so.
Under all of this pseudo talk of unilingualism, there lies an undertone of racism, where the idea of an anglo running the team is offensive, bilingual or not.
So what exactly did Premier Charest say, Francophone or bilingual?
Actually both...
In the article, the Premier told reporters that a future coach of the Nordiques would have to speak French 'as a minimum,' but later on, mentioned in joking that if ever the Nordiques couldn't find a qualified Francophone, they could hire Quebec City mayor Regis Lebaume. Link{Fr}
More English schools closing
For over two years Quebec nationalists have been crowing that the unemployment rate in Quebec was lower than in Ontario, something that rarely happened before.
Of course it was only a matter of time before Ontario pulled itself out of the recession and restored itself to more traditional numbers After a disastrous month of job losses Quebec's unemployment rate ballooned to 8.7% as opposed to Ontario's number which declined to 7.7%;
Citing the example of French Catholic school boards and French secular school boards which were created in the late eighties to better serve the Francophone community, particularly in the Ottawa area, an opinion piece in Le Devoir by Pierre Allard is calling fro the Catholic church to split the Archdiocese of Ottawa along linguistic lines.
A report in the European Journal of Epidemiology indicates that the life expectancy for Quebec Francophone men is 76.5 years, which is 2.3 years less than for Anglophone men. For Francophone women life expectancy is 81.8, or 1.4 years less than their Anglophone counterparts. The difference is particularly marked among men in major cities other than Montreal, like Quebec City, Sherbrooke and Gatineau, where the difference is 5.1 years.
Higher smoking rates and higher alcohol consumption among francophones are signaled as the major contributing factor to the gap, Link
Mohawk Doctor in peril of losing her license over French
A doctor practicing in the Montreal suburb of Chateauguay, (which has a large Anglo community) is in jeopardy of losing her license because she cannot pass a French exam.
Brought up in the nearby native reserve of Kahnawake Mohawk territory, Dr. Ojistoh Horn is the first female Mohawk medical doctor from Kahnawake. She is the daughter of Kahentinetha Horn, an important native activist.
Readers should understand that Native bands in Quebec are closely associated with either the English language or the French language, but not both. Mohawks, along with the Cree in the North, speak English along with their native tongue. French on these 'English-leaning' reserves is practically non-existent.
Dr. Horn is to be given one last chance to pass the French test, before being suspended. Link{Fr}
Radio personality complains that restaurant brawlers spoke too much English.
But as amusing as it is, it was a brawl between two English parties, one Asian and the other Black, so why does this story make the French versus English page?
It's hard to believe but blowhard radio whiner Benoît Dutrizac, actually complained on the radio that the two fighting groups spoke only English.
I'm not making this up.
While interviewing fellow language supremacist Mario Beaulieu on his radio show, he decried the fact that everyone involved spoke English, as well as the waiters.
Why?
Dunno....perhaps if one group spoke French, he'd of had someone to stick up for.
Listen here, the fun starts at 2:50 LINK{Fr}
Controversial mayor
For Huntington mayor Stéphane Gendron it's been quite a turbulent couple of days. First he was assailed by Jewish groups for remarks he made on his television news magazine where;
Perhaps it was to deflect the overwhelming condemnation over his Israel remarks, Gendron again lashed out at the OQLF, telling them that his Eastern township town (40% English) would not comply with regulations making French predominate. Link{Fr}
First baby of 2012
Once again Quebec's first baby of 2011 left French language militants wringing their hands.
Tyler Stephen Wilson was the first baby born in Quebec in 2012, at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal, weighing 3 kilograms.
Here's a picture of the
happy English couple and readers can draw conclusions as to why the Jacques Noels of the province were none to pleased.
If you've got some time this weekend, watch this food/travel show which will illustrate why we all love to live in Canada's most imperfect, yet most exciting big city...
"Without Montreal, Canada would be hopeless, it's where the cool kids hang ....-Chef Anthony Bordain;
Link to see video |
There is however another negative development, which I could not have predicted.
It's a hilarious video, a send up of demonstrators that is all the rage on YouTube.
When I first posted the video, there were less than 400 clicks, but since then, it has gone viral.
At the time of writing this post, there have been over 70,000 views.
Now I know that humor transcends the language barrier with great difficulty and many Francophones, even bilingual ones will have trouble 'getting' the video.
Trust me when I say that the video is extremely insulting and portrays the demonstrators as hopelessly sad ideologues.
The seriousness of those interviewed belied the fact that they were being mocked rather shamefully by Abdul, who is admittedly quite the deadpan comedian.
What kind of impact will the video have?
Nothing flattering, that's for damn sure. Think back to "Star Wars Kid'
The video just may be the worst nightmare possible for French language militants, becoming a meme, portraying them as buffoons across the Internet.Regulator worried about companies avoiding public stock offerings in Quebec
The AMF, Quebec's regulatory agency for stock markets, brokers, etc. has publicly noted that some companies having their headquarters outside Quebec avoid making a public offering in the province, because of Bill 101.
"As stipulated by the law, companies are required to write their prospectus in French. The prospectus is a document to be published by any company planning to raise funds on financial markets.
According to the AMF, nearly 54% of companies avoid public offerings in Quebec due to language requirements imposed on them.
To justify their decision not to raise funds from Québec investors, the businesses claimed it is a question of costs related to the translation of texts.
"Companies are saying, 'We'll go somewhere else to raise money and we will exclude Quebec from our efforts.' So it's a situation, in fact, that is a concern to us and something on which we will have to consider, "said Sylvain Théberge, spokesman for the AMF. Link{Fr}
Quebec workplaces least diversive
"...Seventy-three per cent of Canadians describe their workplace or school as diverse, compared to 70 per cent of Americans, 68 per cent of Britons and 67 per cent of French respondents.
Sixty per cent of Quebecers work in a multicultural environment, the lowest proportion of any province.
Fewer Quebecers work and study in multicultural environments because most of the province’s immigrants are concentrated in Montreal, and because the city attracts fewer immigrants than Toronto or Vancouver, Jedwab said. Also, Quebec has a lower proportion of cultural minorities in government jobs than other provinces, he said.Fifty-seven per cent of francophones in Canada describe their workplace as diverse, compared to 74 per cent of anglophones and 83 per cent of people who speak a language other than English or French.." Link
Does Premier Charest want a Francophone coach for the future NHL team in Quebec?
The headline in La Presse announced that the Premier of Quebec wants a francophone as a coach of the future Quebec city franchise;
"Charest favorable à un entraîneur francophone pour les Nordiques" Link{Fr}
but the headline in English media said something a little different;
Future Quebec City NHL coach must speak French: Premier Charest Link
The difference in the above two headlines isn't just splitting hairs, one headline indicates that the Premier wants a French coach, the other says that he wants a French-speaking coach. The discrepancy is not lost on we English who are interested to know if a French-speaking anglo is acceptable or not.
Over the course of the Cunneyworth debate of late, most of the language militants who complained publicly over the issue, made sure to use the term 'unilingual anglophone' when describing the issue. But every now and then they forget the word 'unlingual and complained about an 'anglophone' as coach of the team. Freudian Slip?
I think so.
Under all of this pseudo talk of unilingualism, there lies an undertone of racism, where the idea of an anglo running the team is offensive, bilingual or not.
So what exactly did Premier Charest say, Francophone or bilingual?
Actually both...
In the article, the Premier told reporters that a future coach of the Nordiques would have to speak French 'as a minimum,' but later on, mentioned in joking that if ever the Nordiques couldn't find a qualified Francophone, they could hire Quebec City mayor Regis Lebaume. Link{Fr}
More English schools closing
"Things might be looking up for several schools at the English
Montreal School Board on the cusp of a crucial vote on school closings.
In
a surprise move on Monday, the EMSB announced that its long-range
planning committee now recommends closing three schools instead of six.
The committee has also backed off several proposals to relocate schools
and programs.
No final decisions have been made yet. Commissioners will vote on the proposals on Wednesday."
Quebec Unemployment numbers explodeFor over two years Quebec nationalists have been crowing that the unemployment rate in Quebec was lower than in Ontario, something that rarely happened before.
Of course it was only a matter of time before Ontario pulled itself out of the recession and restored itself to more traditional numbers After a disastrous month of job losses Quebec's unemployment rate ballooned to 8.7% as opposed to Ontario's number which declined to 7.7%;
A call for a French Archdiocese in Ottawa."You never have to look far to count the ways in which Quebec breaks with the rest of the country.
Quebecers watch more television than Canadians in any other province, due to a thriving French-language broadcasting industry that regularly draws more than a million viewers for its top shows. They’re the least-stressed, play hooky from work the most, and traditionally have the lowest rate of home ownership.
But Statistics Canada's numbers released Friday show Quebec is also splitting from other provinces on job creation, registering another employment decline in December while the rest of the country was either up or flat. Quebec’s jobless rate stands at 8.7%, higher than that of the United States."LINK
Citing the example of French Catholic school boards and French secular school boards which were created in the late eighties to better serve the Francophone community, particularly in the Ottawa area, an opinion piece in Le Devoir by Pierre Allard is calling fro the Catholic church to split the Archdiocese of Ottawa along linguistic lines.
"Of the estimated 400,000 faithful of the Archdiocese of Ottawa...some 40% are francophone, with the majority English. In a context where the religious institution remains an important factor for the Franco-Ontarian minority who built the parishes and churches in their own image, ever since the nineteenth century, is it not time to question the linguistic structure of the church and give back to the French, collectively, the direction of their parishes? Is it not time to split Dioceses along language lines? Why not?" LINKAnglos outlive Francophones.
A report in the European Journal of Epidemiology indicates that the life expectancy for Quebec Francophone men is 76.5 years, which is 2.3 years less than for Anglophone men. For Francophone women life expectancy is 81.8, or 1.4 years less than their Anglophone counterparts. The difference is particularly marked among men in major cities other than Montreal, like Quebec City, Sherbrooke and Gatineau, where the difference is 5.1 years.
Higher smoking rates and higher alcohol consumption among francophones are signaled as the major contributing factor to the gap, Link
Mohawk Doctor in peril of losing her license over French
A doctor practicing in the Montreal suburb of Chateauguay, (which has a large Anglo community) is in jeopardy of losing her license because she cannot pass a French exam.
Brought up in the nearby native reserve of Kahnawake Mohawk territory, Dr. Ojistoh Horn is the first female Mohawk medical doctor from Kahnawake. She is the daughter of Kahentinetha Horn, an important native activist.
"Roxann Karonhiarok selected (for an Indigenous person award..ed.) Kahentinetha Horn, publisher of Mohawk Nation News, and her daughter, Dr. Ojistoh Horn, the first female Mohawk medical doctor from Kahnawake. Roxann described the mother and daughter as, “An amazing duet and strong women."Unfortunately she apparently doesn't have a satisfactory command of French, according to the licensing board which has as a requirement that every doctor be capable of passing a French exam.
Roxann said, “I nominated Ojistoh because she delivers our babies. Being a matrilineal society she is responsible and takes a hands on role in the delivery of the mothers of our nation." She added, "That woman does not sleep. She does house calls and even looks after people during family events on her time off! I love that beautiful woman. She’s an inspiration and deserves it!” LINK
Readers should understand that Native bands in Quebec are closely associated with either the English language or the French language, but not both. Mohawks, along with the Cree in the North, speak English along with their native tongue. French on these 'English-leaning' reserves is practically non-existent.
Dr. Horn is to be given one last chance to pass the French test, before being suspended. Link{Fr}
Radio personality complains that restaurant brawlers spoke too much English.
For
those of you who haven't seen the video of a New Year's eve brawl in a
Montreal Chinatown eatery, the New Dynasty, watch it here;
It's hard to believe but blowhard radio whiner Benoît Dutrizac, actually complained on the radio that the two fighting groups spoke only English.
I'm not making this up.
While interviewing fellow language supremacist Mario Beaulieu on his radio show, he decried the fact that everyone involved spoke English, as well as the waiters.
Why?
Dunno....perhaps if one group spoke French, he'd of had someone to stick up for.
Listen here, the fun starts at 2:50 LINK{Fr}
For Huntington mayor Stéphane Gendron it's been quite a turbulent couple of days. First he was assailed by Jewish groups for remarks he made on his television news magazine where;
"On the December 27 edition of his Face a Face talk show on the V Television Network, he called Israel an "apartheid state" that "does not deserve to exist." LinkSuffice to say that Mr. Gendron is not a fan of the Jewish state. He also is not afraid to take on other sacred cows and has in the past criticized the Office québécois de la langue française, and openly mocked Mario Beaulieu in an interview, calling him intolerant.
Perhaps it was to deflect the overwhelming condemnation over his Israel remarks, Gendron again lashed out at the OQLF, telling them that his Eastern township town (40% English) would not comply with regulations making French predominate. Link{Fr}
First baby of 2012
Once again Quebec's first baby of 2011 left French language militants wringing their hands.
Tyler Stephen Wilson was the first baby born in Quebec in 2012, at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal, weighing 3 kilograms.
Mom Teresa Howick Wilson and husband are ecstatic.
*************************
FINALLY LET'S FINISH WITH SOMETHING A LITTLE MORE POSITIVE!If you've got some time this weekend, watch this food/travel show which will illustrate why we all love to live in Canada's most imperfect, yet most exciting big city...
"Without Montreal, Canada would be hopeless, it's where the cool kids hang ....-Chef Anthony Bordain;
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Threaded Comments...Enfin!
Threaded comments.....Yes, readers, it was as big a surprise to me, as to you!
Blogger finally sprung a useful update.
Friends, I think it's a great improvement.
Tomorrow, F versus E #43....don't miss it, it's a good'un...
Blogger finally sprung a useful update.
Friends, I think it's a great improvement.
Tomorrow, F versus E #43....don't miss it, it's a good'un...
Media Responsible for Raising Language Tension
At first, I was going to call this blog piece "Media Complicit in Raising Language Tension" but, in the end, changed the word 'Complicit' to 'Responsible'
because upon reflection, conclude that in fact, it's the media,
more than the small cadre of language militants, that is responsible for much of the
language tension in Quebec.
There's no doubt that the media plays a pivotal role in shaping our view of the world, by the very act of choosing what stories we will or will not be exposed to, as well as the amount of coverage afforded to these stories.
As way of illustration let us consider a mythical story about a poor family who has been ripped off by a scam artist and finds itself destitute at Christmastime.
Invariably, after the story is aired by the media, the public reacts and money pours in to help the family out, while all the other people with hard-luck stories, just as worthy, are ignored because of a lack of media coverage.
Media shapes our opinion and forges our reactions by what they choose to report. It's as simple as that.
In science, the term observer effect means that the act of observing will influence the phenomenon being observed. Nothing can be truer than this when it comes to the reporting of news or political events.
As we all know last Saturday, French language militants held a demonstration at the Bell Centre to protest the hiring of an English coach by the Montreal Canadiens.
How do we all know this?
Because the story blanketed the television and radio airwaves for at least a week before the demonstration and for days afterward.
Before the event, Mario Beaulieu, the chief organizer was afforded dozens of opportunities to plug his demonstration through a series of interviews on television and radio in which he repeated his message, that the hiring of a unilingual anglophone coach by the Canadiens was, as he termed it,- "la goutte d'eau qui fait déborder le vase," the English equivalent being "The straw that broke the camel's back."
As the week preceding the demonstration wore on and Beaulieu continued repeating his spiel like a yoga master repeating his mantra, some reporters picked up on his tag line and started using it themselves to describe the Cunneyworth situation, an egregious act of journalistic un-professionalism.
The media reported the number of demonstrators taking part in the event at between 200 and 500 people, but the most accurate count was made by a Centre Bell security guard who actually counted each person involved and reached the unimpressive total of between 100 and 150.
100-150 people... That's it.
Over a month ago I made mention of a demonstration of over 250 people in a small Laurention community who gathered to complain about, of all things, the closure of the town's last ATM machine.
On Sunday last, over 450 people attended the funeral of a six-year old Maxime Dion, who died tragically in a river drowning.
In November hundreds of parents and students marched on the EMSB demanding that a school be saved.
The media reported all these stories, but the coverage devoted to those stories paled in comparison to the media resources devoted to the demonstration at the Bell Centre of a paltry 150 French language militants.
If Justin Bieber held an autograph session in front of the Bell Centre, I daresay 5,000 screaming fans would have showed up and the media would have devoted about 100th of the coverage that the Cunneyworth demonstration merited.
100-150 people. That's it..
Aside from the over-reported amount of demonstrators, the media also failed to tell the truth about the protest, likely because it did not fit in with the narrative that they had been selling all week.
It was plainly evident that the protesters were actually hard-core anglophobes whose signs and placards betrayed their utter hatred of all things English. Those who came were French-language fanatics, not fans who gave a hoot about the Canadiens coach.
Real Canadiens fans arriving to the game largely ignored the demonstrators and those interviewed showed a marked indifference, more excited to get into the Bell Centre than to waste time with demonstrators.
The promised action whereby fans within the Bell Centre, would wave small Quebec flags (which were distributed by the demonstrators) as some sort of protest, fizzled badly, as well. The flags were almost invisible during the game.
As a commenter mentioned on 25Stanley.com:
"100 personnes ? Pfff! C'est 4x moins que le Fan Club de Petteri Nokelainen. Pas trop grave."
Ha! I don't even have to translate that !!!
In a city of 2 million, all that could be mustered was 150 persons, which leads me to conclude that the language file is not as important as Mr. Beaulieu and this radical cohorts would have us believe. The Montreal Chapter of the SSJB has more than 3,000 members, and so it seems that Mr. Beaulieu couldn't even turn out his own hardliners.
If people were as concerned over the 'so-called' decline of the French language, as Mr. Beaulieu tells us they are, there'd be thousands upon thousands drawn to these types of demonstrations, but none of these 'language' demonstrations ever garner more than two hundred people, regardless of the media hype before and after.
With the widespread publicity that Beaulieu benefited from in the run-up to the demonstration, one would conclude that the 150 demonstrators represented a complete catastrophe, but you'd never hear that from the media!
Nowhere and never is the paltry size of these protests ever considered or the relevance thereof debated by journalists. Never.
Nobody ever calls Mario Beaulieu out on the utter failure of his movement to fire popular support.
Without the overblown support of a media driven by its own agenda, the movement would remain a coffeehouse phenomenon.
To be fair, let us remember the dismal turnout to the anti-Bill 101 protests as well.
And so I have to conclude that the language debate is a lot less important to Quebecers than we are led to believe and that the media is responsible for over-hyping these supposed tensions.
If the media afforded the language issue the weight the story actually merits, we'd hardly ever hear of it. But because it is an attractive issue, especially on 24 news channels that have hours and hours of programming to fill, we are subject to an overdose of language nonsense.
Quebecers, on both sides of the debate, by their non-action, testify to the weight they place on language issues.
Or can it be that Quebecers are just lazy and not interested in demonstrating, even on issues which are near and dear to their heart?
I don't think so, remember that demonstration in favour of a NHL team for Quebec City.
50,000 people showed up for it.....yep....50,000.
It isn't laziness that leads Quebecers to skip language demonstrations, it's just a lack of interest, the issue being far less pressing and urgent than portrayed.
It seems that English, French and Ethnics have pretty much made up their mind to accept the language status quo, as is. While none are perfectly happy, few except radicals seem to be overly upset, as we can conclude by the pitiful turnout for all language demonstrations, both English and French.
Perhaps this theory will upset some readers on both sides of the language debate, but it iss worth discussing.......
There's no doubt that the media plays a pivotal role in shaping our view of the world, by the very act of choosing what stories we will or will not be exposed to, as well as the amount of coverage afforded to these stories.
As way of illustration let us consider a mythical story about a poor family who has been ripped off by a scam artist and finds itself destitute at Christmastime.
Invariably, after the story is aired by the media, the public reacts and money pours in to help the family out, while all the other people with hard-luck stories, just as worthy, are ignored because of a lack of media coverage.
Media shapes our opinion and forges our reactions by what they choose to report. It's as simple as that.
In science, the term observer effect means that the act of observing will influence the phenomenon being observed. Nothing can be truer than this when it comes to the reporting of news or political events.
As we all know last Saturday, French language militants held a demonstration at the Bell Centre to protest the hiring of an English coach by the Montreal Canadiens.
How do we all know this?
Because the story blanketed the television and radio airwaves for at least a week before the demonstration and for days afterward.
Before the event, Mario Beaulieu, the chief organizer was afforded dozens of opportunities to plug his demonstration through a series of interviews on television and radio in which he repeated his message, that the hiring of a unilingual anglophone coach by the Canadiens was, as he termed it,- "la goutte d'eau qui fait déborder le vase," the English equivalent being "The straw that broke the camel's back."
As the week preceding the demonstration wore on and Beaulieu continued repeating his spiel like a yoga master repeating his mantra, some reporters picked up on his tag line and started using it themselves to describe the Cunneyworth situation, an egregious act of journalistic un-professionalism.
The media reported the number of demonstrators taking part in the event at between 200 and 500 people, but the most accurate count was made by a Centre Bell security guard who actually counted each person involved and reached the unimpressive total of between 100 and 150.
100-150 people... That's it.
Over a month ago I made mention of a demonstration of over 250 people in a small Laurention community who gathered to complain about, of all things, the closure of the town's last ATM machine.
On Sunday last, over 450 people attended the funeral of a six-year old Maxime Dion, who died tragically in a river drowning.
In November hundreds of parents and students marched on the EMSB demanding that a school be saved.
The media reported all these stories, but the coverage devoted to those stories paled in comparison to the media resources devoted to the demonstration at the Bell Centre of a paltry 150 French language militants.
If Justin Bieber held an autograph session in front of the Bell Centre, I daresay 5,000 screaming fans would have showed up and the media would have devoted about 100th of the coverage that the Cunneyworth demonstration merited.
100-150 people. That's it..
Aside from the over-reported amount of demonstrators, the media also failed to tell the truth about the protest, likely because it did not fit in with the narrative that they had been selling all week.
It was plainly evident that the protesters were actually hard-core anglophobes whose signs and placards betrayed their utter hatred of all things English. Those who came were French-language fanatics, not fans who gave a hoot about the Canadiens coach.
Real Canadiens fans arriving to the game largely ignored the demonstrators and those interviewed showed a marked indifference, more excited to get into the Bell Centre than to waste time with demonstrators.
The promised action whereby fans within the Bell Centre, would wave small Quebec flags (which were distributed by the demonstrators) as some sort of protest, fizzled badly, as well. The flags were almost invisible during the game.
As a commenter mentioned on 25Stanley.com:
"100 personnes ? Pfff! C'est 4x moins que le Fan Club de Petteri Nokelainen. Pas trop grave."
Ha! I don't even have to translate that !!!
In a city of 2 million, all that could be mustered was 150 persons, which leads me to conclude that the language file is not as important as Mr. Beaulieu and this radical cohorts would have us believe. The Montreal Chapter of the SSJB has more than 3,000 members, and so it seems that Mr. Beaulieu couldn't even turn out his own hardliners.
If people were as concerned over the 'so-called' decline of the French language, as Mr. Beaulieu tells us they are, there'd be thousands upon thousands drawn to these types of demonstrations, but none of these 'language' demonstrations ever garner more than two hundred people, regardless of the media hype before and after.
With the widespread publicity that Beaulieu benefited from in the run-up to the demonstration, one would conclude that the 150 demonstrators represented a complete catastrophe, but you'd never hear that from the media!
Nowhere and never is the paltry size of these protests ever considered or the relevance thereof debated by journalists. Never.
Nobody ever calls Mario Beaulieu out on the utter failure of his movement to fire popular support.
Without the overblown support of a media driven by its own agenda, the movement would remain a coffeehouse phenomenon.
To be fair, let us remember the dismal turnout to the anti-Bill 101 protests as well.
And so I have to conclude that the language debate is a lot less important to Quebecers than we are led to believe and that the media is responsible for over-hyping these supposed tensions.
If the media afforded the language issue the weight the story actually merits, we'd hardly ever hear of it. But because it is an attractive issue, especially on 24 news channels that have hours and hours of programming to fill, we are subject to an overdose of language nonsense.
Quebecers, on both sides of the debate, by their non-action, testify to the weight they place on language issues.
Or can it be that Quebecers are just lazy and not interested in demonstrating, even on issues which are near and dear to their heart?
I don't think so, remember that demonstration in favour of a NHL team for Quebec City.
50,000 people showed up for it.....yep....50,000.
It isn't laziness that leads Quebecers to skip language demonstrations, it's just a lack of interest, the issue being far less pressing and urgent than portrayed.
It seems that English, French and Ethnics have pretty much made up their mind to accept the language status quo, as is. While none are perfectly happy, few except radicals seem to be overly upset, as we can conclude by the pitiful turnout for all language demonstrations, both English and French.
Perhaps this theory will upset some readers on both sides of the language debate, but it iss worth discussing.......
Here's the only piece that made any sense of the situation. The link to it was posted in the Comments section on Monday.
In this YouTube piece, a bilingual Anglo, absolutely slays in this sarcastic take on the demonstration.
It's half English/half French (like Montreal) so watch it even if you don't speak French, but unfortunately, you'll miss a lot, he is devastating in French!
And so readers finally, a brave soul who is ready to tell us that this emperor hath no clothes, that the whole thing is a sad farce, a movement which has no popular support.
BTW, I think this guy is hilarious....I hope he posts more on the language situation, we all could use a good laugh, otherwise we'll just cry.....
Off subject but, here's another funny video by Abdul Butt on Occupy Montreal. ENJOY!
Monday, January 9, 2012
Language Flap Damages Canadiens Brand
When we were all little kids, one of the first lessons we were taught is that we can't always get what we want.
For me, that realization came early.
I remember as a toddler seated in the grocery cart, being pushed up and down the food-laden aisles in Steinberg's grocery store and pointing to all the things on the shelf that I wanted.
My demands, punctuated by tantrums and fits of tears, were met by a steely "NO" from my mother, who remained stoically unimpressed by my animated exhortations.
She didn't even explain why not. It was just the way it was.
As we grow older and mature, we learn that there will always be things that we want, which we cannot have, obstacles and circumstances that we cannot overcome or change, and that we must accept these things as they are, or else be doomed to grow up bitter, frustrated and unfulfilled.
As they say in Alcoholics Anonymous,
There are unfortunately, too many language militants in Quebec who never understood this principle and have never come to accept the world-wide dominance of English, resulting in growing up, a frustrated and bitter bunch, doomed to see their dreams of glory, dashed over and over and over again.
And so they never accept the fact that there is nothing they can do to change the enduring fact that English dominates and that Quebec will never be immune from that effect. Never.
French language supremacists, continue to believe in a fantasy where everything and everybody cross an imaginary language curtain at the Quebec border, where all is magically transformed from English into French and from French to English upon leaving.
It is a childlike fantasy, as underscored by journalist Jean-François Lisée, who told a television audience recently that a Quebec based company, operating a powerful international conglomerate which uses English as the common corporate language around the world, can successfully manage its empire operating its head-office in French.
It's wishful thinking that plays to the innocent and naive, an unreality where French language militants believe that others will act not in their own selfish interests, but rather for the betterment of Quebec and the preservation and promotion of the French language.
They naively believe that legislation can cure the language defect, as if a law ordaining that summer be extended by three months can actually have an effect, based solely on the force of legislative will.
When faced with the cruel reality that such is not the case, there is nothing left but bitterness and rancour.
So let me pop another bubble.
Not even sovereignty can turn an English NHL team into a French or even bilingual NHL team, it just isn't in the cards.
If the Nordiques return to Quebec City and hire a French general manger and coach, the team will still operate in English, on the ice and in the dressing room, the use of French, an illusory veneer.
The other reality that sports writers and fans fail to understand or accept, is that hockey players have no interest in learning French whatsoever and few or none who come to play for the Canadiens will ever bother with anything more than a 'Merci-Bonjour.'
For most of these players, not from the highly educated class, its a struggle to learn English, but do so because it is critical to their success.
The idea that players toiling for the Canadiens will learn a third language, a language that they will almost never use, is nothing more than a fanciful pipe dream.
Rejean Tremblay the insufferable Francophone sportswriter, who brings language into practically every sports column he writes, is the poster boy of the indignant whiners, unable to understand or accept that for hockey players, learning French or becoming part of the French community is a non-starter.
Mr. Tremblay has in the past castigated Saku Koivu for having the audacity to remain captain of the beloved Habs for ten years without learning French as well as berating Andre Markov for his lack of French, on the occasion of him earning Canadian citizenship.
Each time I pass the Saku Koivu Cancer Centre in the Montreal General Hospital, I am reminded that the blowhard Tremblay has branded Koivu disrespectful and an enemy of the Quebec people.
So why the ferocious reaction by French language militants to an English coach or two unilingual bosses at the Caisse de dépôt or one English boss at the National Bank?
The reaction seems a little disproportionate.
Why so much rage and bluster?
It is in fact, a bigger, much bigger deal than we Anglos can fathom.
The existence of these unilinguals in Quebec puts paid to the myth pedalled by language supremacists that Quebecers need not learn English because the language curtain surrounding Quebec is inviolable.
It breaks the promise that everything entering Quebec will be translated and that every artist, athlete, boss or politician who sets foot in Quebec will learn and use French to communicate with employees, fans, friends and colleagues.
It makes mockery of the theory that Quebecers need not learn a second language because hockey players will learn a third.
And most importantly, it destroys the French language supremacy movement's most hallowed tenet, that Quebec can exist without English.
It is a big deal...a very big deal.
It is why little language issues are blown out of proportion.
Like in North Korea, Quebecers are indoctrinated with a fantastical bill of goods. They are told that English is irrelevant and unnecessary, while the rest of the world believes the opposite.
Like in North Korea, any real or perceived breech of this fantasy is met by a ferocious reaction by language protectors, doing their darnedest to hide the truth by obliterating reality.
And so Quebec has it's very own twenty-first version of the Bamboo or Iron Curtain, where language militants carefully attempt to stage society in their own Utopian image, to hide the reality of the outside world.
Zealots like Mario Beaulieu and Jean-François Lisée continue to discourage Quebecers from learning English by promising that they need not do so because the world will speak French to Quebec.
In this context, it is easy to understand the exaggerated reaction to English names on stores, English signs and yes, even English Quebecers, themselves.
Our very presence is a disturbance.
As long as we Anglos and Ethnics exist in Montreal, living our lives in English or bilingually, Quebecers are exposed to an alternate view of the universe, something French language militants cannot abide by.
The venomous attacks on bilingualism, remain a required element, if the myth of Quebec as a French-only society is to be preserved.
Let us remember, it is not only we Anglos and Ethnics who are targeted, but those francophones who refuse to drink the Cool-Aid and pursue bilingualism on there own. In the eyes of language supremacists, they are the the ultimate betrayers.
But there are devastating consequences to this manic pursuit of a non-existent French Shangrila.
Failure to accept the linguistic reality of the world, is a cancerous tumor on Quebec society, sapping the province of its strength and vitality.
The rally on Saturday night in front of the Bell Centre by about 150 French language militants was just another desperate attempt to alter realty.
RACISTS MESSAGES OF HATE
The mantra of the militant leaders that their movement is not about the hatred of English, but rather about the promotion of French, is a lie that signs like these ones attest to.
What if Albertans had a demonstration and wore T-Shirts saying that there were too many Francophones in the federal government?
I'm sure Mr, Beaulieu and company would be screaming 'Francophobia' at the top of their lungs!
So what can we expect as a result of this demonstration and the messages of hate towards English in the Montreal Canadiens organization?
Loudly demanding that the Montreal Canadiens tilt towards French, has no other effect but to thin the ranks of those willing to try a career in Montreal, especially those elusive free agents who are presented with 29 less bothersome destinations to choose from.
(By the way, this realty of talented people refusing to come to Quebec over language is repeated in industry after industry)
And so the Montreal Canadiens brand will forever be diminished by the language brouhaha surrounding Randy Cunneyworth's unilingualism.
When he is ultimately sacrificed on the language altar, it will serve as a cautionary lesson to the entire NHL community.
Skip Montreal, it is a hateful place where English people who don't speak French are unwelcome.
If nice guys like Cunneyworth, Koivu and Markov are to be vilified ...well count me out.
Call it the 'Lindros Effect' or whatever.
Agents of star players will cross off Montreal from the list of acceptable destinations and so the Canadiens will choose from has-beens, also-rans and aging veterans closing out their career. Its already happened, but no one will admit it.
This coupled with the strange fact that francophone stars eschew Montreal as well, ensures that the team is on a downward spiral, sucked into a linguistic black hole, never to escape.
There is a price to pay for the foolish preoccupation of battling a language enemy that cannot be defeated.
Quebecers to this day have never realized what this preoccupation has cost them, shielded by successive governments which immunized them from the consequences through deficit spending and indulgent transfer payments from English Canada.
Quebec is on its way to a rendezvous with destiny.
When the province hits its fast approaching debt ceiling and the Rest of Canada decides to no longer support the current equalization program, it will be time to face the music.
Sadly, that swan song will be English.
Thinking back to the nonsense published by Quebec language supremacists that somehow francophones are discriminated against in the NHL and that teams deliberately play or draft lesser-talented non-Francophone players is so ridiculous that it remains nothing less than a sad fantasy woven by the self-deluded, tilting at windmills.
Imagine Flyers general manager Paul Holgren telling coach Peter Laviolette that a certain talented French player won't be playing in the Winter Classic because it's important that the English language be preserved as the dominant force in the NHL.
I daresay that the Flyers would have played a unilingual-Swahili-speaking-Black-half-Jewish/Muslim-dwarf, if they thought it could help them beat the Rangers.
Watching the virtuosic performances of both Peter Laviolette and John Tortorella behind the bench and in the dressing room, was nothing short of enthralling.
It was to say the least, an exceptional experience, one that made me feel as if I was spying secretly through a keyhole, a rare opportunity to observe two maestros at work in their natural element, akin to a National Geographic special observing wild animals in their natural habitat.
Masterfully combining toughness, sympathy with single-mindedness, both these gentlemen showed viewers what a top-notch NHL coach is made of.
It's hard to comprehend that should either of these men become available to coach the Canadiens, he would be automatically rejected over language. Bah!!!
One last thought...
Both Laviolette and Torts were pretty consistent, carrying the passion and animation displayed inside the dressing room out to behind the bench. What you saw inside you saw on the outside.
It got me thinking about that the deadpan expressionless, demeanour of the recently fired coach of the Canadiens, Jacques Martin.
If what we saw behind the bench, that aloof, dispassionate and unemotional attitude, carried into the Habs dressing room, well.....it was high time he was fired.
It takes a hell of a lot of talent to be an elite NHL coach and when French language supremacists tell us that they are a dime a dozen, I'll just beg to differ.
At any rate, it's like saying that rejecting a Placido Domingo, Yehudi Menuhin, Stephen Hawking or Lady GaGa over their lack of French is just fine, because there are plenty of capable Quebec francophones that can replace them.
Sorry....t'aint so!
Read:
Read:
Heaven Help the Montreal Canadiens!
For me, that realization came early.
I remember as a toddler seated in the grocery cart, being pushed up and down the food-laden aisles in Steinberg's grocery store and pointing to all the things on the shelf that I wanted.
My demands, punctuated by tantrums and fits of tears, were met by a steely "NO" from my mother, who remained stoically unimpressed by my animated exhortations.
She didn't even explain why not. It was just the way it was.
As we grow older and mature, we learn that there will always be things that we want, which we cannot have, obstacles and circumstances that we cannot overcome or change, and that we must accept these things as they are, or else be doomed to grow up bitter, frustrated and unfulfilled.
As they say in Alcoholics Anonymous,
...Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change...
There are unfortunately, too many language militants in Quebec who never understood this principle and have never come to accept the world-wide dominance of English, resulting in growing up, a frustrated and bitter bunch, doomed to see their dreams of glory, dashed over and over and over again.
And so they never accept the fact that there is nothing they can do to change the enduring fact that English dominates and that Quebec will never be immune from that effect. Never.
French language supremacists, continue to believe in a fantasy where everything and everybody cross an imaginary language curtain at the Quebec border, where all is magically transformed from English into French and from French to English upon leaving.
It is a childlike fantasy, as underscored by journalist Jean-François Lisée, who told a television audience recently that a Quebec based company, operating a powerful international conglomerate which uses English as the common corporate language around the world, can successfully manage its empire operating its head-office in French.
It's wishful thinking that plays to the innocent and naive, an unreality where French language militants believe that others will act not in their own selfish interests, but rather for the betterment of Quebec and the preservation and promotion of the French language.
They naively believe that legislation can cure the language defect, as if a law ordaining that summer be extended by three months can actually have an effect, based solely on the force of legislative will.
When faced with the cruel reality that such is not the case, there is nothing left but bitterness and rancour.
So let me pop another bubble.
Not even sovereignty can turn an English NHL team into a French or even bilingual NHL team, it just isn't in the cards.
If the Nordiques return to Quebec City and hire a French general manger and coach, the team will still operate in English, on the ice and in the dressing room, the use of French, an illusory veneer.
The other reality that sports writers and fans fail to understand or accept, is that hockey players have no interest in learning French whatsoever and few or none who come to play for the Canadiens will ever bother with anything more than a 'Merci-Bonjour.'
For most of these players, not from the highly educated class, its a struggle to learn English, but do so because it is critical to their success.
The idea that players toiling for the Canadiens will learn a third language, a language that they will almost never use, is nothing more than a fanciful pipe dream.
Rejean Tremblay the insufferable Francophone sportswriter, who brings language into practically every sports column he writes, is the poster boy of the indignant whiners, unable to understand or accept that for hockey players, learning French or becoming part of the French community is a non-starter.
Mr. Tremblay has in the past castigated Saku Koivu for having the audacity to remain captain of the beloved Habs for ten years without learning French as well as berating Andre Markov for his lack of French, on the occasion of him earning Canadian citizenship.
Each time I pass the Saku Koivu Cancer Centre in the Montreal General Hospital, I am reminded that the blowhard Tremblay has branded Koivu disrespectful and an enemy of the Quebec people.
So why the ferocious reaction by French language militants to an English coach or two unilingual bosses at the Caisse de dépôt or one English boss at the National Bank?
The reaction seems a little disproportionate.
Why so much rage and bluster?
It is in fact, a bigger, much bigger deal than we Anglos can fathom.
The existence of these unilinguals in Quebec puts paid to the myth pedalled by language supremacists that Quebecers need not learn English because the language curtain surrounding Quebec is inviolable.
It breaks the promise that everything entering Quebec will be translated and that every artist, athlete, boss or politician who sets foot in Quebec will learn and use French to communicate with employees, fans, friends and colleagues.
It makes mockery of the theory that Quebecers need not learn a second language because hockey players will learn a third.
And most importantly, it destroys the French language supremacy movement's most hallowed tenet, that Quebec can exist without English.
It is a big deal...a very big deal.
It is why little language issues are blown out of proportion.
Like in North Korea, Quebecers are indoctrinated with a fantastical bill of goods. They are told that English is irrelevant and unnecessary, while the rest of the world believes the opposite.
Like in North Korea, any real or perceived breech of this fantasy is met by a ferocious reaction by language protectors, doing their darnedest to hide the truth by obliterating reality.
And so Quebec has it's very own twenty-first version of the Bamboo or Iron Curtain, where language militants carefully attempt to stage society in their own Utopian image, to hide the reality of the outside world.
Zealots like Mario Beaulieu and Jean-François Lisée continue to discourage Quebecers from learning English by promising that they need not do so because the world will speak French to Quebec.
In this context, it is easy to understand the exaggerated reaction to English names on stores, English signs and yes, even English Quebecers, themselves.
Our very presence is a disturbance.
As long as we Anglos and Ethnics exist in Montreal, living our lives in English or bilingually, Quebecers are exposed to an alternate view of the universe, something French language militants cannot abide by.
The venomous attacks on bilingualism, remain a required element, if the myth of Quebec as a French-only society is to be preserved.
Let us remember, it is not only we Anglos and Ethnics who are targeted, but those francophones who refuse to drink the Cool-Aid and pursue bilingualism on there own. In the eyes of language supremacists, they are the the ultimate betrayers.
But there are devastating consequences to this manic pursuit of a non-existent French Shangrila.
Failure to accept the linguistic reality of the world, is a cancerous tumor on Quebec society, sapping the province of its strength and vitality.
Beaulieu framed by "Down with Molson the Traitor" sign |
RACISTS MESSAGES OF HATE
The mantra of the militant leaders that their movement is not about the hatred of English, but rather about the promotion of French, is a lie that signs like these ones attest to.
What if Albertans had a demonstration and wore T-Shirts saying that there were too many Francophones in the federal government?
I'm sure Mr, Beaulieu and company would be screaming 'Francophobia' at the top of their lungs!
So what can we expect as a result of this demonstration and the messages of hate towards English in the Montreal Canadiens organization?
Loudly demanding that the Montreal Canadiens tilt towards French, has no other effect but to thin the ranks of those willing to try a career in Montreal, especially those elusive free agents who are presented with 29 less bothersome destinations to choose from.
"Mr. Molson-There's too many Anglos on your Boat" |
And so the Montreal Canadiens brand will forever be diminished by the language brouhaha surrounding Randy Cunneyworth's unilingualism.
When he is ultimately sacrificed on the language altar, it will serve as a cautionary lesson to the entire NHL community.
Skip Montreal, it is a hateful place where English people who don't speak French are unwelcome.
If nice guys like Cunneyworth, Koivu and Markov are to be vilified ...well count me out.
Call it the 'Lindros Effect' or whatever.
Agents of star players will cross off Montreal from the list of acceptable destinations and so the Canadiens will choose from has-beens, also-rans and aging veterans closing out their career. Its already happened, but no one will admit it.
"Montreal Is Under English Occupation" |
There is a price to pay for the foolish preoccupation of battling a language enemy that cannot be defeated.
Quebecers to this day have never realized what this preoccupation has cost them, shielded by successive governments which immunized them from the consequences through deficit spending and indulgent transfer payments from English Canada.
Quebec is on its way to a rendezvous with destiny.
When the province hits its fast approaching debt ceiling and the Rest of Canada decides to no longer support the current equalization program, it will be time to face the music.
Sadly, that swan song will be English.
***************************************************************
POSTCRIPT;
Having just completed the last episode of HBO's stunning hockey documentary, 24/7-Road to the Winter Classic, I am struck by the level of skill, toughness and dedication that professional hockey demands from every single one of its participants, on every single level.Unsuitable for the Canadiens? |
Imagine Flyers general manager Paul Holgren telling coach Peter Laviolette that a certain talented French player won't be playing in the Winter Classic because it's important that the English language be preserved as the dominant force in the NHL.
I daresay that the Flyers would have played a unilingual-Swahili-speaking-Black-half-Jewish/Muslim-dwarf, if they thought it could help them beat the Rangers.
Watching the virtuosic performances of both Peter Laviolette and John Tortorella behind the bench and in the dressing room, was nothing short of enthralling.
It was to say the least, an exceptional experience, one that made me feel as if I was spying secretly through a keyhole, a rare opportunity to observe two maestros at work in their natural element, akin to a National Geographic special observing wild animals in their natural habitat.
Masterfully combining toughness, sympathy with single-mindedness, both these gentlemen showed viewers what a top-notch NHL coach is made of.
It's hard to comprehend that should either of these men become available to coach the Canadiens, he would be automatically rejected over language. Bah!!!
One last thought...
Both Laviolette and Torts were pretty consistent, carrying the passion and animation displayed inside the dressing room out to behind the bench. What you saw inside you saw on the outside.
It got me thinking about that the deadpan expressionless, demeanour of the recently fired coach of the Canadiens, Jacques Martin.
If what we saw behind the bench, that aloof, dispassionate and unemotional attitude, carried into the Habs dressing room, well.....it was high time he was fired.
It takes a hell of a lot of talent to be an elite NHL coach and when French language supremacists tell us that they are a dime a dozen, I'll just beg to differ.
At any rate, it's like saying that rejecting a Placido Domingo, Yehudi Menuhin, Stephen Hawking or Lady GaGa over their lack of French is just fine, because there are plenty of capable Quebec francophones that can replace them.
Sorry....t'aint so!
Read:
Read:
Heaven Help the Montreal Canadiens!
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