-------
Part 1 should have given you a sense of the historical antagonism and annoyance that Quebecers (a.k.a. the Quebecois) and all other Canadians seem to have for one-another. The St-Jean and Canada day holidays are symbolic reminders of how these two groups seem to compete and not view each other as equals. Even today, if you ask the average non-Quebec Canadian, they'll show a sort of disdain for the Quebecois. They feel that Quebec doesn't like the rest of Canada (which isn't a too bad assumption since the province tried to separate away twice in the last 30 years), so they in response don't like those whinny Quebecers/French Canadians. Quebecois, especially those who know little or no English, feel that Canada does not have Quebec's best interest and that they just make fun of her French-speaking population. Consequently these Quebecers respond by hating all things non-Quebecois.
This pretty much gives the gist of the political/cultural shit that surrounds me.
If you know anything about me, you should be able to guess that I'm actually sandwiched between these two [stupid] groups of people, who's identities simultaneously include and exclude me. I'm a French-speaking Quebecer/Quebecois, although my first language is English and my parents are British descendant. I'm also an English Canadian, however I also live in Quebec and speak French. I feel both equally, and proudly, attached to both facets of these identities.
Other peoples' perspectives see me differently though: On the streets of Toronto, I'm known as the Frenchie. I once had a business meeting with some salesmen and they actually starting mocking the way I use certain French-style words when speaking English, for example metro instead of subway. Uh, jackasses - and you wonder why I don't like Toronto? (kidding!)
If hanging out with a bunch of French-speaking friends, I'm know as the Anglo (Anglo=anglophone=the name for people who speak English). One of the first times I met a current friend, she asked why I didn't just speak French all the time instead of speaking English. This was followed by the remark that we both live in Quebec province so I shouldn't be speaking English.
As you can sort of guess, the stereotypical viewpoints are just rehashes of the historical Us vs. Them that seems stuck in Quebec and Canada. Unfortunately, Quebec's politicians and advocacy groups have felt it necessary to entrench this disdain for the Others in everyday life. Sometimes it's subtle and other times it isn't. One example is that Quebec license plate used to say La Belle Province - The Beautiful Province, but was changed in 1978 to say Je me souviens - I remember. Although not officially stated, the multiple meaning of je me souviens fall in the realm of I remember myself, I remember my identity, I remember what I/we suffered , I remember my glory. Every car has it's own little nationalistic Quebec message.
Don't get me wrong - I am very proud of my identity. I've come to appreciate my unique vantage point, as the Anglo-Quebecois/Canadian. If anything, I benefit from growing up immersed in two languages and cultures, which help me grasp this mass difference across the world. Although I repeatedly hear these two general remarks, from both, whilst never falling for them:
Non-Quebec Canadians: We hate you Frenchies, because you hate us!
Quebecois: On hait le Canada, parce que vous nous détestent! - We hate Canada because they hate us!
My response to these types of situations are of course:
Me: You're all a bunch of morons.
1 comment:
Great post. Interesting about the license plates! It strikes me as odd that non-French speaking Canadians would act with such disdain.
Post a Comment