Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!ubc-cs!watmath!watcgl!kim From: kim@watsup.waterloo.edu (T. Kim Nguyen) Newsgroups: can.general Subject: Re: Canada -- One or two cultures Message-ID: Date: 5 Aug 89 17:45:44 GMT References: <89Aug3.145600edt.10404@neat.cs.toronto.edu> <28168@watmath.waterloo.edu> Sender: daemon@watcgl.waterloo.edu Distribution: can Organization: PAMI Group, U. of Waterloo, Ontario Lines: 43 In-reply-to: sccowan@watmsg.waterloo.edu's message of 4 Aug 89 18:18:33 GMT In article <28168@watmath.waterloo.edu> sccowan@watmsg.waterloo.edu (S. Crispin Cowan) writes: In article <89Aug3.145600edt.10404@neat.cs.toronto.edu> lesperan@ai.toronto.edu (Yves Lesperance) writes: >To me (and most French Canadians I would think) the goal of ensuring >continued viability of the French community is more important than the >right to education or other government services in one's language in areas >of the country where the other linguistic community is dominant. Does it perhaps tell you something that you're having to use the big government club to get people to stop drifting away from your community? To get people to join your community? Do you really believe that FORCING people to partake of the French culture is for their benefit? The people ARE the community, and when you force the people to do something, you are OPRESSING the community. Hallelujah. It seems to me that if the French community in Quebec, or any community anywhere, wishes to perpetuate its existence and culture, then it is its MEMBERS' responsibility, not that of immigrants. Admittedly, these immigrants may have a choice in where they eventually live in Canada (although I believe that Quebec has some sort of special privilege that allows it to "claim" X percent of the immigrants to Canada), they should be allowed to exercise every human being's freedom of choice concerning their language and education. Of course, this must be somewhat constrained so that they can function effectively within their new country -- so maybe THIS is some justification for imposing French on immigrants to Quebec. But not this "oh my gosh save our culture" cry! If your culture is worth saving, then it will be saved without the need for compulsion. Just look at the French in France. You don't see them worrying overly much about the "intrusion" of English terms into their language. In fact, those terms are officially recognized by l'Academie Francaise. If there's one things that p***es me off, it's Quebecers wanting to be more French than the French. Thank god my parents chose to send me to English school. At least *I* will be able to send my children to the school I feel is best for them. -- Kim Nguyen kim@watsup.waterloo.edu Systems Design Engineering -- University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada