Nothing more fun...

[serendipity8791]

Seriously.

I got bereated (by my boss' boss) for speaking English to a restaurant cashier this morning, while getting my breakfast at Tim Horton's.

She asked me why I was speaking to the lady in English.

The only answer I had was basically "I don't know..."

But yes, I know. How about, even though I'm Francophone, I've been living basically the past 10-15 years almost exclusively in English outside of work and with my immediate and extended family? How about the fact that English is spoken almost exclusively in my home, right now, because my fiancé nearly doesn't speak French? How about the fact that this is motherfucking Canada and the whole country has two official languages and that I don't care about the Provincial laws because, to me, Federal laws for the same rights should always have precedence? How about the fact that I'm barely awake yet, and my last interpersonal interaction has been in English, so that's sort of where the switch in my brain is stuck? How about the fact that I think to myself in English about 95% of the time and more?

But yeah, being a Francophone in Quebec means that none of these things are possible, for some people. It is unthinkable that a Francophone might be able to brain in English (I can science in English, too, no problems there!). Being a Francophone in Quebec also has you labeled as weird if you aren't a staunch pro-French Sovereignist/Distinct Society supporter (because some Federalists are a bit of the latter, they like being Canadian, but they like the Distinct Society label) by a lot of people.

Comments

[laerwen]

Jeeze. And how about it's none of her damn business what language you're speaking? Ugh.

[serendipity8791]

Who are you and what have you done with my sweet T?!?! :3

I know that. I'm just aggravated, because some people make it seem like speaking English when you "shouldn't have to" (getting service at a store/restaurant) should be a crime.

Love you! XD

[laerwen]

Indeed, I'm not used to the politics of language like this! And hehe, she grew a spine, that's what. XD <33333

[serendipity8791]

Honestly, it tends to be a bit of a similar crowd like in the US who go "This is 'Murika! Speak English/'Murican!". You know, people who are anti-immigration, kind of hickish, often under-educated or uneducated and linguistically limited so they don't really have access to the same kinds of jobs as bilingual people and resent that (especially in Quebec for this last part). But you'll also get the occasional educated and intelligent person who does it, just out of principle, because that is how they were raised (and, nowadays, because there is Sovereignist, anti-English speaker propaganda taught in History class in Elementary and High School).

Continue to be assertive, it looks good on you! :D <33333

[laerwen]

Thanks! XD It's good to have boundaries \o/

I thought it was some sort of classist thing with a side-order of propaganda. I've heard some similar things about it before. :(

[serendipity8791]

Yay for boundaries! \o/

Actually, this article explains the situation pretty well about how early they start indoctrinating children to this mentality.

[laerwen]

That is a *terrifying* level of xenophobia, ho. lee. shit.

[serendipity8791]

Remember, all textbooks are pre-approved by the government even if there is no government-level examinations on the subject. History IS a government exam subject, though.

[zulu]

Ugh, outside of work? Why does it matter to your boss then?

I have the same thing about my second language(s). When I try to speak Portuguese, French usually comes out instead--brain says, this is your second language! here you go!

[serendipity8791]

I've been harassed in my workplace over being in a relationship with an Anglophone man. ("You HAVE to send your kids to French school!" and won't leave me alone until it looks like I'm starting to cave, even though it's my private life, and we don't even have the intention on living in Quebec forever.)

I'll accidentally talk to my mother in English on occasion and won't notice until I'm either done and she's staring at me blankly, or she points out that I did. Oops! My mother's English isn't better than John's French. They mostly understand each other just fine though, garbling a mixture of both languages at each other. XD

[spinner_atropos]

Pidgin FTW! :D

So... Québec really IS everything I heard when growing up, then.

[serendipity8791]

It's mostly okay in the part of Montreal we live in, and we'll be in a majority English-speaking area once we move, but we have gotten dirty looks from a grocery store cashier because we kept speaking English and she refused to speak anything other than French, yet she clearly understands English (I don't mind the replying in French to English-speakers and vice-versa when it's clear everyone understands each other, but I object to the dirty looks).

There is a huge "I'm the victim here!" culture that is still propagated even though the province has laws that are actually discriminatory towards people who don't speak French or have a very limited level of it, that just doesn't make sense. It's very similar to the "Christians are persecuted because, LGBTQI people, atheists and people who practice religions we disagree with also have rights!" culture that is going on in some parts of the US.

[tdotbabs]

Don't be so sure. My dad's family lived in St Laurent, and I got hassled on multiple occasions for being an Anglophone. :P

[serendipity8791]

We're going to be in Dollard, not St-Laurent, and that area is mostly English. Some people I know from work refuse to go there because they're almost guaranteed not getting service in French first. XD

[tdotbabs]

I hated being squicked at because I spoke English, and then attempting to muddle through in French and being treated like butt because I wasn't doing it right.

And yet.....yet I strongly enjoy the idea of visiting you sometime.

[serendipity8791]

Haha, that would be grand. If you come after December (or next year) we'll have the board game at that point. XD

[tdotbabs]

Next year sounds ideal!!!

[serendipity8791]

Yup, everyone is so busy this year! :D

[serendipity8791]

Also, this news story.