British citizen creates national uproar in Quebec

[Valmy]

The perception is that the French are generally nasty to the non-French, and especially to Americans.

Yes and I found this perception to be bunk and I have spent about 9 months altogether in France but YMMV.

[Grey Fox]

Why didn't that happen? Was it really the case that the problem was as extreme as it is made out to be, or that the *desire* for these rather radical xenophobia laws was really all that universal?

That's a fair question & they weren't that Universal. It stirred controversies even back then.

[Berkut]

Germans are what 60 millions?

There's about 5 millions of us in North America. THey wouldn't print anything in french. They did not before the law.

Who is "they"?

Jesus, why doesn't Canada just let them go already?

[Malthus]

Seems like if that were the case, it would be a problem that the market would sort out rather quickly - since if my products used French, I would stomp those that did not, since the people want their signs in French (apparently).

Why didn't that happen? Was it really the case that the problem was as extreme as it is made out to be, or that the *desire* for these rather radical xenophobia laws was really all that universal?

Why it didnt happen is one of the great questions of Canadian History.

Oex would be much better able to explain it then I.

Just seems similar to every other complaint about "overbearing minorities" made in other places throughout history.

They are clannish, favour each other, canny in business, rude and contemptuous of the majority, etc.

[viper37]

And yet....nobody needed to pass a law demanding that your watch have instructions in German, did they?

I don't think I'm allowed to sell anything in the Euro Zone if I don't include instructions in all languages.

And I'm pretty sure I can't sell a video game in Germany if it shows blood.

Rather, it simply made economic sense for your watch maker to include them since they would like to sell their watches to the Germans, so they did so.

And prior to that law, no one bothered to sell stuff with French instructions.  They did not bother to speak to us in french either.

If I do business in the US, I'm pretty sure I can't fire someone because he's Jewish and I don't like Jews.
There are laws protecting minorities.

Is the US a xenophobic country?

I think we all agree here that in an ideal country, there'd be no need for such silly laws.  People would get hired based on merit, not based on racial&cultural identity.

yet, most occidental countries have such laws.

Tolerance had to be forced by the threat of judicial action.
Why?  Because some people don't understand the concept of "difference" and want unicity.

No xenophobic language laws required at all...

minorities are always xenophobic, otherwise they would assimilate to the majority.

[HVC]

Germans are what 60 millions?

There's about 5 millions of us in North America. THey wouldn't print anything in french. They did not before the law.

Who is "they"?

Jesus, why doesn't Canada just let them go already?

we'd have to change all the maps.

[crazy canuck]

Just seems similar to every other complaint about "overbearing minorities" made in other places throughout history.

They are clannish, favour each other, canny in business, rude and contemptuous of the majority, etc.

Except that the English really did control the banks....

[Grey Fox]

Germans are what 60 millions?

There's about 5 millions of us in North America. THey wouldn't print anything in french. They did not before the law.

Who is "they"?

Jesus, why doesn't Canada just let them go already?

Companies. Manufacturers.

The fact that you are both an english speaker & American is clashing with the Social mindset & Frenchness of Quebec.

[Berkut]

The perception is that the French are generally nasty to the non-French, and especially to Americans.

Yes and I found this perception to be bunk and I have spent about 9 months altogether in France but YMMV.

I believe you.

I suspect to the extent that they are rude to Americans, it is rudeness to the spaz Americans.

really, tourists in general can be such assholes.

I know when I worked at a restaurant in SF-area, we found the French tourists terrible - but then, of course, you only notice the assholes, and the perfectly nice ones you don't even really remark on at all, so in reality they are probably no more or less assholes than anyone else.

[Grey Fox]

The Chinese minority doesn't repress the english majority for being English tho.

How not? They give jobs to other Chinese folks, and very often have signs in Chinese only. Aren't these the examples of "repression" you've provided?

I haven't yet?

I'm about to go home, I'll tell you a little story when I get home.

[Valmy]

we'd have to change all the maps.

You were supposed to say you embrace Quebec's faults as one might be accepting of an eccentric brother in the happy joyous family that are the Canadian provinces.

[The Minsky Moment]

It's not that the parisians themselves are rude (or not in my experience anyway) it's the service that is rude. from taxi drivers to waiters and hotel staff. People who i'm used to be obnoxious pleasant coming from NA.

The issue with the infamous Parisian waiters is that many of them are people that would rather be doing something else, and there is no "retail culture" of the "customer always being right."  The latter is true in Germany as well, but is counteracted in the restaurant trade by conventions of the duty of a proper host -- but you can definitely see it in high street retail.  Yank tourists tend not to notice b/c most don't go to Germany to shop in the local Kaufhof (whereas tourists in Paris do tend to visit French shops that aren't solely oriented towards tourists).

In the higher end Parisian establishments, there tends to be a greater level of professionalism, although compared to US standards of service, it can still come off a brusque. 

Keep in mind that to a Parisian, it can come off as very rude not to say "bonjour monsieur/madame" and s'il vous plait (please).  Even if you know no French, just memorizing two two phrases can get you a long ways.  My spoken French is terrible, but I always sprinkle in my bonjours, s'il vous plaits, and the polite conditional form (je voudrais).  They may laugh behind my back about my poor grammar and outlandish accent without me knowing about it, but I have had little problems with direct rudeness or poor service.

[Malthus]

Just seems similar to every other complaint about "overbearing minorities" made in other places throughout history.

They are clannish, favour each other, canny in business, rude and contemptuous of the majority, etc.

Except that the English really did control the banks....

... to the extent that they did then, they still do. Only the banks, like the Bank of Montreal, are now headquartered in Toronto. 

[HVC]

we'd have to change all the maps.

You were supposed to say you embrace Quebec's faults as one might be accepting of an eccentric brother in the happy joyous family that are the Canadian provinces.

They're the whiny black sheep that steals from your wallet and then bitchs


And i say that with love

[Sheilbh]

I suspect to the extent that they are rude to Americans, it is rudeness to the spaz Americans.

This is true.  It's also the case that Americans are more identifiable.  This is the downside of English being a global language I think.  So everyone has a story about annoying Americans.  Don't worry though, if you ever stay in hostels you'll realise everyone has such stories about almost every nationality.

But JR is right.  My impression is that the French (and British) don't have the sort of service culture that exists in the US - and don't like it.  Many people I know who go on holiday in the US moan about the 'intrusive' service.  I think the French also value small politeness a great deal, so saying 'bonjour' when you enter a shop is something that everyone does, except foreigners being rude.