Canada to firmly re-assess its status as a British colony

[viper37]

99,9 The Buzz, Mihali.

yeah, it's the only good radio station in Montreal.  Even if it's not in Montreal :p

[viper37]

If I take all of your statements as truly representative of what is occurring in Quebec, it sounds like you're just delaying the inevitable.

Possibly, it's just like the Southerners firing on Fort Sumter.  But if we preserve our cultural heritage for that much longer, it's still a good thing.

If people want to speak a language they will and if they don't they won't.

Again, excluding history.  Had French not been forbidden elsewhere in NA, there could be more speakers today.  But English felt threatened, they discriminated against french language, until we were below the critical mass just about everywhere but in Quebec.
And then, there are people who still think it's not enough, and one french speaking province on the continent is too much.  But we are the racist ones, hey.  Go figure...

[garbon]

I want bilingual hospitals in Montreal.  There's a critical mass there.  So why build two seperate research hospitals because anglos don't mix with french?  Would you think it's a good idea if New York had one public hospital staffed mostly by blacks and another staffed mostly by whites instead of one mixed hospital?  Why is it that segregation is considered acceptable for English Quebecers but we are the racists in suggesting they learn our language?

I don't fucking understand. Why do you keep beating this drum when I already told you that I don't understand why they would need the hospitals split. Move on in you argument! 

And I didn't say I wouldn't offer education to citizens.  I want them to keep their schools.  But I don't want to pay for my assimilation by education immigrants from all over the world in english.  I'm willing to consider special cases, i.e. teens who transfer from an english school outside the country, but otherwise, they should received their education in french.

Why I thought the official policy was bilingualism? Doesn't sound very billingual if you refuse to provide instruction in both languages.  

We can't possibly pay for everyone in their own language.  Jews&Arabs have their own private schools where they teach Hebrew&Arabic.  Foreign english speakers can't do it?  As I said, searching through the net, there doesn't seem to be a ton of non english public schools in the US.  I don't see why we should do it, given the precarious nature of our language and our limited funding when a gigantic country 10x richer we are and with no danger of assimilation in sight won't do it.

While it might rhetorically sound good to keep hopping to this bit of every language, that doesn't really make much sense. English and French are the official languages, seems easy enough to then keep expenses to those two officially supported languages. 

Apparently, it's racist for us, not for the others.  And you find me weird for not understanding this double standard?

Except that I think the examples you provided about Texas are bigoted and so too if an English speaking person would refuse to go to a hospital with a bilingual staff. Doesn't make your opinion seem less bigoted if you are equating it with bigoted opinions.

[garbon]

Possibly, it's just like the Southerners firing on Fort Sumter.  But if we preserve our cultural heritage for that much longer, it's still a good thing.

I see culture as more than just a language. Besides, I'm not saying that I want french to die out in Quebec but that it seems foolish to mandate its use as that only builds resentment and more individuals who will opt out of using it.

Again, excluding history.  Had French not been forbidden elsewhere in NA, there could be more speakers today.  But English felt threatened, they discriminated against french language, until we were below the critical mass just about everywhere but in Quebec.

Yeah but the problem is that those days are already past. Unless you can envision a manner in which French is going to suddenly become a hot language that people want to learn, you need to keep your eye on the present and future. Is it awful that French speakers were discriminated against? Sure. I don't see how though that means that today we should coerce English speakers into learning French. How many wrongs to make a right?

And then, there are people who still think it's not enough, and one french speaking province on the continent is too much.  But we are the racist ones, hey.  Go figure...

Who are you having this conversation with? I think it is me but then you go into this odd tangents. And again, you do nothing but make your opinion sound bigoted if you want me to equate it with people who wanted to get rid of french speakers in Quebec.

[derspiess]

So do Americans get treated better in Quebec than Anglo-Canadians?  And do we get bonus points for making even pathetic attempts to speak some French?

[viper37]

Why I thought the official policy was bilingualism? Doesn't sound very billingual if you refuse to provide instruction in both languages.    

The other provinces drag their feet and do the minimum required, usually after a long and costly trial, to provide french education to their citizens.
But we should do it for every single person that wants to stud in english, no questions asked?

What do you think was Quebec like before the language laws on education?

English and French are the official languages, seems easy enough to then keep expenses to those two officially supported languages. 

Doesn't seem to work that way in most of Canada.
And again, I don't mind english education for Canadians.  The real ones, not those who suddenly "choose" to become canadians on the eve of an election or a referendum, ferried by buses colored to the Liberal Party to the nearest judge to take their oath to the Queen.

I just don't see why I should pay for immigrants.  They know it's a French territory, they're free to move in any of the 9 other provinces if they feel english is the One True Language.  It's not up ot the province to anglicize its immigrants.  We hope to bring them into our culture, not have them reject it outight.  And that comes with french education.  And a general "french" feeling to the place.  People welcoming you in french, businesses speaking french to their customers.  All these small bigotted things.

Except that I think the examples you provided about Texas are bigoted and so too if an English speaking person would refuse to go to a hospital with a bilingual staff. Doesn't make your opinion seem less bigoted if you are equating it with bigoted opinions.

If you're under attack and you don't fire back, what do you think happens?

[Grey Fox]

So do Americans get treated better in Quebec than Anglo-Canadians?  And do we get bonus points for making even pathetic attempts to speak some French?

No, yes but you need to know when to quit. Don't say "Bonjour, les escaliers sont bleus" if there are no blue stairs close by.

[Grey Fox]

99,9 The Buzz, Mihali.

yeah, it's the only good radio station in Montreal.  Even if it's not in Montreal :p

Music wise. I like 98,5fm & Sports Radio. I miss CKAC everyday, I cannot wait for this stupid Radio Circulation contract to be over & we can get our sports radio back.

[garbon]

I think we're done, viper.

[viper37]

So do Americans get treated better in Quebec than Anglo-Canadians?  And do we get bonus points for making even pathetic attempts to speak some French?

Everyone is well treated, regardless of language.  Pathetic attemps are always welcome.  So long as you don't show frustration, like many english canadians do, that people in the countryside can't always understand english.  They consider it rude we don't speak their language.  But we're bigoted for asking residents to speak ours.

So even, if you're wearing a t-shirt with Kate Middleton's pictures and a back-pack with a canadian flag, people will be as friendly as they are with locals.

[garbon]

So do Americans get treated better in Quebec than Anglo-Canadians?  And do we get bonus points for making even pathetic attempts to speak some French?

No, yes but you need to know when to quit. Don't say "Bonjour, les escaliers sont bleus" if there are no blue stairs close by.

So I shouldn't approach people and say: "Est-ce que vous avez du thé? Je suis content mais il est fatigué."

[derspiess]

So do Americans get treated better in Quebec than Anglo-Canadians?  And do we get bonus points for making even pathetic attempts to speak some French?

Everyone is well treated, regardless of language.  Pathetic attemps are always welcome.  So long as you don't show frustration, like many english canadians do, that people in the countryside can't always understand english.  They consider it rude we don't speak their language.  But we're bigoted for asking residents to speak ours.

So even, if you're wearing a t-shirt with Kate Middleton's pictures and a back-pack with a canadian flag, people will be as friendly as they are with locals.

I was hoping it would be a reverse of the Canadian in Europe thing, where we'd avoid being harrassed by sewing an American flag on our backpacks

[Grey Fox]

So do Americans get treated better in Quebec than Anglo-Canadians?  And do we get bonus points for making even pathetic attempts to speak some French?

No, yes but you need to know when to quit. Don't say "Bonjour, les escaliers sont bleus" if there are no blue stairs close by.

So I shouldn't approach people and say: "Est-ce que vous avez du thé? Je suis content mais il est fatigué."

Only if you like being laughed that.

[garbon]

So do Americans get treated better in Quebec than Anglo-Canadians?  And do we get bonus points for making even pathetic attempts to speak some French?

No, yes but you need to know when to quit. Don't say "Bonjour, les escaliers sont bleus" if there are no blue stairs close by.

So I shouldn't approach people and say: "Est-ce que vous avez du thé? Je suis content mais il est fatigué."

Only if you like being laughed that.

At least they are laughing.

[Neil]

CHOI FM?

That's in Quebec City.

Is it?  I had thought they had closed it down for counter-revolutionary attitudes.  Viper was raging about it for years.