Those crazy Anglo-Quebecers (post-Richard Bain assassin)

Translation from this article

Those crazy Anglo-Quebecers
Akos Verboczy, Métro, 14 septembre 2012

I am not psychiatrist like was the famous anglopologist Camille Laurin but I always found our Anglos a little insane - with notable exceptions of course. Not dangerously insane like this monster Richard Bain (see below), but only ill from a kind of parano-obsessive disorder which starts as soon as the subject Quebec comes up.

Anybody who ever inadvertently found himself in a political discussion with anglo-Quebecers or Canadians knows it: no matter the context, it only takes an average five seconds before it is question of the separatists, ten others to speak about Bill 101 and at the 30th second of this enthralling discussion, it will be inevitably question of the witty remarks of Jacques Parizeau about the ethnic money and votes (in essence).

The "rengaine" (re-repeated tale) is sound tested: “Apart exceptions, the Quebecers in general - and the separatists in particular - are chauvinistic xenophobe racists who cultivate their ignorance while depriving themselves of the priceless economic and cultural wealth brought by the English language in general and the English-speaking in particular.

These "uncultivated and stammerers provincials", spoiled whining children, oppressors of Westmounters and of torturing immigrants investors, would prefer to live in a retarded and ruined Quebec, transformed into a joualized version of 3rd Reich instead of appreciating, like everyone else, the benefits of the Canadian multiculturalism, the most wonderful invention since that of the Athenian democracy.”

Of course, tone and manner can vary. But one still prefers the alternative sarcastic of Josh Freed, the humorous approach of Sugar Sammy or that, ingenuous, of Anne Lagacé-Dowson… to the scorning, aggressive and insulting tone heard on the radio, from columnists and other commentators from the anglophone press and social networks.

I lived a sufficient amount of time west of Côte-des-Neiges to know that there are only two possible possible escapes from these discussions: to agree or to change subject.
I chose the second option a long time ago, when I became disillusioned on the possibility of finding an area of agreement and finding unworthy to be suspected of sympathizing with Klu Klux Klan. In any event, everyone is of agreement, we have certainly full with other things to tell each other.

Yes, yes, these “Québécois francophones de souche et pure laine" (descendants of the first French of North America) can also say silly things, have their prejudices and be really racists. Like the anglos, the francos also have their own clowns, but never with this same zeal, obsession and quasi-unanimity which characterizes the anglophone public opinion.

One must look extremely hard to find any sincere defenders, even moderate, of the Bill 101 in the pages of the Gazette or the West-Island Starbucks. Whereas you can open any publication in French, from the Journal de Montréal to Voir, or La Presse and Urbania to find Quebecers who seem very sorry to be one and to add some.

It is not pleasant to underline, I know. You prefer to see only the (creditable) efforts of bringing together of "two lonelinesses" as that tried by La Presse which brought to our attention that the Métropolis assassin (Richard Henry Bain) is in fact “a Canada-lovers with a disturbed soul”.

How fascinating it was to discover that the man who pitilessly killed a technician and came close to assassinating the newly-elected Prime Minister of Quebec with a AK-44  (and several of my friends), is in reality, if one takes a closer look, “a nice neighbor, amateur of Scottish kilts, and a huge Celine Dion admiror.” A little more and one would praise Bain's opening to the Québec culture and his exemplary efforts to express himself in French...

Thus let us cease adding with this victimisation and this counter-productive car-scourging. And let us hope that this tragic event we bring us to finally realize that if the angelism and idealism can be a warrant of harmony and bringing-together in come Yoga camp in the Laurentides, in reality, to get the Anglos and Francos of Québec to exist in respect, we must start by taking a long breath, to lighten up the atmosphere a bit and recognize - without judging - the legitimate insecurities of the Other…

In any case, in the actual position of the things, one would be all insane not to try.

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