My ancestors came to Canada from France in 1662 as trappers and they brought no women with them, so obviously I also have Native blood in me too. My grandfather moved to Michigan in the early 1900's to escape that racism against the French speakers in Quebec. I loved my grandfather, but I admit I resent he cut me off from the culture that is part of me by refusing to speak French in front of us and insisting that our parents not teach it to us. Racism causes that. I am proud to be an American (as evidenced by 4 years in the US Air Force during Viet-Nam), but I AM a Canuck and proud of it.
Weedy, with all due respect, shut the fuck up about French-speaking Qubcois. You're just spewing ignorant, clich-ridden bullshit. Wow Q - there was no respect in that comment. I didn't realize the sensitivity to two of my favorite foods - split pea soup and poutine. My god, I will no longer attach any cultural significance to either of those wonderful things. (Uh, don't we all joke about Screech and the Newfies? BC and the pot? Alberta and the crazy-right-wing homophobes? Good lord, I'm from Toronto - I get it from all sides) If you want to see the face of racism against French Qubec, just look in the mirror. If I'm the epitome of racism (wouldn't it be ethnicism?) against the French, then you guys are doing very well. What with my constant trips and bilingualism. Please enjoy all the money I spend in Quebec every year - it's clearly the product of my guilty French-hating soul. But, I don't live there, so I guess I'm just not as informed as perhaps I thought I was. I didn't mean to offend, I do bristle at the thought of French vicitimhood. It's just not that bad. Seriously though - you guys have it as bad as Natives or African Americans? In the words of a greater man than me: "C'monnnnnnnnn..." Oh, by the way. I'M FRENCH. (But more Acadian than Quebecer. Doesn't mean I'm not the face of French racism though - just thought you obviously didn't know that.)
Weedy, you're right, there was no respect in my comment, because you don't deserve any on this matter. Let's answer your question first: no, I don't think we have it as bad as Natives or African Americans. Only extreme nationalists pretend such a thing. However, French Canadians have been discriminated against for a couple of centuries, and have been the recipients of an explicit "assimilation" plan. You of all people should know this. The fact that you're so oblivious to the implications of your "jokes" puts you on the same level as those Chicoutimi knobs for me. "Come on, it's just for fun" doesn't cut it, sorry. If you need help understanding, try a few substitutions in your jokes. Imagine Michael Jordan was admitted to the hospital with an irregular heart rate, and your first comment was "Doctor told him to lay off the fried chicken and he'll be fine". People here would rip you a new one for this. Yet that's exactly what you said. Another one: "We give you land, loads of money, the right to govern yourselves and live in your own language. What more do you Natives want?" Sounds eerily like what you've said in this thread, doesn't it?
Yep, you're right - I'm a dirty racist. Excuse me while I throw myself out the window. Perhaps I'm not sensitive enough to the implications of my humor. Perhaps you're really overly sensitive and quick to judge. But mostly, I don't consider Qubecers to be terribly persecuted, so I don't filter it. Those dirty Albertans on the other hand - they get it hard and I don't care who I hurt. And that's not exactly what I said - what if the doctor was black who made the joke? Would there be less offense? Ah that's kind of a strawman arguement, but I just don't make too much distinction between French Canadians and myself. We're all just Canadians to me. So when I say that you drink a lot of maple syrup, enjoy poutine *havesexwithyourownchildren*an
d tourtierre, it's because I love.
Wow, I feel real fucking stoopid. I've been wondering what poutine was since that Lemieux post but have been too lazy to look it up, so after another poutine reference I decided to find out what it was. What do I find, it's fucking cheese fries with gravy (a staple of the diner cuisine, although I prefer to dip 'em in gravy rather than have the gravy on top but whatever) So Weedy if you have a problem with cheese fries and gravy than me a Mr Tire Iton are gonna pay a little visit to the Toronto area (mostly to see the Hockey Hall of fame but also to kick your ass)
Hey HATER, I bet you don't feel half as stupid as I do. This entire time I was thinking poutine was Canadian slang for poontang!
Actually, I'm not sure which is worse, British-Canadian cuisine or French-Canadian Cuisine. Luckily, during my trip to Toronto, we were smart enough to eat Korean and Greek instead of hazarding the Bishop and the Belcher. Weedy, you go ahead and laugh at those French-Canuckian folks... Screw 'em if they can't take a joke. I'm Native American, and if I flew off the handle everytime someone thought it was cute to call me "Chief", I wouldn't have time for much else.
I'm a dirty racist. You keep arguing points that were not made. You're not the dirty racist, you're the leisurely racist, just like these Sags fans. There's no outright hatred in there, just ignorance and insensitivity. How do you think they excuse their behaviour now? "Come on, it was just a joke. Don't these guys have a thicker skin than that? They're treated well now, they need to get over it." How can you not know that "pea soup" is one of the classic derogatory terms used by the English towards French Canadians? Hell, it's even been internalized as an insult. "Pissou" means "coward" in joual. (Joual is Montral's regional dialect, which incorporates a lot of English words.) How's that for assimilation? As a word, it's just as good as "nigger" to us French Qubcois. So, thanks for the kind memories you bring back.
Screw 'em if they can't take a joke. So screw Ted Nolan too? Nobody stopped him from coaching that night, after all. It was all just fun among consenting adults, right? I didn't see Weedy making that call at the beginning of this thread. I saw him denouncing "despicable behaviour". Oh, and some of you really need to update your ideas on French-Canadian cuisine.
Now that's something I didn't know. Pissou. Interesting. Didn't mean it that way - just actually was harping on Lemieux's penchant for being out of shape (he once commented when asked how he prepares for the season that 3 weeks before training camp he stops putting ketchup on his french fries - oh shit, I said french fries. Damn, I have to stop attaching ethnicity to everything - oh, when will I learn?). I am well aware that pea soup is a classic term for French Canadians - I just didn't realize that it was THAT offensive. I humbly retract the comment. And I am not a leisurely racist. I'm just not up on my joual. I wasn't fueled by hatred then, or now. Stop attacking me because my knowledge of obscure dialects is less than yours. It's terribly unkind. Personally I think you're just pissed about your hockey pool standing. Or Pissou. Whichever you prefer. I'm starting to think that you're a racist too. You don't seem to be giving me - the Anglo-pig - any benefit of the doubt. Are you anti-Anglo? Here's another viscious generalization - Quebec makes good goalies. Ha! No I think I'm not going to continue to frequent la belle province if I'm not wanted. I'll take my millions elsewhere. I made loads in the cheese curd index in the late 80s. It's traded as a commodity.
Weedy, I know you want me to make a joke to answer yours and that all will be well that will end well. But you're yet again focussing on the wrong thing. The "pissou" lesson was just a sidenote. You don't need to know joual to know that "pea soup" is a derogatory term to French Canadians. As I said myself, I'm certain that there is no hatred in your jokes, only ignorance and disrespect. They're still "despicable" and offending to me (and a few other lurkers I know). You can continue to argue that French Qubcois are not or haven't been discriminated against enough to justify being offended. How does this help towards more understanding between the two solitudes? Still, thank you for retracting your comment. Almost as good as an apology. ;-)
Naw - I did get defensive and then, well, quippy. Honestly - I'm embarassed that I didn't know that. I consider myself quite the Canada booster, and my Canada certainly includes Quebec. To wit: I DO apologise. Won't happen again.
Apology accepted, Weedy. My Qubec includes Canada. :-P
get a room
Have I mentioned that I think Canada is really cool?
Yep Qbert, the two posts of Weedy's you linked to were just as full of Racist hate as what Ted Nolan experienced at that arena. In case you missed it, I am native american, and I take that kind of crap regularily. As Weedy pointed out, there was no ill will intended, the LeMieux crack had to do with an actual quote of his. So, you've got Weedy using "pea-soup eater". Again, if I or Ted Nolan decided to get our panties in a bunch everytime we got called "Chief", we'd have really bunchy panties. Or I could go off if someone says "Howe" to me, or if I walk past a cigar store. So yes, there are times you just have to take a joke. We opressed minorities generally understand this. There are too many battles to be fought to fight all of them. If you can actually get that worked up about a Poutine comment, then my hats off to you. I don't have the energy to get in someone's face of piddling junk like that. Lighten up.
Honestly, I put in that much energy because I know Weedy as a regular Canadian poster here, who I respect. It was disappointing coming from him, and I knew he could take the heat. I would not have bothered had it been any other US noob (only slight offence to US noobs meant here...). Again, just to be clear, I do not believe in any way that the French Americans have suffered and currently suffer anywhere near how the Native Americans or African Americans have. And I applaud you for being able to take the regular abuse the way you do. The poutine comment struck me first and foremost as a really insensitive thing to say. The guy has a newly found heart condition, and your first reaction is a joke about his fatty diet? And since poutine is the new tiresome Qubec clich in Canada, and Weedy had used "pea soup" a few days before (which I let slide, mind you), I took it as doubly insensitive, and the sign of a pattern. So I agree with you in principle. My perspective on this instance is different, that's all.
